Bestseller: Brother’s Best Friend for Christmas

A Bad Boy Second Chance Romance

 

 

Description

He was my first. My everything. My brother’s best friend.
Filthy-mouthed, tattooed, arrogant, womanizer.
Tyler knew how to melt my panties... and my heart.
But he disappeared when I needed him.

Now years later, he's back for Christmas as my brother’s friend and business partner.

Sitting at my parents dining room table,
Undressing me with his eyes.
I can’t forget the night he took my V-card.
And I wonder what harm would it be to replay that scene now...

 

It’ll be just one more night.

Hit-it-and-quit-it.

I'll finally get over him and move on with my life - once and for all, right?

 

Now that Santa’s making my wish come true,

I can see my whole world turning upside down.

Turns out this is the hottest mistake of my life.

And screwed has never felt so good!

Chapter 1

Tyler

 

“Told you this place was jumping,” Luke said.

“Dude, you weren’t kidding. Look at all the hot women in this place,” I said.

The music was thumping, and the women were grinding their hips against one another on the dance floor. My best friend, Tyler, and I were heading to Los Angeles. in the morning to look at potential spots for growing our food delivery business. Also, to meet his pretentious parents, but who gave a shit about that? LA had some of the finest clubs with some of the hottest women on the planet, and I was ready to expand into an area where I could broaden my pool of possibilities.

But, I needed to have myself a little reminder of home to take with me into the abyss of a new city.

“Want a drink?” Luke asked.

“You asking me on a date?”

“Fuck you, man. Tomorrow’s going to be a long day, and we’ve got some fuckin’ work ahead of us. You getting drunk or not?” he asked.

“Yeah. I’ll take a Long Island Iced Tea,” I said.

“Who the fuck said I was getting the drinks?” Luke asked.

“Because you asked me if I wanted a damn drink.”

“You better be glad you’re good at this business shit, man. Because you’re a dick,” he said.

“You know you envy every part of me. It’s why you keep me around,” I said.

Luke went off to get drinks, and I went back to surveying the club. There was a woman in this tight red dress with her tits mashed up to her face and her ass practically falling out of the piece of fabric she was passing off as clothing. The bright pink drink in her hand and the way her hips were swaying told me she was looking to mingle in a very serious way.

“Already got your eye on someone?” Luke asked returning with the drinks.

“I need to get it in tonight if we’re going to meet your parents,” I said.

“You still harpin’ on that?” he asked.

“I still don’t get why I need to meet your parents. And this sister of yours? What’s her name?”

“Amber,” he said. “And you don’t have to meet them, but I want you to.”

“Well, if they’re anything like you, they won’t be anything like me,” I said.

“No one’s like you, Tyler. It’s why you’re full of it,” he said, smirking.

“Someone in here’s about to be full of it in a second,” I said.

“The chick in the red dress?” he asked.

“You see her, too?”

“Who the fuck couldn’t? Look at that rack,” he said.

“I know, right. Ten bucks says they’re real,” I said.

“Not tits like those. You’re on,” he said.

I sucked down my drink before I made my way toward her. I had the deadly combination women couldn’t resist: tan skin, brooding brown eyes, and dark hair. I was tall, I was muscular from being outside all the time, and women couldn’t stand to be away from me. I had the body that allowed me to be picky about the women I slept with, and tonight I had my eye on the prize.

I wanted my dick between those luscious red lips of hers, and that’s exactly what I was going to get.

I scooted behind that thick ass of hers. My hand dipped to her waist, and she tossed her hair around, smacking me in the face with it before her eyes landed on me. Just like so many other women before her, the protective fire in her eyes simmered down to a lustful bedroom stare. The hips she was so willing to pull away from me only seconds ago found their way back into the palms of my hands, and her back leaned into my chest just as I leaned my nose into her hair.

She smelled of apples, alcohol, and sinful delight, and I knew I was in the moment she started grinding her hips deep into mine.

Luke kept telling me to stay away from his sister, Amber, but I was in no mood to fuck anyone who looked like him. Not only that, I wasn’t in the mood to fuck anyone named Amber.

Not since college, at least.

That’s where I met Luke. In college when I started their business program. He was the only guy I’d ever met that could keep up with my partying, meet me shot for shot, and still stay on top of his thirst for developing his own business. Our food delivery business was something we spitballed one night when we were drunk, so every time we took a step forward, we always celebrated like we did in college.

In a club, surrounded by beautiful women, with drinks in our hands.

The woman in my arms turned around and pressed those glorious tits against my body. She bit down on her lower lip, drawing it in between her teeth, and my cock roared to life at the mere sight of it. I slipped my leg between hers, feeling her grind her thin panties down onto the top of my thigh, and I smirked when I felt the growing wet spot soak the fabric of my pants.

She was ready to go, and I was eager to take her.

I crooked my finger underneath her chin and pulled her gaze up to mine. Her eyes were beautiful, a pretty hazel that matched her long blonde hair beautifully.

But I didn’t give a shit about what her eyes looked like. All I wanted to know was what that pussy felt like.

I captured her lips with mine, and she instinctively slipped her arms around my neck. My hands pressed into her lower back, squeezing those massive tits closer to my body, and the more I pressed her into me, the more confident I felt about that ten dollars making it into my wallet. Fake tits didn’t feel this pliable underneath tension, and Luke would be pissed when he had to pay up.

I took her hand when she dropped down to her feet and wound her through the crowd. I could smell her pussy wafting up from my leg, and it fueled a fire inside of me that was raging out of control. We busted into the women’s bathroom and locked ourselves into a stall, then I pinned her body against the locked door as my lips attacked her neck.

She tasted of salty sweat and stale perfume, but that didn’t bother me in the slightest. I tugged on her red dress, popping her sweet tits out for me to taste, and I got on my knees so I could suckle them the way they deserved. My hand cupped her breast and held it up, my tongue playing with her thick nipple while I looked around for any scarring.

“Oh, they’re real, honey. Take your time,” she said breathlessly.

“Perfect,” I said, murmuring around her nipple.

I tugged and sucked until her pink nipple was black and blue. She grabbed fistfuls of my hair and shoved me deep into her cleavage, and I couldn’t help but shake my head back and forth. She moaned as my stubble worked the sides of her tits while my hands traveled up her legs, and it was then I realized why it didn’t take long for her to soak my jeans.

She wasn’t wearing any fucking panties.

“Oh, you naughty little girl,” I said.

I slid up the flimsy fabric of her dress and threw her leg over my shoulder. Her heel dug into my leather jacket while my lips devoured her pussy, and I pressed her hips into the cold metal door. She dripped wonderfully into my mouth, writhing and twisting as she moaned her sweet sounds. Her clit pulsed underneath my tongue as wonderfully disgusting phrases dripped from her lips, and I could feel her approaching her climax as she shook against my mouth.

“Oh, fuck me, daddy. Oh, yes. Fuck, that tongue. Don’t stop. Please. Oh, I’ll do anything for you, daddy. Holy shit.”

I was going to hold her to that promise as she thumped her head against the door. She ground down onto my face as my cock leaked from its tip, coating the inside of my boxers while her beautiful pussy drenched my face. Her thighs clenched and her stance faltered, causing her back to slide down the door. I stood up and caught her in my strong arms while I licked my lips, tasting every bit of her as I held her close to my chest.

“Holy shit,” she said breathlessly.

She sank to her knees while her body still trembled and her hands quickly undid my jeans. My cock sprang free for her, bouncing on her lips while my hand grabbed a massive fist of her beautiful blonde hair. Those crimson lips wrapped perfectly around my cock, kicking her gag reflex into gear as I pushed in as far as she would let me.

“Make daddy proud, alright sweetheart?” I asked.

She moaned around my cock at my words while those beautiful tits rubbed against my legs. I thrust slowly in and out of her warm, wet mouth, watching her lipstick streak my dick as her hand worked my base. I had yet to meet a woman that could take all of me, and my chest swelled with pride every time her gag reflex spat me back out.

“Holy shit, you’re huge,” she said.

She sucked and licked my tip as precum dripped onto her tongue, and every time she hollowed out her cheeks my thighs began to quake. Her mouth was so warm and wet, and the slight graze of her teeth along my engorged veins made my dick throb even more. I grabbed her hair tightly before I began to really fuck that beautiful face of hers, and tears slowly streamed down her cheeks as she hummed around my dick.

She looked incredible, wanting to please me so desperately.

“You like that cock?” I asked.

I watched her nod as I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth.

“You want to feel my cum down your throat?” I asked.

I watched her nod again before she hummed with pleasure around my dick.

“Will you swallow every single drop, so not a bit of it goes to waste?” I asked.

“Oh, fuck yes,” she mumbled.

Both of my hands grabbed her hair as I fucked my dick all the way down her throat. Her hands wrapped around and grabbed my ass cheeks, her fingernails digging into my skin as I threw my head back in ecstasy. It had been a very long time since I’d had a good blowjob, and for a split second another girl’s face popped into my mind.

Those big doe eyes that shined the color of the sea and those thin lips that swelled to twice their size every single time I pulled a kiss from her.

Amber.

Why the fuck did Luke’s sister have to be named Amber, too?

I grunted as I thrust my dick down her throat. I could feel my balls pulling up into my body as my ass fell onto the toilet seat, and this remarkably skilled woman kept her throat closed around me while her nose touched my pelvis. Pump after pump of cum spurted from my throbbing cock, and every time her throat closed around me to swallow it all down I jumped and shook with pleasure.

She gave me one last suck before she released my dick, and the way her spit dribbled down my cock was euphoric. My head was spinning, and she was panting, and I could feel her bare tits pressing against my shins as she laid her head down onto my thigh.

I didn’t give a rat’s ass about meeting Luke’s parents.

Nor did I give a rat’s ass about meeting some bullshit sister named Amber.

“You want to go back out and dance awhile, handsome?” she asked.

“What’s your name, doll?” I asked.

“Glory,” she said.

“I’m not really feeling like dancing right now, Glory,” I said. “But, if you tuck those beautiful tits in and go back out there, I’ll come find you in a second.”

“Can’t wait to see you out there, handsome,” she said.

I watched her walk out of the bathroom before I tucked myself back into my pants. I had no intentions of finding her on the dance floor, nor did I have any intentions of staying any longer at this club. I got what I came for, and it was time to go home and pack.

After all, Luke wasn’t the type of guy to dress in T-shirts and a leather jacket, and something told me his family wasn’t the kind that would either.

“So?” Luke asked as he came up to me. “Who’s got the ten bucks?”

“I do,” I said, smirking.

“No shit! They’re real?” he asked.

“And oh, did they taste amazing,” I said.

“You ready to get out of here?” he asked.

“Yeah. I’m running a bit low on energy, to be honest.”

“Oh, shit! She made you cum? Dude, that never fucking happens.”

“Some pairs of lips are just better than others,” I said.

“I’ll head on out with you. We’ve got an early flight to LA tomorrow anyway.”

“You sure you don’t just want me to find a hotel when we get there? It could be a place where you get away when the family becomes too much,” I said.

“Nah, it’s all good. My sister isn’t living there so the house won’t feel as crowded. Don’t worry about it, dude. You’ll be in the guest room. You’re at the back of the house so it won’t feel like you’re staying with a bunch of strangers.”

“I’m not worried about that, they’re going to want to, you know, get to know me and shit,” I said.

“And what’s wrong with that?” Luke asked.

I shot him a look, and he rolled his eyes. He knew my past with my parents. They were drug addicts and shit human beings. I’d told him the stories where I’d come home, and they’d be passed out in their own vomit. He knew the real reason why I went to college.

I didn’t fucking go to college to get an education. That was just some side-gig.

I went to college to get away from them.

“I’ll tell them not to get to know you then,” he said.

“Good. Tell them to leave me the fuck alone,” I said, smirking.

“But, my mom’s probably going to dote on you,” he said.

“She’s probably going to want my dick, too,” I said.

“That’s my mom you’re talking about,” he said.

“Sorry, dude. My bad. But really, this is who I am. You really think your family will like the fact that I’m your best friend and business partner?” I asked.

“How the fuck are you going to know if you don’t give them a chance to get to know you?” he asked.

“Fuck you and your cyclical arguments,” I said.

“That’s why I negotiate contracts, and you deal with everything else,” he said, grinning.

“Come on, let’s get out of here. I think Little Miss Red Dress spotted me.”

“Can’t handle giving her seconds?” he asked.

“You want to make this flight tomorrow or not?” I asked.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Come on. Let’s get you and that award-winning dick of yours out of here,” he said.

Chapter 2

Amber

 

 

I didn’t know why in the world I had to be a part of meeting Luke’s friend. I knew Luke’s business was doing well, but I didn’t even catch word that he was expanding into LA until a couple days ago. Now, I was roped into dinner with Luke and whatever business partner he had wrangled into this adventure, and if he was anything like Luke’s other friends, he’d probably be a total loser.

Luke had this way of attracting people who needed help. Poor little puppies who were wounded who needed fixing before they could fly. From the time my brother was in middle school, he was always bringing those types of people around. His first best friend struggled with massive anxiety attacks, and my brother was under the assumption that our family could fix anything. My mother was always there to greet people with a smile, and my father was always ready to lend a helping hand, and that shoved me back into the shadows so they could deal with Luke’s damaged friends.

In high school, he made friends with a kid who was being abused by his parents. He was over here after school every single day, and every single day I was stuck making dinner so my parents could be parents to him. Parents like the ones he didn’t have at home.

Where the fuck were my parents when I needed them?

“Honey, how’s the roast coming along?” my mother asked.

“Yeah, it smells wonderful in there,” my father said.

“I don’t know. I literally just got here 10 minutes ago,” I said.

“Well, give the macaroni a peek in the oven. You know your brother loves that stuff. I don’t want it to burn,” my mother said.

“Of course, you don’t,” I muttered.

“What’s for dessert, honey?” my father asked.

“How the hell should I know? I just got here 10 minutes ago,” I said.

“Watch that language now,” my mother said. “Your brother’s bringing home his business partner. You were raised with more class than that.”

“Yeah, but was his friend?” I asked under my breath.

I checked on the macaroni as I heard the front door swing open. My mother squealed and a victorious shout peeled from between my father’s lips. They were always so excited when the prodigal son returned home. It wasn’t that my brother and I didn’t have a decent relationship—if anything, he was incredibly protective of me. I was stood up for my freshman homecoming dance when I was in high school, and my brother beat the shit out of the boy the next day. The annoying thing was that he could do no wrong. He had his successful food business or whatever, and I was stuck running the family business.

Like I didn’t fucking have dreams of my own.

“And you must be Luke’s business partner,” I heard my father say.

“Nice to meet you, sir,” a voice said.

My ears perked up at that voice. For some reason, it sounded familiar. I kicked myself for not paying more attention to when my parents mouthed off about the “friend” Luke was bringing home. Why did his voice sound so familiar?

And why did that freak me out?

I pulled the macaroni out of the oven before I grabbed the roast and pulled it out as well. I checked the potatoes to make sure they were done, then I cut into the meat to make sure mom wasn’t going to make us all violently ill. I was satisfied when I saw it was cooked through, but that same voice pulled me away from the food and back into my thoughts.

“Thank you for having me.”

I swore on everything holy and good that I knew that voice. I couldn’t place it, and I didn’t have any idea where the hell I would’ve heard it, but all I knew was it was familiar. Somewhere along the line, I’d encountered whoever the fuck Luke had brought home, and part of me was anxious to see who it was.

“Amber! Come meet Luke’s friend!” my mother called out.

“Well, someone has to set the table, Mother dearest,” I said.

“I’ll take care of that, sweetheart. Go meet your brother’s friend,” my father said as he entered the kitchen.

“His friend got a name?” I asked.

“Tyler,” my father said.

I felt my blood run cold as I dropped the roast onto the stove. I pulled off the oven mitts and threw them at my father before I strode around the corner, and when my eyes fell on him, I couldn’t move. Never in my life could I have ever imagined that my brother would bring home him, and as his eyes lifted to connect to mine, I knew he knew.

He remembered who I was.

“Amber. This is Luke’s friend and business partner, Tyler,” my mother said.

“Best friend,” Luke said with a smile on his face.

“Tyler,” I said. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“You, too,” he said.

How the fuck did Luke know Tyler? Every single memory from college came rushing back to my mind in that very instant. The way his muscles felt against my body. The way his tongue danced between my legs. The way his teeth lightly pulled at my nipples, coaxing them from their restful state into firm peaks of lust.

I felt myself growing breathless as I thought back to the way my legs shook around his body. I felt my face flushing at the memory of his thick dick ripping into my body. I felt my legs grow weak as I remembered how deeply he would thrust into me, taking in one fell swoop my virginity as well as setting my expectations high for any other man that would ever come after him.

No man could make me cum the way he made me cum that night, and I wondered if he knew what I was thinking.

“My sister was a dance major in college,” Luke said proudly. “She wants to open her own dance studio someday.”

“Really, sweetie? I didn’t know that,” my mother said.

“I don’t really talk about it,” I said as I peeled my gaze from Tyler. “I’m too busy running the family business.”

“Well, it’s a pretty important business, I would say. I built it for you kids,” my father said. “The table’s set and drinks are poured. Why don’t we all go sit at the table?”

I watched everyone walk over to the dining room, but I could feel Tyler’s eyes on me. His dark, brooding stare raked up and down my body once Luke turned his back, and I could feel that telltale heat creep up my back. For the first time in my life, I was glad I’d worn nothing but a high-necked T-shirt and jeans.

That meant he wouldn’t be able to see just how much he affected me, even after all these years.

We sat down at the table, and I tried to keep my focus on my plate. I picked at my food and rolled it around while Luke talked with Mom and Dad about his budding business.

“We are so proud of you, son,” my father said. “Going off and starting your own business. It’s what I did when I was your age, and now I get to see your sister take it over. It really is a satisfying thing, creating something you can pass down to your children.”

“Sweetheart, she isn’t going to want to run the production company,” my mother said.

“Thank you, Mom,” I said. “It’s about time someone got behind my dance studio in this family.”

“Hey, I’ve always supported your dance studio,” Luke said.

“But, why would you want to put yourself through all that stress? You’re so beautiful. Stress will wrinkle you badly,” my mother said.

“It takes a great deal of work to start a business, honey,” my father said.

“Why in the world do you guys think I don’t realize that?” I asked.

“Are you dating anyone recently?” my mother asked, trying to change the subject.

“No, Mom. I haven’t found some wealthy man who wants me for my looks to marry me and take care of me for the rest of my life,” I said.

“Don’t take that tone of voice with your mother,” my father warned.

“But that’s exactly what she wants, right? To do what she did. Marry rich and never work,” I said.

“Sweetie, I was not rich when I met your mother. I had aspirations of it, but I was as poor as they came,” my father said.

I could feel Tyler’s eyes on me again, and I flickered my icy stare over to him. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say there was a shadow of a grin on his face as he watched the entire scene unfold in front of him.

A grin that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“I didn’t go to school for dance just so I could do nothing with it,” I said.

“Then work at the production company until you pay off your student loans,” my father said. “If you still want the studio after you pay them off, I’ll hire someone from the outside to take over your position.”

“You can’t trust anyone from the outside, Ron. They won’t understand the reason why you started the company. They won’t stick to the traditions we’ve set forth,” my mother said.

“Darlene, I’m not going to hire an idiot. I’ll educate them just like I did Luke and Amber,” my father said.

“It’s just not the same,” she said.

“Well, you can’t have everything you want, Mother,” I said.

“Mind that tone in front of our guest,” my father said.

I wanted to tell him Tyler wasn’t a guest. How would my father react if I disclosed that I’d spread my legs for Tyler as a freshman and let him devour me down in one night? What I wanted to do was get up from this table, throw my napkin down on my plate, and leave until he was gone.

I wanted to get out from underneath his gaze he had now swept back over to my body.

“Guys, do we really have to do all this with Tyler here?” Luke asked.

“Yeah, because everyone bows to what you want,” I said under my breath.

“What was that?” my mother asked.

“This dinner is delicious, Mother dearest. How ever did you make it?” I asked mockingly.

Tyler let out a low chuckle, and I had to close my eyes and take a deep breath. Every single memory of him was coming back in floods, and I wished to the high heavens he would stop staring at me. Every time he moved his foot under the table, it felt as if he was moving it a bit closer to me, and if I moved back any further I’d have to get up from the table.

But holy shit, he’d gotten hot. He was muscular back in college, but the way he bulged under his clothes now was mind-melting. His shoulders were broad and strong, and every time he moved to take a bite his arm muscles would pop out from their hiding place. He’d kept up with himself physically despite being in the food business, and I found my eyes wandering over his brawny chest as his shirt pulled against his skin.

I bet his skin was as soft as I remembered it being.

“So! Luke. Tell us about your expansion plans,” my father said.

And I was ripped from my trance as the conversation turned back to the prodigal son.

Chapter 3

Tyler

 

 

The moment she came around the corner I felt my back grow stiff. Never in my life did I ever think I’d see Amber again, and yet here she was. Standing in the foyer of my best friend and business partner’s home.

With her parents who would obviously prod me with questions all fucking night.

Even though she was in just a plain T-shirt and some ratty jeans, I could tell she’d kept herself in shape with her dancing. Her legs were long, and her tits were as full as I remembered them being, and her light brown hair flowed all the way down past her shoulders. It was much longer than I remembered it being, with layers that fluttered all around her face, and all I could do was watch those little lips of hers as they parted slightly in their shock.

She was just as surprised as I was, and there was something about that idea that churned my dick behind my pants.

She was hot as fuck. She was good looking back in college, but now she had blossomed into a beautiful woman. Her hips sashayed even though she tried not to move them, and her cheeks were bright red with agitation as her parents practically slaughtered her dreams at the table. I enjoyed listening to her stick up for herself even though I thought it was bullshit what they were doing to her.

But mostly, it made me feel better that a family that looked good on the outside wasn’t necessarily all that good on the inside.

At least I dressed to match the life I lead.

I sat silently at dinner while I listened to them all go back and forth. I knew Luke would want to handle questions about the business, seeing as it was his family, but I didn’t expect them to jump into the drama so soon off the bat. Luke kept trying to lean over and apologize, but I just kept shrugging him off. I was getting an excellent glimpse into a girl who came so delicately for me in college, and I was beginning to regret not having gotten to know her better.

She was obviously playing the “I don’t fucking know who this dick is” card, and that was fine with me. We weren’t together long enough to get to that stage where you wanted to show each other off. I met her when I was a senior in college and trying to catch on up on all my core classes I neglected for business classes, and she was in my English Literature class.

I could still remember the first time I saw her. She came in with her hair in a high, tight bun and a black skirt flowing around her thighs. She wore these ratty flats and had toned legs that automatically pulled my dick to attention, and I almost flunked that course because I was paying more attention to her than I was to the books we were supposed to be reading.

Back then, she wore skirts she could move in, shoes she could dance in, baggy shirts that fell off her shoulders, and sports bras. When I finally worked my way between her legs and peeled all that shit off her, I was surprised by the womanly body that emerged. She covered it up every day for her fucking dance classes, but when it was just the two of us at night in her dorm room, she sang a soft, delicate tune for me as I swallowed her pussy whole.

My dick was throbbing underneath my jeans all throughout dinner, and I kept trying to scoot my foot closer to her in an attempt to feel her against me. Maybe she would be up to a reprise of what we had going on in college, which would make this entire trip a hell of a lot more worth it than I’d originally thought.

But, every time she ripped it away, it told me two things. One, that was a hard pass on the fucking; and two, she was going to play the “I don’t fucking know you card” all night.

Probably for the entire time we were here.

“Anyone want a slice of pie and some coffee?” Ron asked.

“Sounds nice,” I said.

“Why don’t we all go into the parlor?” Darlene asked. “Amber can bring us the pie and coffee.”

“There is no pie,” she said flatly.

“Didn’t you bring pie like I asked you to, honey?” Darlene asked.

“You didn’t tell me to bring pie, so there’s no pie,” she said.

“Oh, well. Just get us whatever is in the kitchen and bring us all some coffee, alright?” Darlene asked.

“Perfect,” Amber said underneath her breath.

A part of me wanted to get up and offer to help. I wanted to get her alone to see if she was alright. I wasn’t sure why the hell I wanted to do that, but I knew what it felt like to sort of be unseen by your parents.

That shit didn’t feel good at all, and it gave me a glimpse into the type of people that raised her.

“Come, come, Tyler!” Ron exclaimed.

We all ventured into this massive room with a roaring electric fireplace that had been added on at some point in time. I, personally, preferred making actual fires outside in the woods, but who the fuck was I to say anything? I just wanted to get this bullshit over so Luke and I could do what we came here to do.

Start the next leg of our business venture.

“So, Tyler,” Ron began. “Where’d you meet Luke?”

“I told you, Dad. We met in college,” Luke said.

“Sweetheart, your father’s talking to Tyler,” Darlene said.

“No, no. It’s fine. Yeah, I went to Berkeley with Tyler. We met our freshman year in the business school,” I said.

“Did you always know you wanted to start your own business?” Darlene asked.

“Not always. I knew I wanted to do something with business, but I didn’t really know what. I guessed I’d figure it out along the way,” I said.

“I like that. A free spirit. We don’t have many of those in this family. Luke’s the first,” Ron said.

“I’m sure it took a free spirit to start your production company,” I said.

“Oh, starting a business was expected of me,” Ron said. “Taking it over was expected of Luke, but you just can’t harness him.”

“That’s our boy,” Darlene said.

“Coffee,” Amber said as she dropped a tray onto the table in front of us.

“Why don’t you pour us some, sweetheart?” Darlene asked.

“No, thanks, Mom,” she said mockingly.

I was enjoying getting a glimpse of Amber's spunk. She was so timid and meek when I first met her, and even after I rocked her world in bed time and time again, her sounds were still that of a meek and quiet little girl. She was this small little nothing in this big bad world when I found her, but she had grown into a fierce, headstrong woman.

I bet her sounds would be fierce, too, if she let me dive between those beautiful, toned legs again.

“Actually, it’s a small world. I think I remember you from my English Literature class,” Amber said.

“I thought you looked familiar, but I honestly wasn’t sure. I hated every second of that class. It’s why I waited to take it my senior year,” I said.

“What a small world!” Darlene exclaimed.

“Yeah, what a small world,” Luke said as he eyed me closely.

“Did you two ever talk or anything?” Ron asked.

“Not to my knowledge. But, I don’t think I could even tell you what books I read, either,” I said.

“I don’t remember it, no,” Amber said as she sat down in a chair by the fireplace.

“That why you looked so shocked when you came around the corner from the kitchen, Amber?” Luke asked.

“No. I was shocked because I had forgotten how terrible you look,” she said, smirking.

“I swear, the two of them act as if they hate each other,” Darlene said.

“Only because he casts such a wide shadow,” Amber said.

“Mandy, not now, please,” Luke said.

I could see the red-hot anger rush up her neck. The fiery independence she had was constantly being snuffed out by the people around her, and I could only imagine what that felt like. I never had to answer to anyone, not even Luke—and he was my business partner. We had our separate things that we governed, and that was that.

This family dynamic is exactly why I left my deadbeat parents behind.

“Is there a bathroom I could use?” I asked.

“Oh, of course, Tyler. Through the kitchen, down the hall, second door on the left,” Darlene said.

“I’ll be right back,” I said.

Being in the bathroom gave me a chance to breathe. I stuck my hands in my pants and rearranged myself before I splashed some cold water on my face. I needed to get rid of the thoughts I was having about Amber, and I needed to do it now. There was no way in hell her brother would ever be alright with me thinking the thoughts I was, much less acting on them. He took great pride in boasting of all the assholes he’d beat up in his little sister’s life, and while I knew I could take him, I knew I shouldn’t piss him off.

We’d worked too hard to get our business to where it was for me to fuck it up by trying to stick my dick in his sister.

Again.

But, when I opened the door to go back to the fireplace room, Amber was standing there in front of me.

“Back for more, I see,” I said coyly.

“You can’t say a fucking thing to anyone,” she said. “Not even Luke. Especially not Luke.”

“I figured. Don’t worry. I’m not as stupid as I look,” I said.

“Who the hell said anything about you being stupid? You’re a pompous jackass. There’s a difference. Don’t go around bragging you’ve slept with your business partner’s sister,” she said.

“Don’t worry. Not much to brag about,” I said.

“Spoken like a man who came down my throat more than once,” she said, grinning.

Holy hell, she was a feisty one. No woman I’d ever encountered talked with me like that, and I found that I loved it. In college, she was all giggles and not much talk. It was euphoric, teaching her how to please me. But, I bet she’d give me a run for my money in bed now. I bet a woman like her had learned some tricks to help with the confidence she had grown, and my dick twitched at all the nasty things she’d be capable of doing.

“Mom?” she called out. “I think I’m going to head on home.”

“You sure, honey? You don’t want to stay for more coffee?” Darlene asked.

“If I stay, you’ll make me brew it,” she said, smirking.

“Well, drive safe. Let me know when you get home,” Darlene said.

She gave me one last stern gaze before she walked down the hallway and disappeared from sight. If she was leaving for home, it meant she didn’t live too far from here.

Which meant she lived somewhere alone.

My head spun with thoughts of her lips adhered to my dick. I could remember the way her lips would swell to twice their size as they wrapped around my cock. I remembered the way her big blue eyes stared up at me the entire time she sucked me down, wanting to feel every inch of me while she fondled herself underneath her panties.

Her timid spirit allowed her to take every command I gave her in bed while we were together, but I knew the feisty woman I’d just encountered would have none of that bullshit.

She’d probably take control. Want everything her way. Know exactly where to pull my hair whenever I was licking that pussy deep.

There was no way in hell I was sleeping tonight.

No way in hell.

Chapter 4

Amber

 

 

“You saw who?” Kelly asked.

“Fucking Tyler. The guy from college? Remember him?” I asked.

“How could I forget? You called me up squealing that you’d lost your virginity,” Kelly said, giggling.

“Shut up and listen,” I said. “He’s Luke’s fucking business partner. As in, he’s going to be in LA Frequently. Because they’re expanding here.”

“Will you let him expand you again?” she asked.

“Are you serious, Kelly?” I asked. “The man who took my virginity and gave me my first orgasm is fucking sleeping at my parents’ house, and all you can think about is whether or not I’m going to do him?”

“He made you cum! That doesn’t always happen with men,” she said.

“Don’t I know it,” I said.

“Did you love him?” she asked.

“Love Tyler?”

“Yeah. Back in college,” she said. “When you two were hooking up or whatever it was. Did you love him?”

“I mean, I guess? I was a giddy college girl who was being paid attention to by a senior. A hot senior with rippling muscles, to boot. I was probably as in love as I could’ve been for the moment,” I said.

“You know what I mean. You were really in love with him?” she asked.

“We were only together for, like, two months. How the hell am I supposed to know?” I asked.

“My parents say you just know that kind of stuff,” she said.

“Well, no. If I’m supposed to just ‘know,’ then I didn’t know shit,” I said.

“What cut your fling short?” she asked.

“He left. He graduated and got whisked away to New York City, and now I realize who whisked him away,” I said.

“Your brother,” she said.

“Exactly. All I knew was he was going off to start his life or whatever with his business degree, and he couldn’t do long distance relationships. And, I was okay with that.”

“Did you have any idea he knew you brother?” she asked. “Did you have any inkling of an idea that he was going with Luke to New York City?”

“Not a fucking clue,” I said. “I didn’t even know Luke had a business venture lined up in New York City. I thought he was pursuing a graduate degree!”

“This is fate, Amber,” she said.

“Oh, shit. Here we go,” I said.

“I’m serious. You mean to tell me this man rocks your world in college, runs off with your brother, then comes back here to expand his business and is now sleeping in your childhood home? How the hell is that not fate?” she asked.

“You make it sound like my brother stole my boyfriend,” I said, smirking.

“I didn’t realize he was your boyfriend,” she said.

“Of course, we were fucking! At least, I think he was, anyway. I wasn’t seeing anyone else while he was seeing me,” I said.

“Anyone else would’ve been a disappointment anyway, from what you’re telling me,” she said.

“And you should see the way he looks now. Oh, girl. He looks more luscious than he did in college,” I said.

“More muscles? More bad boy?” she asked.

“All the muscles and all the bad boy,” I said.

“Sounds right up your alley, which means your mom’s going to hate it,” she said.

“If my mom had it her way, I would’ve married rich right out of high school and never even gone to college. You know they’re still expecting me to take over my dad’s production company?”

“Sounds like fun,” she said flatly.

“Why the hell don’t they understand that I have my own dreams, too? Luke got to go off and pursue his, and yet I’m stuck running something I’m not happy doing? Where’s the fairness in that?” I asked.

“You could use Tyler to relieve some of that stress you’re carrying,” she said, smirking.

“You’re relentless,” I said.

“And I still believe it’s fate,” she said.

“Well, I don’t. So stuff it,” I said.

“I intend to once our food gets here,” she said.

Kelly was my best friend and my rock. I met her my freshman year of college when we were both in the dancing program, but she was just taking it for recreational purposes. She was an education major and had a passion for working with special needs children, and all I could do was wish her the best. She had the patience of a monk and the determination of a momma bear defending her cubs. She always told me she considered her students her children, and there was never a moment where I ever heard her complain about her job.

