Across Eternity (6 page)

"A little, but I’m okay," she said in a sleepy sigh.
"Did you sleep?"

"No."

"You must be exhausted." She opened her eyes slowly and glanced
up at him.

"Not really." He watched a seagull circle above them, flapping
its wings into a strong headwind futility.

She rolled from her side on to her back. After a moment of her muscles
adjusting to the movement she stretched her arms over her head. As the stretch ended
she lifted her wrist and squinted to see the numbers. She moaned as she let her
arm fall across her stomach. "I have to be to work in two hours."

"I thought you only worked the evening shift."

"You get that from my file?"

He winced.

"You’re not the only person I work for, Mr. Richards. I have
another job."

Yes, he’d forgotten about it
. She worked at the
Perfume
Emporium
during the day and in the evenings at
The Pavilion
. She
barely had three hours to spare between jobs. His hand slid across her waist to
her back and he pulled her close into him. "I’ve waited a long time
for you." He tightened his grip. "Don’t go."

"I have to." She looked down at herself as she stretched her
legs. "I need to shower and change." Her hand moved to her tangled
hair. "I must look horrendous."

He took her hands in his. "You look beautiful." He brought her
fingers to his lips. "Please, stay and watch the sun rise with me."

She started to refuse but then had a change of heart when she saw the way he
was looking at her. He’d looked at her like that several times throughout
the night. It was as if he was taking all of her in. There was no room for
anything else other than her. She sat up and moved beside him.

"When you look at me like that I feel needed." She touched his
cheek as the first bars of golden light fell against his face.
"It’s a nice feeling." Her head snuggled against his shoulder
as they both looked out at the horizon and watched the warm light spill across
the earth.

"What time do you get off?" Logan asked.

"Three."

"Can I see you then?"

She shook her head. "Remember, I have to work for you after
that."

"Can I fire you so you won’t have to go in?"

"No, I need the money. I would never be able to survive off my day
job."

"I don’t want you to go."

She turned to him. "I don’t want to go either. But I have
to." She had planned to get up, but when her gaze dropped to his mouth
she couldn’t move. She studied his lips in thoughtful silence for almost
a full minute.

"What is it," he whispered as she watched him.

She didn’t answer. She couldn’t. Slowly, leaning forward, she
tenderly brushed her lips to his. She didn’t kiss him. She just let her
lips linger on his for a heart stopping moment, before gradually drawing away.
Closing her eyes, she took in all the sensations the meager contact had created
between them. "I’ve kissed you before," she said breathlessly
as her lips hovered inches from his. Slowly raising her hand, with the pads of
two fingers she very gently touched his lips. Moving her fingers little by
little she shivered as she traced the outline of this mouth. "I know
this."

"Tell me," he said softly as he watched her fight for the
memories. Come on, Amber, you can do it. You can remember. He wanted to kiss
her fingers and draw her into his arms, but he held perfectly still, afraid she
would lose the moment. He wanted her to remember all on her own. She
needed
to remember on her own. He prayed that it would all come flooding back to her.

Her fingers shook as she pulled her hand away and lifted her eyes to his.
"I don’t have the words," she said honestly as her lips
quivered near his.

"Try." God, please try, he begged silently.

She stared at him intently for a long moment. "I don’t think
you’ll understand." She shook her head and swallowed. "I
don’t even under…" she couldn’t take her eyes off him.

"I think I will."

The consuming emotions had Amber leaning in even closer—though never
touching him. Her gaze dropped back down to his lips where she stared at them
for the briefest moment before she closed her eyes and began to speak. "I
know what it feels like to have your lips against mine."

"And what does it feel like?"

"Like they have been there forever."
Her voice broke as her breath caught. "I know what you taste like. I know
how you will respond."

"How will I respond?"

"You won’t hold back." She thought for a moment.
"You never hold back," she said with a breathless sigh.

"And when I kiss you how do you feel?" he asked quietly.

She didn’t move.

Logan watched her shake her head, a slow motion from side to side. She never
opened her eyes. She just remained there taking it all in. He licked his lips
and spoke in a tender tone. "You can tell me. I want you to tell
me."

"Like I’m loved," she said softly.

Eyes still closed, a beautiful expression moved over her face and it caused
Logan to smile with pleasure and gratitude. "What else."

"You always leave me wanting more." She paused and then
continued. "We both always want more." Her lips twitched.
"When we kiss you stir something deep inside me." Slowly, she
opened her eyes and stared at him. "How is this possible? I can’t
possibly know this."

