by SJ McCoy
“They already did. I never even thought to mention it to you. It was a couple years ago. I knew you guys weren’t in a position to buy it back then. I bought it myself.”
Her eyes widened. “You’re our landlord? As in, the owner, not just the manager?”
“Yep. I don’t like to shout about it, but I buy quite a few of the properties I manage.”
She gave him a shrewd look. “And do you ever sell any of them again?”
“Not usually.”
She nodded sadly. “Okay. I get it. I had to ask. And I don’t blame you. I bet you always won at Monopoly as a kid, didn’t you?” She forced a smile. “I bet you bought up all the properties and stacked up a pile of cash.”
He had to laugh. “You’re only half right. I did buy all the property, and make bank, but I always used to feel bad for Dallas, and I’d lend him money and help him buy his own properties.”
Kenzie laughed with him. “I should have known. You’re too soft. And having met Dallas, I get it. He’s a charmer, isn’t he?”
“Something like that. But listen, Kenz. I’m not saying no about you guys buying the house. Let me think about it, okay? I’ll put something together and give you a call. Maybe you and Chase can come in and see me toward the end of the week.”
She frowned. “No. It’s an investment to you. You wouldn’t have bought it if it wasn’t a good one.”
“Exactly. To me, it’s just an investment—and it’s one of many. To you guys, it’s home—and that is worth so much more than any amount of money.” He felt bad when her eyes started to shine.
“Damn, Austin!” She sniffed loudly. “I always knew you were a good guy. But if you can make me fill up, you’re something special.” She pursed her lips, and he could see her chin tremble. “I need to go serve those guys who just came in. Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be right back.”
He watched her dab at her eyes as she walked away. He knew it’d be a big deal to her and Chase, but he didn’t know how to explain—without it coming off wrong—that it really wasn’t a big deal for him. Sure, he’d done well for himself. Real estate was good business and had been getting better and better the last few years. He wouldn’t deny that he enjoyed the financial success, but it wasn’t what motivated him. What he loved about his job was exactly what Kenzie had just described—helping people find the place they would call home.
She surprised him when she came back—on his side of bar this time. She surprised him even more when she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and planted a kiss on his cheek. He looked up at her in surprise.
She gave him a bright smile. “I can’t say anything because I’ll get all emotional. But this …” She pecked his cheek again. “Is my version of thank you.”
“What’s going on here, lover?”
They both turned to see Chase standing behind her with a puzzled look on his face.
Austin gave him an apologetic smile, but Kenzie just laughed. “Don’t look like that.” She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a kiss that made Austin feel like he should look away.
When they came up for air. Chase smiled at her. “Want to explain?”
She nodded at Austin. “I’ll let him. I’ll only cry if I try.” She walked away to let herself back behind the bar.
Chase sat down beside Austin with a grin. “I’m guessing that if she’s thanking you and kissing on you, you gave her some good news about the owners wanting to sell the house?”
He nodded. “Yeah. The owner, at any rate.”
Kenzie set a beer down on the bar for Chase. “And Austin’s the current owner!”
Chase grinned at him. “Awesome!”
Austin held up his glass, and Chase clinked his bottle against it. “We’ll work something out.” His smile faded and his heart started to race when he saw some of his friends coming in. Angel and Luke were with Roxy and Logan. He craned his neck to see if anyone else—anyone like Amber—was with them.
She wasn’t.
Chase raised an eyebrow at him. “Are you waiting for someone?”
He smiled. “I hope so.”
Kenzie rested her elbows on the bar and leaned forward. “Please tell me that you and Amber are finally going to get it on?”
He had to laugh at the way she put it. “I don’t know about that, but I asked if I could buy her a drink tonight and …”
Kenzie’s laugh made him feel kind of naïve. “Just get over yourself, would you? Buy her a few—and then take her home.”
Chase chuckled and grasped Austin’s shoulder. “That’s not his style, Kenz. And it wouldn’t be Amber’s either. Do me a favor, lover, and don’t do any of your usual style encouraging with these two?”
She gave him a sour look, but Austin gave him a grateful smile.
“Okay. I’ll behave myself—if I must. But you’d better play a whole bunch of slow ones at the end of the night.”
Chase smiled. “That I can do. And speaking of which, I’d better start getting set up. Eddie said he might be a bit late tonight.”
~ ~ ~
Amber hesitated outside the door to the Boathouse before she pushed it open.
Jade stopped beside her and gave her an encouraging smile. “It’s going to be a great night. Okay?”
She sucked in a deep breath and nodded. “Yeah. It is.”
Ally leaned in next to Jade. “It is, Amber. Honestly. You look amazing. And I’ve told you before, Austin always looks at you as if he wants to eat you up.”
She laughed. It was true; she said that all the time. Ally had only moved up here a little while ago, but she’d become a good friend very quickly. She was probably closer to Jade, but she’d insisted from the first time she’d met him that Austin had a thing for Amber.
At this point, all she could do was steel her nerves and go in there and find out.
Jade grinned at her. “And like I already told you, if he doesn’t get his act together fast enough, some other lucky guy will.” With that she pushed the door open and gave Amber a little shove.
