“That won’t be hard,” he admitted, fighting the urge to pull her closer. “I’ve been having fun with you all night.”
She rolled her eyes as she drew her hand from his, but she did crack a smile. “I suppose bickering has its own twisted pleasures.” She moved toward the door. “Are you coming?”
His jaw clenched at her words. He’d like to be coming. “I’ll be there in a minute.” As soon as his partial erection settled the hell down.
“Fine.” She walked back inside with a seductive swing of that exquisite arse, oblivious to his tenuous position.
Lincoln drew a deep breath into his lungs but the cool night air did nothing to ease his arousal. The woman was an enigma to him. He’d been ready to dismiss her as just another princess when he’d first laid eyes on her, standing on that footpath fretting about the danger a little mud posed to her overpriced shoes. Then he’d seen the way she lit up when she was with, well, anyone but him. He’d laughed at the sharpness of her wit and damned near groaned every time she touched him. Now, after their latest conversation, he knew full well there was a hell of a lot more to Amber O’Hara than he ever would have imagined. The more he uncovered, the more he wanted to know. He was in serious trouble.
Chapter 6
“What the hell is going on with you and Lincoln?”
Amber gave Julia her best owl impersonation and remarked, “I have no idea what you mean.”
“Oh, yes, you do!” her friend declared, dropping onto the couch beside her.
Finishing the last of her coffee, Amber placed the cup on the low table in front of her with a sigh. She’d been chatting with Derek’s sister, Trina, when Amber approached them, and now she found herself the centre of attention for both women. The time for avoiding what happened at the dinner table was apparently over. “I’m sorry we argued. It just kind of happened.”
Trina scoffed, “That wasn’t arguing, that was foreplay.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Amber replied. “We’ve been getting on each other’s nerves from the moment we met.”
“I’m sure he could get on your nerves all the way to a big, fat O if you let him!” Julia giggled at her own words, hands over her mouth.
“Julia Hearst! Who are you and what have you done with my friend?” While Amber had always been the outspoken one, Julia was generally more reserved and it was strange to hear her speak so frankly. Perhaps Derek and Scott were a bad influence on her after all.
“Tell me I’m wrong,” Julia dared.
Amber tried not to groan as she remembered her conversation with Lincoln on the balcony. The speed at which they’d landed on oral sex as a topic boggled the mind. “Well, he does seem like he’d be very… capable.” It was the largest concession she would make. “However, he keeps calling me a princess. And he’s the sort of man who treats women like we’re useless because we don’t like breaking our nails.”
Julia nodded in understanding. “Because as all women know, breaking a nail can actually hurt like a bitch.”
“Exactly.” Amber knew it was bad form to be bad-mouthing him when they’d agreed to a truce only minutes earlier, but now the floodgates had opened she couldn’t seem to stop. “I have no time for that sort of man.”
“You think he’s judged you harshly and way too fast,” Trina said.
Finally, someone understood. “Yes! That’s right.”
“That is quite unfair,” Julia added. “I mean, you would never do that to him, would you?”
Amber had already opened her mouth to agree when her brain caught up with Julia’s sarcasm and instead she scowled. “That’s not the point.”
“That’s exactly the point.” Julia punctuated her argument by pointing a finger in Amber’s direction. “His eyes have barely left you all night. And I’ve never seen you react to a man the way you have to him. You’re practically vibrating with it.”
Amber’s gaze dropped to where her hands were clasped tightly in her lap. She was a little on edge tonight maybe, but she was pretty sure vibrating was a bit of an exaggeration. She noticed her foot tapping a steady beat on the floor. It stopped.
“Look,” Julia began again, “he was good to Scott when he needed a friend. They’ve been mates since they were teenagers. Maybe you could give him another chance. For me?”
“All right, I’ll play nice,” Amber said with a sigh. “But I’m only doing it for you and Scott.”