Not once.

She was the saint to my devilishness and had a wicked crush on my brother. She didn’t think I knew, but every time I talked about my family, she would ask how he was. I kept telling her to come over one day and have lunch with all of us, but she always refused, saying she was too nervous or too busy or too sick. I knew she’d give me a hard time about this Tyler bullshit, but I also knew she’d always tell me the truth.

Well, the truth according to her.

We stuffed our faces with food while I asked her about work, and she had nothing but glowing things to say about her students. Mark—a six-year-old who still wasn’t speaking well—said his first sentence a couple of weeks ago, and a high-functioning autistic child in her class was beginning to finally open up and talk with her. Randy—a cute little boy with Down’s Syndrome—brought her an apple today before giving her a massive hug And Mandy—another little girl with Down’s Syndrome—was beginning to finally make friends in class. She talked me through the developments her small little students were going through, and I sat there and smiled, wishing I could love my job as much as she loved hers.

My father wanted me to take over the business, and my mother wanted me to marry rich. The only problem is, neither of those things were what I wanted to do with my life.

I wanted to open my own dance studio right in the heart of LA I wanted to reach out to the types of students Kelly worked with and offer them classes they could come to and have fun. I wanted to create a safe space for teenagers to go on the weekends while they learned a new skill, and I wanted to have professional classes where I taught budding Broadway stars how to control their entire bodies while singing out to the masses.

I wanted to love my life the way Kelly loved hers, but it seemed like my family was out to completely destroy that.

And now Tyler Raymond was nothing but a fucking distraction I couldn’t afford.

My vibrating phone stopped the conversation in its tracks and pulled me from my thoughts. It vibrated deep within the pockets of my purse, roaring to life with its incessant bothering of the outside world. There were many times I wanted to simply shut my phone down and cut out everything that didn’t align with the plans I had for my life.

But, my mother would probably send a search party to find me four hours later.

“Maybe it’s Tyler,” she said, wiggling her eyebrows.

“That dick doesn’t even have my number,” I said.

“Wasn’t talking about his junk. I was talking about him,” she said, grinning.

“Just my mom,” I said. “Hold on a second. Hey, Mom.”

“Hey there sweetheart,” my mom said. “Could you come over and help me decorate?”

“What are you decorating for?” I asked.

“For Christmas, sweetheart,” she said with a sigh.

“Oh. I thought you were throwing some lavish party for Luke or something,” I said.

“No, we aren’t praising our perfect child like you believe that we always do this time,” she said. “Just some boring Christmas decorations to celebrate the holidays.”

“I’ll be over there soon. Try not to marry me off before I get there,” I said.

“Can’t make any promises,” my mother said. “See you soon.”

I rolled my eyes and hung up the phone, but inside I was nervous. Going back over to the house meant seeing Tyler again, and I wasn’t sure what would happen now that the shock of seeing him had worn off. Maybe he was only hot because he was a surprise. Maybe I would go over there, think he was ugly as fuck, and laugh behind his back while I put up all the garland around the house.

Or maybe he’d be hotter today, and I’d try to steal glances at him whenever no one was looking. Which was always, because everyone was always looking at Luke anyway.

“You’re nervous,” Kelly said.

“Of course, I’m nervous,” I said. “Why the hell wouldn’t I be?”

“My advice? Fuck him.”

“That’s shit advice, Kelly. Thanks,” I said.

“No, I’m serious. He’s popped back up into your life, and he is a blatant reminder of something you could’ve had, but didn’t. Fuck him to get him out of your system, then he won’t be anything but the guy you fucked in college,” she said.

“I don’t think that’s even slightly accurate,” I said.

“If you sleep with him and he’s terrible at it, or you don’t like it, then you get to move on. If you sleep with him and you love it, or he’s wonderful at it, then you can keep up a fling that will give you something in this city to smile about,” she said.

“Or, I could not fuck him at all, avoid the house for the holidays, and cut out both the drama of him and the drama of my family in one fell swoop,” I said.

“If you would just take the advice, you’d get your answer, Amber, because the reason you’re nervous isn’t that you’re about to see him.”

“Then why I am nervous, oh wise, sprawling Oracle?” I asked.

“You’re nervous because you’re wondering if he wants to see you,” she said, grinning.

“Check, please,” I said.

And Kelly sat back in her chair and laughed while I paid for lunch.

Chapter 5

Tyler

 

 

I had never seen so many fucking Christmas decorations in my life. There was a tree we had to help set up and lights to be strung on it. There were bulbs that had to be changed and green shit that was being placed on the fireplace mantle, stair railing and everywhere. There were towels in the kitchen that had to be switched out and salt-and-pepper shakers that needed to be rotated. Everything from a nativity scene to lights on the house needed to be set up today, and the entire household was in smiles.

Luke kept handing me green shit to string up along the banister, then Darlene came around the corner and started talking about how beautiful it would look with white twinkling Christmas lights. Darlene slid her arm around her son’s back, and for a split second, I felt a pang of jealousy run through my body.

I bet it was nice to do this kind of shit with family all the time.

“Thank you so much for helping us decorate,” Darlene said. “It really is a big help having lots of strong, sturdy men to help me with things.”

“Not a problem. Honestly, I’ve never done this before. So, thanks for the invite,” I said.

“You’ve never decorated your home for Christmas before?” she asked.

“Nope. That wasn’t really a priority at my house.”

I finished up the green shit and came back down the stairs before I turned the corner and pushed past Luke. I really wasn’t up for the questions I knew Darlene would shoot my way, but I heard her footsteps behind me as I made my way into the kitchen.

“Why not?” she asked. “I mean, why wasn’t decorating a priority?”

“I take it Luke hasn’t told you much about my family,” I said.

“Not really, no,” she said honestly.

“Didn’t really feel it was my place,” Luke said as he walked into the kitchen.

“The short of it is that my parents are drug addicts.”

I looked up and saw the shock on Darlene’s face, and I questioned whether or not I should continue. Here I was, a stranger in their beautiful home, and I’d just admitted to being around drugs my entire life. It wasn’t something you told a stranger, but it really wasn’t something you brought up around the holidays.

“I’m so sorry,” she said.

“It’s nothing. Their priorities were just spending their extra money on heroin. They’ve been drug addicts my whole life. It’s why I left for college. Not for an education, but just to leave,” I said.

“So, you guys didn’t do Christmas at all?” she asked.

“Mrs. Duffield, my parents weren’t even concerned about feeding me, much less buying me Christmas gifts,” I said, snickering. “I don’t even think they realized the holiday would come and go while they were in their drugged stupor in the basement.”

“Well,” she said as she wrapped her arm around my waist, “then we will consider this your first Christmas. We’re going to decorate the house, inside and out, and then we’ll go out and have a nice dinner. We always do it after a long day of decorating because no one in this house feels like cooking afterward.”

“That’s very kind of you, thanks,” I said.

“I, for one, am really glad you’re here with us this Christmas,” she said, smiling.

“I’m excited. It’ll be nice to see it come and go with people who enjoy it,” I said.

“I’m here, Mom. Don’t tell me you’ve started without me.”

My dick lurched at the sound of her voice, and I pulled away from Darlene. My body whipped around and caught her walking down the hallway toward the kitchen, and I could feel myself throbbing against my jeans. She had on this tight sweater that showed off her tits that bounced with every movement she made, and skinny jeans hugged those toned legs that went on for days.

I instantly saw her wrapping them around my waist as I plowed between those thick thighs of hers.

“Better late than never,” Darlene said. “Would you like to help me with the outside or the inside?”

“Outside,” she said.

“Are you sure you don’t want to help with the inside? You might fall and hurt yourself,” Darlene said.

“If you wanted me inside, you should’ve just said so, Mom,” Amber said.

I want to be inside you.

Her body was going to be a distraction for the rest of the day, I could feel it. I pulled up my pants to try and rearrange my dick without shoving my hand down there, but the only thing it did was make it worse. I slowly took a step away from Darlene as Amber’s eyes connected with mine, and for a split second I could’ve sworn she flickered her gaze down to my dick.

“You can help me with the upstairs. I haven’t even started to exchange the towels in the bathrooms yet,” Darlene said.

“Oh, goody. Where are the boxes I get to haul?” Amber asked.

“Your father’s already done that part, smarty pants,” Darlene said, smiling.

“I hate to break up the family bonding,” I said, “but I’m going to find the bathroom.”

“Knock yourself out,” Amber said.

However, the steely burn behind her eyes told me there was a bit more legitimacy to her statement than even she was willing to admit.

I walked down the hallway and turned into the bathroom before I sighed with relief. Part of me wanted to beat off right here in the bathroom before I returned to decorating, but I knew if I thought about Amber’s body I wouldn’t be able to keep quiet. I splashed some cold water on my face before I soaked my hands in it, then I reached down into my pants and resituated myself. The cold water helped the throbbing of my dick to subside, but I knew I’d walk around with it for the rest of the day.

Fucking Amber and those tight clothes of hers. She was going to drive me nuts.

I flushed the toilet to make it seem as if I’d used the bathroom, and then I ventured back into the kitchen. Amber and Darlene were still going back and forth, and I smirked as I listened to them banter.

“If you let me stay down here and do the tree, then we can get this done faster,” Amber said.

“The point of decorating isn’t to make it go faster, Amber. It’s to enjoy the family’s company,” Darlene said.

“And we can enjoy each other’s company after we are done decorating. Mom, every single year we spend the entire day decorating, and by the time we are all done, we’re too tired to enjoy dinner. Why don’t we split up the work, have one person tackle one thing, and then we can all enjoy a nice dinner and have some good conversation for once,” Amber said.

“We’ve always done it this way, Amber. It’s not going to change just because you come in stomping your foot.”

“I’m not stomping my foot, Mom. I’m just providing a different point of view that you obviously don’t want to even listen to,” Amber said.

“I’ve listened, and all I hear is the sound of an ungrateful daughter who doesn’t want to spend time with her family. Luke, sweetheart, would you like to help me upstairs?” Darlene asked.

“Sure, Mom,” he said.

I watched the fire in Amber’s eyes dwindle as Luke walked off with Darlene, and I could understand why she was upset. It wasn’t that she wanted to change things or wanted to be a spoiled brat. She only wanted to know her voice was heard.

And, with the familial interaction she kept getting herself into, I had a feeling that her voice wasn’t heard very often.

She turned and looked at me, her eyes raking up and down my form, and I saw a small blush creep up her cheeks. She cleared her throat and turned towards the tree, and I smirked as I watched her walk away. Her beautifully rounded ass swayed from side to side, pulling at a dick that wanted to be plunged into the depths of that asshole. I bet she still hadn’t breached that little hole, and the idea of taking another part of her virginity vibrated my balls against my body.

“So,” I said, “Where’s Ron?”

“Dad’s probably about to pull in with workers to help him string up lights. Mom likes to think he does it on his own, so she ignores the fact that he hires people to do it,” she said.

“Probably a smart move on both their parts. Your dad is at that hip-breaking age,” I said.

“Yeah. And Mom is still not out of her heart-breaking one,” she said.

I looked over at her as she picked up an ornament, and I could see the fight raging behind her eyes. I felt for her, I really did. I got what it was like to not be heard, or seen, or even cared about. Granted, her family gave a serious shit about her. They just had different plans for her life, I guess that was it.

I’d kill to have a family that gave a shit like hers.

“So,” Amber said, “won’t your family miss you for Christmas?”

“I don’t think my family’s even thought about me since I left for New York,” I said.

“That’s pretty fucked up, I’m sorry,” she said.

“No biggie. Less drama to worry about.”

“Lucky you,” she said.

“Not really, but I get why you’d think that,” I said.

“Oh, so now you’re an expert on my life and dynamic with my family?” she asked.

“Hold that tongue of fire, Miss Amber, I was just letting you know I got it from your point of view.”

“Well, I don’t need you to get anything about me,” she said.

“Fine. Fuck,” I said.

The more and more defensive she got, the more I wondered if it was a personal defense mechanism. As I studied her putting ornaments on the Christmas tree, I could tell she was agitated. But, she wasn’t slamming ornaments on the tree like she was agitated at the idea of decorating.

Maybe she was just pissed that she didn’t feel she could live life the way she wanted. Or maybe she thought Luke got treated better than she did. Maybe she thought her parents were belittling her dreams or whatever the fuck had sparked the outrage at dinner that had entertained me so thoroughly.

But, the moment her tits caught my eye, and I saw her nipples poking through her bra, my mouth began to salivate.

Her eyes turned to me and, for the first time since I’d been there, she held my gaze. I could feel something in me giving way to her, and I reached out to push a strand of hair back behind her ear. Her face was as beautiful as I remembered from college, only it was covered by this angry mask. It made me wonder if she’d peel it back for me so I could see the woman I dreamed about pleasuring while I was in the middle of my classes.

She parted her thin little lips, and I suddenly saw myself shoving my cock between them. I saw her get down on her knees for me while the rest of her family was decorating upstairs. I saw her pulling my cum from my balls with her mouth as I bit back my groans and grunts, and I swear to heaven on high I could feel the fistful of her hair in my hand.

But, her voice ripped me from my trance.

“What the fuck are you staring at?” she asked.

“Your tits. You a bit cold?” I asked.

She looked down and her face flushed in embarrassment. She turned her back to me, and I saw her reach up underneath her shirt, and I caught the smallest glimpse of her milky skin that ricocheted up her waist. I wanted to reach out and touch it as my dick swelled to twice its size. It was right there. The skin I wanted to press my fucking body against was right there.

“Nice to see some things never change,” she said as she turned back toward me.

“Apparently, some things do,” I said as I caught her stare again.

We both went to reach into the ornament box. I figured I could at least help her with this tree, though I’d never decorated one in my life. I’m sure I’d fuck it up somehow, and she’d probably come back behind me and correct it, but at least she would know that someone didn’t think she was worth abandoning.

I knew what it felt like to be abandoned, and she didn’t deserve to feel that way.

I felt a slight brush against my fingertips and looked down to see Amber’s hand against mine. Her finger was resting on top of mine as we reached for the same ornament, and my cock officially leaked into my boxers. Her skin was warm and delicate. It held the softness I’d buried my body into time and time again in the two months we were together, and now I had it against me again.

I looked up at Amber and saw her chest panting lightly, and the telltale flush that always gave her away had crept up behind her ears and stained them the most beautiful red I’d ever seen.

“Amber! Is there another box down there?”

The sound of Luke’s footsteps coming down the stairs obliterated the moment as the two of us jumped back from one another. Amber took one last look down at her tits while I turned my back and shoved my hand down my pants. I rearranged myself and pulled my shirt down over the wet spot just as Luke turned the corner, and I saw Amber shaking her head as her eyes scanned the room.

“Not down here, no. Once Tyler and I are done with the tree, I’ll take a better look around, though,” she said.

“You know Mom means well, right?” Luke asked.

“You would think that, since you get to follow your dreams and all,” she said.

“And I told you I would help you with those dreams. Remember that promise I made you in high school?”

“The promise about protecting me from bullies?” Amber asked, confused.

“While Mom and Dad mean well, they’re bullying you into things you don’t want to do. I’m not going to let them do that,” Luke said.

“Thanks,” she said.

“Sorry I ditched you, Tyler. My sister’s not trying to swallow you whole, is she?”

She could fucking do that any day of the week, Luke.

“Nah. She’s harmless,” I said.

“Harmless?” she asked.

“Those are fightin’ words with her,” Luke said, grinning. “Use them sparingly. She’ll kick your ass.”

“I’d like to see her try,” I said.

“Keep calling me bullshit things like that and you will,” she said.

“Luke? Did you find the box?”

Darlene pattered around the corner as her eyes scanned the room before she huffed in frustration.

“I swear, I have no idea what your father did with that box,” Darlene said.

“Is it possible it’s still up in the attic?” Luke said.

“I don’t know, I can’t get up in that area of the house,” Darlene said.

“I could give it a go, if you’d like,” I said.

“Really, Tyler? Oh, that would be fantastic,” Darlene said.

I saw Amber roll her eyes, and I couldn’t help but stifle a smirk. Something told me that Darlene had hoped I would offer the moment she started into the room, and who was I to deprive a damsel in distress of her hero?

“Just show me where to climb, Mrs. D,” I said.

“Oh! I have a nickname now,” she said. “I’ve never had a nickname before.”

And I shook my head as the three of us started for the stairs, leaving Amber behind to finish off the Christmas tree.

Chapter 6

Amber

 

 

Like I knew we would be, the family was exhausted from decorating by the time we all went out to dinner. We sat in relative silence while we ate our food together like the obedient family we were supposed to be, and of course, I was sitting right across from Tyler. I knew he intentionally sat down in front of me since he had been blatantly staring at my tits this afternoon, but what I couldn’t help but notice was the way the shadows of the restaurant contoured his face.

“So, Tyler,” my mom said, “what did you think of decorating for Christmas?”

“I’m exhausted,” he said.

“Did you have fun?” Mom asked.

“A lot of fun. Thanks for letting me be a part of it,” he said.

“Well, I’m glad you had fun,” she said.

The table fell silent again as everyone just relaxed into their seats. Rolls were brought to the table and set in front of us, and my stomach began to growl as their beautiful smell wafted up to my nose. I reached out for a roll and grabbed it just as Tyler’s hand landed on it, and a spark of electricity ricocheted up my arm.

I relinquished the bun to him while I praised myself for wearing a long-sleeved shirt to dinner. The last thing he needed to see was the way my hair stood on end for him.

Still.

“Sweetheart, how do the lights look on the front of the house?” Mom asked.

“They look good. I had to track down five busted bulbs, though. Took me hours,” Dad said.

“Were you able to find them?” Mom asked.

“Oh, yes. I made sure they were all working by the time we left,” Dad said.

“I’d love to see how they look when we get home,” Luke said.

“I’m sure they look fine,” I said.

“Amber, we should take the time to appreciate your father’s hard work,” Mom said.

I looked over at Dad and giggled before I shook my head. We all knew Dad had absolutely nothing to do with stringing those lights up today, but it was just another way Mom enjoyed playing us off as the perfect family. I sat back in my seat as I picked at my roll, and all of a sudden, I felt something brush against my leg.

I whipped my gaze up to Tyler who was smirking at me, and then I felt something begin to slowly inch up the back of my leg.

I ripped my leg back from him as heat began to bloom across my cheeks, and I hit my knee on the underside of the table.

“Shit,” I said.

“Language, honey,” Mom said.

“You alright?” Luke asked.

“Get a little shiver there?” Dad asked.

“Yeah. Think I’m just a bit cold,” I said.

“Want my jacket?” Tyler asked.

“No, thanks,” I said.

My mother was looking at me with wide eyes like she had just seen a ghost. I was about to ask her why the hell she had that goofy look on her face, but the words that flew from her mouth told me exactly what she was thinking.

“Aren’t you going to thank him?” she asked.

“Thank who?”

“Tyler,” she said.

“For what?” I asked.

“For offering you his coat. You weren’t raised in a barn, Amber,” she said.

“Why would I thank him for offering me a piece of clothing I didn’t take?” I asked.

“Because it’s the polite thing to do,” she said.

“Dad, did you thank all those workers for stringing up those lights for you?” I asked.

“Amber!” my mother gasped.

“Holy crap. Thank you, Tyler. For offering me a coat I didn’t need. That was sweet of you,” I said.

“You’re very welcome for the coat you didn’t need. You can have it anytime,” he said, smirking.

“My gosh, Amber. Would it kill you to have some decorum? Tyler’s parents are drug addicts, and he has more manners than you,” she said.

“Mom,” Luke said.

My eyes panned back over to Tyler whose gaze was now on the rolls in front of him. He grabbed one before his eyes flickered up to meet mine, and the playful smirk quickly fell from his face. Drug addicts? His parents were drug addicts? Is that what he meant by the fact that they hadn’t thought about him since college?

“You had no business telling that part of Tyler’s life without his permission,” I said.

“It’s really alright,” Tyler said.

“I was just trying to make a comparison.”

“Just drop it,” Tyler bit.

The entire table fell silent as we waited for our food. Everyone was looking in all different directions while Luke was murmuring something in Mom’s ear, but the only thing I was focused on was how uncomfortable Tyler looked.

So, I got an idea.

I slid my foot close to his underneath the table. I rested my ankle beside his as his eyes slowly stole up to mine, and then I began caressing the side of his leg with it. The fire that burned in the pit of my stomach roared to life when I saw that familiar flash of devilish pride behind Tyler’s eyes. Memories of that stare came drifting back as my pussy pulsed for him. I slowly slid my foot back just as our food was set on the table, and like clockwork, we both reached for the salt shaker.

“Sorry,” I said.

“Here you go,” he offered.

I took the salt shaker from him and our fingertips connected once more. I had to bite down on my tongue to keep from whimpering at the way his taut skin seemed to electrify me, and I stayed silent the rest of the dinner. I couldn’t get him out of my mind. No matter what I thought about, my train of thought always reverted back to him.

So, when I left the family dinner and went home, I couldn’t wait to get into the shower.

I turned on the warm water and let it cascade over my painfully puckered nipples. I soaked my hair and allowed the water to turn my body the type of red it wished, and I pressed my thighs together in order to get the friction I desired. Tyler looked so delectable at dinner, even with the bullshit my mother threw his way, and suddenly I saw myself sitting on that strong jawline of his.

I saw myself rocking back and forth on his lips while his tongue slipped across my slit. I saw myself grasping the headboard as I reached for the showerhead. I slid to the bottom of the bathtub as I slung my leg over the side, envisioning what it would be like to have Tyler’s tongue rake across my pussy again.

I reached down and parted my dripping folds. I thought about what it would feel like to have his thick cock slide into my body. How it would feel to have my pussy gulp him down as he pounded into my hips. In college, he was a wild man. He pinned me to every surface, bent me over every available desk, and even played with me in the corners of restaurants. He had ignited a side of me I didn’t realize existed, and no man had ever fit me the way he had.

That flowing waterspout found my aching clit, and with every pulse it made my hips jump.

“Fuck, Tyler,” I breathed. “Holy shit.”

I saw those dark brown eyes peek up from my pussy as he gulped down my juices. I clung to those rippling back muscles as he sunk his dick deep into my body. I felt his strong chest underneath my hands as I slammed my hips down onto his, and soon my hips were shaking in midair as I called out his name in my bathroom.

“Tyler! Yes! Lick that pussy. Lick it. Oh, fuck. I’m going to treat you right. Holy shit. You’re incredible.”

My legs pulled taut as the water battered my wanton clit, and soon my body released its pent-up pleasure. It shot juices from my pussy as it slid down my ass, and my eyes clamped shut as his face appeared on the backs of my lids. I saw his smile, painted on a sharp jawline that trickled down into a chiseled body I wanted to rake my tongue across.

Every time I saw him, he had a new muscle bulging from his body.

I wanted to memorize the things about him he didn’t possess all those years ago.

My back collapsed to the shower floor, and the showerhead danced between my legs. I heaved for air as the steam swallowed my body, immersing me in a wetness I’d only experienced at one other point in my life.

The last time I was ever with Tyler.

I wanted him. I wanted him more than I could stand, but I knew he’d break my heart. That was the only precedence he had in my life. He’d fuck me, he’d get me attached, and then he’d leave. He had a business to run, and his business partner just happened to be my brother, and if my brother were to find out I’d fucked him—even in the past—it would be all over.

He’d try to beat Tyler to a bloody pulp for defiling his sister.

But Kelly was right. I needed to fuck him. I needed to fuck him, get him out of my system, and move forward.

The issue was, I didn’t even realize I hadn’t moved forward until he showed up in my childhood home a few days ago.

What other secrets was my heart keeping from me?

Chapter 7

Tyler

 

 

I got up that morning with my body a bit more sore than usual. I had to take a cold shower last night just to get my dick to calm down, but by the time I laid down in bed, Amber was right back at the forefront of my mind. This woman had a hold on me I couldn’t shake, and I knew the only way I could was to sink my dick between those legs I couldn’t get out of my head.

It’s what I did in college, and it worked. I fucked her out of my system, then didn’t give a second thought to her when I left for New York City. She was fun, she was new, she was teachable, and then she was a nice send-off.

Except now, I couldn’t stop thinking about the sassy woman she’d grown into.

She had no issues standing her ground with her family even though they trampled all over her, and she still had no problem walking with her head held high despite the woman her mother was trying to shape her into. Part of me was confused as to why she was pissed when she had a family that cared, but part of me understood maybe she had a family that cared in the wrong way for what she needed.

Their caring seemed to come off as abrasive, and I could see it wearing down on her.

I dreamed about her that night, and I woke up with the most painful morning wood I’ve ever experiencing. I had to take another cold shower just to get it to calm down before I could take my morning piss, but I knew if this shit kept up I’d have to find myself a private, quiet space I could yank my meat in.

At this point, it wouldn’t take me very long anyway. Especially with those tits at the forefront of my mind.

I wandered downstairs to the smell of coffee and saw Luke sitting at the kitchen table. I walked over and grabbed a mug before I made myself a cup, then I walked over to the table and sat with him.

“Morning, man,” I said.

“So, what the fuck is up with you and my sister?”

The mug of coffee I was holding stopped halfway to my lips as I looked at Luke from across the kitchen table.

If I wasn’t awake before, I was awake now.

“What the hell are you talking about?” I asked.

“I’m not an idiot. I think with my dick sometimes, too. Have you fucked my sister?” he asked.

I brought the mug the rest of the way to my lips just so I had something else to concentrate on. Had he caught what I was doing last night? Did he overhear a conversation Amber and I had? Had Amber told him something?

What the fuck was with the third degree?

“No, dude. I haven’t fucked your sister,” I said, swallowing my coffee. “Though, to be fair, she is hot.”

“Stop that shit right now. Everyone can feel the fucking tension between the two of you,” Luke said.

“Yeah, because your family has some serious issues to work out,” I said, smirking.

“Dude, the sexual tension. I’m not a fucking idiot, and neither is the rest of my family. My sister’s off limits to your little escapades,” he said.

“Luke, your sister has a nice rack and all, but I’m not about that,” I said. “Sorry she can’t stop staring at me, not my fault. You know how the ladies are. I warned you about it before we set up this little trip.”

“My sister deserves better than that,” he said.

“What the fuck does that mean?” I asked.

“She deserves someone who’ll settle down with her and support her dreams. Not some guy who sticks his dick in everything, sticks around for a bit, tells her whatever the fuck she wants to hear, then leaves.”

“I don’t do that shit,” I said.

“That shit’s all you know. And it’s fine, I don’t care about it. But, my sister deserves better than that. That’s all I’m saying,” he said.

“And what if your sister doesn’t want that?” I asked.

“Stay away from my fucking sister,” Luke said.

“I hear you, man. I’m just saying, I see your family constantly dictating what they feel is right for your sister, and it’s obviously pissing her off,” I said.

“I know. Mom wants her to marry rich, and Dad wants her to take over his stupid company. But, I’m not pushing her to do something that’s not good for her. I’m making sure she gets what she deserves,” he said.

“Funny. I think your parents tell themselves the same thing,” I said.

“There you two are!” Darlene exclaimed. “I was looking for you two.”

“Hey, Mrs. D,” I said, smiling. I could see the anger in Luke’s eyes, but all I did was wink at him. This family had a weird way of trying to dictate Amber’s life, and if there was anything I could do, I could at least bring it to their attention.

“Tyler, you’re a good-looking boy. You seeing someone during this business venture?” she asked. “I can’t seem to get Luke to understand that he can date as well as pursue his career.”

“Not really. I’m just playing the field,” I said.

“Mom. Stop,” Luke said.

“Now, Luke,” I said mockingly. “That’s not very nice. Let your mother speak.”

“Thank you so much, Tyler. My gosh, you’re such a wonderful boy,” she said.

“Well, thank you, Mrs. D,” I said, grinning.

“How much do the two of you make a year with this business, anyway? It must be decent, especially if you two are going to be expanding,” Mrs. D said as she came to the table with her coffee.

“Mom. Seriously. Stop. You’re not hooking up Amber with Tyler,” he said.

“And why in the world would you think I was doing something like that? There are a couple of girls at church that could use a good man like Tyler here,” she said.

“Oh, did you hear that, Luke? Church girls,” he said, smirking.

“So, just give me the ballpark,” Mrs. D said.

“Well, if you take out the costs I pay out of pocket to operate some things, it’s around—”

“Morning, you guys.”

Amber came walking around the corner into the kitchen, and my eyes automatically flew to her. She looked like she was dressed to sit on the couch and watch television all day, and I saw Mrs. D balk at what she was wearing.

“You are not going Christmas shopping like that,” Mrs. D said.

“It’s either this or I go home and go back to bed,” she said.

“What happened to that cute little Christmas sweater I bought you last year? The one with the snow girl on it?”

“You want me to wear an ugly Christmas sweater that has a snowman with boobs on it?” she asked.

“Do the boobs sit on your boobs? Because that could be a funny sweater,” I said,

“Shut up, Tyler,” Luke said as he tried to kick me underneath the table.

“Oh, my gosh! Tyler. You are too funny,” Mrs. D said, giggling.

“Seriously. Are we going shopping or not?” Amber asked.

“Well, if that’s the only way I can have you today, then I suppose it’ll do,” Mrs. D said.

My eyes caught Amber’s, and she cleared her throat before she looked away. I could feel Luke’s stare on the side of my face, and he nailed my shin underneath the table.

“Ow. What, dude?” I asked.

“So,” Amber said. “Where are we headed?”

“Well, I’ve got a few places in mind. I haven’t started my shopping yet, so we’ll probably be out for a little while. And I have a feeling as to what I’ll be getting you for Christmas,” Mrs. D said.

“More snowman cleavage shirts?” she asked.

“Really, just clothes in general,” Mrs. D said.

“Oh, she looks fine. You should take it as a compliment to how you raised her, Mrs. D. She’s so confident in herself she doesn’t give a shit about what other people think of her. It’s a confidence not found in women today,” I said.

I caught Amber’s stare again, and it had softened slightly. I could’ve sworn I saw the shadow of a grin tick her cheeks, and I nodded in her general direction before I picked up my coffee mug and brought it back to my lips.

“Well, it wouldn’t kill her to take a bit of pride in her appearance,” Mrs. D said.

“Says the mother who bought me a shirt that has a booby little snowman on it,” Amber said.

“Would you please quit saying that word?” Mrs. D asked.

“Tyler said ‘shit’ earlier, but I can’t say boobs?” she asked.

“He’s not my child. You are,” she said. “Now, come on. Apparently, I need to get you some soap for that mouth, too.”

Amber’s groan made me chuckle as I turned my gaze back to furious Luke. His face was flushed, and his shoulders were pulled back, and I could tell I had really pissed him off with my interactions with his sister.

It was kind of funny since she was struggling as much as I was.

“Remember what we talked about, dude. I know too much,” he said.

“What was that?” Mrs. D asked.

“Okay. Mom, you ready to go?” Amber asked, hurrying her mom away.

“Yes, yes. We need to get an early start. Now, you boys behave today, alright? We will see you for dinner,” Mrs. D said.

Luke bid them goodbye, but all I did was stare. He was genuinely upset at the attention I was paying his sister, and he got up to see his sister and mother out the door. Obviously, I wasn’t hiding this as well as I thought I was, which was going to make this a lot harder.

I wasn’t leaving LA without feeling those legs wrapped around me again.

I just didn’t know how I was going to accomplish that without Luke getting any more suspicious.

Chapter 8

Amber

 

 

“Let’s go dancing tonight,” Kelly said.

“After the bullshit shopping trip Mom took me on, I’m up for anything,” I said.

“Ah, the infamous shopping trip. How long were you guys out this time?” she asked.

“Six hours,” I said, groaning.

“Holy shit. That’s awful. Does your Mom even know what the internet is?” she asked.

“I don’t think so. And if she does, then she apparently elects to torture me for obvious reasons,” I said.

“I know, I know. Your mom’s out to destroy your life,” she said.

“She’s out to marry me off and gets pissed when I tell her no. She’s like an incessant teenage boy who keeps getting rejected by every girl in the school,” I said.

“Your mom wants to stick her dick in things?” she asked.

“Shut up, Kelly. You know what I mean,” I said.

“Well, the dancing will help tonight. Plus, you can get drunk. Which will really take the edge off things,” she said.

“That sounds fucking perfect. When are we heading out?” I asked.

“Pick you up around 9?”

“I’ll be waiting.”

I dug through my closet of endless clothes trying to find something appropriate to go dancing in. I finally settled on a pair of skinny jeans, a sparkling bra I had to wear in one of my performances in college, and a black crop top that fell off one of my shoulders. I mussed my hair around, curling it slightly before spraying it down with hairspray, and I even decided to put on a bit of lipgloss and some mascara. I wasn’t really into the whole makeup scene unless I was getting ready for a performance, but I figured tonight could be an exception to the rule.

I was ready to forget about the insanity that had become this holiday season, and if I got drunk enough I could find a man to bring back that would help me forget all about Tyler.

Kelly honked her horn, and I went running out in my peep-toe heels, and she squealed when she saw me. I got into her car before I fluffed my hair out, and we rolled down the windows as we pulled out onto the main road. Music was blasting, and the wind was whipping our hair everywhere, and we couldn’t stop singing at the top of our lungs as we barreled into the heart of downtown LA.

