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“Really, everybody, I’m fine.”
“Where are you?” Opal asked.
“I’m with Paul, Luther’s friend, somewhere outside of L.A.”
“Somewhere outside of L.A.? You don’t know where you are?” Ruby asked in alarm.
“Ruby, I’m perfectly safe. Paul’s a really nice guy, and he has this adorable baby boy.”
“Yes, Luther told us all about him. He’s a security consultant, that’s why it was so easy for him to find you.” Pearl was back on the line again.
Amber snickered. “A security consultant, huh? That’s a nice fancy title for it. Anyway, he’s house-sitting for a friend, and we’re staying there.”
Suddenly, the line went silent, and Amber wondered if they had somehow gotten disconnected. “Hello?”
“House-sitting for a friend?” Opal said in confusion.
“Do you have money to come home today?” Pearl interrupted. “I can wire you some again, if you need me to.”
Amber shook her head as if they could see. Once again she had to fight back tears. It seemed as if her sisters were always bailing her out of one mess or another. Dashuan was supposed to be her new beginning, her fresh start, and instead he turned out to be a same old-same old.
“I have money.” The first tear slid down her face and she wiped it away. “Look, guys, I have to go, but I’ll let you know as soon as I’m headed home. Okay?”
Amber knew her sisters all took that to mean she’d be calling later that day. With that, Amber hung up the phone and stretched out across the bed.
In truth, it really shouldn’t have been that hard for her to pack up and return to Detroit with her tail between her legs. Goodness knows, she’d returned to the bosom of her family after worse disasters than this. There was that time last spring break when she and some of her college friends pooled their money for a Caribbean cruise. She’d met a gorgeous Jamaican guy in the ship’s bar. Mason, he’d said his name was.
Even now that night was fuzzy. All Amber remembered was waking up in her stateroom without her purse, which contained all her money and credit cards. That was the again Pearl referred to when she spoke of wiring her money.
She spent the rest of the cruise trying to find Mason, and some kind of redemption, without luck. It was as if he’d disappeared into thin air. It wasn’t until she’d returned home that she found out about the con man that took advantage of tourists on such cruises.
Then there was the incident in Mexico with the local police, but Amber was convinced that that could’ve been taken care of much quicker, and she would not have had to spend a night in their prison if it wasn’t for the language barrier problem.
And the ill-fated affair with her statistics professor two semesters ago. The man wore no wedding band, nor was there a line on his ring finger to indicate he was married. Although, his wife had no doubts whatsoever about his marital status when she came after Amber that night in the hotel.
The list went on and on. Unfortunately, her family was well-versed in the art of bailing her out of trouble. Why should this be any different? But for some reason, she was finding the idea of going home distasteful.
She heard a quick knock on the door.
“Just a minute.” Using her hands, she wiped away the tears and sat up in the bed. “Come in.”
Paul cracked the door and came in with the baby in his arms. “I was about to put him down for his nap, but wanted to check on you first. Everything okay?”
Amber was pretty sure he knew she’d just talked to her sisters, but he said nothing about it.
She smiled. “Yes, I’m fine.” Humiliated beyond belief, but fine.
“Well, okay.” He started to close the door. “Just let me know if you need anything.”
“Paul!”
He opened the door wider, and waited.
“Is that offer to stay for a while still open?”
His dark brown eyes searched hers. “Yes.”
She nodded. “I’d like to take you up on it, if you don’t think your friend will mind.”
Paul smiled with such understanding, Amber wanted to climb into his arms with Joachim. Instead, she sat holding herself still on the bed.
“He won’t mind. You’re welcome to stay as long as you like.”
“Thank you.”
He smiled and winked. “Enough already with the thank-you’s.” With that, he closed the door.
Amber stretched back out on the bed, wondering if she was doing the smart thing by accepting an offer of hospitality from a man who was little more than a stranger to her. She decided, with her track record, she had nothing to lose.
Chapter 5
Paul stood at the window overlooking the majestic mountainous Moreno Valley waiting for Vanessa, his receptionist, to answer the phone at his office.
After three rings a familiar voice answered.
“G-Force Security, the only name you need to know for all your personal protection needs. Vanessa speaking, how may I assist you?”
“Vanessa, it’s me.” Paul braced his long body against the windowsill.
