Final Score (52 page)

His eyes locked onto hers, and it was his turn to say nothing for a few seconds. ‘Yeah. It would. It really would.’

*

‘Close the door,’ Jim said, leaning back against his desk, his arms folded. ‘I’m surprised to see you here, if the truth be told. I didn’t think you’d come.’

‘I didn’t know if I was going to. But then I remembered what’s at stake.’

Jim glared at Ryan as he stood by the door, handsome, young and cocky with his hands in his pockets and a look on his face that, for some reason, made Jim feel uncharacte‌ristically nervous. ‘I’ve told Amber this, and I’m telling you – I don’t want to know what you did. What happened over there, it doesn’t matter…’

‘It does to me.’

Jim’s expression darkened. ‘I don’t want to know, Ryan. So don’t push me, okay?’

‘She told me there was a chance, Jim.’ Ryan moved further into the room, but Jim stayed exactly where he was, his eyes boring into Ryan’s. ‘That her and Rico – she told me there was a chance they’d come with me. To America.’

‘She won’t go,’ Jim said, his expression stoic now, his arms still folded.

Ryan let out a quiet chuckle, bowing his head for a second before raising it back up to look straight at his ex-boss. ‘And, you know that for sure, do you?’

‘She won’t go. Because I won’t let her.’

‘You won’t
let
her? You see, this is what I told her…’

Jim stood up, that calm exterior fading now as the anger took over. ‘And what
did
you tell her, Ryan? Did you tell her I was no good for her? That I’d hurt her again? That I’d never change and the worst thing she could do would be to stay with me?’

‘And you don’t think that’s true?’

‘You have no idea – no idea at all. I love her. I’ve always loved her. For over twenty years I have wanted her. I have fucking ached for her, and now that I finally have her I won’t lose her again. I won’t. Not to you. Not to anyone, but especially not to you. Do you hear me? So you step away and you leave her alone. You back off. And I’m not asking you to do this, I’m warning you. You get on that plane and you go to L.A. and I wish you all the luck in the world over there, I really do, because, despite the fact I can’t even bear to look at you, you’re a talent this game needs. But Amber
doesn’t
need you. So you back off, and you leave her alone.’

‘Well, that’s gonna be hard, Jim. Because she has my baby.’

‘You leave
her
alone. You show no interest, don’t make her think you want her…’

‘But I
do
want her. And I can’t hide that any more. I leave for L.A. in a couple of weeks, and I don’t want to go without her. So I can’t pretend she doesn’t matter to me, when she does.’

‘I’m warning you, Ryan. You take a fucking step back from this or, so help me, I will kill you.’

Ryan’s eyes widened, another laugh escaping as he stared at Jim. ‘Is that a fucking threat?’

‘It’s whatever you want it to be.’

‘She didn’t put up much of a fight, y’know. Over in Spain.’ Ryan continued to stare at Jim as he spoke, knowing that he was fuelling the fire, making the whole situation worse, but he couldn’t help himself. ‘And the second she let that dress drop to the floor I knew I wasn’t leaving until I’d been back inside her, and let me tell you, she felt just as good as she always did.’

‘I’m warning you, Ryan, you really don’t want to push me…’

‘Or what? You’re all talk, Jim. You’re not gonna do anything, because you’re all out of ideas; you’ve tried them all. You’ve tried every way you can to bring me down and push me further away from Amber but none of them worked, did they? You can’t stop it because she feels something for me that will
never
go away. It’ll never die. It’s always gonna be there, whether you like it or not.’

Jim shook his head, his hands in his pockets, but his fists were clenched tightly it was verging on painful. ‘I am so fucking angry that you did what you did.’

‘It was always gonna happen.’

‘But that’s it. It’s over now. You took her and you got it out of your system…’

‘Out of my system? Do you think you’re the only one here who has the monopoly on feelings, Jim? You say I have no idea how much you love her, but what about me, huh?
You
have no idea how much
I
love her.’

‘You don’t love her. You just want her because she’s out of reach.’

‘She isn’t out of reach.’

‘Oh, she is, Ryan. She’s so far out of your reach you’ll never touch her again.’

Ryan said nothing for a few seconds, he just stared Jim out, determined to stand his ground. He was serious now. The time for playing games was over. ‘Shouldn’t that be up to Amber to decide?’ And with that Ryan turned and walked out of the office, almost slamming the door shut behind him.

