by Piper Rayne
She nodded, closed her eyes, and wept. Royce cradled her to his chest. Her body shook as she sobbed and buried her head into the crook of his neck. They stayed that way for a long time. He didn’t let go until someone tapped his shoulder. EMS wanted to check her out, and then they needed her to go to headquarters. They needed him as well, but not together.
“Let me know if you need anything, okay? Reese has my number.”
Amber lifted her chin and wiped away a single tear. She opened her mouth, but no words came out. She slammed her body into his and held on tight. A muffled, ‘thank you’ vibrated against his chest. Another minute passed before she let go and allowed the emergency tech to walk her to the waiting ambulance.
His heart continued to pound; in fact, it hadn’t stopped pounding since he realized she was the one in danger. Someone he cared for had been victimized, and he’d never be the same again. The fact that just tonight he realized he had feelings for her was not lost in the moment. Dammit, why hadn’t he done more earlier? He should have made sure Tyson had been given a ride home. He wasn’t sure he’d ever forget the horror-filled desperation in Amber’s eyes.
Royce knew it would take a long time before he could breathe easily again. The rage he experienced as he watched Tyson put his hands upon Amber, ... Fuuuck. Lord, he wasn’t sure he’d ever get over the helplessness he felt as he silently promised Amber everything would be okay before he pulled the trigger.
But now it would be someone else’s job to comfort her. Royce had done what he’d been trained to do. And now he needed to put away the unexpected feelings he never thought he’d experience for a woman. And next, he needed to make sure Tyson wouldn’t being seeing daylight anytime soon. He’d have to wait to satisfy his need to further comfort Amber and took solace in knowing she had a close-knit group of friends to be there for her.
But that didn’t keep him from wishing he’d be the one she could turn to when she returned home.
7
Amber puttered around her kitchen. She stopped in front of the sink, placed her hands on the edge, and looked out the window filled with mini ceramic pots filled with succulents. It was the second morning after she’d been narrowly kidnapped. The first morning she woke with her eyes puffy and red and spent with Caris. Bless her employer. She couldn’t have wished for a better therapist, but thank god she was so much more, including her friend.
She’d needed Caris’s calm strength and ability to listen without interruption. Amber knew she was also strong enough to get over the attack, but she was having trouble with the what-ifs. What if she hadn’t gone to the party? What if she had left earlier? What if Royce hadn’t been there to save her?
A loud knock interrupted her thoughts. She looked down at her robe. Dang it, she hadn’t showered yet. The pounding increased. Then a loud voice sounded, “Amber, it’s Sophie and Reese. Sweetie, we have chocolate.”
She tightened her belt and walked with a slight hop in her step. Yeah, chocolate sounded just about right. “Is it dark chocolate or—” A slightly befuddled teenage boy stood awkwardly between the two women, a large bouquet of flowers in his arms.
“Um, are you, Ms. Amber Wyatt.” A slight flush appearing upon his face as his gaze traveled to her legs. “Here, you go.” He mumbled after thrusting the flowers into her arms and made a quick escape.
She took the vase with overflowing blooms, a mix of white and blush Peonies, Ranunculus, and greenery. She chuckled at the teenager's reaction to her short robe. “Hi. Come on in.” She placed the gorgeous arrangement onto her dining table and turned around and was engulfed by love.
“How are you? What do you need?” Sophie asked.
“I hope that bag of crap never sees the light of day. Because if he does, I’ll track him down, and no one will be able to find his body.” Reese added.
Tears threatened to fall, but Amber shook her head, and laughter won out. “Good to know. And I’ve spoken to the prosecuting attorney already; gave him my statement yesterday. That loser is now a three-time loser. He assured me he’s going away for a long time.”
“Thank the Lord. Everyone is so upset for you, Amber. Let’s sit. What can we do for you?” Sophie put an arm over her shoulder and guided her to the sofa.
Amber sat and looked from one friend to another. “This is perfect. You both, here, with chocolate. Gimmie.”
