My Everything - Seth & Amber

by Melanie Shawn

  “Yeah, I can tell you’ve really thought this through,” Seth’s tone was flat.

  Seth had known quite a few guys that had gone into that field when they returned to civilian life. He had kept in touch with a few of them, and it would be easy enough to get some more information about what kind of contracts they dealt with and what their clients’ needs were, etc.

  Seth knew he could not rely on Cam to deal with the details. Cam was good at the big picture kinds of things. In life and in business. If he agreed to this, one thing would need to be crystal clear - it may be under the Titan Security umbrella, but the protection service would be Seth's division.

  “I’ll come up with a business plan and everything, but I just wanted to know if it was something you would consider,” Cam asked.

  “I’ll consider it,” Seth agreed.

  “Sweeet.” Cam reached to turn the music back up on the radio, but before his hand reached the knob, his phone rang.

  “This is Cam,” he answered.

  “I don’t know about any cameras up in Cranston Square.” Cam looked over at Seth.

  “Give me the phone,” Seth’s voice sounded harsher than he had meant it to.

  Cam looked at Seth like he was crazy. Seth stared at him. Cam handed him the phone.

  “This is Seth Sloan. Is there a problem at Cranston Square?”

  “There was an incident in the back parking lot and I am going to need access the security cameras.”

  “Who am I speaking to?” Seth asked.

  “Officer Williams, Harper’s Crossing PD.”

  “I'll be back at the office in under ten minutes. I'll call you back with the log-in to the feed.” Seth disconnected the call and handed the phone back to Cam.

  “Since when do we have cameras in Cranston Square?” Cam asked.

  “Since I installed them on Thanksgiving,” Seth replied.

  Cam shook his head. “Holy shit! I can’t believe you got old man Cranston to pay for a new system.”

  “He didn’t pay.”

  “Amber paid for it?” Cam asked.

  Seth knew that Cam would not let it go, so he said, “I paid for it.”

  “You paid for it?”

  “Yes.”

  “You were that worried about Haley.”

  Seth was sure at some point Cam would hear about his past with Amber and he would rather he hear it from him than through the grapevine.

  “Amber and I,” Seth paused, not knowing how to explain it, “we know each other.”

  Cam turned his attention from the road and looked at Seth, “What do you mean? Like, you knew her before you came home?”

  “Yes.”

  “Like...in the biblical sense?” Cam asked, waggling his eyebrows comically.

  Seth stared straight ahead. He watched as the headlights illuminated the ‘Welcome to Harper’s Crossing’ road sign. They were almost back to the office.

  He needed to see that footage. He hadn’t asked officer Williams what the incident was because he knew he probably wouldn’t tell him.

  “You dirty dirty dog you! How the hell did you swing that? Amber is freakin’ hot. I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve asked her out. Is that why you moved home? Why didn’t you tell me you were together?” Cam rapid fired questions at him.

  “We’re not together.” That was the only answer Cam was getting.

  “Sooo you purchased and installed a security system – a several thousand dollar security system, mind you – for a girl you’re not even with,” Cam laughed, “I’ve heard of flowers and candy, but, hell, I guess a surveillance camera is a nice gesture, too.”

  Seth didn’t want to get into it with his friend. Thankfully they were pulling up to the offices. As soon as the truck was parked Seth was out the door.

  --- ~ ---

  Amber stuck her toe in the water to test the temperature. Ahhhh, perfect. She draped her robe over the chair next to her vanity, then she ran her fingers through her hair before pulling it up and twisting it into a knot on the top of her head. She rolled her neck from side to side, feeling calmer and more relaxed than she had in…well, maybe ever.

  Just as she was stepping into the bath, there was a knock on the door. Great. Visitors.

  She grabbed her robe and sighed as she made her way to the front of the house. She looked through the peephole and saw Alex and Jamie standing on her porch.

  Amber opened the door, “Hey, guys, everything okay?”