Jim leaned back against his desk, throwing his head back and closing his eyes. Had that actually made things worse? But he’d had to face him. He’d had to know how serious Ryan really was about taking his wife away from him. And now that he knew, it terrified him.

*

‘What the hell are you doing here?’ Max hissed as Ryan walked into the room where Amber’s photo shoot was taking place, leaning back against the wall as though he had every right to be there.

‘Jim wanted a word.’

‘Are you
serious
?’ Max could feel his blood pressure rising by the second. What the hell had he done to deserve this
today?

‘He wanted to “warn me off.”’

‘Jesus Christ… and you think being in here, when his wife is over there… You think this is going to diffuse the situation?’

‘Look, Max, I really don’t care any more, okay? I’m sick of pretending, sick of avoiding the subject. I’m leaving the country in a matter of weeks and I want her to come with me. I want Amber, and I want our baby, and what Jim Allen wants just doesn’t fucking matter to me. He isn’t important.’

‘Have you banged your fucking head or something? Actually, maybe that would knock some sense into you… You are gonna kill me, Ryan.’

Ryan ignored him, his eyes on Amber now. She was laughing as she leaned over the photographer’s shoulder, looking at the pictures he’d just taken, her smile lighting up the room, and he’d never felt a pain like it. He couldn’t let her go. He just couldn’t do it. ‘I love her, Max.’

‘Look, Ryan…’ Max trailed off as he noticed Amber’s gaze wander over to them, her smile fading the second her eyes met Ryan’s. ‘This is not going to end well,’ Max sighed, backing away as Amber walked over.

‘What are you doing here?’ she asked, stopping a little way in front of him.

‘Can I see Rico?’

‘He isn’t here. What are you doing at Parkfield, Ryan?’

‘Your husband wanted a word.’

Amber frowned. ‘I’m sorry? Why would Jim want a word with you?’

‘Because he doesn’t want to lose you, Amber. So he’s warning me off. Telling me to back away, to leave you alone…’

‘I don’t believe this.’

‘Can I see Rico?’

‘He’s at home.’

‘On his own?’

‘Don’t start, Ryan. He’s with his new childminder. If you want to go and see him I’ll call her, tell her you’re coming over. Her name’s Allie, and she won’t take any of your crap, so be nice to her. Rico adores her.’

‘Your husband gonna be alright with that, is he? Me going over to your place?’

Amber’s eyes met his again, and Ryan wished with all his heart that they were back in Majorca. Because he’d felt as though he’d got through to her there. But here – here she was back to being the cold, distant Amber she’d started to become with him over the past few months. And he hated that. He didn’t want that.

‘Did you tell him?’

‘He fucking knows, Amber. Before I told him he already knew we’d had sex over there, I could tell. It was written all over his face. And you know that, too. He isn’t stupid.’

‘You’re making one hell of a mess even worse, do you know that?’

‘I don’t care. Because I’m desperate here, Amber. It’s killing me, watching the days go by and not knowing what you’re thinking… it’s fucking killing me.’

‘I can’t do this here.’

‘We need to talk.’

‘There’s nothing to talk about.’

‘Really? That’s what you think?’

‘They need you, Amber,’ Max said, and Amber almost breathed the biggest sigh of relief.

‘I’m coming.’ She looked at Ryan, and she cursed the fact that seeing him like this had just reopened those floodgates and let those waves of confusion and guilt surge forward all over again. ‘We’ll talk, Ryan. Just, not now.’

Ryan watched her walk back over to Ronnie and the photographer, his eyes focused on those super-sexy hips of hers. Hips he’d held onto not that long ago as he’d pushed inside her and remembered just why he couldn’t let her go.

‘I’d raise your eye level if I were you.’

He turned around to see Jim standing there, a stoic expression on his face and his stance one of a man who wasn’t about to be messed with.

‘She doesn’t deserve you,’ Ryan said, deliberately returning his gaze to Amber.

‘She doesn’t need a boy, Ryan. She needs a man.’

Ryan couldn’t help but let out a laugh. ‘Are you kidding me?’

‘I don’t kid. I never kid.’

‘Yeah. Okay.’

‘Shouldn’t you be packing?’

‘Do you know how childish you sound? We’re not kids in a playground fighting over the prettiest girl in school.’

‘Corey Reynolds, the owner of your new club, is not someone to be messed about with either. But I’m sure he knows what he’s letting himself in for.’