There was a club that tailored itself specifically to people who could dance, and it was known in the community for pulling in legitimate dancers who wanted to have a good time. Frequently, there would be group numbers that performed for fun and dance-offs that would take place for the hell of it, and I came here every time I needed to be reminded of my dreams and where I was taking my life.

“Figured you could use a little pick me up,” Kelly said, smiling.

“Thanks, girl,” I said as I threw my arms around her.

It took us 20 minutes to get into the club, and I headed straight for the bar once I was in. I was a simple girl when it came to my alcohol: I enjoyed cider beers and the occasional rum and Coke.

And tonight, I was feeling the hard liquor.

I took Kelly’s hand after she had gotten her bright green drink and the two of us headed to the dance floor. We held hands while we sipped on our straws, our hips swaying and bobbing to the beat. Some people in the corner were rehearsing dance moves, and I recognized them from the studio up the road. There was a massive ballroom dancing crowd on the opposite end of the city, and they were all here tonight dancing with their partners and rehearsing their routines.

“One day you’ll have it, Amber,” Kelly yelled in my ear. “Just keep your head up!”

I twirled her around as the music rattled my ribcage, but I paused when I saw two familiar faces walk in. Of all the nights and all the clubs in the city, my brother and Tyler had to pick this specific one on this specific night to come to.

And Kelly squealed when she turned around and saw my brother.

“Oh, holy shit. Did you see who just walked in?” she asked.

“Unfortunately,” I said.

“Fuck, I haven’t seen your brother in so long. He looks good,” she said.

“If you get him drunk enough, he’ll suck face with you,” I said, smirking.

“Okay. You failed to tell me how hot Tyler is,” she said.

“Who said that was Tyler?” I asked.

“The way you’re looking at him tells me it’s Tyler,” she said.

“Fuck you.”

“Asshole,” she said.

“Let’s go do some shots with them,” Kelly said.

“You go on ahead. I’ll stay here,” I said.

“No. You won’t. Now, come on,” she said.

She dragged me over to where they were standing and immediately Tyler’s eyes met mine. I could tell Luke was mortified to see me there, especially in what I was wearing, but he embraced my neck anyway before Kelly elbowed me in the ribcage.

“Luke, you remember Kelly,” I said.

“How could I forget?” he asked as he embraced her neck.

I could practically see her melting in her panties as his hand ran up and down her back.

“What brings the two of you out?” Tyler asked.

“Booze. You?” I asked.

“I was told dancers frequented here. Can’t beat the flexibility they have to offer,” he said, smirking.

Holy fuck, the man was disgusting. And yet, my eyes couldn’t pull away from the throbbing muscles he had straining against his T-shirt.

“You know you shouldn’t be out drinking like this,” Luke said as he finally released Kelly.

“Seriously? I’ve been drinking age for years now. Shut up,” I said.

“But you could really get yourself into trouble,” he said.

“Hence why Kelly’s with me, Mom,” I said as I rolled my eyes.

Tyler threw his head back and laughed, and it gave me the perfect view of his neck. I wanted to leap forward and sink my teeth into it. I bet he would moan and writhe for me if I did. I felt my body gravitating toward him, yanking me into his gravitational pull so my body would circle him like a satellite.

But he wasn’t here for me. He was here for some other flexible chick.

So, why was that disappointing to me?

“Let’s get some shots!” Kelly said.

“My kinda gal,” Tyler said, grinning.

Kelly ordered us a round of tequila shots, and we all threw them back. I grimaced at the taste while it burned down my throat, and the bartender quickly filled us up with another one before we all started feeling a bit loose. I looked over and saw Kelly put her hand on my brother’s arm, and she giggled at something he said to her.

“I bet he cracked the idiotic ‘knock knock’ joke he’s got under his belt,” Tyler said in my ear.

“He wouldn’t have to say anything to get Kelly underneath his belt,” I said. “That girl’s drooled over my brother for years.”

“I’m surprised Luke hasn’t hooked up with her yet,” he said.

“He probably doesn’t know, honestly. He’s a bit of an idiot when it comes to women,” I said.

“Don’t I know it. I could put on my best wingman impression in a bar with him, and he’d still go home alone,” he said.

“Maybe if he wore all these tight T-shirts like you do, he’d go home with someone.”

“He doesn’t have the muscles to pull this off. What works for him is that shining smile and his boyish good looks,” he said.

“Does my brother know how you feel about him?” I asked.

But all Tyler did was chuckle.

The sound against my ear sent shivers up my spine, and this time I had nothing to cover the goosebumps that ricocheted up my arm.

Suddenly, I looked up and saw Kelly’s lips on my brother’s. Her arms were around his neck, and I saw him shove his tongue down her throat. I grimaced at the sight before I shook my head and turned back to the dance floor, and Tyler leaned up against the bar as he continued to stare at me.

“In all fairness, I told her if she got my brother drunk he’d suck face with her,” I said.

“Oh, shit. You unknowingly hooked up your brother with your best friend. Smooth move, ex-lax.”

I looked over again and saw Kelly pull my brother over into a booth, and Luke collided with the chair before he pulled Kelly onto his lap. His lips attacked her neck while I shivered with disgust, so I turned my entire body toward Tyler just so I wouldn’t be tempted to watch the train wreck.

“Well, it’s good he’s getting some. Usually, he’s the one that leaves alone.”

“Oh, my brother’s not leaving with my best friend,” I said.

“Funny. I figured you’d know what it felt like to have your life governed for you,” Tyler said.

“Shut the fuck up,” I said.

Silence fell between us while the music continued to shake the walls, and I sucked down the rest of my rum and Coke before I set it back on the bar. I waved the bartender off when he asked me for another one, and I sighed as I looked back at the dance floor.

“So,” Tyler said.

“So,” I repeated.

“Care for another shot?” he asked.

“I really shouldn’t,” I said.

“Did you come out here to stand in a corner and watch people? Or did you come out to dance and have a good time?” he asked.

I looked over at him, and there was that same devilish twinkle in his eye. I knew what he was after and I knew what he was trying to do. He thought if he could get me drunk enough, I’d fall into his lap like Kelly did with my brother.

But man, he had another thing coming if he thought I was going to be that easy.

“Two more shots,” he said. “One for us and one for our friends who obviously don’t need anymore.”

“Deal,” I said.

We took two more shots of tequila before Tyler settled the entire tab. My eyes widened at the bill just as he pulled a few twenties from his wallet, and it was then I realized just how well my brother was doing with his business. I looked back out at all the dancers in the area having a blast, and that’s when it hit me.

The reality of my situation.

My parents simply didn’t think I could do that well. They thought dancing was frivolous and idiotic. A hobby, not a career.

But, I knew I could turn it into one. Even though LA had a ton of dance centers, what it didn’t have was the concept I had been dreaming about ever since I first left for college.

And I was determined to prove them wrong.

I was determined to prove them all wrong.

“Want to dance?” Tyler asked.

“Oh, do I ever,” I said.

I grabbed his hand and pulled him to the dance floor, and I immediately started grinding against him. I really didn’t care about what he thought or how he felt. My brother was sucking the face off my best friend, so he didn’t have any room to tell me what I could and could not do with his. I came out here to get drunk and dance, and that was exactly what I was going to do.

I felt Tyler’s hands fall to my hips as he matched my every movement, and I felt an overwhelming heat cascade over my body. I turned around in his arms and began to allow his body to lead mine, naturally falling into a dancer’s rhythm and pace as he led me around the little area we had reserved just for us. My hands draped around his neck, playing with the small curls at the base of his skull, and I couldn’t help but follow the rabbit trail of his dark stare down into the depths of his desires.

I felt his desire pressing against my leg, and for a split second, an image flashed in my mind.

An image of him pinning me up against the stall wall of the bathrooms in the back.

But the changing of the song ripped me from my trance, and the beat slowed down, allowing me to step back from him for a bit so I could breathe.

Drinking and dancing, I had to remind myself.

Only drinking and dancing, and nothing more.

Chapter 9

Tyler

 

 

Her body began grinding into mine, and my cock instantly sprang to life. Our bodies melded together in ways they never did back in college. She grew these curves that fit into every nook and cranny of my body, and as my hands dropped to her hips, I felt a fire start at the tip of my toes. It was as if her entire body was wrapping around me, encompassing me in its warmth. And I, wanting to drink more of her in, was simply a bystander in the assault that was her beautiful, rounded ass.

Her hips ground into mine to the rhythm of the music, and I slipped my leg in between hers. My fingertips settled into the meat of her thighs as I matched her swirling movements. The bass of the music thumped my chest as I brushed my lips lightly upon her ear, and for a split second I could’ve sworn she leaned into my touch.

My breath.

My warmth.

The fog of the club swirled around our heads, and suddenly I was sucked back to college. She still smelled of the same vanilla cake body spray I’d had stuck in my nostrils for months after I moved to New York City. Her ass rounded back into my growing cock, throbbing against her as it begged to be free. But then, just as I went to press my lips onto the crook of her neck, she slid away from me.

I watched as she turned around, hooking those big doe eyes on me like she had so many times in college. Her bottom lip was red and swollen from biting down onto it, and I knew she could see my raging cock trying to burst from my pants. Her nipples were puckering through her shirt while her chest heaved for breath, and the only thing I could think about was fucking her in the bathroom of this club.

I imagined locking her in and pinning her against the wall, not bothering to take off her clothes as I fucked her stupid. I thought about her sliding to her knees before she took my dick in her mouth and down her throat. I pictured fucking her face while her tears ran the makeup she was wearing down her cheeks.

Most of all, I thought about what it would feel like to be inside her throbbing depths again.

I could tell she was thinking. As the beat and tone of the music shifted, I felt people slow down around us. I watched as she released her bottom lip from between her teeth, then I watched her eyes scan me up and down. I smirked when they stopped for a few seconds on my cock, and the flush that crept up her neck was all I needed to see.

I didn’t know what she was thinking, nor did I know what she was feeling.

All I knew was she was struggling like I was, and there was no reason for us to fight it any longer.

Stepping toward her, I slid my hand up her neck. I cupped her cheek, feeling her soft skin cradled in the palm of my hand, and before she could react, I pressed my lips to hers. I held my breath, seeing what she would do. Was she going to push me away? Was she going to cave? Was I about to get slapped?

The moment I felt her move her lips against mine, I fisted her hair. Her tongue swiped across my lips, and I was more than willing to give her what she wanted. Her hands wrapped around my back, pulling me close into her as I ground my throbbing cock against her body. She tasted like tequila and Coke, a combination that was new to me.

Foreign to me.

She was the same and completely new. A book reimagined as my hand came up to cup her other cheek. Her thin lips peppered their same dance against mine, but her tongue felt different against the insides of my cheek. I pulled her closer to me, trying to feel as much of her as I could. But, when she released my lips and found my eyes, she uttered the words I’d wanted to hear since I first saw her that night at dinner.

“I need you, Tyler.”

Without another word said, I took her hand and led her from the dance floor. We navigated through the crowd and bypassed Luke still sucking off Kelly’s face. We slammed through the girl’s bathroom door and locked it before finding a stall, and she was trying to pull my shirt up over my head as I shut the door.

I spun back around and dropped my hands to her ass. It felt just as tight and pert in the palms of my hands as I thought it would, and I grabbed onto its excess before my tongue rolled back between her lips. With her tits pressing into me, I walked her back into the bathroom wall, and she jumped at me, wrapping her legs around my body.

Our teeth clattered together as my hands roamed up her bare stomach. Her skin was warm and sticky from the club, and her sweat tasted like salted honey. My lips found her neck as my teeth grazed over her pulse point, making her moan in a way I’d never heard before. She kept rolling her hips into mine, drawing drops of precum that stained the front of my pants, but all I could think about was the way she tugged at my hair.

She pressed my face into her tits as my tongue flicked out over her bare skin. She panted and moaned, wiggling against the wall as my body took what it wanted. She covered my forehead and cheeks in kisses before she wrenched my face up, and our lips crashed together once again like two symbols in the middle of a concert.

My hand crept up her shirt and cupped her voluptuous breast in the palm of my hand. The excess spilled out from the sides, taunting every single part of my body, and I shoved her black crop top up to get better access. My teeth sunk into the excess of her tits, marking her as mine while her hands threaded themselves into my hair.

I was going to give her an experience she would never forget.

That was until a banging on the bathroom door happened.

“Tyler! The fuck are you doing with my sister!?”

“Shit,” Amber said.

My head whipped over to the door as I dropped Amber to her feet. She rearranged her clothing and fluffed out her hair as the banging continued. I shoved my hand down my pants to rearrange my dick, cursing the wet spot that had formed on my pants, and I cleared my throat before Amber put her finger against my lips.

“Don’t say anything,” I said.

“You go out there and tell him you don’t know where I am,” she said.

“The fuck kind of sense does that make? We’re in the women’s restroom,” I said.

“Tyler, damn it! Get your fucking hands off my sister!” Luke yelled.

“Fine, fine, fine. I’ll go out first, and I’ll text you when it’s safe. Stay the fuck here,” she said. “Did you leave any marks I can’t see?”

I scanned her body before I reached my fingers up to the top of her black shirt. I pulled it down dangerously low on her breast as my eyes danced over the place I sunk my teeth. I could see the raging red marks I’d left behind, shining with small pools of spit in them. My cock twitched at the sight, knowing damn good and well she’s wake up with a mark she’d never forget.

I leaned forward and kissed it before I repositioned her shirt.

“Nope,” I said, smirking.

“Good,” she said.

All at once, she grabbed a fistful of my hair and slammed her lips against mine. I could feel how swollen they had gotten from our kissing, but her taking control was something completely new to me. Back in college, I was the initiator of everything—which I loved. I loved how willing she was to learn from me. How willing she was to discover out how to please me.

But the woman I had against my body—whose lips were devouring mine as our tongues danced like licks of fire—she was confident.

Sassy.

New.

And my balls curled into my body as I ground into her one last time.

“Fucking Tyler! I’m going to take this damn door down!” Luke exclaimed.

“I’ll text you when it’s safe,” Amber said against my lips.

Her hand traced down my body and wrapped around my aching cock before she gave it a little squeeze. I had to bite back a moan as my face fell to her shoulder, and I instinctively rolled my hips into her hand. She kissed the shell of my ear before she slipped from the bathroom stall, and my forehead fell against the cool metal as I heard her unlock and open the door.

“Amber, what the fuck? Where’s Tyler?” Luke asked.

“Hell if I know. That’s what happens when you ditch your friends to suck face with mine,” she said.

“Tyler!” Luke yelled.

“Are you seriously going into the women’s restroom like a creep? They’ll throw you out,” Amber said.

“So, you’re not in here fucking around with my best friend?” he asked.

“Even if I was, you’re fucking around with mine. What kind of double-standard is that?” she asked.

“Fucking Tyler,” Luke said.

“Where the hell is Kelly?” she asked.

And as the door of the bathroom closed with a thud, the only thing I could do was pant. The palm of her hand felt incredible against my cock, and I had to sit down on the toilet seat in order to gather myself. Running my fingers through my hair, I still felt her lips on mine. I could still feel the way her hips rolled expertly into mine, and the only thing I saw when I closed my eyes were those swollen lips wrapped around my dick.

It was going to be a long holiday season.

Chapter 10

Amber

 

 

After getting Luke off my back, finding Kelly passed out in the booth he left her in and getting all of us home, I passed the fuck out. I had soaked my panties after the furious make-out session Tyler and I had engaged in, and I knew the moment I peeled the soaking wet fabric from my skin I had to have him. My body wasn’t going to be able to keep up this tease much longer, and the more I put it off, the more obvious it was going to become to everyone around us.

I had to go to my parents’ house today. There was this festival downtown celebrating all the holidays we had in our community, and it was a tradition every year for us to go. I needed three cups of coffee just to wake myself up before I downed two bottles of water, but when I finally got the raging headache to go away I started to get dressed.

Stepping into the shower, I couldn’t stop thinking about Tyler. The muscles I felt underneath the grip of my legs last night boasted of how well he’d kept up his body after college. I knew if Luke had not come around banging on the door I would’ve fucked Tyler right in that bathroom stall. I would’ve gladly taken his cock between my legs and rode him off into the sunset.

And when I felt his cock jump underneath the palm of my hand, I knew he wanted me just as badly.

I debated on masturbating in the shower. Just thinking of Tyler puckered my nipples underneath the streams of hot water, but when I heard my eleven o’clock alarm go off, I knew I didn’t have time. Mom was expecting me at the house by noon, and it would take me about that long just to clean myself up and get over there.

I stepped out of the shower and shut the alarm off before I took a good look at myself in the mirror. I studied my neck and my arms, looking around for any possible marks I’d have to cover up. I sighed with relief as my fingertips trailed down my skin, and for a split second I could’ve sworn I still felt Tyler’s lips against mine.

But, my gaze stopped at my breast, and the raging black mark where his teeth had been last night caught my eye.

I felt something in my gut lurch at the sight. My hand danced lightly over the mark as a smirk tugged at my face, and something inside me wanted more marks like those around my body. I thought about what it would feel like to have those on the insides of my legs or cascading down my back. Would he like matching marks? Maybe me raking my nails down his back?

I could feel myself growing wet again, so I decided just to pull on a high-necked T-shirt for the day.

I grabbed a thermos full of coffee to go, then started for my parents’ place. I walked in to find everyone standing around waiting for me, and Mom shot me a look as I walked through the door.

“Don’t look at me like that. I was just trying to piece myself together after last night,” I said.

“What was last night?” Luke asked in an accusing tone.

“The club, you nitwit. We were all out until, like, two this morning,” I said.

“Oh, you all went out! How fun. Where did you go?” Mom asked.

“Probably to that dance club Amber likes so much. Is that where you went?” Dad asked.

“Speaking of dance, I’ve found a wonderful place to rent that would be perfect for my dance studio,” I said.

“Really? Where’s it located?” Luke asked.

“You know where that ballroom dancing studio is on the outskirts of town? That main drag that cuts the city in half?” I asked.

“Oh, you mean that building across from it? That would be a great place. It’s up and coming, so you could still get a good deal on it,” Luke said.

“It’d be a smart business move,” Tyler said.

“Sweetheart, are you ever going to get over this little phase of yours?” Mom asked.

“It’s not a phase, Mom. I’m serious. There are dance studios around the city, yes. But, there aren’t any that cater to both professionals and beginners. Plus, the studio is large enough for me to do something with youth on the weekends to give them a safe place to go,” I said.

“That’s awesome,” Tyler said. “I think it’s great you’re still pursuing that dream.”

All at once, everyone’s eyes fell onto the both of us. I could see Luke’s neck flushing with anger while Mom’s eyes darted between the two of us, and there was a smirk tugging at Dad’s lips that I couldn’t really decipher.

“Business goals are something you guys talked about in your English Lit class?” Luke asked.

“No, it was a project in another class we had in common. I don’t think we had it together, but I think we were taking it the same semester,” Tyler said.

I was trying desperately not to choke him out right then and there. The more he talked, the more of a hole he dug for us. Why couldn’t that just have been an off-topic discussion in English Lit? Why the fuck did we have to add another class to this bullshit mix?

“Uh huh. And what class was this?” Luke said.

“Luke,” my dad warned.

“Econ,” we both said at the same time.

My gaze whipped over to him as Tyler’s eyes kept holding Luke’s. What the fuck just happened? The two of us just pulled the same fucking class out of our asses. If Tyler was digging us a hole, some unknown entity has just thrown a massive ladder down to help us climb out of it.

And I could tell, even as Tyler held my brother’s gaze, that he was just as shocked.

“God, that class was bullshit that semester,” I said. “Did you have Evans or Shuster?” I asked.

“Fucking Evans,” Tyler said as his gaze found its way back to mine. “I swear, he and Shuster were out to get all of us.”

“Glad I’m not the only one who thought so,” I said, mumbling.

“So, you guys had a project in an Econ class you didn’t take together that somehow involved businesses?” Luke asked.

“Yeah. It was a project all the basic Econ classes had to do. Instead of taking a final exam, we had to plan and plot out the finances and logistics of opening our dream business,” Tyler said.

“And you did the dance studio?” Luke asked.

“Yep. Planned, plotted, and financed out,” I said, smiling.

“And what did you do, Tyler? A strip club?” Luke asked, grinning.

“Not quite. I did a Bachelor’s lounge. Fine liquors, cigars, events that entailed easy music and sometimes dancing women. In the daytime, the upper part of the lounge was a full-on salon and spa service for guys, and at night the bottom portion was the lounge,” he said.

“Holy shit, dude. That’s an awesome idea,” Luke said.

“Oh, my gosh. You two should do that one day. If this food business gets going in LA like you want it to, maybe it could be a passion project,” my mother said.

“Oh, so they can have all the businesses they want, but I can’t open my own dance studio?” I asked.

“When will you have time to date if you open your own studio, sweetheart? And what if you invest all this money and it doesn’t work out? Dancing isn’t like food. Not everyone needs dancing,” she said.

“But, this community needs safe spaces for its children, and I could provide that. Plus, I don’t plan on dating. Ever,” I said.

“Oh, sweetheart. Such nonsense,” my mother said, smiling. “Anyway, who’s ready to go to the parade?”

“I have to pick up something on the way to the parade,” Tyler said. “But, I could meet you guys there?”

“Everything alright?” my father asked.

“Oh, yeah. It’s just that we’ve spent so much time resting and bonding with you guys that we haven’t really had much time to get some business things done. There’s a deadline of tonight on something, so I need to go make sure everything’s on track,” Tyler said.

“See, sweetheart? This is the type of schedule you would run if you owned your own business. You’d have no time for family! What would your husband think of that?” my mother asked.

“You mean my non-existent husband that I don’t ever plan on finding because I don’t want to date?” I asked.

“Amber, your mother is just trying to play devil’s advocate,” my father said.

“No, she’s trying to trample my dreams while simultaneously allowing Luke to do whatever the fuck he wants,” I said.

“Language,” my mother warned.

I saw Tyler lean into my brother and whisper something before my brother nodded his head. His eyes flickered over to me for a split second before Tyler cleared his throat. Obviously, they were addressing something about me, I just didn’t know what they were talking about.

“Amber, could you ride with Tyler? I trust him and all, but this part of the business could really use a woman’s perspective,” Luke said.

“What?” I asked.

“Oh, I could go, sweetheart. I’m not sure Amber’s—”

“Amber’s perfect for it,” Luke said.

“Uh, alright,” I said. “I guess that’ll work. I’ll ride with Tyler to the super-secret business stuff, and then we’ll meet you guys at the parade?”

“Sounds good. I’ll text you when we find a good place to stand,” Luke said.

I furrowed my brow lightly at Tyler before he began walking toward the door. I followed closely on his heels, wondering what in the fuck I’d gotten myself into. It had to be serious if Luke was suggesting I ride with Tyler, especially after the fucking fit he threw last night.

It took me almost an hour to get him off my fucking back about where Tyler was.

We got into my car and pulled out of the driveway. The gray Shelby Mustang GT500 roared to life before we pulled out of the driveway, and I rested my arm out the window as we started cruising down the road. The wind was whipping my hair around as the engine rumbled my ribcage, and I sighed heavily while the freedom cascaded down my body.

I knew my mother would never understand or support my business passions, but I wanted her to get off the marriage train. I wasn’t going to ever be tied down to a man who thought he could govern my every move, nor was I going to partner with someone whose permission I constantly needed.

I let the wind of the road flutter over my skin as Tyler slid his hand onto my knee.

I sighed and leaned back into the chair as my legs willingly parted for him. I was no longer going to hide how much I wanted him. His hand began massaging the inside of my leg as we cruised down the highway, and the closer he got to my pussy the wetter I became for him. His hands expertly massaged the muscles of my leg, pulling from me feelings I hadn’t experienced since he took my body all those years ago in college.

I could feel the first few drops of my pussy juices trickling down my ass crack.

“Stop off at your apartment,” Tyler said.

Not a question, not a request, and not a suggestion. A command. A low command that blended in with the roar of the engine of my car. I felt my hips grind softly into his hand as the smell of my juices wafted up my nose, and I careened across three lanes before I took an exit off the highway.

I raced through town to get to my apartment as my leg began to shake underneath his touch. His fingertips were rubbing against my clothed pussy, eliciting from me moans and groans I was trying hard to hold back. I could see the smirk on his face in the corner of my eye, and I knew the moment I parked the car in the parking lot of my apartment we were going to be very late for this parade.

I stumbled out of the car and led him to my door. His hands were all over me while his lips attacked my neck, and I struggled to get the keys into the lock as his tongue raced all along my pulse point.

His hand dipped down between my legs again while his dick throbbed against my ass, and I had to stop and take a deep breath before I could steady my hand enough to slip the key into the lock.

I threw open my apartment door and he pushed me in. The door slammed behind us before he grabbed my arm, and my back hit the door as he reached down to lock it. Suddenly, his lips were all over me. My cheek, my neck, my shoulder. He ripped my T-shirt off to the side so his tongue could dip down to my collarbone as my hands rushed to his hair.

His hands ran all along my legs before he reached around and gripped my ass. I started walking him toward my room, falling on top of him when the backs of his knees hit the edge of my bed. His cock grew underneath my wet warmth as I pulled his lips up to meet mine, and the second I caught his gaze I knew it was over.

I was about to have Tyler Raymond.

And my body shook with unadulterated excitement.

Chapter 11

Tyler

 

 

I could feel her pussy juices soaking through her pants. Here was Amber, the girl I’d taken in college. The woman I couldn’t take my eyes off of for days,--and she was about to be mine. She slowly sank me back onto her bed as her lips trailed kisses down my neck, but this wasn’t my style.

She wasn’t going to be the one controlling this show today.

I sat us back up and ripped her shirt over her head. My fingertips unhooked her bra before I slid it down her arms, and I wrapped my lips around her nipple as I tossed the piece of clothing to the side. Her hands rushed to my hair, pressing me into her tit while I sucked and licked it slowly, and I could feel the way her body trembled against mine.

I sank her to the bed before I slipped over to her other nipple. She rolled her hips into me while light sighs poured from her lips, and I caught a glimpse of the mark I’d left on her in the club. It glowed in the dim lighting of her bedroom, and I smirked when I saw my teeth patterns along her skin.

I figured she could use one to match.

I bit into the meat of her breast and hung on for the ride. She writhed and groaned, bucking against me while her hands tugged desperately at my shirt. Spit dripped down her skin, coating her in signs of me as I felt her pulse beneath my teeth. She moved so sweetly for me, like a bucking bronco that had been out of commission for years, and I knew exactly the way I wanted to take her.

I leaned up and surveyed my work as her chest flushed with lust. I peeled my shirt off while I studied the delectable curves of her body just as her eyes fell on mine. I dropped back down to her as her fingertips danced along the crevices of my muscles, and my eyes searched her until her gaze slowly peeled back up to mine.

“Hello there,” I said.

She reared up and crashed her lips back onto mine, and that was it. My body dropped between her legs as she wrapped them around me, and I ground my clothed dick into her body as she moaned into my lips. I rushed down her body, unbuttoning her jeans before I peeled the rest of her clothes off her, and the way her pussy glistened for me was nothing short of mesmerizing.

She was dripping wet, and her clit was swollen from underneath its hood, and I couldn’t wait to slip my tongue between those dripping lips.

I settled between her legs while her entire body shook in anticipation. I raked my tongue slowly up her slit, capturing her juices as I tasted her again for the first time. She had grown into a beautifully tasty woman, and the moment my tongue flicked her clit her entire body jumped.

Flick after flick, I watched her tits bounce for me. Her legs wrapped around my head and locked me in, drawing me closer as I pressed my tongue into her pussy. I lapped her up, drinking her down as cum poured from her body. She moved so beautifully for me, and I growled into her when her hands locked themselves tightly into my hair.

“Tyler. Yes. Don’t stop.”

I was never one to resist her begs in college. She had this sweet way of asking for exactly what she wanted in this breathless little voice, and there were many times where I’d dreamed of that voice when I first moved. I settled into a steady rhythm, flicking my tongue side to side, and the moment her legs began to shake, I gripped tightly onto her hips.

She bucked into my face, chasing her own pleasure while I devoured her pussy. Her entire body quaked as her legs began to contract, trying and failing to fight my ministrations. She was trying, she really was. She was trying to gain the upper hand. To make me work for what I wanted.

But her body was failing her, and I was enjoying watching the scene unfold.

“Yes! Tyler! Fuck!”

All at once, I felt a gush from between her legs. I sucked her clit between my lips just before she raised her hips up from the bed, shaking and groaning while her orgasm overtook her body. She moved in ways I didn’t remember from college, tugging on my hair and pulling me as close as she could get me.

And when she collapsed back down onto the bed, I listened to her pant while I removed the rest of my clothing from my body.

“Do we need a condom?” I asked. “Because I’ve got one if we do.”

“What?” she asked breathlessly.

“Condom. Us. Yes?” I asked.

“Me. Pill. No,” she said.

I smirked just before I flipped her weak body over and pulled her hips into the air. My cock was bouncing on her sweet ass while her face buried into her pillow, and her pussy gobbled my cock down as I slowly pushed into her. Holy fuck, she was tighter than I remembered her being, and I smacked her ass and watched it bounce before I started slamming into her.

“Oh, god. Tyler. Fuck. Holy shit, yes. Ugh. Just like that. Fuck, you’re huge. Yes.”

I pounded her pussy from behind as my eyes watched her ass bounce. I could already feel her pussy fluttering around me, begging for its second orgasm while my cock pulsed at the edges of her wetness. She dripped down my balls, tickling me in ways I’d never experienced before, and I had to bite my lip to keep from blowing my load inside her.

She planted her hands on the bed and began bucking back into me. Her hips slammed into mine as the sounds of wet skin echoed in her bedroom, and I could feel the sweat gathering at the nape of my neck. Her pussy was clamping down onto me, trying to coax my cum from my thick dick, but I wasn’t nearly done with her body.

Not after all the bullshit we went through this week.

“Yes, Tyler! Don’t stop. Please!”

I slammed into her one last time before her body collapsed to the bed. I planted kiss after kiss onto the muscles of her twitching back as she moaned her orgasm into her pillow. Her pussy had me in a vice grip, pulling me closer and closer into her, and I had to bite down on my lip to keep from cumming inside of her.

I wanted her one last time before I gave her what she wanted. What her body had always wanted.

I slowly pulled my cock from between her legs before I flipped her body back over. Her eyes were half-hooded in pleasure, and her chest was redder than I’d ever seen it before. The mark I’d made to match the one she had from the club was already beginning to turn black, and I sank between her legs as my dick settled between her pussy lips. The tip of my cock teased her sensitive clit, causing her to jump as I kissed her beautiful lips.

I wanted to watch her as the pleasure wafted over her face this time.

I drew my hips back and slowly slid into her depths, and I captured her moans with my mouth. My tongue raked across the roof of her mouth as I slowly started up my thrusting, her body trembling with every pump I took. Her arms slipped around my neck as fingernails slowly raked down my skin, and I faltered at the sensation before my face dipped into the crook of her neck.

“You like that, huh?” she asked.

She raked her fingernails against my skin again, and it pulled an involuntary whimper from my lips. I squeezed my eyes shut and breathed her in. I took in the way her thick thighs squeezed my waist. I took in the way her breath felt on the outside of my ear. I took in how her sweat tasted on my tongue as I licked up her pulse point.

And I took in the way her fingernails made my entire body shake with electricity.

“Fuck me,” she whispered into my ear.

She dug her nails into my back, and I could no longer contain myself. I slammed my hips into her and held myself inside, slowing my pace while I ruined her body. Every time I slammed into her, her fingernails would rake down my back, and I shivered at her touch. Her pussy sucked me in, beckoning me down a rabbit hole I had no way of escaping.

And I had no want to leave as I picked up my pace.

Her tits jumped against my skin as her fingernails held me to her body. Our teeth clattered together while her pussy swallowed my dick whole, and for once my mind had finally stopped. There was only the two of us, sweating and writhing and moaning together, our tongues devouring one another while our bodies finally gave way. This woman had teased me for an entire week, boasting of this beautiful body she had underneath her treacherous clothes.

And I was about to make it all mine.

“Fuck, yes,” I whispered into her skin.

“I’m so close. Please, don’t stop. I’m so close, Tyler.”

“Say my name,” I said.

“Tyler.”

“Say it again.”

“Fuck me, Tyler. Fuck me like you’ve always wanted.”

I stopped my movements and raised to meet her gaze, and she was so taken by her pleasure that she couldn’t even open her eyes.

“Don’t give me that command,” I warned.

And that’s when I saw her eyes flutter open.

“Like you’ve always wanted,” she said.

I reared back and tossed her legs over my shoulders before I folded her quickly in half. Her eyes bulged from her head as my thick cock dove back into her depths, and her moans turned to screams as I ruined her body for any man that would ever come after me.

Her fingernails dug into my arms while her pussy sucked me down, and after a few deep pumps, I felt her body pop around me. Her walls clamped down onto my dick as her jaw unhinged in silent release, and I dipped down to draw one of her nipples between my teeth as I felt my balls curl up into my body.

