by Natalie Ann
“No,” he said, turning to look at her again.
When they pulled up to Nick and Mallory’s house, Amber climbed out and made her way to the door with Zach. “I feel like I should have brought something. All of a sudden, I’m realizing it’s rude to show up with nothing.”
“They don’t expect anything. Besides, it wasn’t planned.”
“It still doesn’t make me feel any less bad about it.”
He opened the door and held it for her, then took her jacket and hung it up. “Hey, I’m back. Did you guys miss me?” Zach asked openly to everyone in the room.
“Like Billy Joel misses Christie Brinkley,” Nick said.
“Cute. Everyone, this is Amber, but I think everyone knows her, except John.”
Amber walked forward and shook hands with John. Susan came forward and gave her a hug. She was always more comfortable with hugs than handshakes.
“It’s good to see you again, Amber,” Susan said. “Make yourself comfortable. Can I get you a glass of wine?”
She hesitated and was going to say no when she saw Zach opening a beer, but Zach said, “Get her a glass. I’ll just have this one beer for the night. We’ll be here for a few hours, so it’s good.”
Everyone looked at Amber, so she nodded her head for the wine. She was touched that he remembered that about her.
Two glasses of wine later—and more food than she’d planned on eating, not to mention more fun than if she’d sat home alone—she and Zach left for the night.
“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” Zach asked her in the car.
“Not at all. I love picking on Rene when Cole is around.”
“What was that comment about mutant powers or something? Only you and Rene laughed.”
“Nothing,” she said. “Inside office joke. Anyway. Your family is pretty awesome. Much more relaxed than mine.”
It was a holiday dinner she’d always wanted as a kid and never experienced. One where she got to sit around and laugh and joke, be herself. Never worrying if what she said would offend someone, or make them look at her like she was a horrible person not raised right nor appreciative of her parents.
There were no worries someone needed something, no worries about the amount of work that needed to be done, or if her parents were stressing and working too hard.
This was what she missed out on in life, but realized that she probably wouldn’t have appreciated it nearly as much back then as she did today.
“Maybe someday I’ll get to see what a holiday dinner is like with your family.”
“You already did,” she said.
“Doesn’t your family sit down for a dinner together at all?”
“No. We go our separate ways and relax. When I was younger, we’d go home and eat, but never what was served. I think we were all sick of looking at the food, so we went home and had something else. Something simple, since we were all tired.”
“Are you telling me this is the first time you’ve had a real Thanksgiving dinner? Turkey and the trimmings? Sitting down with friends or family for it?”
She hadn’t really thought of that before. “Yeah, I guess it was.”
“Then I’m glad I got to be the one you shared it with.”
“Me too.”
Deposit
It wasn’t the wine or the exhaustion of the day that changed Amber’s mind.
No, she was wondering why she even tried to be safe to begin with.
Didn’t Celeste tell her to not play it safe? She should have listened.
She shouldn’t have tried to be or do something she wasn’t.
She was proud of her life and how hard she worked. Sure, there were mistakes she’d made, and going back, if she had to do things over, she’d change things for sure. She’d change a lot of things.
But she couldn’t go back. She could only embrace the here and now. She had to stop beating herself up. Or at least push those lesser self-worth feelings aside more often.
The here and now was Zach next to her in the car.
Zach, who she had been dreaming of for weeks.
Zach, who she wished she’d never snuck out on the way she had.
The person she felt knew and understood her better than anyone else before.
When Zach parked the car, she turned to him and said, “Do you want to come in?”
She saw the hope and a bit of mischief in his eyes, and was lost in that moment.
“Of course I do. Do you need help with the dishes again?”
Yeah, he knew her better than even herself at times, but she wasn’t ready to let him know what she really did that night.
“I wasn’t home long enough to dirty any dishes.” She saw his grin drop, but she didn’t want to leave him hanging or lead him on. “But you could come in and help dirty up my sheets.”
“Are you sure?”
Where did this come from? She thought he’d be jumping at the opportunity. Maybe she was reading it all wrong.
“I’m sure. Why would you ask that?” she said.
“Because you said you wanted to get to know me. You didn’t want sex to cloud anything up. I just want you to know that I’ll respect your decision either way.”
“I’ve made up my mind. So, yes, I’d like you to come in with me.”
“Thank God,” he said, his smile brighter than the sun reflecting off the frozen lake on a winter’s day.
They both hurriedly climbed out of the car and made their way to her apartment.
Jackets and shoes were yanked and slipped off hastily and then tossed to the floor. She didn’t even have a chance to take a step before Zach was dragging her to the floor beside those articles they’d removed.
That was fine. That was good. She needed it this way after this morning.
Slow and sweet was nice for a change, but it’d never been what she craved.
Hard and fast, hurried and crazy. That was what she liked. And that was what she had with Zach.