  “We were going to ask you that.” Alex said as he and Jamie stepped into the house, Jamie was rubbing her hands together and blowing on them.

  They both stared at her expectantly. Amber just stared at them blankly.

  “When we were putting Joey to bed, he told us that he saw a police car drop you off tonight. And your car's not in the driveway,” Jamie explained, still rubbing her hands.

  “Oh, thaaaaat...” Amber laughed. After two glasses (two large glasses) of wine, her car getting broken into had slipped her mind. Her memory might be slipping, but who cares? She was feeling gooooood. “Yeah, my car got broken into tonight and so they towed it to the shop and gave me a ride home.”

  “Are you alright?” Alex asked his brow furrowed.

  “I’m fine.” Amber waved her hand in dismissal.

  Jamie and Alex exchanged strange looks, the kind couples do when they want to communicate without speaking. Amber called it mental sign language.

  “I’m gonna head back next door," Jamie said. "I just wanted to make sure you were good.” Jamie gave Amber a quick hug. “Let me know if you need anything.”

  “Okie dokie.” Amber smiled, giving Jamie a thumbs up.

  Jamie left and Alex moved to sit on the couch.

  “I’m fine, Alex, you don’t need to stay. Go next door to your family.” Amber pointed to the wall that separated the two duplexes.

  “We haven’t really had a chance to talk in a while.” Alex scooted back on the pillows making himself at home.

  “That’s true, but I was kind of going to take a bath and that sounds like more fun. Sorry, Charlie. Err...Alex. Balex, Malex...nothing rhymes with Alex.”

  “Are you drunk?” he asked tilting his head.

  “I don’t get drunk,” she snapped.

  “I know. Which is why I’m asking, not just assuming.”

  “I had two glasses of wine. I’m not drunk,” she declared firmly.

  “Okay,” Alex raised his hands in mock surrender. “Look, I’ve just been so busy with the accident, and then meeting Jamie. I haven’t really checked in with you since the break-in and Mystery Man, I mean…Seth’s homecoming.”

  Her shoulders slumped with resignation as she crossed her arms and sat on the couch. Since Alex had gotten out of the Navy a few years ago he and Amber had become close friends. Their relationship kind of reminded her of the one she had had with Aaron. She knew she might as well talk to him because he wasn’t leaving until she did.

  “How are you doing with the break-in? Actually break-ins?” Alex leaned forward and put his elbows on his knee.

  Amber shrugged, “Fine.”

  “How about the stuff with my brother? How’s that going?”

  “Fine,” Amber repeated.

  “Amber, I know you’re not big on spilling your guts and normally I am all for that. In fact, it’s always been one of my favorite things about you. But you’ve had a lot of shit go down lately. You shouldn’t bottle it all up.”

  “I’m fine. I’m not bottling anything up, I’m just…dealing.”

  Alex scrubbed his hands over his face, “Okay, well. Have you heard from your mom lately?”

  “A couple times a week,” Amber answered honestly.

  “And how is she doing?”

  “She’s drunk.”

  “Shit, I’m sorry Amber,” Alex said sincrely. “That sucks.”

  “I know, thanks.” Amber stood. “Look, Alex, I appreciate you wanting to have a heart to heart but I really just want to go take a bath.”

&
nbsp; “Alright, alright,” Alex stood and they walked to the door, “I can tell when I’m not wanted.”

  “I would hope so, I wasn’t trying to be subtle.” Amber smiled.

  As she opened the door, Alex pulled her into a hug. “If you need us, call. We’re right next door.”

  Until next week, Amber thought sadly.

  “Okay, thanks,” she said as she hugged him back.

  “What the hell is going on?!” A deep voice harshly demanded from the porch.

  She screamed and jumped back.

  Alex quickly turned around, completely blocking Amber’s view of the porch. After a few moments, Alex began to shake his head back and forth slowly. “Wow, Seth. All this for 'nothing going on'.”

