Fair Game Inc (2010) (18 page)

oTell me you didnAEt really think I was seeing that--that ... worm!o

oWhen it comes to you, Amber, I really donAEt know what to think.o Grayson flung himself down on the couch opposite, sending the papers into a flurry. They settled, some back on the seat beside him, others on the coffee table and the floor.

oYou could give me a bit more credit than that. I do have standards, you know.o

oHe didnAEt seem like your type.o

Amber glanced at the flames crackling in the fireplace. oSo, who was she Grayson?o

oAs I recall, I asked you the same question. You werenAEt so eager to answer.o

No, she most definitely wasnAEt. She stood at the crossroads of an opportunity and a very dangerous risk. To tell him meant she risked GraysonAEs rejection. Much easier to continue this way with the walls up between them, keeping them both safe from the perils of love. But also keeping them both apart. Amber dragged in a shuddering breath. Could she really trust him with the ugly fears, the hurt inside?

Nothing ventured, nothing gained, as her Grandma would say. And her grandmother was a fountain of metaphors and parables. But Grandma had never told her honesty would hurt this much. Or be this scary.

oHis name was Eric.o The words leapt from her lips before she could call them back. If she hesitated now, sheAEd never tell him. And if he was waiting for her to make the first move, well there it was. oHe was my fiancT. He decided he was in love with his secretary about a month before our wedding.o

Whatever heAEd been expecting, this wasnAEt it. oAmber, IAEm sorry.o

She waved his apology away. oItAEs okay, it was over a year ago. And a long time before him my father--o Courage deserted her suddenly. This older, deeper wound was infinitely more difficult to discuss. She dragged in a shaky breath. oSuffice to say he also found someone else heAEd rather have. Remarried, had a son. Suddenly, I wasnAEt so special. I never saw him again.o

Grayson was beside her in an instant. More papers drifted to the floor, but he didnAEt seem to notice. She felt the sudden warmth of his arms around her, the brush of his lips against her temple. oHush, Amber, itAEs all right. I didnAEt realize.o

And somehow, inexplicably, it was all right. The heat of him so near melted the ice around her heart. That ice had been melting since the day theyAEd met. Realization seeped slowly into her consciousness. Somehow sheAEd known it. And responded by building up that fortress of ice as quickly as he knocked it down. Still, she wouldnAEt let him in, not while he built a fence around his heart as impenetrable as her own.

Summoning the last of her false bravado she wiggled from his embrace and gazed up at him. oSo, Counselor, while weAEre baring our souls. ItAEs your turn.o

She watched the color drain from his face, felt his hand clench on her arm. oI canAEt see what can be gained by dredging up old hurts.o

oOf course you donAEt.o Betrayal soured her tone. oBut you didnAEt mind listening like a voyeur while I dredged up all of mine.o

oThatAEs not fair--o

oAllAEs fair,o she said.

oIn love and court,o he finished.

oDonAEt make me sue you for the answer.o

oYou wouldnAEt have a case.o His words trailed off into a sigh. Before her eyes, she could see his defenses dropping. Muscles relaxed, he pulled her closer and rested his head against hers.

oYouAEd lose,o Amber said softly.

His deep chuckle rumbled through him, like a lion purring. oYouAEd have the answer out of me one way or another.o

oWho is she, Grayson? Who hurt you so badly that you were willing to see betrayal in the guise of James Heck?o

For a moment she thought he was about to divert her attention again with caresses or arguments, heAEd used both weapons on her.

But then he surprised her by saying suddenly, oHer name was Melanie. We met when I was in law school.o

oAnother lawyer?o

oOh no, not Melanie. But she was looking to marry one. Her father had already chosen his future son-in-lawAEs profession. Only the profession mattered to him, not the man that went with it.o

oSounds like a real sweetheart.o

oHe wasnAEt all bad. He was just misguided in his attempts to ensure his daughterAEs happiness.o

oA frustrated lawyer,o she supplied. oNever had the money for law school. Married young, had kids, lost the dream. Am I right?o Of course she was right. Her uncanny ability to read the truth behind other peopleAEs motivations never failed her. Except where her heart was involved.

oSomething like that, IAEm sure. But he liked me well enough. And I loved Melanie. The perfect arrangement. I really thought we were going to spend our lives together.o

oUntil?o she asked gently.