Julia smiled and gave her a big hug. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” She took a deep breath and stood up. “On that note, I think it’s time for me to head home.”
She quickly made the rounds, saying goodbye to the few people who remained at the party. She lavished Derek with extra praise for his cooking skills and complimented a laughing Scott on his superior ability with opening dip. As she gave them each a hug, Julia asked, “How are you getting home?”
“I’m going to call a cab on the way down,” she replied. “I didn’t want to drive and not be able to enjoy all the matched wines you guys selected. Derek would have been so offended.”
“Thank you for being so considerate of my feelings,” Derek said with a grin.
“Where do you live?” The question came from behind her and Amber stiffened when she heard it. “I’m heading off too. I could give you a lift.”
She stretched her lips into a smile as she turned to see Lincoln standing behind her. “That won’t be necessary, it’s not far. There’s no need for you to go out of your way.” In all honesty, she wasn’t sure it was a good idea for the two of them to be alone together. She wasn’t sure if they’d strip each other naked or kill each other with snark.
Lincoln, on the other hand, seemed pretty determined to find out. “If it’s not far then it’s not far out of my way, is it?”
Scott slid his arms around Julia’s waist from behind as he bent over to press his cheek against hers. “I think that’s a great idea.”
For her part, Julia seemed to be on the verge of laughing her guts out, which frankly Amber thought was rather rude of her friend. What happened to backing up a sister in need? Where was the loyalty?
“Only if Princess Amber gives her permission, of course.” Lincoln clicked his heels together, which would have worked better if he wasn’t wearing heavy boots, and bowed at the waist in true gentlemanly fashion. Hand gesture and all.
Amber rolled her eyes and threw up her hands in submission. After the promise she’d made to Julia less than five minutes ago, she couldn’t exactly refuse. “Fine. If you don’t mind driving me home then I would be grateful. It will save me waiting for a cab to show up.”
“It will be worth it to save you a moment’s discomfort, princess.” A hint of mockery tinged the nickname and Amber had to fight a growl of frustration that tickled the back of her throat.
Lifting an eyebrow at him she said, “Shall we?” and turned to walk away.
Lincoln made short work of thanking Julia, Derek and Scott, for a wonderful evening, and saying goodbye to the others, before he followed her out the door.
After a mercifully short wait, they got back into the elevator. The doors closed and they stood together in the small space. In silence. In a very loud silence.
Once again, he stood facing her instead of the doors like a freaking normal person.
It would have been creepy if his presence didn’t make her whole body quake in anticipation—of what she wasn’t quite sure. The one thing she did know was she didn’t want to argue with him anymore.
“If you’re trying to unsettle me it’s not going to work,” she said.
“That’s a shame.” She could see his smile in her peripheral vision.
She turned to look up at him. “And why is that?”
He took a step closer and she was forced to move backward to avoid being knocked down. A few steps later she felt the handrail on the wall of the elevator press into her spine. He stopped advancing, but placed his hands on the rail on either side of her before he answered in that low, ru
mbling voice. “Because something about you makes me want to watch you squirm.”
And didn’t that answer take the quaking to new levels. “Really?” she asked in a breathy voice. “That’s a surprise because, honestly, when I first met you I thought maybe you were gay.” Which was a blatant lie. Gay men didn’t look at women the way Lincoln looked at her: like she was his favourite desert and he was deciding where to take the first bite.
“Is that so?” He took another step closer, just short of touching her, and lifted one hand so he could trail his fingertips down the length of her arm. A pleasant shiver followed in their wake. “And now? Do you still think I might be gay?”
She shook her head. “No.”
“Why is that?” His lips were so close, slightly parted and oh so inviting.
She straightened her shoulders as she held his gaze. If he was after some weak miss who would swoon at his feet at the slightest touch, he wouldn’t find it with her. It was getting to be a close call though. “Because you want to kiss me—for starters.” She lifted her chin toward him, allowing their breath to mingle.