I shoved myself deep into her, her juices spraying onto my pelvis. My dick swelled with want just before it coated the inside of her body with my cum, and suddenly I was rendered speechless. The thick streams of cum kept coming, and stars burst behind my eyes. My entire body pulled taut against hers as her legs slipped from my shoulders, and I collapsed onto her, weak and speechless, as our juices dripped from between her legs.

Never in my life had I cum with that type of intensity.

The closest in comparison was the first time I had been with her in college.

“Holy fuck,” she breathed.

But, all I could do was heave for air.

We quickly cleaned ourselves up, our minds in a haze as we walked out to Amber’s car. In the flurry of the entire ride over, I didn’t even get to take a look at the sweet ride she had, and I threw my eyes over to her just as she dipped down behind the wheel of the car.

“Get a good deal on this thing?” I asked.

“You wouldn’t even believe me if I told you,” she said.

Surprisingly enough, we got to the parade just as Luke, Darlene, and Ron were getting set up. We parked beside their car and found them just as they were settling in with the crowd, and Amber fluffed her hair out one last time in an attempt to try and look normal.

“Hey guys,” I said as we approached.

“Just in time,” Darlene said, smiling. “It hasn’t quite started yet. Get that little business thing of yours done?”

“Yep. All said and done,” I said.

“Where’s mom’s present?” Luke asked underneath his breath.

“Dude. There were like, a billion things I could’ve gotten her. I need more time than 30 minutes to figure out what the hell she’s going to like best,” I said.

“That’s why I sent Amber with you,” Luke said.

“Sorry, but Amber doesn’t seem super close with your mom. She was just as lost as I was.”

“Figures. We’ll go some other time, and I’ll come with you,” he said.

“Fine by me.”

The rest of the day was spent trying to sneak little touches and glances while no one was looking. A brush here, a smirk there. Someone would jostle us into one another, and I’d get a whiff of her hair or she would trip, and I’d have to help steady her on her feet. Thankfully, Luke was too entranced with the parade to catch most of what was happening, and I got to relish in how goosebumps ran up Amber’s arms every time our skin connected with one another’s.

I knew this wouldn’t be the last time I’d have her body the way I wanted.

And I looked forward to the next time I could taste her.

Chapter 12

Amber

 

 

“So, I took your advice,” I said.

“What advice? I give good shit all the time,” Kelly said.

“The advice you gave me about Tyler.”

The straw of her coffee paused in mid-air, and I could tell a squeal was coming. She dropped her cup and clapped her hands as I winced at her sounds, then she wrapped her hands around me before scooting closer to the table.

“Oh. Holy. Shit. Tell me everything. Was he the same way he was in college? Was it different? Was he huge? How many times did you cum?”

“Kelly,” I said. “I want more of him.”

Her eyes searched mine, and she quickly backed off her questions. Admitting that to myself was like admitting that my mother was right. I had myself so convinced that if I fucked him once and got him out of my system, then I’d be free. I’d be free of him and the hold he’d apparently had on me all these years, and I could get on with my life.

With my family.

With my business plans.

“Oh, shit,” Kelly said.

“You know this was going to happen, didn’t you?” I asked.

“What?”

“You knew if I fucked him I’d get attached. That I’d want more. You knew this was going to happen,” I said.

“Amber, why is this such a bad thing? You got laid well it sounds like, and now you want more. What’s wrong with that?” she asked.

“What’s wrong is everything. I can’t have that man, Kelly. He left me in college for New York City. And he didn’t tell me he was leaving until after he fucked me the night before!”

“Oh, shit,” Kelly said.

“Is that all you’ve got to say? ‘Oh, shit’?” I asked.

“You loved him in college,” she said.

“I didn’t love that sorry excuse for a man in college,” I said.

“No woman has this reaction unless she finds out she’s still addicted to the ex she once loved. Amber, why the hell didn’t you tell me? I never would’ve told you to screw him if I knew you had been in love,” she said.

“Oh, so that’s the fucking defining factor? My heart had to burn for him or some shit?”

“Amber, look at how angry you are. You thought that by fucking him, you’d be able to write him off once and for all. You thought you’d finally be able to get over the guy you fell hard and fast for in college. But, all you found out was that you still wanted him. After everything he did. What did he do, by the way?” she asked.

“You mean besides take my virginity, give me the best orgasms of my life, and then tell me he was leaving the night before he left?” I asked.

“Yeah,” she said. “Besides all that bullshit.”

I studied her face before I drew in a deep breath. I was about to share with her something I had never told anyone. I knew Tyler would never tell anyone, if he even remembered, but what I was about to tell her was the defining moment of my college career.

It’s what spawned the passion in me to one day open my own dance studio.

“What did he do?” she asked.

“There was a conversation we had one night,” I said. “It was after one of our fun nights out. He’d taken me to this stupid sub place up the road, and we’d split a sandwich before coming back and tearing up my dorm room.”

“Alright,” she said.

“And we got to talking. Ass naked and squeezed into that tiny little twin bed.”

“Pillow talk got it,” she said.

“He told me he’d caught me dancing outside of the dance building. I had been rehearsing a little number for some bullshit pop quiz I found out my ballet teacher was having, so I was putting together something quick before class. He’d apparently come around the corner to try and find me, and instead, he found me dancing.”

“What’s wrong with that?” she asked.

“Nothing. He told me he’d never seen something so beautiful move with such grace,” I said.

“That’s very sweet of him. But, what does that have to do with the dance studio?” she asked.

“He told me he’d be my first private student if I ever got around to opening my dream dance studio,” I said.

Kelly searched my eyes before she pulled her hands back away from me. She sighed and leaned back into her chair as she slowly pieced together why I had been so adamant on the dance studio in college.

I had to get myself out of the situation.

“Anyway, it was a stupid little thing that grew into a bigger passion. Now, I want to teach and help the community. But, his comment got the fire roaring, I guess. Bullshit, right?” I asked.

“If you say so,” Kelly said.

I had to divert the subject before we followed this train of thought any longer.

“So, I told you if you got my brother drunk he’d suck your face off,” I said, smirking.

“Oh, that was nothing,” she said, blushing. “Just some kissing or whatever. I’m sorry, by the way, for ditching you.”

“Don’t be. Tyler and I made our way to the bathrooms,” I said.

“No, you didn’t!” she said. “What did you guys do?”

At that moment, Kelly’s phone rang. She dug it out from her purse and opened it up, and a goofy smile appeared across her face. Her fingers flew over the screen of the phone as her smile grew wider, and by the time she sent it she was practically giggling to herself.

“Let me venture a guess as to who that was,” I said.

“I’m serious, it’s not who you think it is. And that thing in the club? Just a one-time deal. Alright?”

I held my hands up in mock surrender, but I knew my best friend better than that. I knew she was texting my brother, and I was happy for her. I hadn’t seen her smile like that over someone in a very long time, and I figured when the time was right she would tell me.

But then, just as Kelly’s phone rang out again, mine vibrated in my pocket.

What are you up to?

It was Tyler, and I couldn’t help but smirk.

Hanging out with Kelly while she lies to me about texting my brother. You?

I rose my gaze to Kelly’s eyes, and I could see the hint of a smile on her cheeks.

“Anyone interesting?” she asked.

“Nope,” I said.

Boring shit with your brother. So, that’s who he’s texting. Got it. Want to get together later?

It was becoming harder and harder to bury the smirk threatening to peel across my cheeks. But, I looked up at Kelly and saw her face-deep in her phone, so I figured I was safe for now.

And how do you propose we do that?

It was an honest question. The parade thing had been nothing but luck and incredible timing. However, intentionally sneaking around was going to be a bit more difficult.

Even if I did have my own place.

I have an appointment to tour some office spaces Tuesday morning while Luke does some other things around the city for the business. Figured I could squeeze you in.

An involuntary giggle rose from my throat, and Kelly snapped her head up to look at me. I bit down on my lip, trying to stifle it further, but the only thing it did was confirm for Kelly what she was thinking.

“Have fun,” she said, winking.

“Oh, shut up. You’re stuck with me all day. Girl’s afternoon, remember?” I asked.

“Just sayin’. You want to scoot off, go right on ahead,” she said.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” I asked.

“Just means I get more sordid details later,” she said, winking.

Sure. I think I’d enjoy you squeezing me in. Keep in touch.

“You guys just make plans?” Kelly asked.

“Maybe,” I said.

“What are you guys going to do?” she asked.

“He’s got some office buildings he’s touring Tuesday morning. Says he wants to squeeze me in.”

“Fuck, I’m sure he does,” she said. “Sounds like he’s just as hooked as you are.”

“Don’t say shit like that,” I said. “This is a fling. Nothing more. A nice little holiday relaxation while I deal with the bullshit that is my parents.”

“They still riding you on their own dreams versus yours?” she asked.

“My mother actually asked me when I’d get over my dance studio phase,” I said.

“Phase? She called it a phase?” she asked.

“Yep. And then, in the same breath, she encouraged Luke and Tyler to open another side business or some bullshit.”

“Your mom’s a piece of work,” she said.

“You’re telling me.”

Kelly’s phone rang again, and I lost her to the conversation she was having with my brother. The smile on her face told me she was happy, and I figured the only thing I could do was support her. She was an incredible woman who deserved a good man, and that’s exactly what my brother was. I knew he would treat her right and support Kelly in whatever the hell it was they were trying to do. For now, it was probably just innocent conversation. But, it was innocent conversation that made my best friend smile.

And I was all for it.

Now, if only he would be alright with me fucking his best friend.

Chapter 13

Tyler

 

 

Luke brought me to buy gifts for his parents since, you know, I decided to fuck his sister instead. I’d never done this type of thing before, so I honestly wasn’t sure what the hell I was looking at. We went from store to store while Luke picked apart every gift he thought might be right for them, and I suddenly realized why Amber hated this with her family so much.

“Dude, are you ever going to settle on something?” I asked.

“Presents are a big deal in my family at Christmas time. They have to be perfect,” he said.

“But, they’re just gifts. Things people will throw away eventually,” I said.

“Not if they mean something. Not if they’re important,” he said.

“Whatever. All I know is you aren’t dragging me around for much longer,” I said.

“I know, I know. We’ve been out here awhile. Sorry. I just have no idea what to get Mom and Dad. That’s the issue with not coming home as much because of the business. I’m not there to listen when they start talking about shit like this. Amber, though, will be easy to buy for.”

“How so?” I asked.

“Mom and Dad get on her a lot about her dance business, but I think she could do it. She’s just needs to stop fighting long enough. There’s a dance shop up the road that sells both new and used dancewear, and I’m going to get her a gift card,” he said.

“So she can get herself some new shit?” I asked.

“She mentioned one time about having a little store where people could come in and get items if they need something new and don’t know where to go to buy certain items. She wants to make sure it’s completely accessible to people, so every year I get her a gift card to that place so one day she can fill her shop with stuff,” he said.

That was an excellent idea, and I wondered if I should get Amber something. For the past couple of days, I hadn’t been able to get her out of my mind. She had cum so wonderfully for me, and my dick twitched every time I thought about it. Whenever I slept, I could see her face contorted in pleasure. Whenever I showered, the only thing I could think about was having her in there with me. She had penetrated every single thought of mine even though I thought fucking her once would get her out of my system.

And I was excited about having her again tomorrow.

“You think I should get everyone something?” I asked.

“That’s up to you. No one expects you to, but you can if you want,” he said.

“Any closer to figuring out what you’ll get your Mom and Dad?” I asked.

“A bit. Dad’s crazy about coffee, and there’s a place in town that specializes in wonderful imported blends. If all else fails with Mom, though, I could just treat her to a Mom-and-Son day where I pay for everything. That always works.”

“You’ve done that before?” I asked as I picked up a scented candle.

“Yep. She loves it every time, I think. And don’t get anyone candles. That’s just a cop-out,” he said.

This present buying thing was difficult, and I couldn’t honestly say I was sold on it. They talked about the holidays as if you were supposed to be with people you love and respect and how everyone was supposed to be happy, but Luke was just making me miserable. He was stressing himself out with this shopping thing, and I didn’t understand how that kind of stress was supposed to fit into a holiday like this.

So, I decided against it. I wasn’t sure where Amber and I stood, plus I didn’t fucking feel like deciphering what she might like as a gift.

“You ready for tomorrow?” he asked.

“Yeah. Looking at all the places in the morning. Should be done just after lunch. I’ll be good,” I said.

“The office space is important. It has to have a good layout as well as be in a central part of town. I gave you the budget, right?” he asked.

“Dude, we’ve been over this a fuck-ton of times. It’ll be alright. I’m looking at three decent properties that fit all the things we need, and by the time I come back tomorrow we’ll have an LA location that I’m running,” I said.

“At least we’re on the same page with you running it here,” he said. “I’m the one with all the connections back home. You’d really rock it here.”

“All three places have a little loft area above it, too. So, I’d have somewhere to move in immediately as well,” I said.

“Oh, dude. That’s fucking badass. Sounds like I don’t need to worry at all,” he said.

“Didn’t know you were worrying in the first place, you little bitch,” I said, smirking.

“Not gonna lie, I was thinking about coming last minute with you.”

“Don’t worry. Chicks do that all the time,” I said, winking.

“You’re such a dick.”

“But you love it,” I said.

He dragged me to two more fucking stores before he was done shopping for everyone. We stopped by that dance consignment shop and got Amber the gift cards he wanted, and it gave me a second to look around. This shop had everything: leggings, dance shirts, costumes, makeup, any type of dance shoe you needed, detergents for your costumes. I could see Amber setting up a little shop like this in her dance studio to help people out, and it made me smile to think that she was still pursuing this.

That was one of the things I remembered about her from college. She always seemed so passionate about opening her own studio.

We piled all the bags and shit into Luke’s car and took them back to the house. Luke was all sneaky and shit trying to get them into the house, then bailed last-minute and decided to just toss them in the spare room closet.

“Luke, if I was an excited kid at Christmas, this closet would be the first place I looked,” I said.

“Well, good thing we’re all adults then,” he said.

“You mean to tell me we made one long-ass stealth trip up these stairs with everything and now you’re going to cop out on me? Let’s at least hide them in the attic and end in a grand finale,” I said.

“Dude, you’re so weird,” he said, laughing. “Your room’s just fine. Since you’re sleeping in it, no one will think about rummaging around in it.”

“Fine, whatever. But, don’t get pissed if I throw my clothes and shit on them,” I said.

“Don’t throw anything on them, or I’ll kill you. Mom’s present is very fragile. That leather monstrosity you call a coat would crush it.”

We shoved all the gifts into the back of the closet and went downstairs. Amber must’ve walked in while we were stuffing the closet full of presents because she was talking with her Dad. Luke stopped just around the corner and held his hand out, signaling me to stop.

And then, I tuned into the conversation and realized why.

“I know the dance studio was something you wanted to do in college, but you have familial responsibilities now,” Ron said.

“No, Daddy. I don’t. Luke did, and he got to go off and do his own thing. Why can’t I do the same?” she asked.

“Because I built this business for this family. For you kids. That business is the reason you were able to flounce around in college doing dance, and now it’s your time. You’ll take it over, and I won’t hear any more of it,” Ron said.

“I’m not taking over the production company,” she said. “If that gets me tossed out of this family or whatever, then so be it.”

“It’s time you grew up, Amber,” Ron said. “Now, I don’t agree with your mother on marrying and never working again. I don’t know where she picked that up from, but you’re better than that. Which is why I’ve chosen you to run this company.”

“You didn’t choose me. I’m your last option because Luke left,” she said.

I saw Luke grimace at the comment, and part of me felt bad for him. Luke was a good guy, and I knew he would blame leaving and starting his own business for what his sister was now enduring. He was protective as shit and a little weird when it came to her, but he loved her and I could see that.

I was really pissed with Ron, though. It wasn’t right for them to support Luke and then trample on Amber. The business he built was his decision, not theirs. It wasn’t right for him to force it on anyone.

“I’m not taking over the company, Daddy,” she said.

“You are, and you will. It’s a family business, and I’m keeping it as such,” he said.

“Dad—”

“I will hear no more of it!” he exclaimed.

Amber groaned before we heard her stomp off, so Luke and I rounded the corner into the kitchen. Neither of us wanted her to see the fact that we’d been listening. She was pissed off enough, and I knew enough about her now to know she’d take her frustration out on us later.

When we heard the front door slam shut, we knew we were safe.

From her, at least.

We came around the corner just as Ron sat back down into his chair and he looked up at us with shock. Luke and I sat down across from him on the couch while I tried to keep my anger at bay, and I decided to go out on a limb with Luke sitting right next to me.

“Everything okay, Mr. Duffield?” I asked.

“Yeah, yeah. Just having a little talk with Amber,” he said.

“She alright?” I asked. “She didn’t look very happy.”

“Oh, yeah. She just has some growing up to do from some dreams she had as a girl,” he said.

“They aren’t girlish dreams, though,” I said.

I felt Luke whip his head toward me as Ron’s eyes connected with mine. It was about damn time someone in this family stood up for the dreams of a little girl who was infuriated with her family, and if Luke didn’t want to do it, then I would.

“If there’s one thing I remembered about her from college when I realized who your daughter was, Mr. Duffield, it was her passion for owning her own dance studio. You’re stepping on her dreams while supporting your son’s, so her anger isn’t just at the fact that you don’t support her.”

“And you know my daughter well, Tyler?” Ron asked.

“No, I don’t. But, I know the fury of a child being neglected by their parents. They see you support Luke and me while forcing her to live a life she doesn’t want, and she’s starting to resent you for it. If you push her any further, she’ll end up like me.”

“Well, you seem like a level-headed kid,” Ron said.

“I meant she won’t ever come home. She’ll leave and never come back. And it’ll be too late to fix your mistakes,” I said.

Ron’s gaze held mine while Luke’s bored into my skull. I knew I was crossing a boundary, but someone needed to hear it. Someone needed to step up and tell them that what they were doing to Amber was wrong.

“Stop stepping on her dream and support her like you did Luke. Maybe then, you won’t lose a daughter.”

“Why the hell do you care so much?” Luke asked.

“It’s a decent question,” Ron said.

“Because someone should. You claim to want to defend her from guys you think aren’t good enough for her, but you won’t defend her from the parents who are bullying her. And you, Mr. Duffield. You claim to love your daughter while simultaneously shoving your own dreams on her because you don’t want to see what you built die. I get that. This food delivery business I’ve built with your son is my pride and joy. But, if I ever have kids one day and that wasn’t what they wanted to do, then I’d train someone from the outside to take it over,” I said.

“It’s a family business, and it needs to stay that way,” Ron said.

“At the expense of your daughter’s love and happiness?”

Ron finally dropped his gaze to his lap, and I shook my head. I was sitting in front of someone who was merely another addict. Ron might not be addicted to drugs or alcohol, but he was addicted to his business. To this idea, he had constructed around it. It had to adhere to a very specific vision he had, or it would fail. He’d convinced himself of that, so his addiction was eating him alive.

“Stand up for your sister more, dude,” I said, turning my attention to him. “I’m a fucking stranger in this house, and even I know this is messed up.”

I got up from my seat and decided to venture outside. I couldn’t sit in that room with the two of them much longer, especially after the things I’d just said. I felt my heart hammering hard against my sternum, and for a split second, I thought it was going to crack my bones. I started wondering if Amber was alright. If maybe I should call her or go try to find her.

But, tomorrow was Tuesday, and I was going to see her anyway.

So, I decided to take the time on the porch and settle myself for the viewing of the office spaces.

I had a feeling no one would bother me out here for a while, anyway.

Chapter 14

Amber

 

 

I woke up Tuesday morning with a text from Tyler. I had forgotten all about our little rendezvous this evening because of some bullshit my dad pulled yesterday. Honestly, part of me wasn’t in the mood to see anyone, but I read where Tyler said he’d found the perfect place for their offices, and I got curious. This would be a good way for me to pick someone’s brain about pricing in the city, so I decided to roll out of bed and take a shower.

I finished my shower and did my hair before I threw on a pair of jeans and a nice top, then I started for the car. I sent Tyler a message back asking him where he was, and the address he shot me was one I didn’t recognize. I had to type it into the GPS just to get me to that part of the city, and as I navigated, I couldn’t help but clock all the “for rent” and “for sale” signs on the windows as I got closer. It appeared he had purchased an office space in an area that seemed to be up-and-coming, so it made me curious as to how much he signed it for.

I parked in the little gravel parking lot beside the building as Tyler stood outside and watched me. I climbed out of the car and our eyes connected, and immediately a smile crossed my face. It was terrific to see him, especially after the drama from yesterday, and I threw my arms around his neck when he approached me.

“So, this is it, huh?” I asked.

“Yep. It’s officially our new office space in LA,” he said.

“It looks like it’s got another little space on top there,” I said.

“Yeah, it’s a loft space. I’m going to have it outfitted with plumping since it’s already got electric and it’s going to be my apartment,” he said.

“You and Luke are going to live in that little space above the new office?” I asked.

“Nope. I’m manning the LA location on my own,” he said.

I turned my head to look at him as he said that. Luke wasn’t moving back to the area? But, Tyler was?

“So, you’re going to be living here,” I said.

“Yep.”

“Just you.”

“Yep,” he said, grinning.

“In LA,” I said.

“Uh huh.”

“When will you, uh, be out here?” I asked.

“I’ve got someone already coming in tomorrow to set up the plumbing in the upstairs. Apparently, the loft space was built to rent out as a studio apartment-type deal, but they never routed the plumbing to the upstairs. It won’t be a very difficult job, so the plan is to officially move in right after Christmas,” he said.

“And you signed the papers?” I asked.

“It’s official,” he said, grinning.

Tyler wouldn’t take his eyes off me, so I knew he was studying my reaction. And honestly? I wasn’t sure what kind of reaction I was supposed to be having. I expected him to leave after Christmas and never come back. I knew them splitting the control of the company between two businesses meant one of them living here and the other living there, but I figured Luke would be the one to move back here.

You know, with his family being here and all.

“Will you miss Luke?” I asked as my eyes scanned the building.

“I mean, we run a business together. We’ll see each other at least weekly. Him flying out here or me getting out to him. He’ll be flying out here frequently until we get this location up and running, too.”

“Ah,” I said.

“He’s got all the connections back home. This’ll be a good place for me to do what I do best and create connections that could help us both here and back home. No offense to your brother, but he has a tendency to stay with one type of connection. I like to branch out. I think I could grow this thing into something massive,” he said.

“And you’d be near me,” I said.

I wasn’t sure where that came from, but when I turned my gaze back to Tyler, he was grinning devilishly. I bet he was clocking how long it would take me to say something like that, and suddenly I felt as if I was on display.

“I mean, I’m just saying. If Luke isn’t the one coming out here, you’ll probably have my family pestering you to feel closer to Luke. Which means I’ll have to swoop in and get them off your back,” I said.

“How sweet. My hero,” he said, grinning.

“Would you like to see the inside?” he asked.

“Sure,” I said.

He opened the door for me and as I walked in my eyes widened. The space was huge, which meant the loft above would be roomy, too. He really nailed down a perfect location for all of this.

“You’ve got a lot of room in here,” I said.

“Yeah. We’ll be able to take orders, showcase what we can do, and provide a safe space for all the delivery people we hire.”

“I don’t know much about your business, honestly. What do you and my brother do?” I asked.

“It’s a food delivery business for companies that don’t deliver. We hire drivers to go to all the places you don’t want to—like coffee houses or the pharmacy. You order what you need, you pay, our drivers pick it up, and then they bring it to you.”

“Wait, seriously?” I asked.

“Yep. It was a massive hit back home, so we’re hoping LA will be the same way,” he said.

“Holy shit, that’s awesome,” I said, smiling.

“Uh huh. Maybe it’s a service you could use some time,” he said.

I felt him approaching me, his breath hot on my neck. There was a dusty desk in the middle of the room he pressed me against, and I felt my body drop its defenses. Tyler Raymond was going to be close running a business I knew would succeed in a city like LA He kissed the nape of my neck, and I instinctively rolled my hips back into him, eliciting a moan I wanted to hear again and again.

“You’ll be very close,” I whispered.

“Mmmhmmm,” he hummed in my ear.

“Maybe we could—”

“Oh, I plan on it,” he said.

His hands wrapped around my body and undid the button of my jeans. I felt my clothes being slid down my body before his hands wrapped around my thighs, and he pulled my hips back into him as his tongue slid between my pussy lips. I leaned over onto the dusty desk, opening myself further to him while his tongue found my swelling clit, and he began his beautiful work while my ass bounced on his forehead.

“Oh, Tyler. Holy fuck, yes.”

My legs were already trembling, and I could feel my first orgasm building quickly. The mere idea that I would have him more and more—as often as I wanted—was intoxicating.

But, the fact that he had been thinking about it as well made me drip for him.

He pressed his tongue into my clit, and it sent me over the edge. I shook against the desk while his tongue flicked my clit side to side, but the moment I came down from my high he didn’t stop. He slid his tongue into my pussy and shoved it in before I felt a pressure at my entrance. His tongue slid back up to my clit while his finger crooked inside my body, and I began to grind my ass back into his face.

“Holy shit, yes. Tyler. Fuck, that feels so good. Oh, yes. Don’t stop. Please. Fuck.”

His finger rubbed against that sweet spot deep within my pussy while his tongue raked across my clit. The stubble on his chin tickled the insides of my thighs as I squeezed down onto him, and I could feel my pussy juices leaking onto his face. My legs trembled and my back pulled taut as Tyler picked up his pace, and the second stars began to burst in my vision I knew I was done for.

I couldn’t even call out his name as my body was trembling on the desk. He sucked my clit between his lips as I bucked wildly back into his face, using the desk as leverage while my legs gave out from underneath me. I felt his finger slide out of my wet depths before he held me up off his face, and he licked up everything I had to offer him before he slowly set my feet back down.

My head was spinning as I heard his belt buckle clacking, and I didn’t have the energy to move. Dust was flying all around us in the expansive space of his new office, and all I could do was take him in. I would be able to have this as often as I wanted, in every position, on every surface, and in varied lengths for as long as I wanted.

I felt the tip of his dripping dick paint circles on my ass cheeks before he slid himself into my pulsing pussy.

“Oh, fuck, Amber. You feel so tight.”

He gripped my hips and began with a slow pace. He coated his dick in my juices while his precum dripped down my ass, and his hand slid up my shirt as he felt my back shiver at his touch. I gripped the edge of the desk as he thrust deep into me, and with every pound, he sent my way the desk scooted us closer and closer to the back of the store.

All of a sudden, I felt him wrap his hands in my hair. His dick was pounding my aching pussy while my juices dripped down his balls, and my entire body shook when his hips connected with mine. The sweet sounds of wet skin beating wet skin rang out into the space, echoing back at us off the corners that were cheering us on. I moaned and writhed for him as his dick assaulted my body, pulling from me a pleasure I don’t think I’d ever experienced with him.

Even in college.

“Fuck me, Tyler. Yes. Just like that. Fuck me like the rag doll you want me to be. Use me for your own pleasure.”

I felt my body milking his dick for everything it had, and I smiled when I felt him twitch inside of me. His hips stuttered, and it caused his balls to swing and smack my clit, and once again I was thrown over the edge at the hands of a man I couldn’t get out of my head.

My pussy throbbed around him, sucking him deeper and deeper as he fell to my back. His hands planted themselves beside me as his cock pumped me full of his hot, sweet cum, and he placed a small kiss to my ear as he heaved and panted with exhaustion.

My body was shaking with my orgasm as my pussy pushed him out. I could feel his dick still spurting cum down my leg as he pressed sloppy kisses onto the back of my neck. I reached back and ran my fingertips through his hair, encouraging him to lay down on my back before I felt his body collapse onto mine. I wanted to feel close to him while my vision tunneled from the sheer force of my orgasm.

I wanted him to shake with me while we both tried to recuperate.

And then, he whispered a beautiful phrase in my ear I knew I wouldn’t get out of my head for a very long time.

“I will not use you, Amber. No matter what you ask.”

Chapter 15

Tyler

 

 

I peeled myself from her body and helped her get up onto her feet. I had nothing to help her clean up with, but she seemed to shimmy her pants back up just fine. I checked her for wet spots before I watched her leave, and I got the sense that she left quickly for a reason. I watched her burst through the front doors of the new office space and spill out onto the sidewalk, and she didn’t even look back at me before she turned and started for her car.

And then, my phone rang in my pocket.

I dug it out and saw it was Luke, and I was honestly a bit freaked out. Had he seen us? Was he calling me up to tell me he knew? He called way too close for my comfort. I mean, my body was still trembling from cumming inside his sister, and I had to sit down on the edge of the desk just so I could steady my body for this phone call.

“What’s up, man?” I asked.

“So, how’d everything go? Which one did you choose?” he asked.

“Oh, you’re going to love it. I chose one that was middle of the road for our budget, but it’s in this awesome place that is slowly renting spaces out. We’ve got a couple of restaurants around us and a little strip mall going up a few blocks down the road, so we’ll have some good foot traffic eventually,” I said.

“Shoot me the address. I’m coming over,” he said.

I texted him the address before I brushed my arms over the desk. The last thing he needed to walk into was an imprint of his sister’s body in the dust on the desk. I went outside and let the LA wind rid my body of the dust it had accumulated, and as Luke drove up, I could see how pleased he was with the purchase.

“Holy shit, Tyler. This place is massive. And this was in the middle of our budget?” he asked.

“Yep. And, I even got them to grandfather the rent in with options to rent-to-own in the future,” I said.

“Holy fuck. You’re going to do just fine in LA,” he said as he slapped my back.

I was well aware of the fact that my dick still smelled like his sister’s pussy. I didn’t have anything to wipe myself down with, so the only option I had was to hope for the best. During the entire time Luke was looking around the space, all I could do was think about his sister’s juices crusting on my dick.

This was not a scenario I ever wanted to repeat. Ever.

“And the loft is outfitted for you to live in?” he asked.

“Got some plumbers coming by later today to finish the piping, but it’ll be ready by the time Christmas is done. Figured I’d move in then so I could be here to watch the contractors do their thing,” I said.

“Perfect. Absolutely perfect. Make sure you have a room for me when I come,” he said.

“Not a problem.”

“You’re not concerned about how big it is, though? I mean, most of the shit we do is offline. We really wouldn’t need this much space,” he said.

I knew he would eventually find something to complain about, which is why I had rehearsed all of these arguments in my head. Luke was someone who was never satisfied, and while it made him a good businessman, it made him a shit person to argue with when it came to anything.

And I mean anything.

“Luke, we have plans to add other facets to this business. You said it yourself, you don’t just want to stick to food delivery. We could split this place in half when we figure out what the other part of the business is you want to dive into. That way, we aren’t searching for another space in the next two years,” I said.

“So, we’re paying rent on space we aren’t going to use right now,” Luke said.

“Better than having to deal with selling and moving in the future. This place will boom just like the other side of LA did. Just look at the shops around you. The restaurants aren’t chain restaurants, and you don’t ever build a strip mall anywhere near a place you don’t expect to grow. We’re in a good place, and if we do this right we won’t have to move our location again,” I said.

“Dude, I wish you would’ve called first. I’m just not sure about adding any of those facets we talked about,” he said.

“Then, we’ll split the place in half and rent out the other space to someone else. It’s a massive building, and we could pull another decent profit that way to help negate our own monthly payment.

“Like what? Who would rent a space like that next to some internet food delivery service?” he asked.

“Maybe we could bring it up to your sister.”

I knew the moment the words flew from my mouth that I was in trouble. Luke slowly panned his gaze over to me, studying me carefully as he clocked my entire body, and for a split second, I thought he was going to find out. He was going to find out I’d just fucked his sister in this new office space and everything was going to go straight to hell and never come back.

“My sister,” he said.

“Yeah. That dance studio stuff. It’d be a decent enough space for her.”

“With you living overhead,” he said.

“I mean, I could always split the loft in half. Make the half above her dance studio that consignment shop you told me she wanted,” I said.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” he asked.

“What!? It was just a suggestion, dude! For someone who wants to support his sister, you sure are shit at it,” I said.

“This isn’t about Amber,” he said. “This is about whatever infatuation you’ve got going on with her. I see you staring at her and how you defended her with my dad the other day. What the hell gives?” he asked.

“I want to make Amber’s dream come true. You said so yourself in the beginning when we both started this: had it not been for your parents’ support, we never would’ve gotten our business off the ground. So, why the hell isn’t anyone supporting Amber’s dream?”

“So, you’re just going to make that your job? You’re looking out for Amber’s dream?” he asked.

“Who the fuck else is? It’s a good dream. I hear you talk all the time about how she’s an awesome dancer, and she obviously wants it. Why shouldn’t someone support her?” I asked.

“Back the fuck off my sister,” he said.

“I’m not on your sister,” I said. “I just want her to have the same opportunity you did. I didn’t have parents supporting me in this shit, and there’s no reason why a girl like her who’s got a family should feel that way, either.”

“Back. The fuck. Off,” he said.

“Why?” I asked. “Give me one fucking good reason why the only person in her corner should back the fuck off.”

We were nose to nose in the middle of this new office space arguing about his sister. This was not how I saw this day going at all, and I knew everything could be ripped away at a moment’s notice.

But, I didn’t care. This was absolute bullshit that he was this fired up over a hypothetical train of thought that spiraled because of his fucking insecurities with the building.

He wasn’t going to make me feel like a little bitch just because he was acting like one.