"Because we have kissed before."

"When?"

"A long time ago," he murmured.

Amber became completely lost when she felt both of Logan’s hands thread
through her hair at the sides of her head. As he held her perfectly still, she
opened her eyes and watched him pull back and look at her briefly before he
licked his lips and bent his head. The kiss was gentle and slow and absolutely
perfect as he moved his mouth lightly over hers, kissing the corners and then
nibbling tenderly on her bottom lip.

As Logan worked her mouth open, he wrapped his arms around her. He pulled
her close when he felt the warm moisture of her tongue mixing with his own.
He’d waited a long time to taste her, to be intimate with her. He paused
and softly inhaled the smell of her perfume, not wanting to miss a single
detail. "You smell like heaven," he whispered in between kisses. He
was never able to smell her when she came to him in his dreams. It had created
a yearning in him. Finally, he was able to commit her scent to memory.

With a gentle sigh, Amber broke the kiss. Touching his temple then stroking
his hair she looked into his eyes. Her breath was still heavy when she spoke.
"That’s how I remembered it."

"Me too."

"Are we crazy?"

He shook his head.

She watched him quietly for a moment. "Do you know you smile with your
eyes?"

A smile transformed his lips as he watched her closely. "I
didn’t know that."

"You look happy when you do."

"I am. I’ve found you." The pads of his fingers traced
over her lips, memorizing them. He stored it away with all the other details he
would succumb to at another time when she couldn’t be near. "Can I
pick you up at the Pavilion after work?"

"I’d like that."

He helped her stand. "Then we better get you back to your car. We have
a long walk ahead of us."

Thankfully, Mr. Hendricks hadn’t spoken a word to Amber about the
previous night when she’d walked into work ten minutes early. In fact he
had seemed to be just a tad friendlier than usual, giving her what she would
have considered a faint smile when she’d clocked in. She didn’t
have the nerve to question his abnormal kindness, so she’d quickly busied
herself while she had made a mental note to steer clear of him for the rest of
the evening. She hadn’t wanted to push her luck.

The rest of the staff had given her sideway glances but to her relief no one
had approached her, with the exception of Rachael. Rachael had almost tackled
her when they met at the beverage station fifteen minutes after their shift
started.

"Did you kick his ass," Rachael asked at she worked the cork out
of a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon.

Grabbing five lemon wedges, Amber dropped them into glasses. "I beg
your…
of course I didn’t."

"So you made mad, passionate love all night." Rachael said as
she bumped Amber’s hip with her own. "Good for you."

"We didn’t make love," she said as she filled the glasses.
"Sorry there’s no detailed report."

"My God are you serious?" she asked as she held two empty wine
glasses in her hand and stared at her friend in astonishment.

"Yes."

"Okay, I was here last night. I saw the way he looked at you. He was
eating you alive." Amber beamed. "Yes, he looked at me like that
the entire night."

"You spent the entire night with him?"

"Yes, I did," Amber replied.

"And he didn’t try anything with you? Wait," Rachael said
suddenly as she grabbed Amber’s arm. "You didn’t let him, is
that it?" She rolled her eyes. "Girl you are out of your mind. Do
you know how wild—
"

"It wasn’t because I wouldn’t let him. We just never got
to that." Amber knew she would never be able to explain what was
happening between her and Logan to Rachael so she didn’t even bother
trying.

Rachael shook her head in disbelief as she went back to her task. "I
can’t believe you two were able to keep your hands off one
another." She arranged the glasses on a tray. "You are so not
fun."

"I’m sorry to disappoint you."

"If you didn’t ravish each other into the wee hours what did you
do all night?" She gestured with a nod of her head. "I can tell by
the dark circles under your eyes you haven’t had much sleep."

"Do I look that bad?" With the pads of her fingers she gently
touched the area. "I tried to cover them."

"No you don’t look bad, you look amazing. You look like
you’re in love."

"Could I be this quickly?" Amber asked seriously. "I mean,
do you really think it can happen this fast?"

"Haven’t you heard of love at first sight?"

"Sure."

"Well, there you go. My dear, you’re experiencing it firsthand.
Now tell me what you two did last night."

Amber only had a brief moment to fill Rachael in before they had to rush off
to their tables.

Clearing the empty tables, Amber glanced at her watch, for what felt like
the hundredth time. Not surprisingly, her shift seemed to drag on and on. She
picked up four glasses with one hand and loaded set on a large
tray—quitting time couldn’t come fast enough as far as she was
concerned.