As she walked inside, she set her shoulders back and held her head a little higher. Jade had been right earlier—Milo had left some lingering doubts in her mind, doubts about her own worth. And she knew she needed to move past them. If she didn’t see herself as a catch, why should Austin?
She spotted him immediately. He was sitting at the bar with Ivan and Abbie—she liked them. She was glad he wasn’t at the big table where most of the gang were already sitting. This was probably going to be awkward, at least, at first, and she was glad that whatever happened, it wouldn’t happen in front of everyone.
“We’re getting a drink first,” said Jade and strode purposefully toward the bar.
Ally smiled at her. “Come on.”
Austin looked up and caught her gaze. The way he smiled was enough to set her heart racing. He was such a good-looking guy. He was tall, maybe six feet, he wasn’t all muscle-bound like some of their friends, but he had broad shoulders and big strong arms. She sucked in a shaky breath as she wondered how it would feel to have him close those arms around her.
To her surprise, he slid down from his stool and came toward her. His eyes never left hers.
Ally nudged her with her elbow. “I’m guessing that he’s getting your drink.”
Amber nodded. She tried to speak, but her throat was dry. Her heart beat louder in her ears with every step closer he came.
He stopped in front of her and looked down into her eyes. “Hi.”
She had to swallow before she could reply. “Hi.” She just kept looking into his eyes. They were doing that gold and green shimmery thing and it had her mesmerized.
The way he was looking back at her made it feel as though he was as dumbstruck as she felt. He smiled and let out a little laugh. “I wasn’t sure if you understood what I meant last night—when I asked if I could buy you a drink.”
She swallowed again and ran her tongue over her lips in an attempt to make her voice work. It didn’t at first, so she nodde
d instead. “I wasn’t sure if I did either.” Her heart was hammering in her chest. Her palms were hot and sweaty, but instead of feeling nervous about him, she felt nervous with him. She’d expected to spend a while guessing whether she even had it right about this being a date. She hadn’t thought that he’d be so open with her. She liked it. It made her feel close to him—like they were in this together, even if they were about to mess it up.
She smiled. “I hoped, but I didn’t know.”
His face relaxed. “You hoped?”
She nodded. He was putting himself out there, it was only fair that she should join him. “Come on, Austin. Surely, you’ve known for a while that I’ve been hoping.”
She was thrilled to see a hint of pink touch his cheeks and his neck.
“I think I have to borrow your answer. I hoped, but I didn’t know.”
She smiled. “Well, now you know.”
He put his hand on her shoulder, causing her to gulp for air as hot shivers raced through her. “Thanks, Amber. Now you know, too.”
She nodded. She knew that she wanted to feel his hand on more than her shoulder!
“Can I get you that drink?”
She nodded again. “Yes, please.”
He looked around. “Where did Jade go?”
She chuckled. “She and Ally probably skedaddled as fast as they could. You’re stuck with just me.”
He looked down into her eyes, and she felt the excitement bubble up in her chest again. “That’s great.”
When they reached the bar, Kenzie was waiting for them with a grin. Amber braced herself, expecting her to say something about them being there together, but she gave them a warm smile. “What can I get you, kiddies?”
Austin looked at Amber. “I’d like a glass of that Cab Franc, please.”
Austin smiled. “Make that two.”
She looked up at him; she’d forgotten that he was a wine guy. Most of the guys stuck with beer.
He smiled back at her. “Roscoe asked me to say hi.”
She laughed. “He did? How’s he doing after his little ordeal yesterday?”
“He’s none the worse for it. And thank you again. I took a drive by the beach this morning and I saw the hole you were talking about. Thank God you found him.” He shuddered. “He could have been stuck in there all night if you hadn’t.”
“Ugh. I didn’t even think about that. I’m glad I found him, too.”
Kenzie set their drinks on the bar and moved away again without a word.
Austin lifted his glass and held it out to her. She chinked hers against it. “What are we drinking to?”
He smiled. “To Roscoe. He finally made me do what I’ve wanted to do since the day we first met.”
She smiled and bit down on her lip. She really hadn’t expected him to be this open, but she liked it.
His smile faded. “Is it okay that I said that?”
“It is! I’m glad you said it, because it makes it easier for me to say that I’ve been hoping you would since the day we met.”
The way he smiled at her made her insides turn to mush.
He rested his forearm on the bar, and she had to revise her opinion that he wasn’t all muscly. She dragged her eyes away from it and looked up at him.
“Do you want to stay here at the bar, or would you rather find a table—or go join the others?”
She looked around. The others were all sitting at a couple of the big picnic tables—and half of them didn’t manage to look away in time. She laughed. “It looks like we’re the object of much curiosity over there—I’m not sure I want to brave it, but I will if you do.”
He shook his head adamantly. “I’d rather find a table and have you all to myself; I just didn’t want to assume.”
She followed him over to one of the booths in the back.
“Is this okay?”
“It’s great.” She slid in and he sat opposite her.