“Because you’re not going to pull the same shit with Amber that I did with Rebecca,” he said.

“Who the fuck is Rebecca?” I asked.

“A girl I’ve been seeing on and off in New York,” he said.

“I didn’t even know you were seeing someone,” I said.

“Yeah, no one did. Because I wanted to give it time to grow. She’s a good woman and a hell of a support system, and I threw that shit away the moment I started sucking face that night with Kelly,” he said.

I just stood there and looked at him as he shook his head. He turned his back, running his fingers through his hair, but when he turned back around he was no longer the angry Luke I’d just squared off with.

He was guilty, and I could tell it was eating him alive.

“I fucked up with what I did in the club. I haven’t talked to her much since we got here, then I completely disrespected her the night we went out, and I’m supposed to be the good guy.”

“So, I can’t be a good guy?” I asked.

“Not with your track record. I’ve seen what you do to women. Much worse than what I’ve done to Rebecca, and yet you feel no remorse for it. And that’s fine, it’s just how you are. But Amber, I won’t let her go through that. I won’t let her be someone you just fuck then spit back out,” he said.

“Are you wanting to end things with Rebecca? Is that why you’re ignoring her?” I asked.

“Yes. No. I don’t know. The fucking point is whatever infatuation you have with my sister ends now. You might think you’ll be different with her and shit, but I know you better than that. So fucking stop. I won’t ever say yes. I won’t ever approve.”

“Dude, there's nothing to fucking approve because there’s nothing there. I’m sticking up for your sister and supporting her because none of you people will. Let that be a reflection on you instead of me, huh?”

I started for the door, leaving Luke in my wake. I was done with this bullshit conversation that was brought on by some idiotic fuckery he had dove himself into. It was a waste of my time, and I had phone calls to make to multiple contractors.

“The space is signed for, so get over it. Let me know if you want to split it in half or not. And Luke?”

“Yeah?” he asked.

“Keep that Rebecca shit to yourself. Amber would kill you.”

And I left him standing in the dusty office space as I made my way to my car.

Chapter 16

Amber

 

 

The air was cool and crisp this morning. Things seemed a bit lighter, the house appeared to be a bit brighter, and I couldn’t get him off my mind. Our encounter in the office had permeated every single thought I had, from my dreams to my free thoughts in the shower. We hadn’t talked since Tuesday, which was something I expected, but there was this odd sensation I kept having. I kept wanting to pick up the phone and text him just to see how he was doing.

Weird.

I was over at my parents’ house helping them wrap presents. Even though we were grown and understood that Santa wasn’t a thing, they still enjoyed the thrill of wrapping gifts and putting them out the night before Christmas. My dad enjoyed the idea of surprising us on Christmas morning with our “big presents,” and Mom enjoyed watching Dad be happy. He spent very long days at the production company during the year in order to provide for us the type of lifestyle and holidays we had, so Mom always threw her wishes out the window in favor of his.

“Honey, could you pass me the tape?” she asked.

“Sure. You got any more bows over there?” I asked.

“Does red work?” she asked.

“Yeah, the present I’m wrapping is silver,” I said.

“Here you go, honey.”

I heard the front door of the house burst open, but I didn’t think anything of it. Dad was out getting more presents, and he was probably stumbling in with an armful of goodies that would trap me in this house for another hour. I knew my parents would try to get Tyler some stuff last minute as well, which meant I got to spend even more time around people who wanted to berate me some more.

But, when I felt a strong hand come down onto my shoulder and whip me around, I realized it was Luke.

And he looked pissed.

“We need to talk,” he said.

“Luke, sweetheart. Is everything alright? Can it wait until Amber’s done helping me?” Mom asked.

“I’ll bring her right back. I promise, Mom,” he said.

He grabbed my arm and ripped me away from the decorating bench in the basement. He dragged me up the stairs while Mom looked at the two of us as if we had grown another head, and everything around me started to swim. He slammed the basement door as we stood in the kitchen, his nostrils flaring and his eyes wide, and before he even opened his mouth I knew exactly what this conversation was going to be about.

“I know there’s something going on with you and Tyler,” he said.

“Alright, Mr. Paranoia. You got proof of this fun little theory of yours?” I asked.

“Yeah. His defense of you and your fucking dance studio and the way you just sassed me,” he said. “Tyler never defends anything, and you never sass unless you’re uncomfortable.”

“The defense of my what? The hell’s gotten into you?” I asked.

“You need to stop. Whatever the hell the two of you are doing, it ends now,” he said.

“Uh huh. So, exactly how do you expect me to end this imaginary charade with your business partner?” I asked.

“I don’t know. Tell him you’re a bitch or not looking for love or whatever the fuck it is you usually tell guys in order to keep them away. You seem to be a pro at it,” he said.

“What the fuck’s your problem, Luke?” I asked. “Even if there was something going on between Tyler and me, I’m a grown ass woman. I’ll suck whoever’s dick I want.”

“Holy shit, have you sucked his cock, Amber?” he asked. “Because if you have, I’m going to kill him. I’ll kill you both.”

“What in the world has gotten into you?” I asked. “Did someone spike your coffee this morning with roids?”

“He’s not a good person when it comes to women, Amber,” he said. “I’m just trying to protect you.”

“Newsflash: I’m not a freshman in high school anymore. You don’t need to beat up the little boy who stood me up any longer. Breaking news: it wouldn’t be any of your fucking business anyway,” I said.

“He’s my business partner and my best friend. Everything in his life is my fucking business,” he said.

“Funny, because I don’t think a guy like Tyler would see it that way,” I said, crossing my arms.

“Guy like Tyler. What do you mean, ‘guy like Tyler’?” he asked.

“You think you’re entitled to the lives of those around you that you care about, but you’re not. See, loving you and being around you comes with strings. You enjoy being in control and you enjoy making sure people are dependent on you. It’s a very unhealthy, weird little tick, Luke. You should really get it checked out,” I said.

“I do not! Damn it, Amber, he’s no good for you,” he said.

“And how would you know? Did you try to date him at one point?” I asked.

“I just know, Amber. I’ve seen how he treats women. The one night stands he has and the little trysts in the clubs we go to. He plays the field, nothing more,” he said.

“Trysts. That’s a very grown-up word for someone acting like a little child. You’re making it seem like I’m making you share your favorite toy,” I said, giggling.

“Amber, I’m not fucking around.”

“And neither am I, Luke. You’re freaking out over something that doesn’t exist. Sorry your best friend puts his dick in women. I’m pretty sure that’s what a dick is for. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I’d rather be with Mom right now than you, which is saying something,” I said.

Just as I said that I heard Mom’s footsteps on the staircase. She opened the door and found Luke and me in the kitchen, and she furrowed her brow before she shut the door behind her.

“Everything alright?” she asked.

“Yeah, Luke’s just pissed because apparently, I can’t be an adult very well,” I said.

“Luke, stop pestering your sister. Amber, you’re a wonderful adult,” she said.

“Thanks, Mom,” I said flatly.

“Luke, sweetie, if you have any presents that need to be wrapped, I can get us out of the house for a bit if you’d like,” Mom said.

“And by us, she means her,” I said.

“No, thanks. I’ll get to wrapping some things tomorrow,” he said. “Tyler’s actually meeting me here in a few. We’ve got some things we need to accomplish today since he signed for a building in LA,” he said.

“You found an office space?” my mom asked. “Oh, my gosh! Sweetheart! I’m so proud of you!”

I rolled my eyes as my mother wrapped her arms tightly around the child prodigy. Of course, she would be ecstatic that he owned two places for his business. Of course, she would act this excited right in front of me.

Did they honestly not see how much bullshit they were throwing in my general direction?

“Luke? You here?” Tyler asked.

“In the kitchen, hot stuff!” I called out.

If Luke wanted to be a little bitch about some imagined scenarios Tyler and I were keeping under wraps, and if Mom really wanted to play the game of favorites, then I was at least going to give them a show.

“Uh, hey there, Amber?” Tyler asked. “How are you?”

“Doing alright, love that jacket,” I said, reaching out to fondle the collar. “Makes your eyes pop.”

“Uh huh. Luke, you ready to go get that stuff done?” he asked.

Luke’s eyes were screaming with anger as Mom let him go, but all I could do was smirk. I could play this game with him, and he’d pop before I ever would.

“Oh, let me make you boys a quick lunch,” Mom said. “I’ve got sandwich meat and chips, it’ll keep you from spending so much money out.”

“How are you doing, Tyler?” I asked.

“Doing alright,” he said, smirking. “I like that shirt on you.”

“Thanks. It’s got tape on it somewhere. I was downstairs wrapping presents with Mom earlier,” I said.

I watched his eyes search my body while Luke’s fists balled up beside him. I watched as Tyler’s hand disappeared behind my back before I heard the soft sound of something sticky being pulled from my lower back. He held the green-colored tape up to me, and I plucked it from his fingertip, but not before I made a show of our hands brushing one another’s.

“You’re too kind. I could hear it crackling every time I took a step, but I just couldn’t reach it,” I said.

“I’m here whenever you need me,” he said, winking.

“Mom, Tyler and I really should get going,” Luke said.

“Nonsense, sit down. I’m almost done throwing things together,” Mom said.

Luke groaned as we made our way to the table, and I made it a point to sit by Tyler. He threw me a curious look before I winked at him, and that’s when I felt his hand slide over to my thigh. His touch lit my leg on fire, causing a light flush to paint my cheeks, and his eyes kept dancing all over my form as Mom set the plates of food in front of us.

“Never would’ve thought green would look so good on you,” he said.

“Oh, this old thing? It was in the back of my closet. Never comes out except around the holidays,” I said.

“I don’t even think you wore it last year, honey. He’s right. It looks good on you,” Mom said, smiling.

“Thanks, Mom. You’re such a champ. And lunch looks delicious, thank you,” I said.

Luke was tearing into his food, and I couldn’t help but snicker. Tyler was taking painfully small bites, obviously latching onto what I was doing-, and he was probably trying to soak up as much of this as he could. He would crack a little joke, and I would playfully shove him with my shoulder, and the eye contact we made with one another intentionally lingered a bit longer than normal.

I was pretty sure Luke’s head was about to pop off and roll onto the floor.

“Alright, business stuff,” Luke said as he stood up. “You coming or not, Tyler?”

“I guess I could take the last part of my sandwich with me,” he said.

“Oh, going so soon? I was hoping we could have coffee or something after lunch,” I said.

“Maybe I’ll take you to coffee later when we’ve got some free time,” Tyler said, winking.

“You won’t take my sister anywhere, but I am taking you to the office. Come on,” Luke said.

“So demanding,” I mouthed to Tyler.

“You two have fun!” my mother called out as she took another bite of her sandwich.

The door closed with a thud, and I couldn’t help but start laughing. That was way too easy and way too much fun. I picked up the rest of my sandwich and tossed it into my mouth, but as I looked over at my mother, I could tell she had something she wanted to say.

And I knew it wasn’t going to be pretty.

“So, you and Tyler. Are you an item?” she asked.

“Nah. Luke was getting on me earlier about some imaginary relationship Tyler and I are apparently having, so I openly flirted with Tyler to piss him off,” I said.

“Does Tyler know that?” she asked.

“Yep. Sent him a text message beforehand,” I lied.

“So, you have his number?” she asked.

Fuck.

“Look, sweetheart. Tyler’s a good boy. He’s smart, responsible, and let’s face it, kind of hot.”

I slowly crinkled my nose and tried to keep the vomit from rising to my throat. My mother, in the span of one three-letter word, just became a cougar.

“Gross, Mom,” I said.

“Well, he’s a very good-looking boy. But, Luke is right. If there’s something going on between the two of you that requires you to have his number, then it’s probably not worth pursuing,” she said.

“You’re playing the protective parent all of a sudden?” I asked.

“Sweetheart, he’s not going to be able to take care of you the way some men in this city will be able to,” she said.

“Are you kidding me? You’re telling me to back off because he’s not rich enough?” I asked.

“It takes more than love and good looks to be married, sweetheart. Young people don’t understand that. Finances are the number one downfall of happily married couples across the country. If you have the ability to eliminate that issue from your marriage, it’s worth pursuing. You’re a beautiful girl, Amber. But, no man who can financially protect you is going to want a stubborn, vulgar girl with debt coming out of her ears because she invested in a dance studio. Now, I don’t agree with your father on you running the production company. I think the long hours would prevent you from finding something that makes you happy.”

“Yeah, like running a fucking dance studio,” I said.

“Language,” she said. “But, Tyler isn’t the one. If there is something going on, just let him know it’s temporary. Girls can have a bit of fun, too, you know.”

I was absolutely stunned at what she had just said to me. My parents had absolutely lost their rockers and fallen face-first into a vat of crazy pills. She continued to eat her sandwich as if that idiotic combination of words hadn’t flown from her face, and what was even more insane was the fact that she tried to justify it this time.

With facts.

I felt my hands begin to shake as they balled up into fists, and I knew I couldn’t stay any longer. I had to get out and go for a drive. Maybe across town to look at more properties, or out of the city to go see the ocean. I had to do something to calm me down. Otherwise, my anger was going to be taken out on someone around me.

Like Tyler.

So, I got up from the table, stepped around my mother, and headed for the door. I could hear her calling out my name, but all I did was grab my purse and slam the front door behind me. I ran to my car, tears streaming down my face, and I slid into the driver’s seat before I threw my car in reverse and headed for the road.

Everyone in this fucking home thought they could control me.

And I had to get away.

Chapter 17

Tyler

 

 

Luke and I decided to get out and go to another club in town. He was worried because no one could get in touch with Amber, and I told him she probably just needed her space. I’d sent her a text message this morning, asking her if she was alright after everything that went down, but I had yet to hear from her either. I had to admit, I was getting a bit worried, which was why I was glad the bar had shot specials going on tonight.

I was going to need them to get my mind off Amber.

Luke and I were at the bar enjoying our first discounted shot when he began slapping me on the arm. His eyes were focused on the entryway, and at first, I thought I’d seen two hot chicks we were about to wingman up. What I saw, however, was Kelly and Amber walking into the same damn club we had chosen to prowl for the night.

“At least she’s alright,” I said. “You talked to Kelly since you guys made out?”

“A bit,” he said as he signaled for another shot.

“Anything good come of it?” I asked.

“Not really,” he said.

He was clipping his sentences which meant he was plotting out what he was going to say to her in his head. If there was one thing Luke was terrible at, it was his confidence when it came to women. He felt like he had to rehearse everything in his head, and that took up so much of his brain power that he wouldn’t be able to hold a decent conversation with anyone.

So, to make it interesting, I flagged the girls down.

“What the fuck are you doing?” he asked.

“Let’s get you some impromptu practice with women,” I said, smirking.

I saw Amber catch my eyes, and she stopped in her tracks. I watched her reach out for Kelly, whose attention she then turned towards the bar. Kelly’s face lit up when she saw Luke and her direction changed as she practically ran toward the bar, but Amber stayed rooted in her place.

“Hey there, Luke,” Kelly said.

“Hey, Kelly,” he said, smiling. “That’s a nice dress you’ve got on.”

“Thanks. I bought it a couple days ago. Things like this are always on sale during the winter months,” she said.

“Well, if they have more in other colors, you should go back and get some more. It looks like it’d be very comfortable for the summertime,” he said.

I rolled my eyes at the conversation. I felt like we were back in middle school and trying to hit on the popular girl, but once I saw his hand slowly drifting to the midsection of her dress I knew exactly what he was doing. He was playing his little innocent shtick before he tried to physically get close to her, and women melted all over that shit.

My boy was getting his dick wet tonight.

I watched Kelly’s eyes light up and dance along his face as Luke slowly felt the fabric of her dress. His fingertips trailed down to her belly button before his hand fell back to his side, and that’s when Amber finally came up to the bar. She was dressed in a pair of tight ass skinny jeans and a sparkling silver top, and it was hard to take my eyes off her. Every single piece of fabric on her body hugged her curves in ways I wanted my hands to. I wanted to reach out and pull her close to me, bypassing all the bullshit conversation we’d have that would eventually lead up to what we both wanted.

But, Kelly’s giggle ripped me from my trance.

“Well, I made the mistake of not going to the bathroom before I got here. I’ll be right back,” she said.

“Hurry back,” Luke said, winking.

“One shot, please,” Amber said behind me.

“Make that two,” I said.

“I’ll be right back, you guys. Water fountain,” Luke said.

“Use protection, bro,” Amber said, smirking.

“From the water fountain?” he asked

I snickered at the fact that he was trying to sell that excuse. Luke jammed his hand into his pocket and walked over towards the water fountain, and I watched as he disappeared beyond it and headed for the girl’s bathroom. I didn’t know who the fuck he thought he was fooling, but I was glad he was finally getting himself a little bit of something. He was wound way too tight, and he was coming off like a dick to everyone.

“Such a hypocrite,” Amber said.

“What?” I asked.

“Nothing. I could use another shot, though,” she said.

“You’re in luck. They’re the club special tonight,” I said.

“Yep. And I plan on getting wasted,” she said.

“That bad of a day?” I asked.

“Sure,” she said, shrugging.

We made our way to a couple of barstools at the end of the bar and ordered another round of shots. I was on my third one as she was throwing back her second, and I couldn’t help but study her posture. The slump in her shoulders, the slight frown on her cheeks. The way she leaned against the bar like she’d just lost her job and her dog all in one damn day.

“Want to talk about it?” I asked.

“Let’s play a game,” she said, changing the subject.

“Alright, what’s the game?” I asked.

“Each of us has to tell the other a deep, dark fantasy. Sexual or not. And if the other person finds it hot, they have to take a shot,” she said.

“Oh, we’re going to need a tray full of them, then,” I said, smirking. “Who goes first?”

“Ladies first,” she said, winking.

“Oh, ho ho, you got jokes,” I said. “Alright, then. Got your shot ready? Because I’m about to blow your fucking mind.”

“Try me,” she said, smiling.

“One fantasy I have involves edging her to the point of no return. I’ve always wanted to tie a woman down and deny her orgasm after orgasm until she’s crying from the frustration. Then, I’ll let her have it any way she wishes,” I said.

Amber looked deep into my eyes before she squinted them playfully. She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, forcing me to look down at the intimate gesture, then she sighed before she took the shot she was holding in her hand.

“Ha ha! Got ‘em,” I said. “Sir! We’re going to need more shots over here. Three each, please.”

“Alright, my turn. Ready, hot stuff?” she asked, winking.

“Liked that nickname, by the way,” I said.

“I figured your ego would. Alright. A fantasy of mine is simply the chase. Except, I’m the one chasing. I flirt with him, but he doesn’t flirt back. I catch him staring at me, but he diverts his gaze before I can catch it. I keep wearing sexy ass outfits that keep his gaze even though he doesn’t want to look. Then, one day, I back him into a corner, and he can’t help but drop to his knees,” she said.

“Oh, the control type. Would’ve never taken you for one,” I said.

“People change,” she said, shrugging.

I threw back a shot, and she clapped her hands in delight. The smile that ricocheted along her face lit up her eyes, and for a split second, I didn’t think I’d be able to take my eyes off her. I was glad she was safe, and she was obviously beginning to have fun, which was good because I really wanted to continue this game.

It would give me ideas I could take with me into this new business venture in LA

“Alright, alright, alright. Another fantasy I’ve got one. I don’t think about it often,” she said.

“Which means you think about it all the time,” I smirked.

“Dick. Shut up. Anyway, a few times I’ve thought about what it would be like to have my control ripped from me. You know, battling it out for who’s on top and who’s going to pin who down, and then me losing and him having his way with me.”

I couldn’t hold back the jaw-dropping reaction I had to what she’d just said. In one breath, she was the predator stalking her scrawny little prey, and the next she was willingly becoming the prey.

I heartily threw back my shot as my dick grew thick in my pants.

“Honestly?” I asked as she grabbed another shot, “I’ve always wanted to try the public thing. Not like, full on sex on a park bench in front of kids or some shit. But like, that teasing underneath the dinner tablecloth. You know, the kind that makes us get our food to go and shit.”

“Us?” she asked as she threw back her shot.

“I mean, you know, me and whoever the fuck I’m with for dinner,” I said.

Fuck. Get it together, Tyler. It’s just a damn game.

“Alright, my turn?” she asked.

“Yep,” I said.

“Watching,” she said. “I’ve always wanted to watch my partner masturbate.”

“Oh, shit. You nasty little thing,” I said.

“You can’t tell me that wouldn’t be hot,” she said.

“It would be if it was you.”

Her eyes connected with mine as I threw my shot back. I had to admit, there wasn’t a single thing flying from her mouth that I wouldn’t try over and over again with her, and I started to realize how much we actually had in common. Sure, it’s just sex shit, but that’s all we’re doing.

Sex shit.

I brought my eyes back to hers while she reached for her last shot, and something inside my chest lurched. It felt like someone had reached in and put my lungs in a vice grip, and I had to draw in a large breath of air in order to shake the feeling I was having.

“Last one,” she said as she held up her shot.

“We can always order more,” I said, winking.

“Alright, deep dark fantasies,” she said. “Oh, how about this one? Toys.”

“You want to use toys in the bedroom?” I said.

“You don’t? I bet the vibrations would add a whole other level. And, you could do the whole double penetration thing without having to rub up against another dude’s balls,” she said.

“DP? You? Us?” I asked.

“You made the slip-up, so why can’t I?” she asked.

I threw back my last shot in a hurry as my mind swirled with all the images in my head. Images of sliding my fingertips inside her pussy while we sat with her parents at the dinner table. Pictures of pulling her into a broom closet in some random ass building and shoving my dick down her throat. Visions of fucking her tight little asshole while a dildo filled her pussy to the brim.

Staring into her eyes while I fucked her slowly in her bed.

Wait, what?”

“Earth to Tyler. Did that one break you?” she asked.

“Not a fucking chance. I’ve used toys before. It’s fun. Let me know which ones you’re curious about, and I’ll get one for you,” I said, winking.

“Uh huh. Sure, hot stuff. I’ve got one last shot. Make it a good one,” she said.

Before I knew what I was doing, I reached over and took her hand. I rested my elbow on the bar as my face slowly made its way toward hers, and by the time I was exactly where I wanted to be, I could smell the sweet alcohol dripping from her pulsing breath.

“I have a fantasy where I take you softly. Slowly. Delicately peeling every inch of your clothing off. I’d start at your toes and work my way up, massaging every single muscle in your body. I’d watch you flush, too shy to beg for what you want most before I had you naked in front of me. I’d stay clothed, robbing you of the sight you truly want before I devoured that sweet little pussy of yours. And then? I’d take you slowly. Torturously. In every way you never imagined a man could. I’d whisper how beautiful you are in the moonlight while a shimmer of sweat broke out on that beautiful chest you’ve got, and by the time you’re ready to cum your limbs would be wrapped around me, shaking. Do you know what happens next?” I asked.

I saw her chest panting as she shook her head, and her eyes danced between my lips and my gaze. I had her right where I wanted her as my heart pounded in my chest, and my hand slid slowly up her thigh

“Anything,” I said, whispering.

She cleared her throat and took the shot before she planted her palms heavily onto the bar. I smirked, keeping my hand exactly where it was as I leaned back to sit on the barstool. I saw a little flush run up her neck before it stopped just shy of her cheeks, but the only thing I could do was stare at her.

She was radiant in a way I’d never seen before, and I wanted to reach out and brush the skin of her neck.

What the fuck was happening to me?

“Come on, let’s go dance,” I said.

“No, no, no. Not after that bullshit. Give me a second,” she said.

“Bullshit, huh?” I asked, grinning.

“Fabulous, fabulous bullshit,” she said breathlessly.

I chuckled as I hit my feet, but the room started to sway. I leaned up against the bar as Amber threw a little smirk in my general direction, and she held out her hand to help me steady my body.

“They’re stronger than you think, idiot,” she said, smiling.

“No fucking joke,” I said.

Her grip on my arm shot a moment of weakness down to my knees, and I had to lean heavily against the bar to keep myself upright. This woman was doing things to me I never imagined a woman could. She seemed to have a power over me even she didn’t realize, and as I looked back into her eyes, I felt that same tightening in my chest.

I cared about Amber. Greatly. I was worried about her when she dropped off the planet and ecstatic when we were openly flirting on Tuesday, and hearing about her sexual fantasies only made me want to fulfill every single one of them. I wanted to hold her in my arms on the dance floor just to have an excuse to feel her, and as her eyes gazed deep into mine, I wondered if she felt the same.

I wondered if she cared for me like I had just realized I cared for her.

“‘Sup, guys?” Kelly asked.

“Aw, you guys waiting for us?” Luke asked.

“Another round of shots!” I called out.

“You think that’s a good idea?” Amber asked.

“Oh, it’s a perfect idea,” I said as I snapped another one back.

“Woo hoo!” Kelly called out. I noticed Luke’s arm was lightly wrapped around her and I saw a few teeth marks blaring freely on his neck. I made a mental note to ask him about it later, but right now I wanted more alcohol.

I needed to wash these bullshit emotions from my body.

“To new business ventures and new ideas,” I said as I held up another shot.

“To beautiful women and loads of money,” Luke said as he held up his.

“To long nights and even longer mornings!” Kelly called out.

“To making sure you guys don’t choke on your own vomit!” Amber said, giggling.

The four of us threw our shots back before Kelly dragged Luke out onto the dance floor. I could see Amber’s eyes trailing off with them, secretly fuming no doubt. Luke was getting on her about not hooking up with me, and yet he freely felt he could hook up with her best friend.

“Come on,” she said as she hopped down from the barstool. “Let’s go dance.”

And that was the last thing I remember before I blacked out.

Chapter 18

Amber

 

 

I woke up the next morning with a pounding headache. I stretched my arms, trying to get the blood flowing so I could get up and take a shower, but I yelped when my elbow came down on something hard. I turned over in bed as the body shifted underneath my covers, and for a split second, I wondered who the fuck was in my bed.

But, the moment I saw the rippling muscles of the back I was staring at, I knew it was Tyler.

Oh, shit. I’d brought Tyler home last night?

I drank much more than I should have at the club. I was trying to forget about the double-standard bullshit that was happening all around me, and now Tyler was in my bed, and I couldn’t remember a damn thing. It wasn’t that I didn’t like him in my bed. I thought it was kind of nice to wake up to him.- But my first gut reaction was wondering if I’d taken him home in front of Luke.

Shit. Luke and Kelly.

I reached for my phone as the comforter peeled away from my naked body, and the mere fact that I was sore told me everything I needed to know. I wish I could remember the night I’d shared with him, but all of that faded into the background when I saw I had two missed calls from Luke.

Two missed calls and no voice messages.

I called him back as I rolled onto my back in bed, and Tyler stirred just as I settled back down. His hand slid across my stomach, pulling me close, and I couldn’t help but smile. I never thought of myself as the kind of girl that wanted to wake up to someone, but his touch was warm and inviting.

It was a very nice way to wake up.

“Amber, what the fuck?” Luke asked.

“And good morning to you, too. You and Kelly use protection?” I asked.

“Cut the shit. I know there’s something going on between you and Tyler, and it ends now,” he said.

“For the last fucking time, Luke, nothing’s happening.”

“I’m getting dressed and heading over to your place now, and if he’s fucking there ass naked in your bed, Mom and Dad will find out, and he’ll be cut out of the company,” he said.

“Whoa whoa whoa whoa,” I said as I sat up in bed. “What the hell’s gotten into you? You can’t fucking do that. You wouldn’t be where you are currently without Tyler!”

“That’s how fucking serious I am about you not doing shit with Tyler,” he said.

“Oh, but you can fuck my best friend? Fine. You fucking touch Kelly again, you even so much as look in her fucking direction—”

“What? What leverage do you have over me?” he asked. “I’m serious. I’m walking out the door now, and if he’s there, you both are done for.”

“Why the hell do you have such a problem with this? And what the fuck kind of proof do you have that we’re screwin’ around?”

“Tyler blurted out to the entire fucking club about how much he was in love with you. Fucking jumped up on stage with a damn shot in his hand, proclaimed his undying love for you and how there’s no other woman for him, then fucking threw the shot back. You practically dragged him offstage and out the door!”

I heard his car crank up in the background as I looked down at Tyler. He had said what? I’d done what? Holy fuck, I wish I could remember it. Just the suggestion of him saying those words made my skin crawl in all the best ways.

Had we made love last night?

“Tyler isn’t good enough for you. Not by a longshot, and he never will be. I get it that you’re pissed that Mom and Dad push their agendas on you, but this one is serious. He will eat you up and spit you out,” Luke said.

“You will stay away from Kelly. The only reason you feel this way is because you’re fucking around with her while you’ve got some pussy back in New York,” I said.

The phone call fell silent, and I snickered into the phone. How stupid did he think I was?

“How stupid do you think I am? You would never get this angry about anything unless you felt it directly reflected onto you somehow. You see how Tyler supposedly treats women, and it disgusts you, but the reason why it makes you mad is that you’re doing the same thing. Stay away from Kelly. You’ll never be good enough for her,” I said.

“Fine. I’m ten minutes out. Make yourself presentable,” he said.

“I’m not letting you anywhere near this apartment,” I said. “Go fuck yourself.”

I hung up the phone and tossed it across the room while the light snores of Tyler’s beautiful body sounded out into the room. I felt tears burn the back of my eyes as I tried to recall last night. Tyler had told an entire club he loved me and I couldn’t even fucking remember it.

The only thing I would remember is how one of the most romantic nights of my life apparently pissed everyone off.

“Tyler,” I said as I pushed his body. “Tyler, wake up.”

“Hm?” he hummed.

“Wake the fuck up, Tyler,” I said.

“What? What? What’s wrong?” he asked.

I watched him roll over, and I saw the claw marks on his chest.

Chapter 19

Tyler

 

 

What the fuck just happened? Granted, I didn’t remember much from last night, but I could tell from the marks on our bodies that we both must’ve been turned on by that conversation we had at the bar. Did I expect to wake up next to Amber? No. I didn’t do that bullshit. Staying with women wasn’t what I fucking did. But, we were both wasted last night. It didn’t surprise me that we dropped our guard and ended up crossing some boundaries.

So, why the fuck did she throw me out like that?

Did it really freak her out that much that I’d stayed?

I called a cab before I looked back up at Amber’s apartment. I saw flashes of movement behind the curtain of her balcony, and part of me wanted to go back up there. No one fucking threw Tyler Raymond out. I was the one with the standards. I was the one with the emotional control. I thought back to how she looked, how vulnerable she was wrapped up in nothing but a sheet. I ducked my head into the cab before I headed back to Luke’s parents’ house, and that’s when I realized something.

She had looked a bit scared.

Did I do something last night to frighten her? Shit. Out of all the nights I had to be blackout drunk.

“Fuck!” I exclaimed.

I got to Ron and Darlene’s and paid the cab driver well. I walked into the house, hoping I could scoot upstairs and get a shower before Luke saw me coming back in the same clothes I was in last night. If we were hiding this from him, then that shit would be a dead fucking giveaway.

But, as I was rounding the corner up the stairs, Luke stopped me in my tracks.

“Have a nice night?” he asked.

“Yeah. I was blackout drunk. I’m sure it was wonderful,” I said.

“We need to talk,” he said.

Luke started to walk to his room, expecting me to follow, but I just stayed where I was. I held my head in my hands as my hangover pounded against my skull, and all I could do was sigh.

“Don’t get dead drunk and your head won’t hurt. Get in here,” he said.

“The fuck do you want, Luke?” I asked. “I need a shower.”

“To wash off my sister?” he asked.

“Holy hell, Luke. For the last time drop it.”

“Cut the shit,” he said. “I asked one thing from you. Just one before we came on this damn trip: stay away from my sister. You’re bullshit with women, and she deserves better. And what do you fucking do? You fall in love with her.”

What the hell was he talking about? Falling in love with Amber? Had he lost his fucking sense?

“You don’t remember, do you? You don’t remember getting so drunk you hopped on stage last night, stole the mic, and proclaimed your undying love for my sister?” he asked.

“Maybe your sister’s pussy,” I murmured.

“What the fuck did you say?” he asked.

“Dude. I was hammered. The hell do you want me to say?” I asked.

“I’m only going to tell you one last time before there are consequences. Stay away from Amber. If you don’t, you’ll ruin your life as well as hers. And she’s been through too much for that to happen,” he said.

“The way I see it, the only people ruining her life are her own fucking family,” I said.

He grabbed my shirt and that caught my attention. I stood straight up as Luke pulled me toward him, so I puffed out my chest. I set my face in stone, ready for whatever punch he thought he could deal to me. This little shit thought he could hit me over some hypocrite bullshit? I’d show him what a real man felt like the moment my fist connected with his jaw.

“I will ruin you both if you two don’t stop,” he said.

“Uh huh. And how’s that?” I asked.

“The first thing I’ll do is write you out of the company. Remember who you’re looking at. You might be a partner, but I’m the owner. Founder. Creator. I can hire and fire whoever I wish,” he said.

“Are you fucking serious?” I asked.

“And I’ll tell my parents about you and Amber. Fucking hell, my mom would have a field day, and Dad would probably be so angry he’d cut her off from everything. You think her life is bad now? Keep fucking around with her,” he said.