“For starters.” The corners of his mouth lifted as he dipped his head in an agreeable nod. “Do you think I will kiss you, princess?” He tilted his head as if that was exactly what he intended, but held back, a breath away.
She gave a throaty chuckle and leaned forward until her body brushed up against his. “Not if I kiss you first,” she murmured before she pressed her lips against his.
She tasted his surprise at first. Then his desire kicked in and the heat of it shot through her like a flame. And just like that, he took over. His tongue delved into her mouth, exploring and stroking against hers. One hand tangled itself through her hair, cupping the back of her head, while the other slid down her body before gripping onto her arse. The handrail pressed hard against her back, but the discomfort barely registered above the sensations rioting through her body everywhere Lincoln touched. She may have started this kiss, but he made it clear he was going to finish it. She was left to follow his lead.
They were so wrapped up in each other it took a moment to realise they were being applauded.
When the sounds of clapping and cheering managed to filter through her brain Amber froze, and then buried her face in Lincoln’s neck. Her body still trembled with excitement, even as her face flamed in embarrassment. She was no wilting flower when it came to sex, but she sure as hell didn’t appreciate an audience.
Apparently, Lincoln agreed. He moved his body to shield her from the onlookers before leading her out of elevator. Amber chanced a peek over his shoulder to see their ‘audience’, which turned out to be another young couple, other residents of the building no doubt. A call of ‘enjoy your evening’ was followed by more cheerful laughter as the couple entered the now vacant elevator. Amber heard the man say to his partner, “That gives me an idea.” A squeal of feminine delight was muffled as the doors slid closed once more.
Amber couldn’t help but burst out laughing at the chagrin on Lincoln’s face. “It’s been a long time since I got busted making out in public,” she said as she grabbed his hand and dragged him toward the front entrance. “Come on,” she told him. “It’s time for you to take me home before we cause any more trouble.”
Chapter 7
She should have known he drove a ute. He would need a truck with a tray on the back for work, and it seemed unlikely a single man who moved around a lot would have a second car for non-work hours.
The shiny, red utility truck was parked on the street not far from Julia’s building. There was not a scratch, dent, or speck of dirt on it anywhere, which must have been quite a feat considering how enamoured the man was with his dirt. Even the black vinyl tray cover was immaculately clean.
Climbing into the passenger side of the front cabin, Amber found it just as neat and tidy on the inside. Unlike many of the men she’d known in her life, there wasn’t a single takeaway wrapper or odd bit of rubbish in sight. She was all for cleanliness, but this took it to a new level. Perhaps Lincoln was some kind of neat freak. Normally, the thought may have set off alarm bells in her mind, but she was still buzzing from the wine she’d drunk at the dinner party, and the excellent food. Not to mention the second helping of dessert Lincoln had provided in the elevator. She wasn’t about to fault the man for not being a slob. After giving him some basic directions to get him most of the way to her place, she clicked her seatbelt into place and settled in for the ride.
“Do you have music in here? CDs or a phone dock or something?” she asked once they were on their way.
“I don’t own any CDs, but I do have a phone around here somewhere.” He glanced at her with a shrug. “I don’t usually listen to music unless I’m driving long distances.”
Amber’s jaw dropped as she gaped at him in horror. “You don’t like music? Are you dead inside?”
Lincoln grinned. “I never said that. I just don’t feel the need to have music on when I’m driving twenty minutes across town. I like the quiet.” He leaned forward and pressed a button. Low-level music filled the small cabin. “The radio works though. Knock yourself out.”
“Awesome.” She rubbed her hands together and started playing with the various buttons. Lincoln didn’t have a single pre-set radio station. What a shock. She fiddled with the tuner until music started to play. It took her a few bars to recognise the dulcet tones of… “Justin Bieber.”
Lincoln raised one eyebrow at her. “If you tell me you’re a Belieber I’m going to stop the truck and make you walk home.”