He twirled his glass and then looked up at her. “I’ve waited all this time to ask you out, and now we’re here I don’t even know what to say.”
She smiled. “If it’s any consolation. I’m the same.” She rested her hands on the table, suddenly afraid that this whole thing had just been a fantasy and that there would be no reality to back it up.
He soon changed her mind about that when he reached across the table and took hold of her hand. “I’m glad we’re here, though.”
Her heart started to race again. So was she.
Chapter Five
Austin was feeling more relaxed as he led her out onto the dance floor. They’d gotten off to an awkward start, but soon they’d been laughing and telling each other stories about their lives—and their siblings.
A few of their friends had walked by their table during the course of the evening, but mostly they’d left them in peace. Though he’d felt several pairs of eyes on them. He knew there would be several more now that they were up to dance. It didn’t matter.
What mattered was that Chase had caught him the last time he’d gone to the bar and told him that he planned to play a long section of slow songs at the end of the night—if he wanted to make the most of it.
He wanted to kiss her, but he wasn’t sure that he wanted to do it here. He wasn’t worried about who saw them, more about how she would feel about it. It was kind of a given around here—everyone knew that the couples out kissing on the dance floor at the end of the night were simply engaging in foreplay. That wasn’t his plan. He just wanted to dance with her—get the chance to hold her.
He stopped and held his hands out to her. He had to close his eyes when she looped one arm up around his neck and rested her other hand on his chest.
He slid his arms around her waist, not daring to pull her too close against him.
When she looked up at him, her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were bright. “Do you like to dance, or are just doing this for me?”
“I love to dance. I just don’t often get the chance.”
She frowned.
“What? What’s the matter?”
“I probably shouldn’t bring this up. But you never used to get up and dance when you were with … before.”
He pursed his lips. He didn’t like to remember the years that he’d spent with Nadia. “No. She didn’t like to.” He almost said that she didn’t like to do anything that he enjoyed, but he thought better of it. He wanted to focus on Amber—and the future, not on Nadia and the past.
He held her a little closer, and she looked up into his eyes. “Were you miserable with her?”
Was it bad to admit it? It was better than lying, he knew that much. He nodded slowly. “I’m not blaming her. We hadn’t made each other happy in a long time. I should have ended it sooner.”
“I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t even be asking, but it feels like that’s something we have in common.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You stayed in a bad relationship too long, too?”
She blew out a sigh. “Far too long. I should never have gotten into it.”
His arms tightened around her involuntarily at the thought of her with someone else. A thought struck him as he remembered their conversation from last night. “Did you work with him?”
She sighed. “Yeah. He works as the general manager for my parents.”
“They have fast food franchises, right?”
“Yeah. A whole string of them. I used to do the books.”
Austin’s heart hammered in his chest. “Is he waiting for you to go home?”
“He is.”
A wave of disappointment swept over him. He shouldn’t even be dancing with her, let alone wondering about seeing her again.
She reached up and touched his cheek. “It’s not like that. He wants me back. I don’t want him back. I’m tired of being used.”
He frowned. He wanted to ask what she meant but didn’t feel like he had the right. Instead, he held her closer to his chest, loving the feel of her soft body pressed against him.
When
she looped both arms around his neck and looked up at him, he couldn’t help it. He lowered his mouth closer to hers and breathed, “You don’t deserve to be used, Amber, not by anyone.”
Her eyes locked with his, and she shook her head. “I won’t be anymore, will I?”
“No.” He brushed his lips over hers. “Not if I have anything to do with it.”
She surprised him when she nipped his bottom lip. He’d been hesitant to kiss her, but she was eager. She cupped his cheek in her hand and kissed him hungrily. He’d been a gentleman, he was a gentleman, but there was no way he’d hold back from that. He ran his hand up her back and tangled his fingers in her hair as he kissed her.
When they finally broke away, he was finding it difficult not to let her feel the effect she was having on him. She bit down on her bottom lip but couldn’t hide her smile. “I feel like I should say I’m sorry. I’ve never been this … forward.”
He chuckled and planted a peck on her lips. “Please don’t say you’re sorry. I’m loving it. And just to be clear, you can be as forward as you like with me.”
To his surprise, she slipped her arms around his waist and then slid her hands down to cup his ass. “I can?”
He nodded eagerly. “Yep! Most definitely.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Just so you know, I won’t mind if you want to be forward with me, either.”
Wow! His heart raced. If she was saying what he thought she was … he couldn’t do it. He rested his hands on her hips and pulled her against him, so that she could have no doubt about his attraction to her. “I’d love to,” he said as her eyes widened, and her cheeks flushed. “But that’s not who I am, and I don’t think it’s who you are, either?”
She gave him a grateful smile. “You really are a gentleman, aren’t you?”
He chuckled. “I am. Right now, I want to say unfortunately, but I am. And if we’re going to start seeing each other …” He raised an eyebrow at her.
She smiled happily. “If that’s you asking, then yes, I hope we are.”
“Then I think it’s best if we do it right. Take our time and be ourselves.”
She stood up on her tiptoes and planted a kiss on his lips. “You’re awesome.”