Almost in Love (20 page)

Toby stood. “I gotta go. Don’t party too hard. Big night tomorrow.”

They waved him off. She watched Bare as he talked to Zac—his easygoing smile with the laugh lines around his eyes, the stubble he’d let grow for the show that gave him an edgier look, his shaggy, unruly hair that looked awesome with a pirate bandana wrapped around it. That mouth. What he did to her.

He turned, caught her looking, and his gaze heated. He stood. “Amber looks tired. We’re going to head out.”

“Yes,” Amber said with a measure of relief. “And you all don’t stay out too late either.”

“We know, we know,” Steph said with a laugh. “Get lost. We know you just want to do it.”

Everyone laughed. Amber gave Steph a hug. “Thanks for convincing me to join the show. It’s been amazing.”

“You’re welcome,” Steph said. “Maybe next summer I’ll get a boyfriend out of it.”

“Not everyone gets to be with the king,” Zac said in a mock state of outrage.

“The king is dead,” Kevin declared before wheeling back and socking Bare in the face.

Bare staggered back. “What the hell?”

“Kevin!” Zac screeched.

Kevin threw Bare to the ground and got in another punch before the guys in the cast pulled Kevin off him.

“I should’ve been the Pirate King!” Kevin hollered. “Now I will be. You can’t go onstage with two black eyes.”

“What is wrong with you?” Zac demanded.

Amber rushed over to where Bare was still on the ground. His eye was going to have a shiner. The second punch had left a red mark high on his cheek, but not as bad. “Are you okay?”

He sat up and winced, touching his cheek. “Yeah, I’m okay. Let’s just go.”

“Kevin, you’re out,” Jasmine said. “I’m calling Toby right now.”

“But I’m the pirate’s lieutenant!” Kevin whined. “I have my own song!”

“Alan will take your place,” Jasmine said, stepping away to make the phone call.

“Alan can’t sing tenor!” Kevin wailed.

“Zac, get him out of here,” Amber said.

Zac pulled the still-protesting Kevin out the front door.

A few moments later, after some sympathy from the rest of the cast, Amber headed out the door with Bare. When they got to his place, she joined him on the sofa, holding ice on his cheek where it was swelling.

Ian took one look at his brother and shook his head. “I never knew theater was so dangerous. I’ll get some Tylenol.”

He headed for the bathroom medicine cabinet.

“I’m a sorry excuse for a man,” Bare said. “I should’ve punched back.”

“No, you did the right thing. I’m glad you didn’t stoop to his level.”

Bare smiled and winced at the effort. “You think Kevin’s right? That I can’t go on stage like this?”

“Of course not. I’ll fix you up with makeup. Hell, a Pirate King can have a bruise or two. We’ll just switch the eye patch to cover the black eye.”

He wrapped an arm around her and let out a sigh. “I’m beat. I’m heading to bed.”

She stood to go with him.

He smiled and winced again. “I can’t sleep with you. I’ll want you too much, and I really need to actually sleep.”

“All right,” she said, giving him a soft kiss. “Sweet dreams.”

He left, and she let out a sigh. She went back to her place. Her bed felt cold and empty. Her heart ached for his pain.

~ ~ ~

Barry woke the next morning to the sound of a woman giggling. Damn, his face hurt. He heard the giggle again. To his fuzzy brain it sounded like Amber. He groped blindly through the covers. Had she joined him last night? He opened his eyes. Nope. He was alone. He hadn’t wanted Amber to see him like that. The nerdy guy who got his ass kicked, who didn’t fight like a man.

He heard that feminine giggle, so familiar, and his heart kicked up. He yanked on a pair of jeans over his boxers and grabbed a T-shirt. What was Amber doing here? Ian wouldn’t do that to him. Amber wouldn’t.

He strode to the living room and found the blanket moving over two people on the sofa. He ripped the blanket away from their heads.

“Kate!” he exclaimed.

Kate threw the blanket back over her head. “Don’t tell Amber.”

“Ian,” he growled.

“Go away, bro. Geez.”

Bare headed across the hall and knocked on Amber’s door.

She answered the door, eyes wide. “Omigod, your face.”

He winced. He knew he must look like hell because that’s how he felt.

“Have you seen Kate?” she asked. “I don’t think she came home last night.”

He groaned. “Don’t freak out.”

“I’m already freaked out.”

“She’s with Ian.”

“No!”

She rushed toward his apartment, but he grabbed her before she could knock. “You do
not
want to go over there right now.”