Amber made a face at him and went back to fiddling with the tuner until she found some classic Powderfinger. “Ah, that’s better.”
She cosied back into the corner of her seat and watched her chauffeur drive. With his long fingers relaxed around the wheel and that lock of hair hanging down over his forehead, he was more than pleasant to look at. He was also nodding his approval of her choice.
“You seem surprised—again.”
He shrugged. “I guess I would have pegged you as a lover of pop or something.”
She rolled her eyes. “You seem to have me pegged as a lot of things. Which doesn’t actually tell you anything about me, but it tells me a lot about you.”
He glanced at her before returning his focus to the road. “Turnabout’s fair play,” he said, referring to his earlier less than flattering assessment of her character. “What does it tell you about me?”
“That you’re as shallow as the rest of us,” she said, though she used a teasing, light-hearted tone to take the sting out of her words. She wanted to make a point, but saw no need to draw blood while doing it. “You only see what you want to see and don’t bother digging any deeper. Not with people anyway.”
Lincoln was quiet for a few minutes while he digested her words. He knew he had a blind spot when it came to modern career people like her. His own parents had been deeply entrenched in that kind of lifestyle. His mother had loved her fashion just as his father had insisted on having all the latest technology. They’d always been at the front of every trend. They’d had to dine at every new 5-star restaurant the newspaper had lauded as the place to be seen. As lawyers, they’d worked hard to provide themselves with those luxuries, including evenings and most weekends. They’d been type-A workaholics every step of the way, which had left little time for the kid they’d never wanted in the first place. Not all career-minded people were like his parents, he’d realised that as he’d gotten older and experienced more of the world. Still, he’d never managed to rid himself of that innate dislike of the modern fast-paced lifestyle and occasionally he needed to be reminded there wasn’t anything inherently wrong with it. Amber, as it turned out, was a pretty forceful reminder.
He cleared his throat, pushing away old resentments that never helped anybody, and turned to her. “You’re right. I judged you and it was wrong of me. Especially when, as you say, you keep surprising me at every turn.”
She lifted her eyebrows, as if that was t
he last thing she’d expected him to say. “Did you just admit to being wrong?”
His lips quirked upward at the way she said it. She wasn’t being sarcastic. Had she honestly never heard a man admit to being wrong before? He was ashamed for the representation of his gender in her life if that was true. “Yeah. What of it?”
Sitting up straighter, she shook her head. “Nothing. Um, thank you.”
He chuckled. Apparently, he’d finally been the one to surprise her. It was about damned time. “You know what that means though, right?”
“No, what?”
They pulled up to a red light and he took the opportunity to turn and look into her eyes. “Now you have to give me a chance to get to know who you really are. So I don’t screw up again.”
She shook her head. “I don’t have to do anything.”
“What if I ask nicely?”
She appeared to contemplate his offer for a moment before she smiled at him. “How nicely?”
The urge to drag her onto his lap and show her was interrupted by the irate honking of the driver behind him. Tearing his gaze away from those full red lips he saw the light had turned green. He gave a wave to the driver behind him and forced his attention back to the road.
They sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes before she spoke again. “So, what happened?”
“What do you mean?”
“What’s your story? Did some girl stomp on your heart with her high heels and now you hate all women who wear them? No, wait, I’ve got a better one,” she exclaimed as she clapped her hands together. “You’re secretly a cross-dresser and you’re jealous of women who get to wear bright lipstick in public.”
He laughed out loud. Somehow, he didn’t think bright lipstick would do much for his looks. “No, I’m not a cross-dresser. And my heart’s never been overly flattened, by high heels or otherwise. At least, not in the way country singers write songs about.”
“That’s a relief,” she gave a sigh as she collapsed back into her seat, “because you’d never hear those songs anyway… What with your aversion to music.”
Lost in Amber: Steamy Contemporary Romance (Finding Forever Book 2) Page 4