  “Alex,” she heard Seth’s deep voice bark.

  “Well, goodnight kids,” Amber could hear the smile in Alex’s voice as he moved to leave. As soon as his wide frame was out of the doorway, she saw Seth standing on the porch as he watched Alex leave.

  Hmmm...she thought, if looks could kill, Alex would be dead as a doornail.

  Why was Seth so mad? She was confused, aaaannnndddd...maybe a little tipsy.

  Seth’s eyes scanned back to her. Something flashed in them as his jaw ticked. He quickly stepped inside, causing her to move out of the way and he shut the door.

  “What are you doing?” she asked as she pushed him.

  He couldn’t just come in here like he owned the place.

  “Amber,” he motioned his head down toward her chest.

  She looked down and saw that her robe was hanging wide open. Her lovely lady lumps – as Fergie would say – were on full display. Ooops.

  “You have to quit sneaking up on me,” Amber said as she quickly covered herself up and retied her robe. She looked up at him with an accusatory stare as she poked her finger into his chest. “It fell open when I jumped to the ceiling 'cause you scared me. It’s your fault I just flashed the neighborhood.”

  He just stared at her. She couldn’t tell if he was mad, turned on, or maybe a little of both. That could be fun, she thought to herself and a smile spread across her face.

  “Amber,” Seth growled.

  Mmmm, she liked how that sounded.

  “Seth,” Amber tried to mimic Seth’s voice.

  He looked at her strangely. Yep, ok, she was definitely tipsy.

  --- ~ ---

  Seth needed to stay focused. That was easier said than done considering he was rock hard from the peep show he had just been treated to. Nevertheless, he had to get some information. Important information. He couldn't lose sight of his mission objective.

  “Why didn’t you call me?” he asked. Where the hell did that question come from? That was not the information he needed. Damn it, man, get your head in the game, he chided himself.

  Amber’s brow furrowed as she shook her head like she was trying to clear it. “What?”

  “Tonight. When your car was broken into,” he explained.

  “Ohhhhh.” She nodded as if it was all making sense now, but then shook her head. “Man, that’s all anybody wants to talk about.”

  Seth had the sneaking suspicion that Amber was drunk. “How much have you had to drink?”

  “Two glasses of wine. Big glasses.” Her eyes widened as she held her hands apart illustrating how big the glasses were. “I’m feeling good. Aaaannnddd...I have a bath waiting. So what can I do ya for?”

  Seth tried not to smile, she was pretty damn cute when she was feeling good. All the anger that he had felt on the way over was gone. He was, however, still wound tight from worry. He didn’t think anything could make that go away except doing something with her that he knew he couldn’t do.

  His eyes scanned her, from the hair piled up on the top of her head all the way down her white fluffy robe to her bare feet sticking out at the bottom. Damn it all to hell, she even had cute feet.

  Amber began wiggling her toes in the carpet. “Why are you staring at my toes?”

  He lifted his head to find her staring down at her feet. “They’re cute,” he answered.

  Her face scrunched up as her gaze met his. “You actually think things are cute?” she asked in disbelief.

  “I think you’re cute.”

  “Really? I don’t think anyone’s ever said I was 'cute' before.” Amber held up her fingers in quotation signs.

  “You’re cute.” Seth could feel the walls of his self-imposed no contact order crumbling with each interaction he shared with Amber. He wasn’t sure how he was going to stay the course with them being thrown together in the wedding. Every time he saw her it became more and more difficult to not touch her.

  “Why didn’t you call me when your car was broken into tonight?” He knew it shouldn’t bother him. But it did.

  She looked at him like he was crazy. Then held up her fingers as she began ticking off reasons. “First, why would I? You’re not my boyfriend, you’re not really my friend, you’re just my…my...see? I don’t even know what you are.