They broke into laughter and maybe a few tears. “I can make coffee, or—”
“Dammit, I was going to pick up some lattes on my way over. I’ll make it up to you. I’ll have your favorite dinner delivered tonight. I was in such a hurry to see you; I forgot.” Reese sat on the other side of Amber. “Are you sleeping? Did that creep hurt you? We heard from Royce that the paramedics took you to the hospital, but Caris said she brought you home an hour later.”
“Yes, no, and yes. I have Caris down as my emergency contact, and she was so great. She stayed with me all night and made me soup and…” Amber noticed concern on her friends’ faces. And worry. “Hey, I’m fine. I’m going to be fine, really. I had my very own hero. And he rescued me before…before anything bad happened.”
Sophie and Reese exchanged a look Amber couldn’t read. But she had a sinking feeling it had something to do with Royce. “What’s going on? You both look guilty.”
“Hey, let’s see you sent you those awesome flowers.” Reese jumped up and ran over to the table and took the white envelope off the plastic holder thingy, and brought it back to Amber.
The writing was obviously not the sender’s, so she had no clue who’d sent them. She pulled out the small white card and read, “To the bravest woman I know. You’ll get through this. If you need to talk or text, here’s my number.” It was signed Royce. The lettering looked masculine. Had he gone to the florists and picked everything out and wrote the card out in his own hand?
A tiny thrill went through her, and a low pulse somersaulted in her abdomen. He’d sent her flowers. Her favorite flowers. How had he known?
“Wow, I mean, yeah he’s my brother, and I love him, but he’s not the flower sending kind of guy. Um, that was really sweet.” Reese stared at the flowers, then the card, confusion, and something else Amber couldn’t read appeared on her friend's face.
“That is really nice. I didn’t think you two were friends, not that he needs to be a friend to send you flowers or anything. It’s just, you know, like Reese said, really sweet.”
They all sat in silence for a moment. Amber didn’t want to attach too much meaning to Royce Kincaid sending her a bouquet of her favorite flowers. He was a nice guy. A nice, hot guy who she didn’t want to see her as a victim. Her shoulders fell, and she leaned back into the sofa cushions and sighed.
It was probably for the best anyway. They needed to be firmly in the friend zone. He didn’t need his sister’s wrath coming down on him, and Amber couldn’t think of a way to approach Royce and suggest well what she really wanted from him and then be able to keep it a secret. She wasn’t that good of an actress. But maybe…she’d have to think about it. Because after what had happened the other night had woken her up. Life was fragile, and anytime it could be taken away.
The rest of the morning was spent with Sophie and Reese. After a quick shower, they took her out to her favorite place for eggs benedict and a huge side of crispy hash browns. They talked about normal things and argued over who in their tight circle would get pregnant. A baby boom was in the making, and amber had to wonder at Reese’s odd moments of weepiness. It was not like her. She didn’t say her thoughts out loud but would put good money on another bundle making an appearance soon.
“Okay, it’s settled. We’ll get everyone together one last time before the weather turns colder. I think we can talk Lara into hosting. I’ll bribe her with catering the event from my restaurant.”
“Yeah, well you’re going to have to bribe her with a year’s supply of the lobster mac and cheese because she told me Luke wanted out of the “hosting” duties. He claims he’s tired of his friends usi
ng their guest bedroom as a place to hook up.”
Reese’s face turned beet red. “No comment.”
“You? Did you and Connor…um, have a little encounter at Luke’s place?”
Reese didn’t answer. She grabbed the check and made a beeline for the cashier.
Sophie laughed. “I heard it was one of the rookies, but it makes sense if it was her and Connor. Their chemistry was through the roof as I recall. Well, it still is. Anyway, I’ll call you after I talk to Lara, okay?” She looked back at Reese still at the front of the café. “Between you and me, and you have to swear I never said a word, but Connor is going to propose to Reese.”