Throughout the day, she had thought about him. The way his eyes held hers
knowingly. The sweet tone of his voice, which stirred emotions deep inside her,
danced through her head continually. She remembered how the dim, morning light
allowed her to make out the strong angles of his features. She also thought
about the first three buttons of his shirt, which had been undone revealing his
chest which was tight and covered in a down of brown hair that laid flat
against his skin.

Her lips tingled every time she thought about the kiss they had shared. She
ran her tongue across her lips remembering how he tasted, how his lips felt
against hers. It was like he had kissed her a thousand times before. She wanted
to kiss him a thousand more. She knew him on a level she couldn’t
explain. She was completely intrigued by the thought.

Dumping her load of dirty dishes, she retrieved a large bottle of spring
water, wrapped it tightly in a white towel, and then turned toward the dining
room to top off glasses before she circled back round to the kitchen to check
on her orders.

She didn’t just think about Logan, she suddenly realized, she felt
him. She felt him near her, holding her, talking to her. They shared something
deep and special, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. She
couldn’t chalk it up to being just physical
desire,
it was so much more than that.

Lost in her thoughts, she loaded four entrees onto the tray and made her way
to a table tucked into the far corner. She felt desire for him but it was on a
level she’d never experienced. It was a combination of physical, verbal,
and intellectual. She was drawn to every aspect about him, who he was, what he
did, his thoughts and his feelings. But the unique pull was something she
didn’t understand. She sighed as she shifted the tray on her shoulder. Perhaps,
all that she was feeling toward him was simply because he was so new to her.

As she set plates of food on the table she smiled politely before wedging
the tray between her hip and arm and turning. Forty-five more minutes she
thought as she glanced down at her wrist and made her way back to the kitchen.

"Will you stop that?" Rachael said as she took the empty tray
from her and handed her a large peppermill. "You’ve been doing that
all evening and it’s making
me
anxious."

"I can’t help it. This entire day is dragging on." She
placed the grinder under the counter and then reached into her apron and took
out her tabs.

Rachael’s eyes lit up as she stacked the tray with the others.
"Since you can’t see him just yet, tell me about your romantic
night on the beach again."

"I’ve already told you three times."

"I know, but I’m living vicariously through you so I want to
hear it again." Rachael’s nose wrinkled and her bottom lip poked
out slightly. "And don’t leave out the kiss. Please don’t
leave out the kiss."

Amber smiled as she filled out a receipt. "You’re
relentless."

"No, I’m not. I’m just desperate." Rachael slid a
credit card through the register and punched in some numbers. "I
haven’t had a decent man in I don’t know how long."

"I think it’s the places you’re looking."

"What’s that supposed to mean."

"Decent men don’t hang out at Club Noir," she said,
pleased that the topic was no longer on her and Logan.

"Club Noir happens to be a classy place," Rachael said
indignantly.

"It’s a club," Amber pointed out.

"I met both Robbie and Justin there and they were good guys."

"
Were
being the operative word."

"Hey, Robbie and I dated for like three months. He had a lot of
potential. And Justin, well, Justin was—"

"They were both pitiful fools who didn’t know what a good thing
they had in you. Besides, do you really think that a guy that goes to a club
every weekend is really boyfriend material?"

"All right you’ve proven your point. What are you, my mother? I
hope you weren’t this much of a prude last night."

"I’m not a prude. You just need to find a better place to meet
guys."

"Maybe I should start going to church or something."

Amber laughed as she pictured Rachael sitting in a pew. "You would so
traumatize a church boy." Not to mention the entire congregation, she
thought amusingly to herself.

"You’re right. I’d probably be struck by lightening the
moment I stepped foot in the place." She dug in her pocket and took out a
tube of lip-gloss. "I could join a fitness center. Meeting a guy there
would be a total win-win situation. Seriously, do you know how in shape I would
stay?"

"That would be nice."

"My ass is looking a little sad these days."

Amber watched her friend bend around and looked at her backside.
"Whatever," she said, knowing her friends figure was damn near perfect.
"The right guy will come along."

"Speaking of the right guy…" She rubbed her lips together
and offered the tube to Amber. "Where do you think he’ll be taking
you tonight?"

"I’m not sure." She stopped what she was doing and
slathered on the gloss. "I don’t care just as long as I’m
with him."

"God, I love the way you say that. See that’s what I’m
talking about right there. I haven’t felt like that about a man in
years."