She clapped a hand over her mouth. “Omigod.”

“Yeah.”

“Bare, she’s a virgin.”

They heard a loud moan. Female.

He grimaced.

“Omigod,” Amber said again.

“Let’s go to your place.”

She turned and let him in. “This is so bad.”

Another moan drifted from across the hall.

“Put on the TV so we don’t have to hear them,” he said.

She rushed over and turned on the TV.

They sat on the sofa, took one look at each other, and cracked up.

He put his hand on his cheek. “Ow, my face hurts when I smile.”

“I’ll get ice.”

He leaned his head back. She came back with an ice pack, Tylenol, and some water. He downed the Tylenol.

Amber straddled his lap and put the ice pack on his cheek gently. “I missed you last night.”

“Mmm…” he murmured. He couldn’t face her then. Didn’t feel like he deserved her now. He had a good thirty pounds on Kevin and still the guy had taken him down.

She peered behind the ice pack. “I can fix this.” She put the pack back. “We’ll ice it off and on all day.”

He didn’t respond. He hated her seeing him like this.

“I know how to get your mind off this,” she purred.

“I can’t.”

Not even Amber straddling his lap in her tiny pajama shorts was doing it for him today.

She leaned forward, chest to chest, and looked up at him. “Kevin ambushed you. That wasn’t fair. Then he attacked when you were down. It wasn’t your fault.”

“But I shouldn’t have been down. I’m bigger. I should’ve socked him right back with that first punch.”

“You were the bigger man,” she said.

“That’s why I should’ve taken him down.”

“I mean the bigger man for not hurting him. That was much harder to do.”

He grunted. He still felt like a wimp.

She bit his earlobe and growled out, “Bare, here, now.”

“That only works on you.”

She sat up. He wished he could do what she wanted, but he was stuck back in that place where he was the guy who got picked on, the victim, and he’d looked like that in front of the one person he most wanted to impress. Before he had his growth spurt at sixteen, he’d taken his share of punches in school, after school, anywhere the bullies could corner him. He was about to push her off his lap when she surprised him by asking, “Do you remember when you took me like a werewolf?”

He’d never forget it. “Yeah.”

“You made me howl.”

“Yeah.” That had been awesome.

“And when I told you no one had ever made me howl before, what did you say?”

He smiled a little. “I said I was a lucky man.”

She slid down his lap and went to her knees in front of him. “You’re about to get very lucky…man.”

She undid the button on his jeans. He felt himself get hard despite his foul mood. She slowly pulled down the zipper.

He sucked in a breath. “I’ve never asked you to do that.”

She smiled and licked her lips, which made his cock pulse against his boxers. He’d never asked for this because he always wanted to give to her, had felt it selfish to ask her to give to him. It was enough that she let him be with her so much.

She took him in hand, and he hissed out a breath. “You don’t have to—”

“That’s exactly why I’m happy to,” she said before she took him fully in her mouth.

His eyes rolled back in his head as she had her way with him. He was indeed a very lucky man.

Amber had just sent a very satisfied Bare back to his apartment when Kate returned wearing Amber’s pink satin robe.

“Well, you were wrong!” Kate announced cheerfully. “I didn’t have to do my hair, or wear makeup, or wear non-wrinkly clothes or any clothes at all.”

Amber cringed.

“All I had to do was walk across the hall wearing this robe and nothing else, and it was all systems go, full thrusters ahead.”

Amber stared at her. “You wore my favorite robe naked.”

“Oh, sorry. You want it back.” She started to untie the belt.

“No! You keep it!”

“Good. I think it’s my secret weapon. If you’ll excuse me, I didn’t get much sleep last night.” She headed toward Amber’s bedroom.

“Wait, so are you okay? Are you and Ian together now?”

Kate stopped and turned. “I’m fine and no. I told him it was a one-time thing.” She giggled. “Well, two times. I’m much too young to be tied down. Besides I don’t want to be hydrogen.”

Amber stared at her in confusion.

“Only one electron orbiting me,” Kate explained.

“Oh. Goodnight, Kate.”

“Night.” Kate disappeared into the bedroom. She popped her head back out. “I’d rather be polonium.”

“More electrons?” Amber guessed.

“Yes, and also glowing. It’s radioactive.” Kate pursed her lips, deep in thought. Finally, she confided, “I still haven’t had a full-tilt boogie orgasm. Though the second time I did experience a very pleasant—”

“Go to sleep!”