Amber bit her tongue to keep from shouting. “It’s about damn time.”
“Right? But from what Grant got out of him, he had some issues about his parents' failed marriage to resolve. I’m just happy he’s ready. I know Reese has put on a brave face, but she’s been wanting this for a while. And I know she wants to start a family.”
So many changes. She was happy for Reese. Connor was the perfect man for her, and he was beyond lucky to have Reese. It just seemed like she was the only one, well and Evie, having a hard time finding someone who was the exact right fit. But, perhaps before she got serious about finding the right one, she’d go after the one was right for her now.
8
Royce drove to The Club to meet up with Grant and TS. He was just about done with his captain. The man was solid, but he was also not open to trying new tactics. And he didn’t take suggestions. As far as the guy was concerned, north Idaho wasn’t experiencing enough “big city crime” to justify the added expense of the enhanced training Royce believed SWAT needed.
So he would put out feelers. And the first one had been to the owners of the Outlaws. A lot of the time it was who you knew when looking for a new job or change in career. Shift change had been at seven. He’d gone home, taken a shower, and slept like a dead man for three and a half hours. He’d functioned on less.
“Thanks for meeting me. I hadn’t expected such a quick response, so that tells me two things.” He sat back and waited. TS and Grant may be his friends, but right now was all about business.
TS spoke first. “Okay, I’ll bite. What’s the first?”
Royce grinned. “That’s easy. You two don’t spend forever in the boardroom debating what’s good for the organization. You’re always moving forward. No rest for the wicked.”
Grant returned Royce’s grin. “That’s fair. And the second?”
“You’ve already started your search for a new head of security. Now, I’m not looking to fill that role, but I’d like to find out what your plans are and see if the experience I have is a good fit.”
TS didn’t so much as blink. He sent Grant a quick glance before returning his attention to Royce. “I knew you were more than just a pretty face. You nailed it on both counts. And we would be fools not to consider you for a position within the Outlaw organization. We’ve been searching for someone who has both management and tech skills to become Head of Security, but that doesn’t mean whoever this person turns out to be won’t take our recommendation on personnel.”
Grant’s nod was a bigger relief than Royce had anticipated. He knew he was taking a big chance stepping away from what he thought would be a life-long career. But people changed, priorities changed, and he wanted a new challenge. Amber’s face popped into his mind unexpectedly. Yeah, she would be a challenge as well. He also knew that she’d come to mean too much to him to treat her as one of his many conquests. Maybe if he started taking his future more seriously, he could become the type of guy who could give more than just a night to someone like her.
“What do you think, Royce?”
The moment came back into focus, and Royce looked at Grant and TS watching him, waiting for a response. Man, he had it bad.
“Look, we know you were probably looking for a definitive yes today, but we’re pretty sure the candidate we just met with, his name is Zak London, is our guy. Once we make the final decision, we’ll bring you in and go from there. How’s that sound?”
Royce was one lucky son of a gun because he’d totally been out it daydreaming about Amber. He took a deep breath, lifted his water glass and offered the men a salute, “Sounds good. Thank you for the chance. I want to earn a position on merit and not as a favor. I look forward to meeting with whoever it is you hire.”
“Don’t thank us yet because you’re right. We don’t hand out jobs to people we like or share a beer with. You’ll earn it on your expertise. Now, we want to hear about that asshole you took down and saved Amber.”
Royce laughed and ran a hand through his hair. “How about we have a couple beers, and then I’ll—"
“Well now, what’s going on here? Looks like high-level stuff.”
“Hey, Reese. Would you like to join us for a beer as your brother tells us how it feels being a hero?” TS stood and pulled out the fourth chair.
“I’d love to, but I’ll have to wait until later. We’re short a server today. But I’ll be happy to bring you three beers on the house.” Reese then leaned closer and whispered into Royce’s ear, “How about you see me after your done and then explain what the hell is going on between you and Amber?”