  “Second, you should be proud of me, I did exactly what you said to do. I stayed calm. I didn’t panic. I called the police. And third, and most importantly, I don’t have your number,” her voice raised in frustration.

  Seth pulled his phone out of his pocket. “What’s your number?”

  She gave it to him. After programming it into his phone he texted her with his.

  “If anything else happens, call me.”

  She stood up straight and gave him the same salute she had in the parking lot at the shelter.

  He felt his lips turn up as a smile spread across his face. He found himself smiling a lot when he was around Amber.

  Focus. He needed to focus. Information, that’s why he was here.

  Pulling up the close-up still he had taken from the footage on the surveillance camera, he turned his phone around so that she could see the screen.

  “Do you know him?”

  Amber squinted her eyes as she examined the photo and then shook her head no.

  “This is the guy who smashed in your windows.”

  Her eyes widened. “How do you know that?” she asked, awe tinging her voice that Seth realized probably came more from the wine than the technology.

  “We got it all on the cameras. You should be hearing from Officer Williams tomorrow. He'll probably want you to go down to the station to view the footage and try and make an ID.”

  “Okay,” she said, looking a little shell shocked.

  “I can go with you tomorrow, if you want. Down to the station.”

  “No, that’s fine. I don’t need you to.” She shook her head as she wrapped her arms tighter around her waist protectively.

  “I want to go with you.”

  She looked down at the ground. Her expression was tight, as if she were battling with something. He wasn’t sure if it was the decision to let him go with her tomorrow or something else. He waited.

  Her head lifted as she asked, “Why do you want to go with me?”

  “I just do,” he answered honestly.

  He didn’t know how to put into words the reasons why he wanted to be with her when she saw the footage. He knew it might be difficult for her to see it and he didn’t want her to be alone. Seth knew that she had friends, and he was sure that any one of them would gladly go to support her. Hell, his whole family would. But he didn’t want them to be there to support her. He wanted to be there.

  “Okay,” she finally said.

  The knot that had formed in his chest when he had heard about the vandalism relaxed just a little bit. He knew he should get out of there before he started listening to the pulsing need that was rioting through him. Or, putting it another way – the way that he felt was probably more accurate, but that scared the hell out of him – before he became incapable of ignoring the pulsing need that was rioting through him.

  “I’ll let you get back to your bath. I’ll pick you up to go to the station tomorrow.” He turned to go.

  “Are we going on your bik
e?” he heard her ask as he reached for the doorknob.

  Turning his head back to her he saw her eyes lit with excitement.

  “Do you want to?” he asked with a small smile, although he suspected he already knew the answer.

  “Yes,” she said, nodding her head enthusiastically.

  “Okay,” he replied, knowing full well that he wasn’t sure if his heart could take another ride with her - but also knowing that there was no way he could deny her something that made her eyes light up like that. He turned to leave, but not before reminding her, “Lock the door-”

  She interrupted, “-behind you. I got it. I got it. You know, it may surprise you to learn this, but I took pretty good care of myself before you showed up.”

  He stepped onto the porch and turned back to find Amber standing with her hands on her hips, looking cuter and sexier than any woman had a right to look. An urgency swept through him unlike any he had ever experienced.

  He quickly closed the space between them and Amber tilted her head up to so that she could look at him. There was a hitch in her breath as her lips parted. Staring down into her hazel eyes, he saw they mirrored his own desire.

  “I know you can take care of yourself. You are the most independent, self-sufficient woman I have ever met. But I’m here now. And I take care of the people I care about.”

  Her eyes widened at his admission. “You care about me?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

  “Yes.”

  “Oh,” she said as the corners of her mouth - her perfect, lush mouth - turned up into a smile.

  The slow, sexy smile that spread across her face was as unhurried and as sweet as molasses, and it caused Seth’s already-racing heart to beat even faster. He felt as though it was going to pound right out of his chest. He needed to leave. He turned on his heels and headed down the steps. He needed to get the hell out of there before he did something he would regret.