I shoved him off me and straightened my coat and shirt before I balled my fists up at my sides. Luke had lost his damn mind, and at this point, I didn’t know if I even wanted to consider him my fucking business partner anyway. He’d always had a level head, a bright mind set in a body that looked deceivingly innocent. I had come to trust him over the years, and we’d fallen into the roles we played: he was the handsome negotiator, and I was the rugged shark. Depending on the customer or client determined which one of us they got.

It’s why we were so successful.

“You’re willing to throw away everything we worked for because you don’t want your sister screwing me,” I said.

“Yes,” he said. “I’m serious about this. Stay the hell away.”

“You’d do all that? Ruin the company and your sister’s family life?”

“I would. I wouldn’t destroy the business, I’d hire a new partner. As for Amber, she’s got her limits. Mom and Dad cutting her off would be that limit. She wouldn’t be gone for long,” he said.

“I wouldn’t be too sure about that, brother dear,” I said sarcastically. “I’m pretty sure your sister’s itching for a way to write you all off.”

“Well, keep screwing around with her, and she won’t have to find another reason. It’ll be done for her,” he said.

I couldn’t stay here anymore. This family was absolutely nuts, and I didn’t feel wanted or safe. Running my hands through my hair, I backtracked to my room and began throwing things into my suitcase.

“What’re you doing?” Luke asked.

“Packing,” I said.

“Where the fuck are you going?” he asked.

“Anywhere but here. A hotel. Home. I don’t know. I just know I’m not staying in this house a second longer,” I said.

“Dude, come on. I’m serious. You’re blowing this out of proportion over my sister,” he said.

“I’m blowing it out of proportion?” I said as I whipped around. “You just threatened the success of the company as well as your sister’s existence in your family so you can have control over who she fucks, dude!”

“I need you to understand how serious I am about this,” he said, leaning against the doorway.

“Then listen to how serious I am about this.”

I zipped up my suitcase and pushed past him as I made my way to the stairs. I clutched Ron and Darlene’s Christmas gifts in my hand as I descended. They met me at the bottom of the stairs where they were standing, trying to figure out what all the commotion was about. I handed them their respective bags as Luke followed behind me.

“Mrs. D, thank you so much for your hospitality,” I said. “Mr. Duffield, thank you for opening your home to me. But, I won’t be joining you for Christmas.”

“Oh, come on, Tyler! It’s not worth it!” Luke exclaimed.

“You know what? Maybe that’s the issue,” I said as I turned to look at him. “Maybe it’s about time she was worth it.”

“Who was worth it, honey?” Darlene asked. “Is everything alright? Did we do something wrong?”

Oh, how I wanted to answer her question honestly. How I wanted to stick it to every single one of them before I flipped them all off and screamed ‘go to hell’ while backing out of the driveway in the cab. How I wanted to break every single one of them down and let them know that Amber and her attitudes were a product of their environment.

How I wanted to make them cry with shame.

But, I drew in a deep breath before I pulled my phone out and called a cab, and the entire time they were all looking at me for an answer.

“I no longer feel welcome,” I said, glaring at Luke. “Happy holidays, everyone.”

I walked past Luke’s parents and made my way outside as I stood on the corner of the street. I had to call Amber. I had to call and ask her what the hell happened this morning, because if it was anything like what had just happened to me, then I needed her to know I got it.

And I needed to thank her for keeping me at the forefront of her mind.

“What?” she asked.

“Don’t hang up,” I said. “Answer one question: did you get a phone call from Luke this morning?”

Her silence told me everything.

“He cornered me in the house,” I said as the cab pulled up to the corner. “Threatening my job and telling me he’d isolate you from the family if we kept up what we were doing.”

“I can’t let you lose your job over me just because we’re screwing around, Tyler,” she said.

“‘Just screwing around.’ Is that all we’re doing?” I asked.

And again, her silence told me volumes.

“I’m climbing into a cab. I no longer feel welcome at your parents’ house, and I won’t be spending Christmas with them. I’m booking myself a hotel for the rest of the stay. If I send you the address, will you show up?” I asked.

The cab driver pulled away from the curb, and I asked him to drive around. Honestly, at this point, she was the only thing anchoring me to LA The business left to be done setting up the new location could easily be completed over the phone, and if I wasn’t going to be able to see Amber anymore, then I needed to head to the airport and go the fuck home.

“Sure. I,” her voice hesitated. “I’ll come to the hotel.”

“Give me five minutes to book one, and I’ll send you the address, okay?” I asked. “And Amber?”

“Yeah?”

“I know you’re scared. Kicking me out because of what he said shows me you give a shit about me. And with what Luke threatened, it shows me I haven’t been cared about in a long time. Thank you.”

I knew it sounded like some soppy, cheesy bullshit, but I was serious. Her kicking me out after her brother threatened my job and her home life meant, at least, on some level, that she cared. She gave a shit about what happened to me as well as herself, and that spoke deeper than I think she even realized.

“Five minutes,” I said.

I hung up the phone and pulled up a travel app on my phone. I booked the nearest hotel before I showed the cab driver where to go, and I shot the message off to Amber. I needed to see her. I needed to hold her and comfort her and tell her everything was going to be alright.

The cab driver was pulling into the parking lot of the hotel just as Amber messaged me she was on her way, and I smiled as I got out of the car.

At least for now, everything was going to be alright. As long as I had her, at least.

Chapter 20

Amber

 

 

I used a room key Tyler left for me down at the lobby check-in to get into the room. There he was, sitting at a table by the window, just staring down at the city. His brow was furrowed as if he was deep in thought while his legs were sprawled out underneath the table, but all I could see was the hurt misting in his eyes. What Luke had done to him, what he had done to both of us, was wrong, and I could tell it was wearing Tyler down. He had bags underneath his eyes, no doubt from the hangover we were both still nursing, and I dug around in my purse for some migraine medicine before I walked toward him.

“Here,” I said, handing it to him. “I’ll get you some water.”

“Thanks.” I watched as he opened the container of medication and swallowed two pills like it was nothing before he went back to staring out the window. I grabbed a water from the stocked mini-fridge in the room before I looked around at how grand it was. The massive bed was covered with what looked to be luxurious Egyptian cotton sheets, and the bathroom held a spacious walk-in shower and a jet bathtub.

Even my mother would be impressed, and that was saying something.

“Here,” I said as I set the water down in front of him. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fucking pissed,” he said as I sat down at the table.

“Don’t blame you,” I said.

“He told me he’d cut me out of the damn company. Give me nothing. After everything I’ve done to make it successful. Just because we are fucking. Said he’d tell your family and get them to cut you off or some bullshit like they aren’t already doing that anyway,” he said.

“I know,” I said.

“You know?”

“Yeah. I know because Luke called me this morning. It’s why I kicked you out,” I said.

“He told you all that over the phone this morning?”

“He did. And it petrified me. Hell, I don’t care about my family kicking me out. All that would do was give me my freedom. But you? You’ve worked too hard alongside my brother to lose everything, and you deserve better than that. I can’t let that happen to you,” I said.

“Amber, look at me.”

I raised my gaze to meet his, and somehow it seemed a bit softer. His eyes didn’t look as hurt, and his frown didn’t seem so set in stone any longer. He leaned over and held out his palm, beckoning for my hand as a tear flooded down my cheek.

And I placed my hand in his as I relished in how warm his touch was.

“I’d hire a fucking lawyer and take half his shit before he kicked me out,” he said, grinning.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know what to do this morning. I still don’t know what to do,” I said.

“I understand. I’m a bit lost myself right now. I’m glad they don’t know where I am. The last thing Luke needs to do for his health is come find me. You know he grabbed me by my shirt and pulled me in like he was going to hit me or something?”

“Wait, my brother did what?” I asked.

“Yeah. Had I not been so pissed I would’ve actually been kind of proud,” he said, chuckling. “But, you don’t have to worry about this situation. Monetarily, I’ll be okay.”

“It’s not about the money, though,” I said. “You and Luke have developed a strong friendship. I mean, this is some bullshit, yes. But, he trusts you. And you trust him, right?”

“I did. Until now,” he said.

“I’ve seen the two of you together. You push each other to work harder, and you make each other better. I didn’t kick you out because I thought he was going to pull your hard-earned money from you. I kicked you out because it was going to ruin your friendship.”

“You do understand he’s the one ruining it, right?” he asked.

“I get that. But, I can’t be the reason you guys tank. I wouldn’t be able to live with that,” I said.

“And you won’t have to,” he said as he traced circles on my skin. “I promise.”

“How are we going to fix this?” I asked.

“We aren’t. Luke and I are done,” he said.

“Tyler. Come on. I mean, the business, you can’t just split something like that can you?” I asked.

“Actually, you can. I’m the type of person that thinks through all the contingencies, and I’ve thought long and hard over the years about what would happen if Luke and I were to go our separate ways.”

“Are you really done with him, Tyler?” I asked.

“He threatened to take away everything. He threatened me, his business partner. He put your relationship with your family on the line, and he’s a fucking hypocrite. You know as well as I do that he’s fucking around with your best friend, and yet he’s pissed that we’re doing the same. I can’t work with someone like that. One of the reasons we worked was because he had better morals than me. He made me a better person, not just a better businessman. But now, he no longer has his morals. He’s on a rampage for control. And he won’t be able to control our relationship. He’s fucked his way out of his own control, and I’m not giving it back to him to smooth things over,” he said.

As I sat there and listened to him, I had to support him. While I felt wholly and completely responsible for the downfall of their friendship, I knew where he was coming from. If my business partner grabbed me by the shirt and threatened me, I’d be pulling out, too.

“So, what are you going to do?” I asked.

“I’m going to break off the LA section we’re currently establishing and keep it for myself. I’m the one who’s signed all the paperwork and his name currently isn’t on any of it because he’s still fucking around with whether or not to keep the space I chose. Right now, he has no power over it, and I won’t give it to him. I’ll franchise it out or something, but there’s no way Luke can treat me this way and still be my friend. we’re done.”

“I get it. I understand,” I said.

“Do you remember anything about last night?” he asked.

Do I tell him what Luke said to me? Did Luke already tell him this morning? Was he talking about the incident in the bar with the microphone or was he talking about waking up with these marks on our bodies?

“Not much,” I said, giggling.

“I honestly can’t remember if we fucked or not last night,” he said.

“I think these marks on our bodies say otherwise,” I said.

“I don’t know, that could just be from a ferocious necking session,” he said.

“You? Just necking? Seriously?” I asked.

He got up from his seat and pulled me into him. His body felt so warm and strong against mine, but I was very much aware of where this was going.

“Tyler, this is what’s gotten us into this situation,” I said as I pressed my hands on his chest.

“Amber, I don’t fucking care,” he said.

“You should,” I said, looking up at him. “You’re about to lose everything because of it.”

“Only half,” he said, grinning. “And I think what I’ve gained is much better than the half I’m losing.”

“And what are you gaining?” I asked.

I held his gaze for what seemed like an eternity. His hand dipped lower on my back, pressing me into him while his other hand cupped my cheek. I could feel myself already spilling into my panties as my knees grew weak, and my legs collapsed from underneath me as he caught me. His thumb traced the apple of my cheek, flushed with embarrassment, fear, and lust.

I wanted him more than I could stand, but what I’d already cost him was too much for me.

“Tyler, we can’t.”

His lips silenced me, and I threw my arms around his neck. Our teeth clattered together as we moved toward the bed, and his lips were all over my neck before I could protest any further. We didn’t need to be doing this. We couldn’t be doing this. We’d lose everything if my family found out we were still doing this.

But holy fuck, he felt so good.

We ripped each other’s clothes off before I jumped and wrapped my legs around him. He barreled me into the wall, sucking on my hard nipple as I moaned and writhed against him. His throbbing cock found its home in my wet pussy as it slid in effortlessly, and he fucked me until my tits were bouncing in his face.

He threw me onto the bed and turned me over, my ass staring at him as he knelt behind me. He slid into my swollen pussy, my walls clamping down around him as he snapped his hips against mine. His cock was throbbing against my body as his thrusts pushed me farther and farther onto the bed. I let out a gasp when his hand reached down, and his fingers started flicking over my clit. The sweet sensation made me shiver and cry out for more.

He continued stroking me with his finger as his cock slammed into my tightening pussy. I was on fire, gripping the bedding and moaning as the intensity spiraled me higher. When the orgasm rocked through me, I cried out as my pussy clenched around his cock and my toes curled. My body was shaking as it plummeted to the bed, begging for rest but craving more.

I needed more of him.

I needed all of him.

“Come here, beautiful.” He turned me around onto my back before he sank between my legs, and his fingertips danced along my forehead as they brushed the hair from my face. His fingers danced along my nose, my cheeks, my lips, and they puckered to kiss their tips as his eyes danced along my features. It was like he was memorizing me, enjoying me like this was the last time he would be able to.

And there was something inside that sunk when I thought about this being the last time I’d ever get to feel him.

“Tyler,” I said.

“Yes?”

“Take me.”

He slid into me slowly, torturously. Watching my every reaction as his dick parted my pussy lips. My eyes fluttered closed, and my hands slowly ran down his back, and the second I dug my fingertips into the meat of his rippling back, I knew I would never want to let go. His hips began to roll into mine, slowly and delicately, and my lips reached up for his as our worlds collided once more.

My juices dripped down his cock and balls as he picked up his pace, and I wrapped my legs around him to draw him closer. The heat in my pelvis was building again as our skin slapping together was getting louder and faster. His head dipped into the crook of my neck as my nails raked down his skin, and his groans were muffled by my body as his dick slammed deeper into my pussy.

“Cum for me, Tyler,” I said.

“We’ll do this together,” he said.

His hands found mine as he interlocked our fingers and pinned them above my head. Our eyes connected as his balls slapped my ass, and I felt ready to pop. My jaw unhinged and my breathless pants became mindless groans, and my back arched off the bed as he dipped his face into my breasts.

“Yes, Tyler. Fuck. Yes! Oh, shit. Yes. Yes. Yes. I’m almost there. Almost there. Almost.”

My body let go, falling over the mountain top as Tyler’s dick twitched deep within me. His hips stuttered before they stilled, snapping hard against mine one last time while my pussy clamped down around his cock. I could feel his pumps filling me, coating my pussy walls with his hot streams of cum, and his lips peppered my neck with kisses before my back fell toward the bed.

And as the two of us laid there, shivering with the aftershocks of our orgasms, that was when I realized a very dark, startling truth.

There was no way in hell I was letting this man go, even if it cost me my family.

Chapter 21

Tyler

 

 

I woke up this morning and decided to go to the new office. I knew what I had to do, and I didn’t want to give Luke the chance to put his name on anything before I hit him with what was coming. He needed to know that his actions had consequences.

He couldn’t be a badass without ruining a few relationships.

I arrived at the office and had the agent with the paperwork meet me there. I explained to him what was going on and asked him whether or not he needed Luke’s signature on anything, and he gave it to me straight. He told me that, as of right now, Luke had no claims on the property. According to how we laid out this transition, I was the head of opening the LA department.

That meant Luke didn’t have to sign for anything, but it also meant he had no control over it.

I told the man that Luke would probably come by this morning and try to sign. I gave him the number of the lawyer I was using just in case he had any problems, but I didn’t even get out of the office before Luke pulled up. I asked the agent to please stay where he was, and I wouldn’t drag him into anything unnecessary.

And when Luke stepped out of the car, I could tell this was eating him alive.

“Tyler, good. You’re here,” he said as he jogged up to me. “Listen, man. I’m so fucking sorry for what happened.”

“You should be,” I said.

“What I threatened you with was wrong. But, I mean, you can see where I’m coming from right? How you treat women and shit? It’s not right, dude.”

“Opinion heard,” I said.

“Opinion? Man, I watched as you fucked some random girl in a red dress in the bathroom of a club the night before we flew out here. Who does that?” he asked.

“You do, apparently,” I said. “Or does the name Kelly not ring a bell?”

“You’re still mad,” he said.

“You’re damn right I’m still mad, so this is how it’s going to work. We can do this peacefully, or we can call my lawyer.”

“Lawyer? What fucking lawyer?” he asked.

“The way we split this up, I was going to be in charge of the LA portion of the business. So, we split it 50/50. Everything down the middle. The business stays the same as well as the operations, but you get whatever profits you garner from over there, and I’ll get any profits I garner from here,” I said.

“What the fuck?” he asked.

“The fuck is right. You don’t get to posture and puff out your chest the way you’ve been doing and there not be consequences. You want to know why I went into business with you?”

“Why?” he asked.

“Because you had morals. Standards. Did I fuck around with women? Yep. Did I slay some serious pussy? No doubt. Did you keep me honest about what I was doing? You sure as hell did. You were the model. The person I was aspiring to be one day when I found a woman who was worth it. But you’re pissed because instead of seeing the influence you were, all you can think about is the fact that the woman in this scenario is your sister,” I said.

“Holy fuck, you’re fucking my sister,” he said, raking his hands through his hair.

“Did you really not put that together until now? Did you seriously threaten this whole fucking company under the assumption that I was about to fuck your sister?”

The look he gave me blew me away. He hadn’t realized I was fucking his sister until now. He pulled all the asinine bullshit drama on only the assumption we were screwing around.

“Holy hell, you’re a piece of work, Luke. Get some damn help for your control issues. See if they have a fucking family discount for that circus affair you’ve got going on in town,” I said.

“Don’t you talk about my family that way,” he said.

“Or what? You’ll take the company from me?” I asked. “50/50. You go home and deal with what you’ve already grown, and I’ll grow what I’ve signed for here. The business can still be under the name we established, but they’ll operate off two separate bank accounts and heads.”

“I can’t believe you’re pulling this shit over some pussy, dude,” he said.

“I’m not pulling this shit over pussy,” I said. “I’m doing this because I love Amber.”

“Funny, she’s never said a fucking thing about loving you,” he said.

“Fuck you. Get the hell off my property,” I said.

“Are you seriously going to do this? Split the damn company over a fight?” he said.

“You can call my lawyer if you have any questions. Now, get the fuck off my property,” I said.

I shoved a piece of paper with the lawyer’s number on it before Luke scoffed and walked off. I turned back to the building and nodded to the guy with the paperwork, and I finalized the purchase before I put the down payment on it. I was putting more down than initially agreed on because I would need the much lower rent for the building to stay afloat doing things this way, but my head was already swimming with ideas.

I was going to be just fine, and I could still give Amber a space for her dance studio. If she was serious about it, that would help with rent and operating costs, too.

I took out my phone and called Amber as I stood in the entryway of my new life, but she didn’t pick up. I tried calling again, but the phone just rang and rang. She wasn’t shooting me to voicemail, so maybe she was just busy, but I got the distinct feeling that something was still wrong.

That’s when my mind began to whirl. What if I’d just lost my best friend? What If I’d just lost the woman I loved? What if she really didn’t feel the way I felt, and I’d just thrown away my chances at being successful in life? At sticking it to my parents?

Shit.

I jogged to my car and drove by Amber’s apartment, but I didn’t see her car. The lights were off in her place, and there wasn’t a shadow moving around behind the curtain. I headed back to the hotel room, white-knuckling the steering wheel as my head spun with all that had happened, and as I shoved my shoulder into the hotel door, a thought popped into my head.

Should I really be staying here in LA?

What was here for me if Amber wasn’t?

Sure, there was a business, but it was a business I’d have to rebuild. I wouldn’t be turning a profit for at least a year, if not two, and I’d be living above the business in some rusted out apartment. I wouldn’t be able to put the money into finishing the apartment until I was turning a profit, which meant I had to stare at exposed walls and sleep on an air mattress.

Amber wouldn’t stay with someone like that. Amber couldn’t love someone like that.

Hell, I couldn’t even love someone like that.

And as I caught my form in the mirror, haggard and sunken in from the stress of the past few days, I finally let my guard down. I allowed the tears of frustration to overflow my eyes in the loneliness of this hotel room before I sat on the edge of the bed and cried.

The bed that still smelled like her.

Chapter 22

Amber

 

 

“Are you fucking serious!?” I yelled.

“We told you what we needed you to do,” my father said. “This family needed you to step up and be a woman. To step up and take one for the team. And you went behind our backs and did the one thing we told you not to do.”

“All I did was fucking register a company name for my dance studio!” I exclaimed.

“What is it with you and this frivolous dream?” my mother asked. “We told you when you started college that we’d allow you to major in dance on one condition. You’d come back and run the family business to pay back the education we paid for so you could pursue some idiotic dream.”

“And that’s what I’m doing, Mom. Pursuing my ‘idiotic dream,’” I said.

“You made us a promise, and you broke that promise,” my father said. “There are consequences when you do that.”

“This is such bullshit. How the hell could you allow Luke to go and follow his dreams and then stick me with something that makes me completely miserable? How is that fair?” I asked.

“Your brother is a successful businessman.”

“But we didn’t know he was going to turn out like that!” I yelled. “We didn’t know he was going to succeed when he took off for New York City. You guys trusted him! Why can’t you trust me?”

“We tried. When you made us that promise, we did trust you. And you broke that trust when you registered your business name,” my father said.

“And how the hell did you even figure out I had?” I asked.

“Our PI, sweetheart,” my mother said.

I was stunned. Rooted to the ground. My parents had a private investigator following me? They kept some bitch on retainer? What the hell was wrong with my family? What kind of mental mafia-family movie was I born into?

“You had a detective follow me?” I asked.

“At first, it was just to keep you safe. When we saw you’d be safe at college, it stopped in favor of other things having to do with the production business. But, when you started talking about opening your own dance studio, I directed his attention back to you,” my father said.

“You’ve fucking had me followed?” I said. “Do you not realize how absolutely insane that is? People have been permanently committed to asylums in this country for less!”

“Your father isn’t crazy, he’s just protective. He built that business from nothing, and his ungrateful daughter isn’t even willing to fulfill her promise to take it over. We gave you a bargain: work until you’ve paid off what we put into your pointless schooling, and then you can go do whatever you wish,” my mother said.

“Pointless? Ungrateful? Do you even hear yourselves? Do you even taste the disgusting double-standard flying from your mouth? I do not want to run the company. I want to open my own dance studio. I do not need your help to do it. Did you even give Luke this choice?” I asked.

“No, because he majored in something practical,” my father said.

“You two are the most insane human beings I’ve ever encountered,” I said.

“I don’t know how in the world I raised such an ungrateful daughter, but no more,” my mother said. “You’re done.”

“Done? What the hell does that mean, ‘I’m done’?” I asked.

“You’re cut off,” my father said.

I panned my gaze over to him and looked him in his eyes. Had Luke talked to them anyway? Had he somehow planned this? Was this my punishment for fucking his best friend? My phone had been vibrating in my back pocket during the entire conversation, but I couldn’t pick it up. If I did, I’d lose the only chance I had to try and talk some sense into my parents. I couldn't allow the constant vibrations to distract me from what I was trying to do.

Was this my punishment for caring about Tyler?

“What?” I asked breathlessly.

“You think you can do this without us, then that’s fine. Your credit cards were cut off this morning, and your phone no longer works. Well, it won’t after today,” my mother said.

“What?” I asked flatly.

“You said so yourself: you can do this without us. Luke couldn’t even do it without us, honey. We gave him a loan for his business to get started, and he paid us back when he could.”

“Then why the fuck can’t you do that for me, Daddy!” I screamed. “Why can’t you provide me with a loan so I can open my own fucking business just like Luke?”

“Because people need food, Amber,” my mother said. “Just like people will always need entertainment. Your father and brother built a business that is powered by nothing else but our country’s own consumerism tendencies. Food is a necessity, especially if it’s good food, and entertainment will always be needed to pull people out of their miserable life and toss them into an exciting distraction for a while. But dance isn’t a demand product. It’s a hobby, sweetheart.”

“This town has dozens of dance studios scattered within it and around it. You’re not giving them something they don’t already have. We’re just trying to save you from failure, honey,” my father said.

“No, what you’re trying to do is control me. Just like Luke has been trying to control me,” I said.

“What has Luke been doing, honey?” my mother asked.

“Stop talking to me like I’m some wounded toddler throwing a tantrum!” I exclaimed.

“Then stop addressing us like one,” my father said.

“You’re really cutting me off?” I asked. “You’re letting me walk out of this house without a way to contact me by phone? You’re allowing your daughter to be homeless just to exert your control over me?”

“It’s not control. Like your father said, You made us a promise, and you broke it. There are consequences to your actions,” my mother said.

“Oh no. Let’s get one thing straight right now: consequences for breaking a promise are things like lectures, timeouts, and groundings. Not eviction, starvation, and lack of contact,” I said. “Do you realize you are doing this all because I registered a business name? What if I wanted to hold onto it until I was done working? What if I wanted to reserve it for a later time? You are blowing this completely out of proportion over four pieces of paperwork that were filed over the weekend!”

“Are you going to come work for the company like you promised?” my father asked.

In that moment, I realized I wasn’t going to win. If my dream meant that much to me, I was going to have to do it on my own. I was going to have to live in my car or some bullshit while I made this happen. There was nothing I could say to my parents that would get them to change their minds. They were holding over my head a promise I made to them when I was seventeen years old. A promise I was making without having any idea of the ramifications. They knew what they were doing. They all knew how manipulative they were being, and if I wanted to break the chains my family had tried to shackle me in, this was what it was going to take.

“No, Daddy,” I said. “I am not.”

“Then it’s out of my hands,” he said.

“It’s always been in your hands. Ron,” I said breathlessly. “You just choose to take this route because you’re pissed that one day you’ll be gone and neither one of your kids took up your same passion.”

“You will not address your father by his first name,” my mother said.

“Darlene. I’ll call you by ‘mom’ and ‘dad’ when you both start acting like one. The only thing that matters to you two is legacy, and if it was up to Darlene over here the only legacy I’d have would be the children I’d pump out after marrying rich. It’s not out of your hands, Ron. You’ve just chosen control over caring about your daughter,” I said.

“I’ve always cared—”

I didn’t allow him to finish the sentence before I turned on my heels and stormed toward the front door. I stooped down to pick up my purse on the way out.

I didn’t want to hear their lies about how they loved me and cared about me, and how they only wanted what was best for me. The vile they just spewed at me showed me exactly where they stood on my dreams, and I was more determined than ever to make them happen. I’d do it all without their help, without a loan from them or any of that bullshit. Then I could lord it over their heads. I could tell my brother I did it without their help while he needed help, and I could write my parents off forever.

I got into my car and raced down the road. My mind was swirling at a thousand miles a second as numbers started flying through my head. My car payment wasn’t too big, but I could trade it in and get something less expensive without payments. If I could snag a car big enough, I could live out of it and save the money on rent and bills. I could get a cheap prepaid cell phone to register as a temporary business phone until I got up and running. My credit was alright which meant I had a decent shot at getting a loan with an interest rate that wouldn’t fuck me in the ass.

At that moment, I remembered my phone had been vibrating. It had happened throughout the entire conversation, so I raised up off my ass to dig it out of my pocket. I had to contact Tyler and let him know what was happening, so if he tried to call me he wouldn’t be pissed when I didn’t pick up. But I quickly discovered my phone wasn’t there.

“Fuck!” I yelled.

I whipped a U-turn in the middle of the road and sped back toward the house. It must’ve fallen out of my back pocket as I was storming out of the house, and I knew damn good and well my parents weren’t going to give that thing back to me. It still wasn’t paid off with the phone company, but it was worth a shot.

I had to get in touch with Tyler somehow, and I didn’t have his number memorized.

I pulled up into the driveway and left the car running as I slammed through the front door. I looked around on the floor before back-tracking into the kitchen, and I saw my mother sitting there at the table twirling it between her fingers.

“Give me my phone,” I said.

“It’s not your phone. We’re still paying on it,” she said.

“You said it wasn’t cut off until tonight. I just have one phone call I need to make,” I said.

“Too bad,” she said.

“Fine, then just let me get the number, and I’ll make a call from the gas station. Come on, Mom. This is getting ridiculous,” I said.

“Oh, so I’m Mom again when you need something?” she asked.

“No. I’ve always needed you, and you’ve never been there. Now, I’m giving you one last shot to give me one simple thing I need: a number,” I said.

“Then tell me whose number you want, and I’ll read it out to you,” she said.

“I’m not giving you the password to that phone.” If I did, she would see all my text messages and phone calls with Tyler, and that was not an argument I was ready to have. I didn’t have the energy to defend my studio and my relationship all in one day.

“Then, I guess you don’t get it,” she said.

“Fine. I don’t need you anyway,” I said.

I stormed back out of the house. My hands were shaking, and I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I knew Tyler would know what to do. If I could just get to him and tell him what was going on, he would help me come up with a plan. My mind was spinning as I made my way to his hotel room, and I came to a screeching halt in a parking space before I made my way into the lobby.

I zoomed right by the desk and up to his room where I proceeded to knock on his door, but when no sound happened behind it, I started to bang.

“Tyler! It’s me. Can you please open up?”

I banged and banged. I pounded so hard people began poking their heads out of their own rooms. The door began to rattle, and my hand began to ache. Tears began to stream down my face.

“Tyler, please!” I shrieked.

I slammed the door with my knee, and when that didn’t work I kicked it hard. Where the hell had he gone? Where was he? How long would it be before he came back?

“Tyler, please,” I said, sobbing.

I pressed my forehead against the door as I slowly fell to my knees. Snot poured down my face as my chest began to hiccup, and suddenly my world crashed in around me. I had no family, I had no friends. I had no brother, and I had no money. I had no cell phone to call for help, and in a few weeks, I wouldn’t even have an apartment to call home.

And now, I didn’t have Tyler.

“Miss?” someone asked.

I tried to compose myself, turning my head to see the attendant kneeling next to me, and he reached out his hand to rub my back.

“Can I get you anything?” he asked.

“The—the guy who was in this—this room. Where is he? When is he coming back?” I said between sobs and gasps for breath as I wiped my face.

“Mr. Raymond?” he asked.

“Uh huh,” I said.

“Mr. Raymond checked out about an hour ago. I’m so sorry. Is there someone I could call for you?”

No. There was no one he could call for me because I had no one. And even if I did have someone, I didn’t know their number. I didn’t know Tyler’s number or Luke’s. I didn’t know Kelly’s or home’s. I had no important phone numbers memorized for anyone to call anyone else for me.

“No. No thanks,” I said.

“Come on. Let me help you to your car,” he said.

I got back out to my car and cleaned myself up before I hit the road. The only place I had to go was home, and I might as well stay there because, in three and a half weeks, I would be done. I figured I could call the front desk and tell them what was going on to see if I could lessen the monetary penalty that would come my way when my lease was eventually broken, but I didn’t have a phone to call them with.

In the span of a weekend, my entire world had completely imploded. I lost my brother, I lost my family, I lost my home, and I lost Tyler. The dreams of my dance studio now seemed to pale in comparison to the fact that I didn’t know how I was going to live, especially on the part-time job I kept in town. The truth of the matter was, my parents paid for a great deal. They did that under the assumption that I’d take over the family business. I gallivanted around town and ran up their credit cards, and they kept their mouths shut because I had a path I was supposed to eventually follow.

Now, I had nothing. They had pulled everything to teach me a lesson, to get me to come crawling back to them. And while there was a part of me that was fueled by my anger to succeed, there was a part of me that knew it would just be easier if I did.

Easier if I caved.

Easier if I groveled.

Tyler was gone, and so was his support. His support and caring nature and those beautiful almond-shaped eyes that seemed to bring me solace. The only person that was worth still hanging onto was nowhere to be found, and in that very moment, my heart shattered.

And I sobbed in my car as I leaned my forehead against the steering wheel.

Chapter 23

Tyler

 

 

I slung my bag into the rental car before I hopped behind the wheel of the car. I sure as hell wasn’t flying back to New York City. If I was going to leave LA and start my life completely over, I was going to make it a hell of a road trip along the way. I was over and done with LA anyway. It was Luke’s idea to open some bullshit place here so he could be closer to his family. Doesn’t make any fucking sense for me to stick around.

My family’s not the one in LA anyway.

I was an idiot to come out here. To think a family like his could not be batshit crazy. The way he talked about his family, it was like their shit smelled of lavender and roses. Like they could do no wrong. Except all I saw was them taking their solid gold shits on Amber while they tried to plaster on smiles.

And Luke! That was some fucking shit, him doing what the hell he did. He accused me of throwing all this away on some pussy? He was the one freaking out that his grown ass sister was getting some hot sex! He was the one that blew a fucking gasket, not me. He was the one that was pissed I was screwing his sister, not me. He was the one that blew all this up over some pussy, not me!

If anything, LA had been nothing but heartache since I’d gotten here. From the moment we stepped into that fucking house, and I realized who his sister was, I was done for. The moment she came out of that kitchen in that plain pair of jeans and that stupid shirt that covered all the curves I could remember, I knew it would be a hell of a ride for sure.

I didn’t think it would end the fucking company, though.

I pulled into a gas station to top off the tank and get some drinks. I’d need the fuel to drive through the night just so I could rest easy that Luke wouldn’t try to pull some shit and follow me. That dude was a pussy when it came to driving at night, so I had to use that to my advantage. LA would watch the red taillights of my car recede while I flicked it off and told it to kiss my fucking ass.

I walked into the gas station and got me some energy drinks and paid for the gas at pump one before I came out to top off the tank. The damn rental place didn’t even get the car filled up before they handed it over to me, so I made sure to take a picture and note it so I could cash in on it later. No one could fucking take advantage of me.