"I’ve never felt this way before."

"You better not let him go because if you do there are a handful of
women who are waiting to take your place." She glanced around at the
other waitresses, glaring at a few of them.

"You included?"

"No, you don’t have to worry about me."

Amber laughed, "Why, because you’re living vicariously through
me?"

"That’s right." She tapped Amber’s back discreetly.
"Here comes Hendricks. I’ll see you in a bit."

The last twenty minutes of her shift were uneventful and horrendously long.
Amber cleaned up and clocked out in record time. She hugged Rachael and
promised that she would call first thing in the morning.

****

A few seconds after she stepped out of the restaurant, Amber spotted Logan
parked across the street in a gray sedan. He waved casually to her as she
crossed the road and moved toward him.

"Hi," she said as she opened the door and climbed in.

He wanted to say ‘I’ve missed you’ but instead he kept his
tone light when he said, "I see you’ve kept your job."

"Yes, surprisingly so."
She shut the
door and looked over at him.

"And to think you thought you’d get fired."

"It pays to have connections," she said with a playful smile.
"Did you call Mr. Hendricks?"

He shook his head. "Why, is there a problem?"

Her eyes narrowed.
"If there were what, would you
do?"

"I would take care of it," he said seriously and then added.
"Immediately."

"Why?"

"Because you have done nothing wrong.
And I
won’t allow Mr. Hendricks—"

"There was no problem," she interrupted. "That’s
what surprised me."

"I told you there wouldn’t be any repercussions."

"Are you kidding me?" she said, in disbelief. "No
repercussions."

He smiled wryly and held up his hands in surrender. "I’ve
misspoken. Please allow me to rephrase that. I meant in regards to you being
fired."

"That sounds better. I have a feeling I’ve opened a huge can of
repercussions."

Yes, they had, he thought as he watched her push at the black wisps of hair
falling into her eyes. "How was it?" He asked as he looked out the
window toward the restaurant.

"Very busy."
She reached over her
shoulder for her seatbelt. Her eyebrows shot up as she turned and locked the
seatbelt into place. "I think you made a lot of money today."

There it was. He’d waited the entire day for it, the scent of her
perfume. That fragrance had been stuck in his head all day. It had teased and
tormented him giving him little whiffs of her here and there, but never giving
him what he wanted—her.

"What did you do today?" she asked.

Mope around the house and wait for this moment.
"Not much, a
few conference calls and some paperwork." He debated for a minute and
then said. "I want to take you somewhere."

She moaned as she set her purse on the floorboard by her feet. "I
don’t think my back can take another night on the beach." She
followed up with, "Though I had an amazing time."

"No, not the beach."
He couldn’t
take his eyes off her. Not since the second she stepped out of his restaurant
and began looking for him. "I thought I’d take you to my
home." When she didn’t speak he felt a ting of apprehension set in.
"Why do you look unsettled?"

Her expression grew heavy as she glanced out the windshield, staring
uninterestedly at the busy street. "Do I look unsettled?"

"That or you’re about to be sick."

A smile touched her lips. "I’m not unsettled and I don’t
feel like I’m going to be sick."

"Are you sure?" His tone turned teasing as he tried to alleviate
any tension his suggestion might have caused. "I can toss you out on the
sidewalk so you can take care of business."

She looked over at him. "How is it that you’re able to put me at
ease so effortlessly? Is it just another one of your knacks?"

"I’m not sure but I like that I’m able to." He gave
her a reassuring smile. "Tell me what’s on your mind."

"I don’t know what’s on my mind," she replied
honestly.

"Fair enough.
Then tell me what you’re
feeling." He watched her for a very long moment. "Your eyes say
more than words ever could."

"And what do they say?" she asked curiously.

"That this is moving too fast for you."

"And it’s not moving too fast for you?"

He thought about it for a moment as he watched the lightening fast
expressions change over her face. "I’m not taking you home to
seduce you, Amber. I just thought it would be a quiet place where we can be
alone." He raised his hands and then let them settle on the steering
wheel again. "We can go somewhere else. You pick."

"Am I’m being ridiculous?" she asked. "I feel like I
am."

He didn’t start the car, instead he watched her. "If
you’re uncomfortable about going you’re not."

"I’m not uncomfortable. It’s just...it’s...well, I
feel like I should be uncomfortable. I know that sounds silly but it’s
the truth." She moved awkwardly in her seat as she continued.
"I’ve only known you for twenty-four hours. I’ve never gone
home with a man so quickly."