Ryan narrowed his eyes slightly. ‘What the hell are you talking about? Do you
know
Corey Reynolds?’

‘We go way back, Corey and I. He wanted me to come over and manage the team at one point, but it’s not for me. I’ve got no desire to go back to the States just yet. I’m happy here.’

Ryan said nothing for a second or two. ‘I don’t understand…’

‘Just giving you a heads-up, that’s all. When Max told me what side you’d signed for, well – I think you’re gonna fit in just fine over there.’

‘That’s enough, Jim,’ Max said, walking over. ‘I think your wife wants a word.’

‘Just remember what I said, okay?’ Jim fixed Ryan with one last look before he walked over to Amber.

‘What the hell was he talking about, Max? Did you know he knew Corey Reynolds? Did he…?’

‘Jim Allen has a lot of connections over in the States as well as over here, Ryan. That’s what makes him a bloody good man to be on the right side of. And not a particularly pleasant man to make an enemy of.’

‘Did he have anything to do with…?’

‘Stop being so paranoid. Go see that little man of yours. Go on.’

Ryan didn’t move for a second or two. He was too busy watching Amber, a stabbing pain piercing his heart as she stood up on tiptoes to kiss Jim’s mouth, her hand resting on his waist. Even after everything he’d told her, the first thing she did was kiss him.

‘Go and see Rico,’ Max said, his voice quiet, his hand giving Ryan’s shoulder an almost protective squeeze. ‘Go on.’

‘This isn’t over,’ he whispered, finally pulling himself away from the wall. ‘This isn’t fucking over.’

*

‘Was talking to Ryan just now really a good idea?’ Amber asked, absentmindedly playing with the collar of Jim’s shirt.

‘I’m scared, Amber.’

‘Of what?’ She looked around, making sure they were out of anyone else’s earshot.

‘Do I have to spell it out? Can’t you see what he’s trying to do?’

‘Confronting him isn’t the way to deal with it.’

‘So, what do you want me to do, Amber? Just let him get on with it? Stand by and watch as he lures you back into his bed…’

‘He isn’t “luring” me anywhere, Jim. And you’re starting to sound as childish as he is now.’

‘Are you finished here?’

‘In a bit. Why?’

Jim slipped an arm around her waist, pulling her against him, his mouth close to her ear as he spoke. ‘I want to fuck you.’

‘Here?’

He laughed quietly, letting his hand drop slightly so it rested on her hip. ‘Oh, believe me, baby, I don’t care where we do it. I just want to fuck you.’

‘Because telling Ryan how things stand has turned you on, is that it?’

‘Is that such a bad thing?’

‘Yes, actually.’

‘Then that isn’t the reason.’

She wriggled free of his grip. ‘This isn’t really the place for this conversation, Jim.’

He dug his hands into his pockets, lowering his gaze.

‘Are you doing this because Ryan’s still in the room?’ Amber said, stepping back slightly.

Jim just raised an eyebrow.

‘Because the time for playing games is over.’

‘I’m not playing games, Amber.’

It was her turn to raise an eyebrow. ‘It’s just that, as far as you and public displays of affection are concerned, they’re usually few and far between.’

He moved closer to her, sliding his hand down onto her bottom, his mouth close to hers as he spoke. ‘If I want to put my hand on my wife’s ass, it doesn’t matter where we are, baby, I’ll put my hand on my wife’s ass.’

‘Not if I don’t want it there you won’t. Move it. Now.’

He pulled it away, smiling. ‘Do you know how hot you are when you’re angry?’

‘Can you go now? Please?’

He slowly backed away, his hands in his pockets, that smile still on his face as he mouthed
“I still want to fuck you.”

And, despite herself, Amber couldn’t help smiling too, shaking her head as he walked away.

‘You ever gonna grow out of this teenage phase?’

She turned to look at Ronnie. ‘And you and Hayley are, what? Already at the “married twenty years so we never kiss in public any more” stage?’

‘You’ve known
him
over twenty years,’ Ronnie said, looking in Jim’s direction as he stopped by the door to say something to Max. ‘I would have thought you’d be well past that stage yourself by now.’

‘I’ll never even reach that stage with him, Ronnie.’ Amber’s eyes stayed on Jim until he finally left the room.

‘So where does that leave Ryan?’

Her head shot around to stare at him. ‘What’s any of this got to do with Ryan?’