His sister patted him on the shoulder without giving away to TS and Grant how pissed off with Royce she was and walked toward the bar. He knew this day would come. He should have planned better.
The bartender delivered their drinks, and Royce relayed the events of Amber’s attempted abduction. What he didn’t share were the flowers he’d sent or the half dozen text messages they’d exchanged. He was being a friend, a shoulder to lean on—from a distance. But that last text she’d sent had him thinking she may see him as more than her rescuer.
After TS and Grant left, he sat at the table and contemplated if he should bail and deal with his sister later, much later. The server returned with his credit card and receipt and a note from his sister.
Don’t even think about leaving.
He looked over his shoulder to see her standing in the doorway to her office. Royce let out a long sigh and thanked the young woman. “Hi, my name’s Clancy.” She licked her lower lip and looked expectantly at him.
Had it been six months ago, he’d ask for her number. He’d call a day or two later and set a meetup. He’d make sure they both had a good time and on to the next. But he wasn’t that man anymore and now, he guessed he’d see what his sister had to say first.
“So, I’ll just dive in. I know you sent Amber flowers. Her favorite flowers. I had no idea you even knew what a florist is.”
Royce straddled the chair across from his sister’s desk. “If you think your snarky attitude is going to get you answers, try again, sis.”
“Fine. We’re no longer kids. Amber’s a gorgeous woman. I get it. And to be honest, she’s kinda out of your league, and she’s a friend. A friend to a lot of the same people you hang out with. Seems you might need a reminder of a promise you made me.”
“Reese, don’t you think if I wanted to make a move on Amber I would have done it long before now?”
He watched as his sister raised her left eyebrow. He hated it when she’d give him that look when they were kids, then teenagers. The one that said “you’re full of shit” because out of everyone, she’d always known him best. “Caught me.”
“That wasn’t my intention, Royce. But I do want to know what you’re do—”
“I’ll save you the inquisition. Because I’m not sure I know what the hell it is I’m doing. At first, yeah I thought about making a move on her, get her out of my system. I thought that would work, but then I kept thinking about that damn promise, and the longer time went on, the more I saw her, the more I saw her, you know?” He tipped his head back and had no clue what he wanted to say next.
“It’s not that hard to see, Royce. She’s a beautiful, smart, funny, caring person. And she deserves someone who wants more than one night, no matter, um, how great a time you migh
t show her. Is that what you’re thinking here?”
Okay, this was turning into a conversation he so did not want. “Nothing has happened between Amber and me.”
“Huh? Because I see the way you look at her and how she tries not to look at you. And I know you two shared one hell of a lip lock at O’Malley’s.” Reese crossed her arms.
Shit. “How long have you known?”
“Oh, I guess within an hour after it happened.” She relaxed and leaned forward and rested her chin in her hand and smiled at him. “And before you ask, one of my part-time line cooks is dating a server at the pub. She saw you two, told him, and here we are.”
“Small town gossip. Perfect.” One of the things he’d liked about living in Dallas was anonymity; running into people you knew rarely happened. “Okay, so what do you want me to say, to do because—”
“I want to know when you’re going to figure out that using your job, the dangers of your job as an excuse from getting close to a woman. You deserve happiness, just like the rest of us. When you find someone you want to come home to every night, you need to take a leap, Royce.”
When had his sister become so wise? “Are you saying I should do that with Amber?”
“I’m saying what’s taking you so long?”
9
“Congratulations!” The words were yelled by the dozen or so friends and family that had gathered to celebrate Reese and Connor’s engagement. Stand up heaters, and a couple of firepits blazed to ward off the late October chill.
The Outlaw’s catcher and his wife had, according to all their friends, had the best backyard for BBQs and parties. So, they often hosted the group’s special events. And now that everyone was adding to the next generation, they had playsets everywhere for the recent baby explosion.
Royce stood in the background and observed the festivities as he finished his drink. He’d already offered the happy couple his congratulations earlier.