“Clothes all the way off, or whatever we can manage?” he asked between kisses, his cold hands already beneath her shirt and reaching under her bra.
“First time, whatever we manage,” she gasped out when he lifted her shirt up to her chin, her bra lifted right with it, and attacked her nipple with his mouth.
Yeah, she missed this and needed it.
Her own hands went to his shirt, sliding under and onto his back, then inside his jeans and cupping his rear. She wasn’t kidding when she’d told him he didn’t need anything done to this part of his body days ago.
“Jeans. We need to get these jeans off.”
“Find the condom first,” he said right before his mouth moved to her other breast.
“Where is it?”
Her hands were out from inside his jeans and patting around for a wallet. There, she found it and yanked it out, flipped it open and just started to shake the contents out while she peeked over Zach’s head as he did a very thorough job with his mouth.
“Found it,” she said, then shoved him off and onto his back. “I’ll get my jeans off; you get yours undone.”
“You want them off?” he asked.
“If you can get them off before I’m ready. If not, just keep them where they land.”
He laughed at her and she didn’t care. She couldn’t remember ever having a need this great before. This strong before.
As luck would have it, he got his jeans off the same time as her, but that was all he managed. It was enough, though. The only parts they needed were right there in the open.
She used her teeth to rip the corner of the packet open, then moved to sit on his upper thighs and covered him up.
As fast as he was covered, she then lowered herself over him and straight down.
“Don’t move just yet,” Zach said. “I need a moment.”
“Too bad. Suck it up if you have to, because I need to move and I need to do it now.”
He groaned, and she wasn’t sure if it was in pleasure or annoyance and really didn’t care.
“You weren’t kidding,” he said as she started to move up and down. Parts of her body were bouncing and jiggling. She was giving herself one hell of a workout, but the only thing she cared about was the man under her.
“It’s been too long.”
“Whose fault is that?” he asked, his teeth clenched.
“It’s better this way,” she said, panting now. She was cresting, it was building and she was going to go tumbling over the edge in a moment.
“I’m not complaining,” he said, his hands reaching for her hips, moving her faster and harder, his hips going up to meet her. The sounds they were making were animalistic at best.
“It sounded like a complaint to me.”
She had no clue why they were having this conversation and it just reinforced the fact that the two of them rarely shut up, even during sex.
His hands on her hips gripped her tighter now, probably leaving marks, and she was okay with that, too. Her own hands were on his chest, giving her leverage and leaving their own share of marks.
“Please tell me you’re there,” he said, his voice harsh.
She closed her eyes, then flung her head back, almost howling out a “Yes!”
He answered with his own mating call, their voices, their shouts echoing off the floor and the walls of her hallway.
Then there was silence. The type of silence where you hear heavy breathing and look around trying to find the source.
The source this time wasn’t a scary one, but a lovely one. One that she’d waited most of her life to hear.
***
Zach was taking inventory of his body for the moment.
His shirt was bunched up in a ball sandwiched between his spine and the hardwood floor. He was pretty sure he smacked his elbow on the same floor a time or two because that was smarting, too.
Then there was another ache he felt. One that hurt the most. One that was deep inside of him. A hold she had over him he’d never felt before.
No other woman had ever been able to make him lose his composure like Amber and he wasn’t sure another woman ever could.
“Do you have a mop?” he asked.
She leaned up and looked at his face. “Why?”
“We got your floor dirty.”
She placed a loud smacking kiss on his lips. “We sure did. Any place else you want to dirty up before we make it to my bedroom?”
He looked around her apartment again, grinning this time, all the aches he physically felt before a thing of the past.
“That couch looks nice and comfy.”
“It really is. Much more comfortable than this floor is. Do you want to see how much damage we can do to it?”
“Maybe after we try the chair out,” he said, lifting her off of him, standing up and pulling her up.
“Hang on,” she said, walking out of the room before he had a chance to stop her.
He took a moment to walk into her bathroom and take care of business there, wondering what she could be up to.
She met him in the hallway when he walked out, both of them still wearing their shirts and socks and nothing else. What a funny picture they made, but neither of them said a word.
Then she held her hand up, showing the foil packets hanging in a line like soldiers waiting to do their job. He burst out laughing.
“Wow, you’ve got high expectations for me. Will you be able to get your deposit back on the apartment if we make too much of a mess?”
She grabbed his hand and pulled him into the living room. “I’ve got it covered. Fielder’s choice. Which piece of furniture do you want to start with first?”
He looked at the couch and thought of his aching back, then her recliner, but pulled her to another chair with a matching ottoman. “Let’s go from least to most comfortable.”
Red
The next morning, Zach was sitting on the bar stool at Amber’s counter while she poured him a cup of coffee.
If he thought his body ached yesterday, it was nothing like it did today. Some were good aches, some not so much from the day spent working the church dinner.
He’d take those bad aches since they helped lead to the good ones.