Grayson sighed. She felt the rise and fall of his chest against her. oUntil Dad died and I joined the firm.o

oDadAEs shoes were harder to fill than I anticipated. I was working nights, weekends, trying to keep up. Roger--o He paused at the mention of his brotherAEs name. oUntil then, Roger and I had done everything together. But he couldnAEt help me with this one. I was on my own. Even Melanie didnAEt understand.o

oThat you were doing it all for her.o

oI was doing it for her.o That revelation seemed to surprise him, and he turned an appraising look upon her. oFor Melanie and for my Mom whose retirement depended on the firm continuing. So DadAEs dream wouldnAEt die with him.o

oMelanie couldnAEt see the wisdom behind short term pain for long term gain.o

Grayson nodded. His hand moved in calming strokes across her back and she wondered which of them he was really trying to comfort. oI kept telling her to hang on, that soon IAEd be making real money. Soon we could get married, buy a house.o

oShe saw only what she didnAEt have at the moment.o

oMelanie wasnAEt willing to wait. She found someone more suited to her, someone who could give her what she wanted.o

oWhich was?o

oA good time.o

oHe was a lawyer, I take it.o

Grayson laughed, deep rich laughter. oWrong again, Ms Shaw, Investigator Extraordinaire. An auto mechanic.o

oNo! Daddy mustnAEt have liked that.o

oI donAEt suppose he did, but by then I was long gone.o

oSuch a shame.o The wounded hearts, time and innocence lost. It was a story as old as time, and still there was no solution. Unlike fairy tales, there were few happy endings when it came to love. Perhaps that explained the attraction of fairy tales.

oShe only had to wait a few more months. Things took a turn for the better shortly after. I bought the house....o

oMelanie never knew?o

Grayson shook his head. oShe would have hated it here so far from the city and all the excitement. MelanieAEs idea of relaxation was a party a night. Roger would have suited her far better than me.o

oExcept that would have made you feel far worse.o

oNo fear. Melanie and Roger didnAEt get along at all. They were too much alike.o

The look on AmberAEs face spoke her opinion of Roger better than an impassioned speech. GraysonAEs mouth twitched with the beginnings of a smile.

oYou shouldnAEt be so hard on him,o he said tracing the line of her lips with one finger. oDid I tell you he and Sandy are getting back together?o

She sat up quickly. oWhat about Cindy?o

oCindy called it quits.o

oAnd Sandy took him back?o

oApparently.o He settled a weightless kiss on her mouth.

oHeAEs a better actor than I thought.o

oOh, I donAEt think he was acting. You should have seen him. He was quite upset.o

The justice of it all was beautiful to behold. Even she couldnAEt have devised so appropriate a revenge. oGot himself a taste of his own medicine.o

oIt seems to have cured him.o

oIAEll believe that when I see it.o

She felt the curve of his smile against her own lips. oAlways the skeptic, Ms. Shaw.o

The movement of his lips tickled hers and she couldnAEt help laughing. oForce of habit.o

oIAEm happy my prodigal twin has finally found love. It gives me one less thing to worry about. And these days,o he said gravely, oone less is definitely an improvement.o

oGrayson--o

oOh no, Amber. Not a word more about Roger. And letAEs leave John Barlow out of this conversation as well.o

Amber opened her mouth to protest. But her objections were muffled by the pressure of his mouth. His kiss grew more demanding. oAnd now that my twin is once again happily in love, I think I should be as well. WeAEre in competition with each other after all.o

oWouldnAEt want him to have something that you didnAEt,o she said, a little miffed. Was that all she meant to Grayson? A trophy with which to impress his brother? Old familiar doubts crowded her thoughts.