Ai-yi-yi
.

Amber decided to wait a little to get her shower so she wouldn’t disturb Kate with getting ready. She turned to the huge pile of mail that had stacked up on the half wall separating the kitchen from the living room. She’d been too busy to deal with it and just kept stacking it up there. She flipped through it quickly, looking for bills. A small envelope caught her eye. The loopy handwriting familiar. It was from her mom. She debated for a moment. Her mom had sent a hand-painted card several months ago, inviting Amber to visit. Amber had sent back the card with one word scrawled across the painting in angry red marker, a capital letter response—NO. She hadn’t heard from her since, but she knew from her dad that her mom had asked him to step in. She’d told her dad to forget it and mind his own business. He let it drop. Her dad never involved himself in her life any further than he had to.

She turned and dropped the envelope in the trash unopened.

~ ~ ~

“Daze, you made it!” Amber exclaimed. It was opening night, and Daze was here with her husband, Trav, holding their son, Bryce.

“Of course I came!” Daze exclaimed. “I’ve got to watch Zoe, Steph, and now Barry, and all the great scenery and props you helped with.”

Amber smiled and turned to Trav and Bryce. “Hi, guys.”

“Hey, break a leg tonight,” Trav said. “Don’t mind us. If you hear a little guy squeal, it’s only because he’s overcome with joy to be watching you.” He tickled Bryce, who squealed and wiggled all around. He tossed him up in the air. The kid’s blond hair flew up and the look on his face was pure joy.

“He means he’ll take him out if he gets too loud,” Daze whispered. “This is so exciting! So Barry plays a pirate? How’s that?”

“He’s amazing. Really. And I’m not just saying that because I’m in love with him.” Amber clapped a hand over her mouth. She couldn’t believe she’d just said that.

Daze grabbed her arm. “Amber! You didn’t tell me that. Wow.”

“Seriously? Barry?” Trav asked, tossing Bryce over his shoulder.

“Yes,” Amber said, more certain now. She was in love with him. She waited for the anxiety, the panic that usually clutched at her, but felt at peace. She loved him. It felt right. She probably should’ve told Bare that first. “Watch him tonight. He’s changed. He’s…” She felt herself blush. “Just watch.”

“Cool,” Trav said. He turned to Daze. “I’m gonna let him run around outside until it’s closer to show time.”

“Okay.”

“Give mommy a kiss.” He leaned Bryce over to Daze. Bryce puckered up and gave Daze a big wet kiss on her cheek.

“My turn,” Trav said with a devilish grin. He kissed her on the lips. Daze watched him leave, a contented smile on her face.

Just then Zoe came up to them. “Daisy!”

The two women hugged. Zoe pulled back and stared at Daze’s stomach. “That babe has grown since last month. Look at you.” She held out Daze’s arms to show off her baby bump.

Daze smiled. “I know. I get huge when I’m pregnant. I’m five months now.” She looked at both of them and bit her lip. “Can I tell you a secret? Trav wants to keep it quiet, but I’m just busting to tell people.”

“What?” Amber asked.

“I had the ultrasound and…” Daze beamed. “It’s a boy.”

“Woo-eey!” Zoe exclaimed.

“Congratulations,” Amber said. “Wow, two boys.”

“I know. Trav wants to go for number three, but I said I’m already thirty-five, and I’m tired. I told him he can have the next kid if he wants one so bad.”

“I’ll bet that went over well,” Zoe quipped.

Daze laughed. “He said he would have the next kid if that’s what it took.” She shook her head. “The man always agrees then works his way around to what he wants. He’s sneaky that way.”

Kate appeared at Amber’s side, back in her ancient jeans, stained T-shirt, and her hair up in its usual messy half bun, half tail. Her glasses had a smudge of toothpaste on one lens. Ian trailed behind her.

“Guys, this is my sister, Kate, and Bare’s brother Ian,” Amber said. “This is Zoe and Daisy.”

“Nice to meet you,” Kate said.

Ian smiled. “Hello, ladies. Hey, I remember you, foxy—I mean, pregnant lady.”

“It’s Daisy,” Amber reminded him.

“I gotta run,” Zoe said. “I have to do my vocal warm-up.”

“I should go too,” Amber said.

“My seat is front and center,” Kate announced. She turned. “Ian, I will see you later.”

“Can’t I sit with you?” Ian asked.

“I reserved my seat ahead of time. I’m sure that can’t be changed at this late date.”