I was Tyler fucking Raymond. I did what I want, felt what I want, and didn’t let anyone bully me or boss me around.

Luke was learning that lesson the hard way.

I came back out to the car and put the drinks into the backseat before I popped the gas tank open. A car rolled up beside me at pump two, blaring some dumbass music or some shit. I tried to take deep breaths and keep my anger under control. The last thing I needed was a police officer arresting me for acting out when my nerves were already shot.

I shoved the pump nozzle into my tank. I propped the nozzle up and leaned against the car, my ribcage rumbling with the music coming from that fucking car. The nerve of people to not give a shit about others around them. I was going to give them a piece of my mind through gritted teeth. I could tell the music was bothering other people, so now I had an excuse.

You can’t bother other people with your loud ass shit.

“Excuse me, could you turn the music down.”

I looked around the pumping bay and saw a woman leaning up against a car I recognized. The Mustang GT in gray blared its music as the woman’s eyes grew wide. I scanned her body, not sure I was seeing who I thought I was.

And then that beautiful smile lit up her face.

“Tyler?” Amber asked.

“Amber,” I said.

“Music too loud?” she said, smirking. “What are you doing? I didn’t think you came with a car.”

“I didn’t. It’s a rental,” I said.

“Where’re you headed?” she asked.

“Out of town.

“Wait. Why?” she asked.

“Nothing here for me,” I said.

“What do you mean there’s nothing here for you. You’ve got your business and the office space. The loft above it and—”

I looked into her eyes and begged her to say it. Every single part of me wanted to hear her finish that statement. Her eyes grew distant, and she turned her gaze back to the counter on the pump station she was at. I felt my heart sink to my stomach while she heaved a heavy sigh.

“I tried calling you, you know,” she said. “Before my parents cut my phone off.”

“Your parents cut your phone off?” I asked.

“Yeah. They cut off everything. My credit cards, how I paid my rent, my phone. And all because I registered a business name,” she said.

“You what? Wait. Backup a second. When did all this happen?” I asked.

“This morning,” she said.

“Shit. Amber, I was trying to find you this morning. Call you. Get you to pick up your damn phone.”

“You were the one calling me this morning?” she asked.

“Yeah. I was. I called like, four or five times. What was happening?”

“I was fighting with my parents. Did you know my crazy ass family has a private investigator on retainer? They were having me fucking followed, Tyler. Digging into my shit. I registered the business name over the weekend, and they fucking cornered me about it,” she said.

“They hired a PI? Are you sure?” I asked.

“Of course, I’m sure. They told me. That’s what the fight was about! They tried to strongarm me into some stupid ass promise I made when I was seventeen. Mom wouldn’t even let me get your damn number off of my phone. Said if it was so important she’d look it up for me.”

“So, you didn’t answer because of the fight. Not because of me?” I asked.

“Not because of you,” she said, sighing. “But, they cut me off from everything, Tyler. In three weeks, I’ll be homeless. I’ll be living out of my car because it’s all my savings will afford me until I can find a decent full-time job. For all I know, I won’t even have medical insurance anymore.”

All I could do was stare at her. As if this insane fucking family couldn’t get any worse, they’d thrown their daughter to the wolves over some stupid family business. I watched her cross her arms as tears rose to her eyes. She was shaking, obviously still emotional from the morning’s events.

“And now you’re leaving, so fuck this,” she said.

“I was leaving because I thought you didn’t want me. You weren’t answering your phone, and you weren’t at your apartment, and I just thought it was over.”

“So, if I asked you to come back to my apartment, would you come?” she asked.

“Is that something you want?” I asked.

“Holy hell, more than ever,” she breathed, tears dripping down her face. “Come back to the apartment with me, Tyler. Please.”

Our pumps both clicked at the same time, and it elicited chuckles from both of us. It was like the gas station was clapping our inevitable victory. Amber wiped her nose off on her shirt before she pulled the pump from her tank. I screwed the top back on my rental car gas tank and shut it closed.

“Would you like to lead the way?” I asked.

“Sure, follow me.”

 

Chapter 24

Amber

 

 

I wanted him. I wanted him more than I’d ever wanted anything. While my entire world was falling apart around me, the only thing that was stuck in my head were his eyes. I was zooming down the road, and I felt his hand on my knee. My hair was blowing in the wind, and I could feel his fingertips pulling it back. I got out to pump gas, and all I could see were his eyes.

And then, there he was. Standing right in front of me at the station.

We stumbled into my apartment, his lips everywhere on me. I no longer cared who saw us. Who walked in, or who tried to destroy us. I’d lost everything, and yet here he was. Wanting me more than ever. Calling me beautiful and groping his hands everywhere across my skin. I dropped my purse and keys to the floor while his foot kicked my front door shut. We stumbled to my couch, our hands peeling each other’s clothes off before I dropped to my knees.

His cock was throbbing, thick with precum that needed to be sucked from its tip.

Before he could ask, I took it between my lips. He flopped onto the couch while I scooted between his legs. My fingernails dug into his thighs as I took him to the back of my throat, closing it around him while he squirmed on the couch. His precum was hot, leaking from his tip while he thrust deep down my throat.

I could feel his cock warming and expanding with every suck I took. I could feel him shivering with every swallowing motion I made. His body lurched, pressing his hips closer and closer to me while he relished how my tongue swirled around the tip of his dick.

At this moment, I had him at my command. He was a writhing, moaning mess on my couch, and I was in control. His hand tangled itself into my hair, pulling me closer as the tip of his cock hit the back of my throat. I swallowed my gag reflex, breathing steadily through my nose while his legs shook. I could feel his end almost approaching. I could feel his dick swelling in my throat, taunting me with the sweet cum I wanted to swallow.

Faster and harder I sucked, bobbing my head while my hand cupped his balls. I could feel them hanging low with want, filling with the cum I knew he wanted to release from his body. I gobbled him down, my lips swelling with the effort it took to unhinge my jaw and get it around his thick cock. But to me, it didn’t matter. The way his head lobbed back and began to sweat for me was enough to know I was doing this right.

That I was giving him what he wanted.

But before he blew his load, he wrenched my mouth from his cock and pulled me up for a kiss. His arms hooked underneath mine, and I could feel his dick throbbing against my stomach. His tongue searched along the insides of my cheeks, scooping his taste off my skin. I smiled while kissing him back passionately, my hands pressing into his trembling thighs.

Holy hell, the strength in his legs was enough to make me weak in mine.

“Not yet. That’s not where I want to be,” he breathed.

I pulled him into my room, and we fell to the bed. I climbed onto his lap and slid my dripping wet pussy onto his cock. I could feel my pussy expanding, massaging his dick as I watched his eyes widen. His arms cloaked my back while I rocked in his lap, and soon our breaths were in sync while our bodies chased their own inevitable ecstasy.

I bounced on his lap, my juices covering his skin. My fluids were dripping down his balls as my lips were everywhere on his neck. My hands curled into his hair while his lips peppered my tits with kisses, and he drew a nipple into his mouth just as my pussy began to flutter against his dick. I felt him pulsing inside me, begging me to fall over the precipice I was running up so he could revel in how warm I was.

How swollen I was.

How wet I was.

“Tyler. Tyler, please. Don’t stop. I’m almost there. I’m going to come.”

I leaned my head back, raking my fingernails across his shoulders as my body shook on top of his lap. He kept pounding into me relentlessly, his hips rearing off the bed while I grabbed onto his hair for leverage. The growl that peeled from between his lips brought me down from my high, and soon I was being hoisted into the air and carried into the bathroom.

“Turn the water on hot,” he said.

I reached down, his dick still throbbing inside me, and turned on the water of my shower. In one fell swoop, he lifted us both into the shower. We didn’t even bother closing the curtain as water spewed everywhere in my bathroom. His eyes held mine as he pressed my back to the wall. For a second, I thought he could read my mind. I felt like he was digging into the depths of my soul and trying to peel me out. Like he knew I had retreated, and he was trying to get me back.

Slowly, his hips began to roll. My back was pinned against the cool shower wall, puckering my nipples to almost painful peaks. With every thrust, my eyes fluttered. Every time he bottomed out inside me, I moaned. He felt so good, filling me the way he did. The places he hit and the electricity that flowed through my body was unmatched, even with the pleasure I could give myself.

There was nothing like Tyler, and there would never be anyone like Tyler.

I ran my fingertips through his hair before I pulled him into a kiss. His lips were soft and light. Like an eclipsed moon shining its beauty even though it was blocked by the sun. I saw how my brother eclipsed him, how Luke thought he was better than him at times because of their drastically different backgrounds.

But I saw him.

Him and his beauty.

“You’re intoxicating, Amber,” he said.

“Say it again,” I whispered.

“You’re intoxicating,” he said.

“Again.”

“You’re intoxicating.”

He punctuated every single word with a thrust before his lips descended onto my neck. He sucked in a patch of skin, sending shivers down my spine as the water battered down onto our bodies. The streams of water rippled down every crevice of his chiseled muscles, painting his body the same shade of red his angry cock had been in my living room. I groaned when I felt his teeth, his mouth marking me as his for the world to see.

I wanted him to suck it until I was black and blue.

I wanted everyone to see exactly who had me now. Who held me and cherished me and called me the most beautiful names.

“Take me, Tyler,” I whispered. “Don’t hold back.”

“You sure?” he asked.

“Fuck, yes.”

He pulled his hips back before he snapped them into mine, and my tits bounced against his chest. He snapped them again as I jumped against the wall, then he snapped them again while my body began to tremble. With every thrust, he slid against that beautiful spot. With every pound, my legs twitched around him. His chest pressed me into the wall, our bodies drenched in water, while his hands slid to my thighs and helped to keep me upright.

I could feel him shaking with the exertion, but all I could do was claw at his back and lick his skin. I had lost all control of my body. All control of my mind and my soul. I did what instinctively came to me while his body assaulted my hips. Then, when I could no longer hold on, I laid back against the wall and droned his name.

“Tyler. Tyler. Yes, oh fuck. Tyler. Tyler. You fuck me so good. Yes.”

“Hell, Amber. You feel so fucking good. I can’t last much longer.”

I felt his hips beginning to stutter, and I knew he was almost there. I slid my fingertips between my dripping folds and flicked my swollen clit, and it only took once to throw me over the edge. I moaned as water splashed all around us, flooding the bathroom floor as Tyler finally stilled inside me.

And when I felt him twitch and spill himself into my body, I raised my head up and captured his lips in a kiss.

Our bodies were quaking as the hot water battered our sore and tender limbs. Our foreheads connected while the two of us breathed each other’s air, our hair drenched with trails of water that flowed around our faces and dripped from our noses. I could see the smile plastered on his face, showing me how good he felt after everything that had transpired between us.

But, there was only one thing that would make this perfect.

And I was going to get perfect. If only once.

“Let’s go lay down,” I said.

“Good idea. I’m exhausted,” he said.

I shut the water off, and we dried off with towels before we laid down in bed. Our reddened, naked bodies faced one another while our hair drenched the pillows. I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face as Tyler’s thumb traced light circles on the apples of my cheeks. I danced my fingertips down his chiseled abdomen, feeling every divot of every muscle he painstakingly toned over the years of his life.

We fell asleep in each other’s arms that afternoon, in the middle of the day without a care in the world. I didn’t know what we were going to do when we woke up, but I knew one thing was certain.

No one could spoil this moment again. I would finally get to wake up to Tyler’s face, and I had a feeling we would both be smiling.

Chapter 25

Tyler

 

 

I woke up the next morning with my arms wrapped around Amber. Her soft curves pressed into me while her body rose and fell with her breathing. She looked so peaceful in the sunlight streaming through her window, and I knew I should be happy. I was looking at the only thing that was still keeping me in LA, but the only thing I felt was sadness. I locked my arms around her and pulled her close, feeling her breasts fold against my arms. She shifted around and buried herself into my body before she pressed a sleepy kiss onto my chest.

Her body felt so warm against my skin, and yet I still had to hold back tears.

Amber deserved better than this. She deserved better than what her family was giving her. My mind was still reeling with everything she had told me yesterday. The mere fact that her family had a private investigator on tap for their every whim made me feel weird. That shit just wasn’t normal, and they had some serious issues they needed to talk over with a professional. I didn’t know what promise Amber had made them when she was younger, but it probably had something to do with her schooling and running the company.

What really got me though was Luke. Her relationship with her brother was probably shattered. I saw how close the two of them were before all this careened out of control. I saw how he stepped up and defended her when he needed to with his parents. I saw how supportive he wanted to be about her dreams, right down to her damn Christmas gift. Sure, he might’ve been protective as fuck about her, but he loved his sister.

And I felt like I’d ruined that.

Amber’s breaths fell lightly onto the crook of my neck. Her breasts fell off to the sides, spilling onto the bed while my fingertips glazed along her soft skin. My mind began to whirl about how I could fix this. Who I could talk to and what I could say that could possibly mend the relationship she had with her family. It was Christmas, for fuck’s sake. It was supposed to be a holiday you celebrated with family. I never got to celebrate Christmas with mine. My parents were too busy drinking the money for presents away before they fell asleep after vomiting in the toilet.

The only Christmas present I ever got as a child was a booze bottle my mother had washed out and decorated for me. She called it a piggy bank and told me I could start saving. Then, the first time I’d ever filled it up, she smashed it open and took the money to go buy more fucking booze.

I knew from experience what it was like to do holidays without family. I remembered ordering a pizza on Thanksgiving and getting a pitiful look from the delivery driver. I knew exactly what it felt like to never celebrate my birthday unless I went out and bought my own cake. At the end of each year, I knew what it felt like to fall asleep and never usher in a new year with a kiss or a hug from someone I loved.

And I sure as hell knew what it was like to wake up Christmas morning and have it feel like any other damn day.

I wasn’t going to allow that to happen to Amber. She was better than that. She deserved more than that from her life. I slowly pulled myself away from her body, shivering at the loss of contact. I replaced my body with a pillow so she wouldn’t wake up, and I slowly put my clothes back on. I had to go talk to someone, but I needed her to know that I hadn’t left her.

I needed her to know I was coming back to her.

I scribbled a note and left it on her bedside table before I headed out the door. This entire family was fighting because of me, and I wouldn’t let that happen anymore. If there was one Christmas gift I could give Amber, it was the gift of mending this bullshit with her family so she could have her holiday back. I didn’t care if they wanted me around for it or not. I didn’t care if she celebrated with them and then came back to me. I didn’t care if all of them wanted to run me out of town and never see me again.

All I knew was that I wanted to fix this.

For Amber.

I hopped into my rental car and headed to Luke’s house. The very first person I had to talk to was him, no matter how this panned out. I didn’t expect our business to be fixed or for us to still be friends, but I was hoping I could talk some sense into him about how he was treating his sister. Maybe if I could repair their relationship, he could help mend her relationship with their parents.

Because I had a feeling their parents wouldn’t listen to a damn word anyone else had to say about anything.

I knocked on the door and heard shuffling behind it. Whoever it was had probably just gotten out bed, and the moment the door whipped open my suspicions were confirmed. Luke’s eyes were bloodshot, and his hair was disheveled. He was in the same clothes I’d last seen him in when he came to the new office space. He looked at me with this blank stare on his face, and I stepped through the threshold of his home without him even fighting me.

This was eating him alive.

“Luke,” I said.

“Tyler.”

“We need to talk, man,” I said.

“Sure,” he grunted. “Want to sit?”

“Nah, I’m good. Look, if you want me to stay away from Amber, I will. I didn’t think anyone around here would be crazy enough to do to her what your parents have done, and she’s going to need someone in her corner to navigate all this with,” I said.

“What my parents did?” he asked.

“You don’t know?” I asked.

“Know what?”

“They fucking cut her off, dude. She registered a business name, and apparently, your parents had a private investigator following her. They found out and cut her off from everything. No phone, no credit cards, no nothing.”

In an instant, I saw him perk up. I watched the clouded stare quickly bury itself behind the fire in his eyes I was so used to seeing. His back straightened up, and he ran his hands through his hair. The Luke I knew was coming, and he was coming to the defense of his sister just like I knew he would.

“They fucking did what?” he asked.

“If you’ve been trying to call her, that’s why she hasn’t been picking up. The only reason I knew was because I caught her at a gas station while I was filling up my car.”

“Your car?” he asked.

“Yeah. Planned on skipping out. Starting a new life after this fucking train of crazy town started raging out of control,” I said.

“Can I get in that car with you?” he asked.

“I’ll strap you to the roof,” I said, grinning.

“Is she alright?”

“Why are you assuming I know?” I asked.

“Because you just said you saw her at a gas station and you have a fucking hickey on your neck. Is she alright?” I could feel his eyes lingering on my neck as his face began to flush with anger again. I was going to tackle this head on, whether he liked it or not. I was going to say what I came here to say, and then I’d leave the rest of this fuckery up to him.

“She’s trying to distract herself, but she doesn't seem deterred from her business. Worried about where she’ll live, and she’s actually spouting off some bullshit about living in her car,” I said.

“Oh, hell no. That’s not happening. Not on my watch,” he said.

“Good. Now, I’m about to say here what I came to say. I’ll stay away from Amber if you really want me to, but you have to realize she’s an adult. With dreams and aspirations. She can make her own decisions. And if she decides to fuck your friends, then you’re going to have to grow up and deal with it. You were fucking hers, so that pretty much makes the two of you even,” I said.

“Shit, I totally forgot about Kelly,” he said.

“And that’s the difference,” I said. “I haven’t forgotten about Amber. That girl you saw me with back in New York, that shit didn’t mean anything. That was a one-and-done scenario I no longer wanted to touch because, well, your sister kept popping up.”

“What?” he asked.

“Look. She spun my head in college, and she turns my head now. Only this time, I don’t want to leave. The only reason I planned to was I thought she had ditched me. But I figured out she wasn’t taking my calls because your parents took her phone. I care about your sister, dude. A lot. But, if you keep treating her like a child and trying to keep making her decisions for her like your parents are doing, she’s going to rebel harder and cut you off altogether.”

“How the hell did this careen so far out of control?” he asked.

“Because everyone, for whatever reason, wants to control Amber. Maybe because she’s the baby of the family or maybe it is because of a stupid little promise.”

“Are you serious? That’s what my parents are holding over her head?”

“You know what the promise was?” I asked.

“That was around the time we had just started planning the business. I came to Mom and Dad for that little loan we had? Remember? The ten-thousand-dollar loan?”

“Oh shit, that was Ron and Darlene?” I asked.

“Yeah. They gave me the loan, then Dad turned to Amber and told her she would have to do something substantial with her education if she was going to have to take over the company. She said she didn’t want to, that she wanted to major in dance, and he said if she was going to major in something frivolous that she’d have to work her education off at the company for half-pay until she paid it off.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” I asked.

“Dude, I didn’t think they’d actually hold that shit over her head. Amber was only seventeen. Did you say something about a damn PI?”

“See what happens when you treat her like a child? She’s got no intentions to come groveling to your parents? She’d rather live in a ditch her entire life than be around those two. And with the way you’ve been forcing her into a corner about me, you’re heading down that exact road.”

“I was just trying to protect her,” he said.

“And I get that. But, I’m not blowing Amber off. That woman means the world to me. She’s incredible, and sassy, and passionate about her dance studio. I want to help her with that. And I know you do, too. What you’ve seen me do to women, I’m not doing that to Amber.”

“You’ve technically already done it to her once, if you left her back at college to go to New York City with me,” he said.

“But, I’m not leaving now. Instead, I’m over here groveling on her behalf to try and fix you two’s relationship, and hopefully, mend her relationship with your parents in the process. I can’t do that shit alone, and I want to do it because.”

“Say it,” Luke said.

I sighed and took a step back before I closed my eyes. The moment I said it sober, it would be real. The moment I said it, I would be at the mercy of whatever Luke said. No one was ripping Amber away from me, that much was for certain. But, admitting something like this could be the difference between me rifting this further and me repairing this relationship.

“Because I love her, dude,” I said.

A smile crossed Luke’s face before he pulled me into an embrace. I was rooted with shock, but I mustered the strength to pat his back.

“You hurt my sister, I’ll kill you,” he said.

“Help me fix this shit between her and Ron and Darlene,” I asked.

“You had me at ‘private investigator.’ That shit’s ridiculous,” he said.

Chapter 26

Amber

 

 

I stretched my limbs that morning while the sunlight cascaded across my limbs. My body ached from the rounds we took last night, and I knew my bathroom would still be partially flooded. I smiled as my thought back to last night and all the ways Tyler had taken me, and a thought crossed my mind.

I could wake him up with a blowjob.

I rolled over to try and find his body, but instead, all I saw was an empty space. In that very moment, my heart sank. I felt my world slowly slip from between my fingers and my head began to swirl. Did I do something wrong? Was I just another glorified fuck? Did I expect too much from him? Did I read too much into what last night meant?

I felt tears crest my eyes as I pulled my comforter over my body. Tears dripped onto my pillow as I reached for my phone, and that’s when I realized the reality of my situation. I didn’t have a phone to call Tyler with because my parents had cut me off. I didn’t have the money for gas to ride around and try to find him because my parents had disconnected my credit cards. I didn’t have the energy to expend rolling out of bed to try and walk around and look for him because what energy I didn’t spend fighting with them I spent giving myself wholly to him last night.

But, when my hand descended onto the place where my phone should’ve been, I felt the crinkle of paper underneath my fingers instead.

I grasped it and brought it to my face before I read it, and I realized it was a note Tyler had left me. He told me he had some talking he had to do with someone, and he would be back soon. He promised and told me to stay put, and he wished he could be here to watch me wake up with the light of the morning in my eyes.

But, there was a part of me that didn’t believe him.

There was a part of me that couldn’t blame him if he didn’t come back. My life had crumbled the lowest it was ever going to get. I couldn’t expect a man as wild and vivacious at Tyler Raymond to stick around with a girl who would be homeless in three weeks and had no phone. I couldn’t expect someone like Tyler Raymond, who had a business he needed to grow and connections he needed to make, to help me out of the slump I was in.

I was going to have to do that on my own, which meant a great deal of research had to be done before my internet was inevitably disconnected.

I felt my heart drop to my toes. Christmas was in a week, and it would be the first time I didn’t spend it with my family. It would be the first time I woke up without a tree or lights blinking in the background. It would be the first time I never opened a present or had one of my mother’s homemade cinnamon rolls. I would be the first time I wouldn’t enjoy an evening cup of coffee with my father while he bored me with the details of his business even while he was on vacation.

It would be the first time Luke and I wouldn’t secretly exchange gifts late at night, so Mom and Dad wouldn’t be there to see the support he was providing for my dance studio.

Every single year he got me a gift card to a dance consignment shop, and every year I would go shopping and store the things I bought. At first, I thought about getting a storage unit and putting everything there, but Luke convinced me to keep the items in one of his storage units he had back in New York. He would give me the gift card before he took me shopping, then he’d fly back with those items and store them for me so they would be in pristine condition for when I opened my shop.

And in return, I would buy him these rather expensive bowties with matching cufflinks. My father thought matching cufflinks were tacky, but Luke absolutely loved them. The brighter, the better, so that was always his Christmas gift. We would trade them under the light of the Christmas tree after Mom and Dad stumbled upstairs and went to bed.

But that wouldn’t happen this year, and it brought tears to my eyes.

I knew I needed to start researching, but I needed to talk with someone first. I needed my best friend. She needed to know I didn’t have my phone in case she was getting angry if she was trying to call. Now that my new business was on the fast track, I needed her help getting all this research done, finalizing my business plan and figuring out what loans I would be eligible for. We could have fun looking for places to open my dance studio. I’d need help setting up the consignment shop. And all these things Kelly was so much better at than I was.

I needed to go see Kelly before Tyler got back.

If he was coming back.

I got up and got dressed and headed to my car. I cranked up the car and cringed at the gas I was using, but I still made my way to her apartment. The entire time I drove there, all I could think about was my night with Tyler. I wanted to believe he would come back, I really did. Hopefully, when I returned to the apartment he would be there. But, we only fucked. We didn’t talk anything out or come to any conclusions. I didn’t know if he was staying or still leaving or where he would be going if he was leaving. We didn’t talk about what this meant for me or where I would be going from here.

We didn’t answer any of the questions we needed to. We simply lost ourselves in each other’s bodies.

And yes, it was a wonderful distraction. And yes, it felt fucking fabulous. But, this was real, and this was happening, and it impacted us in ways I don’t think either of us realized. I cared about him greatly. That much was certain when I opened my eyes and felt like crying when I saw he wasn’t there.

But, how did he feel about me?

Was I acting like a stupid little girl?

I got to Kelly’s house and didn’t even have to knock on the door before she threw it open. She wrapped me in her arms and yanked me into her apartment, and I laid my head on her shoulder while her lips ran away with her mind.

“Holy fuck, where have you been? I’ve been trying to call you, and you haven’t been picking up. Are you alright? Did something happen with Tyler? Luke hasn’t been answering my calls either and I was so worried.”

All I could do was cry. My sounds and shaking shoulders silenced my best friend, and she held me in the fluorescent lighting of her apartment while I cried. I felt drained. Used. Wasted away. I felt alone and exhausted. Like I was running in the dark and constantly breaking my toes as I shoved them into obstacles I couldn’t see.

“Holy hell, Amber. What’s going on?”

“I don’t even know where to start,” I sobbed.

“Then start at the beginning.” The rhythmic rocking back and forth she was doing with her body helped me to calm down. We headed to her couch once I collected myself, and her hand squeezed mine tight while her eyes bored into me. She was anxious and worried, but I had to take time to gather my thoughts. It was all so much, and it was all so intertwined.

“My phone’s been cut off, it’s why you can’t get ahold of me,” I said.

“Why?” she asked.

“Because I registered a business name for my dance studio over the weekend,” I said.

“Why would your parents cut you off like that?” she asked.

“Because I made them a promise when I was seventeen that if I was going to major in dance, then I’d have to come back and work off the education they would be paying for that they didn’t agree with,” I said.

“So, when you registered your dance business name, what?”

“They took that as me throwing my promise in their face. Kelly, they had me fucking followed by a private investigator.”

“Say that last part one more time,” she said.

“It’s ridiculous, right? I had to keep asking them just to make sure I’d heard them right!”

“They hired a PI to dig into you?” she asked.

“From what they made it sound like, they’ve always had a PI. They said they had one track me for a little while when I first went to college to make sure I’d be alright.”

“Holy shit, do they know about Tyler?”

“Not to my knowledge, no. But, that entire thing is a whole other story,” I said.

“What happened there?” she asked. “I mean, at the club he was pretty intense.”

“So, you remember that? Him getting up on stage?”

“And proclaiming his undying love for you? Hell yeah, I remember it. It was so romantic even though he swallowed back his vomit after,” she said.

“Gross.”

“What’s going on there?” she asked.

“Luke and he got into a massive fight, I think. I’m not sure of all the details, but I believe they’re splitting the company or something? Except he was about to leave town, I’m not sure. All I know is I saw him at a gas station with a rental car yesterday, I asked him to come back to my apartment, we fucked like rabbits, then when I woke up he was gone.”

“Gone. Without a note or anything?” she asked.

“I mean, there was a note. Saying he’d be back. But, what if he doesn’t come back, Kelly? I don’t have a phone to call him, and I don’t have money for gas to go find him.”

“Wait, your parents cut off your credit cards, too?” she asked.

“Yeah.”

“How in the world are you going to pay rent? And your car? And your insurance?” she asked “Your part-time job doesn’t allow for all that. They haven’t promoted you yet.”

“I know all this, Kelly, and they don’t care. At least, they don’t seem like they do. They’re trying to smoke me out thinking I’ll come running back to them. But, half-pay at the company wouldn’t do any of that, either,” I said.

“Half pay?”

“Yeah, that was the agreement. I’d work for half-pay, and the other half would go back to my parents to pay off my education. I’d work like that until I paid them off for it. All fifty-thousand dollars.”

“Amber, this is bullshit, and you know it. What the fuck are they thinking? You’re their daughter!”

“You wouldn’t know it by how they’re acting,” I said.

Just then, a knock came at Kelly’s door. She got up from the couch and went over to her peephole and took a deep breath before she looked at me. She looked like she was debating something. Whoever was behind that door would change what was going on in here. But, before she could make up her mind, a voice sounded behind it.

“Kelly, I know you’re in there. Open up.”

Luke.

That was fucking Luke.

“Open the door,” I said.

The door opened, and Luke poked his head in. He saw me sitting on the couch and breathed a sigh of relief, but Kelly blocked him from coming in.

“What the fuck are you doing here, Luke?” I asked.

“I was coming to find you,” he said.

“Fuck that nonsense. You’re strolling around my best friend’s apartment, but I can’t even hang out with Tyler? What kind of bullshit is that? Picked up Mom and Dad’s double-standards, I see.”

“For one, Kelly and I only made out a couple of times. You and Tyler seem to be under the assumption we’re fucking, but we’re not,” he said.

“Wait, you think I’m screwing your brother?” Kelly asked.
“You two ventured off into the bathroom the last time we were at the club for, like, an hour. What the hell was I supposed to think? I listen to the way you go on and on about him at my lunches. You mean to tell me I wasn’t supposed to think the two of you were screwing?” I asked.

“Wait, what?” Luke asked.

“Later. Listen, we aren’t screwing around. Kissing, yeah. Some necking? Sure. But, not sex. Definitely not sex. You know me better than that, Amber.”

“I don’t know anyone anymore, Kelly,” I said.

“Besides, after that night at the club, we realized we really weren’t right for one another anyway. It was fun, but there wasn’t a spark,” Luke said.

“Yeah. Your brother’s hot and all, but neither of us are ready to, you know, do the damn thing,” Kelly said.

“Gross,” I murmured. “How did you know I was here?”

“There are only a few places you go when you’re this upset. Kelly’s is the first place I thought of. When I pulled up and saw your car, I figured I’d come up and see if you were here,” Luke said.

“That and I texted him when you first came in,” Kelly said.

“How the hell did you manage that?” I asked.

“You were crying pretty hard. It was easy to slip by you.”

“That’s the only reason I’m here. Can I please come in?” Luke asked.

Kelly finally let him in, and he sat beside me on the couch. He took my hand within his, and tears began to drip down my face again. I missed this. Having my brother so close to me. It killed me whenever we were fighting, but he couldn't treat me like a child anymore.

“Luke.”

“I’m sorry, Amber.”

He had my attention.

“What?” I asked.

“I’m sorry. For everything. You’re not a child anymore. You’re not the lanky little sister I had to protect in school. You’re a woman with dreams and plans, and it’s hard for me to see that sometimes when I look at you,” Luke said.

“Who are you, and what have you done with my brother?” I asked.

“And you were right,” he said.

“Holy shit, you really aren’t my brother. What monster clone thing is this?” I asked.

“Amber, I’m serious,” he said. “You hit the nail on the head when you called me out. About there being another girl back in New York City. There is. Well, there was. Rebecca was her name. We were on and off, not serious. I kept having some commitment issues or some other bullshit like that, and I started ignoring her when Kelly and I started hanging out. It wasn’t right, but every time I saw Tyler look at you the way he did, it reminded me of what I was doing to her, and I lost it. I thought Tyler would do the same thing to you that I was doing to her.”

“Are you alright?” I asked.

“This isn’t about me right now, it’s about you. I need you to know that I see how different Tyler is when he’s with you. It’s not like when I’m with Rebecca or when Kelly and I were doing our thing.”

“Not by a longshot,” Kelly said, grinning.

“He does care for you. He thinks about you all the time, and I know he enjoys spending time with you. And honestly? I’ve never seen another person more perfect for you. He can put up with your shit without taking your bullshit. Hell, he’ll match your shit before he calls you out on it. I see the way you look at him, the way you gravitate toward one another. And if you want to be with him, then you should.”

“Wait. You’re serious,” I said.

“As a heart attack. When he came to talk to me this morning, I saw it. Right there on his face,” he said.

“He came to talk with you this morning?” I asked.

“Yep. Came in on his white horse defending your honor and everything,” Luke said, chuckling.

“And if I want to be with your best friend, you’re okay with that?” I asked.

“Yep.”

“Do you by any chance know where he is?” I asked.

“Honestly? No. He came by to see me this morning, then he left. I figured he went back to the apartment where you were or something.”

“Shit. I woke up this morning and he was gone.”

I bit down on my lip before Luke let out a chuckle.

“I know you two were together last night. You left an impressive hickey on his neck.”

“Oh, shit,” I groaned.

“There’s a good chance he’s gone back to your apartment looking for you, but there could also be another million places in this city he went,” Luke said.

“Where do I start?” I asked.

“We start by calling him,” Luke said.

“I don’t have a phone,” I said.

“Which I’m going to ream Mom and Dad for later. For now, we’ll use mine.”

Chapter 27

Tyler

 

 

I sat on the edge of Amber’s bed and waited. I had no idea where she could’ve gone, but I told her I was going to come back. I left her a note letting her know I wasn’t leaving town, so the only thing I could do was wait. I hoped she hadn’t woken up angry. And hopefully, she had gotten enough rest last night.

I tried to write the note so she would understand I was serious about her.