oCertainly not.o The laughter in his words told her heAEd been kidding. But there was no mistaking the seriousness in his touch.

oWhat about your court case?o

Grayson let go a very long sigh. oI gave up on sleep the moment I saw your car.o

She was sorely tempted, but careless abandon, even for love, ran against all she believed in. oI think I should go.o

His arms tightened around her when she would have broken out of his embrace. oDonAEt go, Amber. ItAEs only ten oAEclock. If you stay, I can do my preparation work and have a bit of relaxation as well. Given a choice IAEd rather have it all.o

oThat sounds an awful lot like Roger.o

He drew back, assessing whether she meant it as an insult or a compliment. Deciding it was neither he smiled.

oAfter some careful deliberation, I've decided that Roger and I could learn a lot from each other.o He returned to his careful exploration of her kiss. oJust as you and I do.o

A strange thing to say, Amber thought, and wondered briefly what he meant by it. But soon his caress demanded the sum of her attention.

Somewhere between the door and the couch sheAEd lost her coat. Before she knew it her suede pumps lay abandoned on the rug before the fireplace. Her silk blouse ended up draped across the back of the couch and her tailored wool pants on the bottom rung of the ladder that led to the loft.

No fair, she thought. Having made himself comfortable at home in navy sweats, Grayson had a lot less to take off. She made a game of it anyway, teasing him in the candlelight that cast long shadows on the walls behind them. Grayson, herself, ten feet tall, curving against the slanted roof of the loft. Shortly, it ceased to matter what they had been wearing.

The goose down duvet was soft beneath her as his weight pressed her gently against the mattress. Kissing her, one arm hooked under her neck, he rummaged with the other hand in the top drawer of his bedside table. She sensed his lapse in concentration and yanked him closer.

He pulled away from her briefly, casting one furtive glance in the drawer heAEd been blindly searching and coming up with a small foil packet which he left within easy reach. Amber craned her neck, catching a glimpse of pinky-orange.

oPassion Punch?o

oHope you like tropical fruit.o

Her laugh turned to a gasp as his lips dipped lower, brushing her collar bone, slipping lower still. She moaned as the heat of his mouth enclosed the peak of one breast.

oThe ... other oneAEs ... getting jealous,o she got out in rasping breaths. And chuckling, he made peace between them.

With hands and lips, she explored the smooth terrain of his chest, the dark tangle of hair at its center. Her hands traveled lower, past his slim hips to explore the impressive length of him, until he lured her attention away when his lips broached the secret place between her thighs. Gripping the duvet beneath her, Amber abandoned herself to the marvelous sensations he created within her, forgetting everything sheAEd come to warn him about.

It was only long after, when they lay together, beneath the duvet this time instead of on top of it, that the doubts crept back in one by one. Amber wiggled out from under the weight of his arm. oGrayson, I know this is a heck of a time to mention thisa.o

oYouAEre right,o he said sleepily. oThis is a heck of a time. And I still have work to do.o

oYou should have saved me as a reward for a job well done.o

oNext time,o he said wistfully.

oAbout Barlowa.o

oOh no, Amber, not now.o There was a desperate plea in his words.

oHe wouldnAEt leave until I did,o Amber said resolutely. Grayson was going to listen to her this time. A captive audience, she had him at a disadvantage. oHeAEs hiding something. Something he most definitely doesnAEt want me to see.o

oGo to sleep, Amber,o Grayson said pulling her back under the covers with him. oAt least one of us should get some rest tonight.o

Warm and cozy in the attic loft, it was desperately hard not to comply. In spite of her convictions, Amber felt her eyelids drifting closed.

Thinking her asleep, Grayson went back downstairs to work on his case by the flickering candlelight that would have driven her crazy.