“Hey, boss, where are you? I checked your calendar and didn’t see any appointments. Karen’s been going crazy getting the home system prototypes tested and keeping up with her cold calls, and with Ryan on vacation and you out of the office she’s swamped. And Matt’s crazy girlfriend stole his car again.”
“Vanessa—”
“I swear, boss, Karen may be a wonderful salesperson, but—”
“Vanessa!” Paul regretted the harsh tone when the line went silent.
Vanessa Willis was a sweet teenager who’d come to work for him almost a year ago. She had no previous work experience, but five minutes into the interview Paul knew everything there was to know about the unexpected pregnancy that resulted in the birth of her little baby girl, Anna. And how her mother had given her the ultimatum to find a job or get out.
Although her story had tugged at his heart, Paul had decided to give the girl a chance, not because of her hard luck story, but because of her enthusiasm. He figured anyone who could be bubbly and upbeat while reciting such an account of her life would be described as an optimist.
As it turned out, hiring Vanessa was the right decision. She had energy and enthusiasm to spare, she was also bright and eager to do a good job and, most important, the customers loved her. But she did have one fatal flaw that Paul had not figured out how to handle. Vanessa loved nothing better than a few tidbits of juicy gossip. She was also sensitive to criticism.
“I’m sorry,” he said on a sigh.
“It’s okay,” she muttered. “I know I talk too much. Where are you, anyway?”
“I’m working from home today. Where’s Karen? I tried her cell phone, but she isn’t answering.” Paul knew in her current depressed state, it was too soon to abandon Amber. Which meant he would have to rely on his lead salesperson, Karen Grable, to keep things moving forward in his absence.
“It’s Saturday, remember? She’s out doing cold calls. She probably turned her cell phone off.”
“Damn, I forgot all about that.”
“Why are you working from home?”
Paul knew better than to answer that. News of his houseguest would be all over the office within the hour. “If Karen calls in, tell her to call me here.”
“All right. Is Joachim okay?”
“Yes, I’ve got to go.” With that, Paul pressed the button to hang up.
He sighed. Amber Lockhart could not have shown up at a worse time. He was right in the middle of developing a line of home security products to market to the public—in fact, his own home security system was a prototype for the line—and the commitment date to have it on the shelves was coming fast. The prototypes Vanessa mentioned were the second batch to be tested so far. And there had been countless other complications. There was so much to do, and so few hours in a day.
He tossed the cordless phone on the desk, braced his arms on the windowsill and continued to stare out the window, wondering what the hell he was thinking telling Amber Lockhart she could stay as long as she liked.
You were thinking that she would never take you up on the offer. That’s what! Now he was stuck with an unwanted houseguest. He let his head drop and his shoulders sag. His sanctuary had been invaded. But there was nothing to be done about it now; the offer had been extended and accepted and now he had to live with the consequences of his actions. Hopefully, she would not want to stay too long. He shook his head, before sinking down into his black leather office chair.
About an hour later, Paul was on the phone with one of his manufacturers when the soft whimpering of Joachim’s cry came through the door. By the time Paul ended the conversation and hung up, the whimper had become a full-fledged cry. Paul shot up out of the chair and headed toward the door. When he reached it, the crying had stopped, which alarmed him even more.
Taking the stairs two at a time, he reached the top landing in no time and hurried down the hall to Joachim’s room. The image that greeted him was a complete surprise.
Amber was bent over the diaper-changing table, where Joachim lay with his feet in the air, playing with his toes.
Paul stood in the doorway, listening as Amber hummed a song. It took a couple of bars for him to recognize “Amazing Grace.” With precision, she removed the soiled diaper and had another on his little bottom in a flash.
Joachim was so occupied with his feet, he barely noticed what she was doing. But the instant smile he gave her when she picked him up again told Paul that his bottom not only recognized the difference, but he was glad for it.
He stood silent as she rocked the baby in her arms and continued to hum. Turning in a slow circle, Amber froze when she turned toward the door and found Paul standing there.
“Oh, I hope you don’t mind. His little bottom was wet, and he was crying so, and you were in your office. I figured, why bother you for something I can do myself.”
“I’m sure Joachim is as grateful for your quick response as I am. Diaper-changing is not something he and I have mastered yet.” He came toward them, but stopped a few feet away when he realized Amber was not going to hand the baby off to him.
“It’s easy. You just have to stay out of the way of the waterfall.” She laughed, and Paul felt the sensual sound from the tip of his toes to the top of his curly head.