“How long do you have to work today?” he asked as she sat down across from him in her black scrubs. Were scrubs supposed to be attractive?
“Most of the day. I’m booked pretty solid.”
“I’m surprised since a lot of people have the day off and go shopping or relax.”
“They do, but I’m booked for cosmetic procedures. Things women want done on a long weekend.”
She was grinning and he was almost afraid to ask. “Do I want to know?’
“The usual. Botox and fillers, a few light chemical peels, and two ultrasound therapies.”
He knew Botox and fillers and chose to pass over the light chemical peel comment thinking it had to be an oxymoron. “Ultrasound?”
“Layman’s term for the nonmedical. Two women getting treatments to break up belly fat through ultrasonic waves.”
“After they just ate a big meal for the holiday?”
She laughed. “That’s the best time to hit them up for more treatments. They’re all bloated and feeling guilty.”
“I’ve heard you’re a great saleswoman.”
“I am. But I never pressure people. I hope you know that.”
He didn’t want her to think that. “I know your heart is always in the right place.”
“I’m glad to know someone thinks that.”
“What does that mean?”
She stood up and pushed her stool back in. “Nothing. Sorry to rush you, but I need to get to the cottage quick to check on Jill, then get to the office for my first appointment.”
“No problem. Do you get a lunch break today?”
“Not much of one. I could get behind on appointments, so I can’t really commit. All of us girls are booked solid. Max is out for the day, so nothing pressing other than follow-up appointments and cosmetic things.”
“Does Rene do all those things?”
“She’s learning. I think she has two Botox appointments today and a chemical peel. Dena and I will stop in while she does that, since I think it’s only her second one. Otherwise, she’ll be seeing any follow-up office appointments with patients today.”
He stood up and followed her to the closet to get his jacket. “I’ll get out of your way then.”
“I’ll be available for dinner tonight,” she said. “I need to take advantage of the little time we have left before you leave on Sunday.”
“It’s a date.”
But several hours later, he was fed up with working. Not too many people were around, so he did what he could and then was bored.
He could go bug Nick, John, or Caleb, but found he didn’t have it in him. Besides, John and Susan were here visiting, so they wouldn’t want Zach talking about work.
Celeste had kept him company for breakfast. He got through the whole meal and was ready to walk out the door before she made a sly comment about him not coming home last night.
His nod and grin was all the response he gave her, though.
So around lunchtime, he found himself carrying two large pizzas and an antipasto into Amber’s office.
“Hi, can I help you?” the receptionist said.
“Is Amber available?”
She eyed the food. “I didn’t know she ordered lunch. She never said a word. Let me see if I can find her. Otherwise, I’ll just pay for her.”
Did he look like a pizza delivery boy? “No she didn’t order it. She doesn’t know I’m coming.”
“Aren’t you the guy that was here a few days ago for a consult?”
“That would be me,” he said.
“I’m sorry, I don’t remember your name.”
“Just tell Amber that I’ve got food that doesn’t require dishes.” She looked at him oddly and he continued, “She’ll know who it is, trust me.”
He stood there for a moment before she came back and said, “She to
ld me to tell you that dirty dishes at work isn’t very kosher.”
What was he supposed to say to that? He wasn’t about to have any play words with a third party.
“Zach,” Rene said, rushing out into the waiting room. “My hero!”
“I got one just for you,” he said.
“That’s not fair,” Amber said, marching in.
“There is nothing fair about food and a pregnant woman,” Zach said. “Especially when it’s my best friend’s sister and her baby daddy carries a gun.”
Rene turned her head and narrowed her eyes at Amber. “Did you tell him to call Cole that?”
“No. I wouldn’t dare. Even if it is true.”
Zach wasn’t sure what was going on with that, and chose to ignore it. “One plain pizza and one mushroom.”
“Fungus?” Rene said. “Yuck. I’ll take the plain.”
“The fungus is for me,” Amber said. “Thank you, Zach, for remembering.”
“There is very little I’ve forgotten.”
“Okay, you two,” Rene said. “Lovey-dovey eyes after Junior gets his lunch.”
“Here, Rene,” Zach said, handing the food over. “Get lost and give me a few minutes with Amber.”
“Gladly,” Rene said, moving away with the food.
Amber wrapped her arms around his neck, leaned in, and kissed him softly on the lips, then gave him a brief hug. “Thank you for lunch. Do you want to join us?”
He did, but instead said, “No. I’ll let you have your girl time. Are you open for me planning dinner tonight?”
“Are you going to surprise me?”
“I’d like to.”
“Then yes,” she said, kissing him one more time.
“Be at the cabin at six. And wear something sexy.”
“What?” she said, laughing. “My scrubs aren’t sexy enough?”
She started to twist and turn, just lightening his heart. “Everything about you is sexy.”
“You’re just full of compliments, aren’t you?”
“Just wait until tonight.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” she said.
***