“The waterfall?” he asked, picking up a nearby stuffed giraffe. He needed to do something with his hands. For some reason they were itching to wrap around Amber and Joachim.
“Oh, yes, the waterfall. Every baby boy’s secret weapon.”
Paul chuckled. “Ahh, the waterfall.” He nodded. “I am well aware of the danger.”
Amber walked across the room, still holding the baby in her arms, and Joachim seemed to be content to stay there, even as she lowered herself into the large rocking chair.
“You have to be careful when removing a dirty diaper as soon as you lift the second flap and the air hits his little wee-wee.” She snapped her fingers.
Paul smiled. “Waterfall.”
“Exactly!”
Amber bounced the baby, and Joachim giggled.
“You’re a natural nurturer,” Paul said.
“Not really,” she answered. “It’s just that babies are easy. They have a few basic desires—food, clean bottoms, toys and love.” She turned the baby, prying his fingers off the thin, gold chain she wore around her neck. “It’s adults I have a problem understanding,” she said.
Paul watched the conflicted emotions run over her face. He knew that she was thinking of Dashuan Kennedy, but was unsure whether he should say something to her about it. Should he offer some kind of reassurance or would she rather he pretend not to understand?
“You know, Amber, you’re not the only woman that something like that has happened to.”
Her golden eyes narrowed on his face, and Paul knew he’d made the wrong decision. He’d gone too far to stop. “I mean, there are a lot of gay men out there dating straight women.”
“Oh?”
There was something so vulnerable in her expression, Paul felt his heart twist inside his chest. All her insecurities, all her uncertainty was right there, exposed in her eyes. Paul felt her need for reassurance reaching out to him across the room. Her need to be desired, to be made to feel like a woman, was so strong it was almost tangible, and Paul felt it pulling him across the room. As if being drawn by a giant magnet, Paul found himself walking until he stood right in front of her.
He sank down on his knees before the rocking chair, looking up at her. “You are a beautiful, desirable woman, and Dashuan Kennedy is a fool.”
Amber’s eyes dropped as her lush brown lashes shielded her eyes. “Considering some of the decisions I’ve made in my life, I have to wonder if Dashuan is the fool.”
Paul rested both his large hands on her warm thighs, and felt a jolt of desire course through his whole body. The way Amber sat straight up in her chair, he knew she felt it, too. His fingers tingled with the sensation of warm flesh, and he fought the urge to squeeze her soft flesh in his hands.
She lifted her lids until her tawny lioness eyes were looking into his. So lost in them, he didn’t even feel his son’s hand reaching out to touch his face.
Paul felt like a helpless animal trapped by her mesmerizing gaze. Like lightning to a rod, he sought her, powerless to resist.
Amber was a beautiful woman, but that wasn’t what was making her so damn attractive. In his business, beautiful women, celebrities and socialites surrounded him. And more than a few had made a play for him. But being a single father was hard enough without trying to juggle a social life, so Paul declined invitation after invitation. But beauty and availability were not the things that had his whole body wired right this moment.
No, the something special about Amber Lockhart, the thing that had him breathing hard and growing harder, was something else. It was his one weakness when it came to women. The thing that drew him to Michelle, and tore them apart.
Paul had always been a sucker for a passionate, hot-blooded woman. And looking into her eyes, he could see that Amber Lockhart was burning with passion. It was straining, aching to be set free, and the man in him wanted nothing more than to open the floodgate.
He knew he shouldn’t have, but he could not help himself. Paul leaned forward, wanting to taste her lips. At that moment, he honestly wanted a taste of Amber more than air to breathe.
Sensing his intent, Amber stood. “Isn’t it time for Joachim’s feeding?”
Paul, still kneeling, still hungry, his eyes level with the crotch of her slacks, was unable to comprehend her words.
“Paul?”
He took several deep breaths through his nose, and stood. Taking the baby from her arms, he licked his lips and tried to speak. “Yes. I’ll do it.”
He knew Amber did the right thing by standing; he knew it was for the best. The way he was feeling, who knew where even the smallest little kiss could’ve led?
Yes, denying the attraction was the smart thing to do, but somehow knowing that didn’t make the acceptance of it any easier.
Paul paused in the doorway. “Thanks again for changing his diaper. I appreciate the help.”
“That was my pleasure. He is such a sweet baby.”