I heard the door open and went charging into the living room. Amber was coming through the door, and she seemed to look a little more relieved than yesterday. She turned and caught my eye before she crossed the room. There was a sparkle in her eye that I hadn’t seen last night. I could tell she had not been entirely herself even as we had fucked each other silly throughout the rooms of her apartment. There wasn’t that same spunky light in her eyes I was used to.

The light I had fallen in love with.

But now, it was there. Now, it was growing. Now, I could see glimpses of the Amber I’d come to know and adore.

And I wanted to know where she had been.

“You came back,” she said.

“Of course, I did. I left you a note that I would. Where did you go?” I asked.

“I went to Kelly’s. Why weren’t you here when I woke up?”

“I went to talk to Luke.”

“Luke showed up at Kelly’s,” she said.

“Why the hell was he at Kelly’s?” I asked.

“Looking for me.”

“Want me to make you some coffee?” I asked.

“Holy hell, I’d love some.”

She went and sat down on her couch while I made both of us cups of coffee. I still needed to tell her I was going to go talk to her parents tomorrow. I knew she probably wouldn’t mind me talking to Luke, but I had a feeling she would balk at me going to see Ron and Darlene. But, I had to fix this mess. By the look in her eye, it seems things worked out with her brother. But that was only a third of that I’d set out to do.

“Cream and sugar?” I asked.

“Just sugar,” she said. “Yeah, he showed up at Kelly’s looking for me, and we talked. He told me you went to talk with him this morning.”

“I did,” I said, handing her the coffee. “He was being an idiot, and he needed to know that.”

“And you talked with him about us,” she said.

Not a question. A statement.

“Yes, I did. I told him how I felt about you,” I said.

“And how do you feel?”

I looked into her eyes while she held her coffee in her lap. I studied her features, the anxiousness rising in her eyes and the way her grip strengthened on her coffee cup. I watched hesitation roll across her face, second-guessing whether she should have asked the question or not. In that very moment, I knew I loved her. The vulnerability she felt with me and the way she threw herself out there. She was reckless in ways I was addicted to and strong in ways I wasn’t. She had passions that ruled her life, and she would endure anything to get them.

Including being cut off from her family.

“I love you, Amber,” I said.

I watched her put her coffee cup down before she crawled into my lap. She tucked her head up underneath my chin, snuggling into my body as I chuckled into her hair. I could feel her relaxing into me, melting into my body in ways I hadn’t experienced. She pushed herself deeper and deeper, wanting me to shield her and tuck her away from the world.

And I was more than willing to do it. For her.

“I love you for what you did this morning, going and talking with my brother,” she said.

“Then, you’ll love me, even more, when I tell you I’m going to go talk with your parents tomorrow?” I asked.

“Tyler, no.” I felt her head lift, and she caught my gaze, and the confidence and vulnerability found in her eyes had dissipated into fear and worry.

“Please, don’t do that.”

“Amber, I need to, and I’m going to. You’re hurting, and I can’t stand by and watch you hurt like this. Especially when it’s not your fault. None of this is your fault. I’m responsible for it, and I’d kick myself if I didn’t try to fix it. I don’t know if what I have to say is going to fix anything, but I have to try. Alright?”

“Tyler, please. What’s done is done. Can’t we move on and forget it? Luke and I talked. Things are good between us right now. He even, you know, gave his approval for us and told me I was right. It doesn’t get much better than that in my family,” she said.

“Then, you sit back and watch me get you better,” I said.

That night, we fell asleep knotted up in each other’s bodies. I spent the evening kissing every inch of her body before we fell asleep panting beside one another. I woke up that morning to the same beautiful rays of sun glistening the naked spots of her body. I kissed every single one of them before leaving her a note that promised I would be back soon.

Then, I headed over to her parents’ house.

I knocked on the door, and Darlene answered. Even with everything that was going on, she still answered with a smile on her face and ushered me in the door.

“Is Ron here?” I asked.

“He isn’t, honey. He’ll be out for a while. Can I help you with something?” Darlene asked.

“Yes, actually. I was wondering if you’d sit down and have a conversation with me.”

“Of course. Is everything alright? Is Luke okay?” she asked.

“I’m surprised you didn’t ask if Amber was alright.”

Her silence told me a lot, so I decided to get to the point.

“Mrs. Duffield, I’ll get straight to the point and tell you what I told Luke.”

“Alright,” she said.

“Amber is no longer a child. Did she make you a promise when she was younger? Yes. But, in the process of trying to get her to mold to whatever expectation you have of her, you tossed your baby girl out into the cold without a jacket. You’ve created a scenario where she literally will not have a place to call home in three weeks, and neither of you care.”

“Of course, we care,” she said. “But, familial responsibilities are important.”

“Which is interesting, coming from someone who did exactly what you just did to your own daughter,” I said. “Amber has a dream. A dream you two don’t support. But, she isn’t a child anymore. She can make her own decisions for her life. And I care about your daughter greatly. I’ve fallen in love with her. I know my bank account isn’t fat enough for you or whatever, but one day it will be, and I’ll be able to give Amber everything she’s ever wanted: her dance studio, the consignment shop, a house, security. She’ll get what she wants, whether you and Mr. Duffield are there to experience it or not.”

“Tyler—”

“And even if my bank account doesn’t get there, I’m still going to support her dreams. Because that’s what makes Amber the person she is. I can tell you right now she’ll never come work for you. She’d rather make plans to live out of her car than work at the production company, but all this you’ve created is not because she won’t keep a promise. It’s because you’re unwilling to accept her change of course. This is a you problem, not a her problem.”

“Tyler, I know.”

“And all you’re doing with all this is hurting your relationship with your daughter further. If you take this too far, there won’t be anything I’ll be able to say that will get her back. That will pull her back from what’s been done to her,” I said.

“May I speak now?” Darlene asked.

“It depends. Have you heard me?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“Then, go ahead.”

“I adore you, Tyler,” she said. “I know one day you’ll be just as rich as you want to be. We all know you’re the brains behind the operation between you and Luke. You’ll get to where you want to be someday. And as for Amber, you’re right. I’ve been sick to my stomach ever since she stormed out of here. Most of this was Ron, I have to admit. I wanted to go after my little girl, but he was just so dead set in his decision.”

I saw tears rise to her eyes, and I couldn’t help but reach out for her hand. I couldn’t imagine the position she must be in, trying to keep all sides of her family together at Christmas. But, she had to stand up for herself. And if she couldn’t, then I was willing to do it on her behalf.

“Mrs. Duffield, where’s Ron?” I asked.

“I honestly don’t know. But, um, could you take a peace offering to Amber on my behalf?” she asked.

“I can do that, sure,” I said.

She got up and went over to the drawer. She pulled something out and held it close to her chest, but once she got to me, she held out her hands. It was Amber’s phone, and she was giving it to me.

“I think Amber’s chosen wonderfully with you, and if the two of you want to be together, then I support you both. I called the phone company and got it turned on for Amber, but I don’t know how long that’ll stick once Ron finds out.”

“Thank you, Mrs. D. I’ll figure out what to do between now and then,” I said.

“Will you tell her I love her?” she said.

I saw the desperation of a mother worried about her child. The tears that rimmed her eyes broke my heart, and I knew I had to track Ron down.

I had to talk with him and try to knock some sense into him.

“I promise I will do that,” I said.

Chapter 28

Amber

 

 

I woke up that morning and knew where Tyler was before I even rolled over. I found his note on my bedside table, telling me he would be back soon. He said he’d be coming back with food which made my stomach growl, but the only thing I could think about was my father. If he was really upset with this situation, then he probably wasn’t at the house. My father always went to the driving range to hit balls to relieve his stress whenever he was upset. I couldn’t let Tyler talk to him alone. My father would chew him up and spit him out if he did.

So I got up, got dressed, grabbed the business plan I’d outlined in full detail, and left.

I’d done a great deal of research after everything at Kelly’s happened, and I wrote it all down. All my options, all the interest rates I might get, as well as all the possible layouts for properties were there. Not to mention long term and short-term goals as well as things I would offer and prices I would charge. Writing it out was helping me to keep my sights on the final prize, but part of me was hoping it would convince my father that I was right.

That I could realistically do this.

I hopped into my car and crossed town to get to the driving range. I wondered how the talk with my mother was going and if he was able to talk some sense into her. If I had my phone, I could just shoot him a quick text message, but I’d simply have to wait until he got home.

Home.

Back to my apartment.

It wouldn’t be home for much longer.

I pulled up the long, winding driveway of the country club and parked my car. People nodded and waved, greeting me with the same recognizable kindness they always had. None of them had a clue as to what was going on, and I’m sure they would balk if they did. Dad had a standing tee time every day at 9:30 AM just in case he wanted to drop in. So, it didn’t shock me at all when I walked outside and found him hitting balls.

What was surprising, however, was when he didn’t move a muscle as I approached him.

He didn’t turn to look at me, and he didn’t stop hitting golf balls. I picked up a 3-wood and walked to the spot next to him and teed up. If there was one thing my father and I had in common, it was our skills at golf. It was the most boring game alive, but it was something we always shared when I was a child.

I hit my first ball, and I could tell my father’s eyes were watching. He hit another before I teed up, and he stood there and watched as I smacked another one out into the driving range.

Only this time, he spoke.

“Good shot. I see you haven’t given it up yet,” he said.

“Nope,” I said.

“What’s that sticking out of your pocket?” he asked.

“My business plan. Whenever you’re ready for it, let me know,” I said.

He fell silent, and we continued to hit balls, but I didn’t let the silence linger for long. If he didn’t want to see it, that didn’t mean I couldn’t discuss it.

“There’s a part of LA that is up and coming that still doesn’t have much in it. The strip mall will drive a significant amount of traffic along with the specialty restaurants. No dance studio has claimed any of the buildings for rent or sale, and many of the units have the type of layout I need for the studio.”

I stopped to listen for any response, but the only sound I heard was his iron connecting with another ball.

“My credit doesn’t suck, so the interest rates for loans on the place won’t be too catastrophic. If I can keep everything under four-hundred-thousand dollars and take the loan out over a fifteen- year period, I’ll only be paying a little over one-thousand dollars a month to pay it all back. Which is a lot until you consider the consignment shop. Even at half capacity in the beginning, it would pull in easily four-hundred alone a month. After getting it fully stocked, it could bring in eight-hundred dollars a month. That leaves only two-hundred dollars a month to meet the loan payment amount and the classes haven’t even started yet.”

I stopped to give him time to digest before I continued.

“I’d be offering both professional and beginning dance classes. Tap, contemporary, ballroom, and hip-hop. More modern dances that seem to be in more demand with all the dance shows coming out now. Private lessons with me will be eighty dollars an hour or fifty for a half hour, and during the evenings there will be group classes. You can pay individually for those or pay a bulk sum a month to come, and I’m thinking twenty-five for the individual pricing or one-hundred and fifty for the monthly pricing of those classes. They’ll be thirty minutes long. But, I’ll also be holding special events that require tickets on the weekends for holidays and such. That’ll rake in some decent money, too.”

I took a deep breath and smacked a ball out toward the flag and tried to gather my thoughts before I continued.

“Eventually, I want to open the place up at special times where the youth of the area can come and hang out, but it’s not feasible monetarily in the beginning. That’s a longer-term goal for when I’m a bit more financially settled. I also want to do advertising a little differently. I’ll need to take on one other instructor in the beginning, so I’ll have to interview for that and wrap some sort of base pay into everything, but I want to choreograph routines with him or her and have pop-up performances advertising the new dance shop.”

“Could I see your business plan?” he asked.

I was shocked he even spoke, much less asked for it, but I was more than willing to give it to him. I leaned my club against the bag and pulled the paper from my back pocket, and he took it between his fingers and unfolded the piece of paper. I watched the skepticism slowly fall from his face into somewhat of a blank stare, and his eyes began ricocheting faster and faster across the paper. Never in my life had I been so anxious, and by the time he was done, I could feel my entire body shaking.

“So? What do you think?” I asked.

“It looks like the business plan I came up with when I was around your age. It looks fantastic, Amber.”

“Wait, really?” I asked.

“You know, it’s funny. My father tried to smash my dreams of owning my own business.”

“Grandpa tried to do that to you?” I asked.

“He didn’t try. He succeeded. I put off my business dreams for the longest time to do what he wanted me to do. I was too focused on making him happy and not focused enough on making myself happy. He wanted me to take over the family business, the production company. I wouldn’t have the business now if I’d tried to rebel against my father. I wouldn’t have grown to love everything about the company I have now had I defied my father and started the golfing range I wanted to start.”

“The golfing range part doesn’t shock me at all,” I said.

“I’m worried you’ll regret it. I’m concerned you’ll do this with your dance studio and that something will happen. I’m afraid you won’t find your passion like I eventually did with the production company. That business is the life breath of what I do now, and I couldn't picture my life without it,” he said.

“Daddy, it’s not what I want to do.”

“I know. I guess I wanted to have something between the two of us so badly I was willing to destroy whatever it was that got in the way,” he said.

“Well, we golf together. We used to do it all the time when I was a kid. Why don’t we keep a standing tee time every week?” I asked.

“You’re going to come out here and hit balls with your old man at 9:30 AM?” he asked.

“Not every morning,” I said, giggling. “But, maybe on Thursdays and Fridays? I could bring coffee?” I asked.

For the first time in days, I watched my father smile. He held out his arms for me, and I rushed to them, tears crested my eyes as he wrapped me in a hug. I had my father back, and it felt so good. And it seemed as if he was giving me his approval for the business. I felt him kiss the top of my head before he let me go, but the look in his eye told me he wasn’t finished yet.

“If the dance studio is what you want, then I’m willing to stand by you and watch it happen. But, I don’t approve of Tyler.”

“Why?” I asked.

“He’s too old for you, sweetheart.”

“Dad, he’s only three years older than me.”

“I don’t like the way he looks at you. He’s simply not good enough, and I won’t have it. You can have your business, but I won’t approve of you being with Tyler.”

“But, Dad.”

“Goodbye, Amber. I’ll see you next Thursday for our tee time,” he said.

I nodded and hit one last ball out onto the range before I put my golf club away. I told him to keep the business plan before I left, but as I was leaving, I still couldn’t help but feel like I’d lost. That’s what I wanted, right? My father’s approval on the business? I came here with the intention of trying to convince him to support my dreams like he had supported Luke’s. My business plan had been so thoroughly detailed that a single piece of paper swayed my father’s entire opinion, despite his past with this issue.

But, I still felt like I had lost.

Chapter 29

Tyler

 

 

I was trying as hard as I could to get Ron to speak with me, but he wasn’t having it. Amber kept telling me that she’d made progress, and I had to admit she was right. When she came flying through the apartment and told me her father was finally supporting her business endeavors, I was ecstatic. We sat down and started making a plan, and I said I’d take her to view some properties, but I still wanted to talk with Ron on my own. Everyone else in her family had given their blessing for us to be together but him, and that wasn’t alright with me.

If anything, her father was the most important part of this entire equation.

After him not returning my phone calls and refusing to see me at the house, I went over to the production company. I’d never been there and had no idea where he would be in the building, so all I did was walk around until I found his office. His secretary was there entering in some data for a project of some sort, so I sat patiently until she could give me the time of day.

“So sorry for the wait. Can I help you?” she asked.

“Yes. I was wondering when Mr. Duffield would be in,” I said.

“Well, he’s in a meeting right now, and then he’ll take lunch, so he probably won’t be back in until around one this afternoon,” she said.

“Then, I’ll wait,” I said.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she said. “If you’d like to make an appointment, I can put it on Mr. Duffield’s calendar.”

“Don’t worry. I’m fine. I don’t have anything to do. I need to make sure I catch him today anyway. It’s about his daughter,” I said.

“Oh, my gosh. Is Amber alright?” she asked.

“Just fine. I just want to run some things by him, that is all,” I said.

“Mr. Raymond, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

I whipped my gaze up to her before she turned her head back to her computer screen. I hadn’t given her my name when I walked in, which meant she knew who I was.

Which meant there was a good chance Ron was here because he had her watch out for me.

“Ma’am, where is Ron?” I asked.

“In a meeting,” she said curtly.

“Then where’s the meeting?” I asked.

“On another floor. It’s a private meeting with the board of directors for the company,” she said.

But then, I saw a shadow move underneath Ron’s office door.

This was pathetic. Ron was a grown man, and he had his secretary looking out for the big bad boy in the leather jacket. If there was anyone in this family who was acting like a child, it was him. He didn’t want to sit with me face-to-face because I already had a track record with his family of changing their minds. He wouldn’t talk to me because he was pissed that he couldn’t control Amber’s life.

I wasn’t leaving without talking to him.

I got up from my chair and started for his office door. I wiggled the doorknob, realizing it was locked, then I decided to knock on it.

“Sir, you can’t go in there,” his secretary said.

“You know my name because Ron’s having you look out for me. Use it,” I said.

“Mr. Raymond, he’s in a meeting.”

“His shadow moved underneath the door. Ron!”

“He’s with a client,” the secretary said.

“So, which is it? A meeting with the board or is he with a client?” I asked.

I turned back to the door and began knocking furiously. I knocked, and I knocked before I jiggled the doorknob again, and for the first time since I had gotten to his office, I heard commotion behind the door. I sighed while his secretary spoke with someone on the phone, and I rambled off as much as I could before I had to get out of there.

I had a feeling she had just called security.

“Mr. Duffield, you can’t hide from me. I care about your daughter, and I’m trying to do the right thing here. I know she came to talk to you about her business plan, and I know you’re supporting her. I think that’s great. That’s all she’s ever wanted from you, but I think I deserve the same kindness you showed her. All I’m asking for is an audience.”

“Mr. Raymond, security is on their way,” his secretary said.

“I’m going to talk to you whether you want me to or not.” I stepped away from the door and hoped he would open it. All he had to do was open the door just a crack, and I could do the rest. All he had to do was be an adult for one fucking second, and I could take the reins and carry the conversation. I just wanted to say my piece to him like I was able to with everyone else.

Because I knew if I could, he would see how much I loved his daughter.

I sighed when I realized he wasn’t opening the door. I turned on my heels and nodded toward his secretary, then I made a run for the hallway. I could hear the loud footsteps of security coming up the stairs, so I dashed into the elevator. I watched them round the corner and head for Ron’s office just as the elevator doors closed, and I slinked out of the building before I was caught.

The only other option I had was to corner him in his own home, and I wasn’t below doing it.

It was so insane. A grown ass man with a career and a family wouldn’t talk to one guy. He was being immature and idiotic, and I wasn’t going to have it. I was going to be in his life one way or another, whether it was from loving Amber or having a company with Luke. He needed to learn how to talk with me, and he needed to learn some fucking manners. I raced to his house and knocked on the door, hoping to anything on high that Darlene was home.

When she opened the door, she smiled, and I felt a flood of relief wash over my body.

“Tyler! Is everything alright? Come on in,” she said.

“Is it alright if I wait here for Ron to get home?” I asked.

“Of course. But, he probably won’t be back until around six. You sure you don’t just want to come back then?” she asked.

“I’m sure. I need to catch him when he first walks into this house. I need to talk to him, and he won’t see me.”

I saw a look of recognition wash over her face as she led me to the couch. She handed me the remote to the television just in case I got bored, but all I did was let it drone in the background while I rehearsed my speech. Everything had to be perfect from the moment he walked through the door, which meant I couldn’t let him interject until I was finished.

If he interjected and got on his own tangent, he’d talk me out of the house altogether.

“Tyler, sweetheart. It’s almost lunchtime. Would you like a sandwich?”

“No thanks, Mrs. D. But thank you for the offer,” I said.

“You sure? Just a small one?”

“I promise I’m alright,” I said.

Television show after television show whizzed by while Darlene kept offering me food and drinks. She brought me some coffee and tried some tea. She made a little plate of cheese and crackers and tried a bowl of grapes. I was too preoccupied with rehearsing my speech, and as every minute ticked by, I found myself getting more and more nervous. I sent Amber a text message letting her know I’d be back later on this evening, and it was so refreshing to be able to get a message back from her. Apparently, she and Luke were spending some time together, just the two of them, and the thought of it made me smile.

“At least someone no longer has a stick up their ass,” I murmured.

“Tyler, are you sure you don’t want some water or something, honey?”

“I would love some water, Mrs. D.”

“Oh, perfect! Sparkling or tap?” she asked.

“Tap’s fine.”

I honestly wasn’t thirsty, but if accepting water would get her off my back, then I was more than willing to take some. It was getting closer and closer to six, and by the time my hands started to shake I heard a car pull up in the driveway.

Then, I heard the front door open.

“Hey there, honey! Listen, there’s someone here.”

“That damn boy came by my work today. Pestered the hell out of my secretary so badly she had to call security,” Ron said.

“Sweetheart, I really think you should take a look in the living room.”

“Almost took down my damn office door with his fist!” Ron exclaimed.

“Baby, you really should go to the other room.”

“What the hell does he think he’s going to accomplish anyway?” Ron asked.

“I was honestly just hoping to accomplish being able to talk with you sir,” I said.

Ron rounded the corner and caught my stare before he flicked his gaze over to Darlene. She had a very nervous smile on her face. I stood up straight with my shoulders back to stand my ground.

“Sweetheart, this was what I was trying to tell you. Tyler came by to visit, isn’t that nice?”

“No,” he said curtly.

“Mr. Duffield, I want to talk,” I said.

“You didn’t sound like you were in a talking mood this morning,” he said.

“That’s because the person I was trying to talk to was using his secretary as a watchdog,” I said.

“Get the hell out of my house,” he said.

“Please, listen to what I have to say, Mr. Duffield.”

“He is asking nicely, Ron,” Darlene said.

“I don’t care if he’s asking with the President at his side, I’m not talking with him about what he wants to discuss,” he said.

“And what is it you think I want to discuss?” I asked.

“You want to talk about this little thing you’ve got going on with Amber. And I’m here to tell you it stops now. You will not see her, you will not date her, and you sure as hell don’t have my permission to do as such,” he said.

“Well, you’d be wrong. That’s not what I was here to discuss.”

That silenced Ron, and I took in a long, relieving breath through my nose. I’d save that conversation for another time. Right now, Christmas was what I wanted to repair.

“Then what do you want, boy?” he asked.

“I want to make sure everything’s good for Christmas. It’s Amber’s favorite time of the year, and she’s petrified that she won’t get to spend it with her family. She has no way to go gift shopping because she’s too worried about losing her apartment. I want to fix Christmas for her,” I said.

“Oh, isn’t that sweet, Ron? He wants to make sure Amber has a wonderful Christmas,” Darlene said.

“Her Christmas will be just fine. She’ll have us and the presents. I’m already aware of the fact that she has her phone back.”

I watched him cast a glance toward Darlene who drew in a deep breath. If he attacked her in any way, I was ready to jump to her defense. Darlene was many things, but one thing she didn’t have was a spine. She’d let anyone walk all over her to keep the peace, and it wasn’t going to happen while I was around.

“But, there is one thing you could do to make her Christmas even better. Hell, to make all our Christmases better,” he said.

“Name it, Mr. Duffield. I want Amber to have a good Christmas with her family despite everything that’s happened,” I said.

“I want you to leave my daughter alone.”

I held his gaze for a long time while the white-hot redness of anger trickled up his neck. I kept reminding myself to take deep breaths. The last thing I needed to do was unload onto Ron. And it would be a horrible idea to tell him what I thought about him. I had to try not to ruin the progress I’d already made with his family.

So, without another word, I walked out the front door and left.

Chapter 30

Amber

 

 

I was ecstatic to have my phone back. I was able to do research on it in my spare time and communicate with the outside world like I was used to. I was saving all the files I could onto my laptop just in case something happened again, and in the process, I kept sending Tyler all these cute little messages. I kept telling him I was thinking of him and that I couldn’t wait for him to get back. However, when he walked through the doors of the apartment yesterday, I could tell something was wrong. He fell asleep beside me without so much as touching me, and the next morning I woke up to find him on the couch.

He was holding a cup of coffee, and I could tell he was deep in thought.

I knew he was acting weird because of the conversation with my father. I knew my father would’ve probably shut him down, especially with the conversation I’d just had with him. I knew he probably didn’t feel good about it, especially since he had such success with my mother and brother.

But, I needed him to understand that none of that mattered. Everyone else was on his side.

“Morning, handsome,” I said.

“Morning. How’d you sleep?” he asked.

“Rough. I missed the warmth of your body.”

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“I know you’re worried about my father,” I said.

“He’s just—”

“A stubborn, hard-headed asshole?” I asked. “Look, you’ve got Luke and my mother in your corner. My father will eventually come around. It’s just going to take time for him to adjust. You know, like with my business.”

“I’m not going to wait over a decade for him to come around to us, Amber,” he said.

“What I meant is, it took him seeing my business plan physically before he got how serious I was about it. He could still put down the registering of a name, but he couldn’t ignore a sprawling business plan. When he sees how well the two of us work, how we support each other and care for one another, he’s going to come around.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” he said.

“Look, my father’s always been a stubborn and proud man. It probably has something to do with the rocky relationship he had with my grandfather, but that’s a story for another day. The point is, you need to give it time with him. Don’t stop coming around. I won’t. And as he watches us interact, he’ll see. I promise,” I said.

He sat silently on the couch while I made us each a cup of coffee. His eyes were far off in the distance, and his legs were spread, and there was a part of me that knew how to distract him. I could sink to my knees right in between his legs and take his mind off everything that’s happened in the past week. I’d wrap my lips around that sleeping cock and bring it to life with my warmth. His moaning and groaning would turn to whimpers and grunts.

I could melt him into the couch and show him one of the reasons why he was with me.

“I don’t know if I can handle him not approving of us, Amber,” he said as I handed him his coffee. “I can’t handle being the reason you and your father have a rifted relationship.”

“You aren’t, Tyler. He’s the one that’s being stubborn. He’s refusing to come around. Trying to hang on to some semblance of control,” I said.

“Christmas won’t be the same for you this year. I wanted it to be special, and instead, it’s going to be filled with tension and anger.”

“Christmas will be special because you’re here, Tyler.” I put my hand on his knee, and he finally turned to look at me. The hurt behind his eyes crushed my soul, and I took his hand in mine before I brought it to my lips. I planted a small, sleepy kiss on top of his skin before I smiled up at him, and for a split second, I saw a grin twitch his cheek.

And that’s when it hit me. I hadn’t bought him his Christmas gift yet.

“You have any plans for the day?” he asked.

“I’m heading back over to Kelly’s. She’s already got ideas for how to potentially decorate the dance studio, and she wants my input.”

“Sounds like fun. Want some company?” he asked.

“I was actually going to bring back the ones I like to get your final opinion,” I said.

“Sounds like a plan.”

We drank our coffee together on the couch while our legs slowly intertwined with one another’s. I was enjoying my mornings with him. Mornings where we sipped coffee together in silence while the sun drifting lazily through the curtains. Sure, it wasn’t much, but what we had I felt was ours. It was unique to us and defined us in a way I’d never experienced with another man before.

I realized, for the first time, that I wanted to do this every single morning with him.

I finished my coffee before I started to get ready, and all the while he sat on the couch thinking. It killed me that this was taking up so much time in his brain, but I knew there was also nothing I could do about it. Tyler was more like my father than I think he wanted to admit. Tyler loved being in control, and when he got an idea in his head, he just couldn’t let it go until he’d seen it through. I had no idea what he was going to do today or what he had planned, but I kissed his cheek before I left for Kelly’s.

I zoomed into Kelly’s driveway and started banging on her door. She threw it open, her eyes wide with fear, and I threw my arms around her before I started begging.

“Holy hell I don’t know what to get Tyler for Christmas please come out and help me please, please!”

“Is that why you’re banging down my door? I wasn’t even fucking up yet, Amber,” she said.

“Please help me!” I exclaimed.

“Can you give me, like, fifteen minutes to get ready?” she asked.

“I’ll even get you coffee while we’re out,” I said.

“With what money?”

“I’ve got change in my car. Come on, hurry up!”

Fifteen minutes and a cup of coffee later, Kelly and I were at the mall. We talked from store to store while Kelly made suggestions, but none of them really seemed like us. I didn’t want to get Tyler a present that anyone could get him, I wanted to get him something that was special to us. Sure, a new leather jacket or his first decoration for his new office were nice things, and I’m sure they were things he would enjoy. But, I wanted it to be something special.

Something memorable.

Something that symbolized us somehow that would make him smile not with gratitude, but with love.

Holy shit, Tyler Raymond was in love with me.

“Amber, you alright?” Kelly asked.

“Yeah. Just thinking. A bit overwhelmed.”

“Want to talk about it?” she asked.

“Kelly, Tyler told me he loved me.”

She stopped me in my tracks in the middle of the mall while her jaw unhinged to the floor. She let out a deafening squeal that had people staring at us, and by the time I could get her under control her face was flushed red with excitement.

“Oh, my shit! He told you that? When? Where? What did you say?” she asked.

“Wednesday morning in my apartment. It was after he went to talk sense into my brother. He told me he loved me.”

“Did you say it back!?” she asked.

“I told him I loved him for going and talking to my brother,” I said, groaning.

“You didn’t say it back?” she asked. “Do you not love Tyler?”

“That’s not it.”

It was the first time I’d really thought about what he’d told me. This entire week had been such a whirlwind that I hadn’t taken the time to really process what he’d done. He admitted to me that he loved me, and that was a very serious thing. It deserved a proper answer when the time was right.

“I just want it to be special when I say it back.”

“So, you do love him,” she said.

“I care about him. A lot. I like waking up to him in the mornings and sharing coffee with him on my couch,” I said.

“But, do you love him?” she prodded.

“Kelly, can we just focus on the task at hand?” I asked.

“Sure, but I’m coming back around to this. So, you shot down all my ideas. What is it you’re looking for?” she asked.

“Something that represents us. Maybe something cheesy-cute or whatever.”

“Well, that’s specific. Alright, well, is there anything that reminds you of him back from his college days?”

I started running through ideas while we continued walking through the mall. Honestly, I didn’t really know if there was. There were a lot of classes and books and random hookups in bathrooms and my dorm room. There were a few movies that droned in the background and CDs that played while we were having sex.

Wait. That was it.

I grabbed Kelly’s hand and ducked into an electronics store. I pulled her down aisles looking around to see if they had a movie section. My eyes were darting along the shelves, praying to heaven they would have the one I was looking for.

“You’re getting him a DVD?” she asked. “You know you can stream all these movies, right?”

“Shut up, Kelly.” I scanned the shelves, and I felt my stomach fall. I knew it was the perfect gift to get him. The right amount of memory and cheese that would make him blush, smile, then smirk, and in that order, too. I wanted him to know that I remembered. I remembered what it felt like when his hands were first on me. What it felt like to lose my virginity to him.

What it felt like to cum for the first time in my life.

Then finally, my eyes found it. The case was shining, and the name was right on the spine, and I plucked it from the shelf before I turned it over to look at the cover.

“Never Been Kissed?” Kelly asked. “You’re getting him a Drew Barrymore movie?”

“This was the movie we first had sex to in my dorm room,” I said.

“Oh, my gosh. This was your virginity DVD,” Kelly said.

“He brought it over as a joke, at first. You know, because I was a virgin. But, we started watching it, and he held me. Really close. It was the first time I’d ever been held by someone I considered a man, and I felt so safe.”

“Did he kiss you at the end of the movie when she gets her kiss?” she asked.

“Oh, no. We made it about thirty minutes in before he made his move. Thanks for spoiling it for me, Kelly.”

“So, you’re getting this for him?” she asked.

“Yeah. Yeah, I am.” I smiled down at the movie as I took it to the counter. The cashier rang it up before he handed it back to me in a plastic bag, and all the memories from our first encounter came flooding back to my mind. The way his lips were so warm, and the way his touch was so electrifying. The way he was gentle pressing into me for the first time, and the way his tongue threw me over the edge. He cradled me closely to him, snapping his hips against mine while peppering my face with calming kisses.

I felt my skin pucker at the memory of all the sensations while we walked out of the store.

“You are so in love with Tyler,” Kelly said, smirking.

“Shut up,” I said.

“You might not want to admit it now because of the uproar your life is in, but trust me. I know that look. You totally love him,” she said.

I turned the reality over in my head as we ducked back into my car. Tyler’s present taunted me from the backseat as I took Kelly home, and she told me to come up to her apartment so I could get it wrapped quickly. She handed me a little gift bag with some tissue paper to cover it up, and all the while I couldn’t get her statement out of my head.

She was right. I was in love with Tyler.

Now, it was a matter of letting him know that.

“Thanks for your help today, Kelly,” I said.

“Anytime. Let me know how he likes he gift.”

“Oh, I will,” I said.

“And Amber?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t wait too long. Moments are never going to be perfect. If you love him, tell him. That’s what will make the moment perfect. If you wait too long, you might risk losing him.” she said.

I turned her words over in my head as I headed back to my apartment, and yet again, she was right. I had to tell Tyler how I felt before he left. Before he convinced himself I didn’t feel the same way. Before he got too lost in his thoughts.

I had to tell him I loved him before I lost him for good.

Chapter 31

Tyler

 

 

I knew Amber was trying to make me feel better, however it wasn’t sitting right. I knew I would be able to talk some sense into Ron if he could put aside whatever anger he was holding against me and listen for a second. I had to figure out why he was angry. Why was he so against Amber and me? It no longer had to do with me supporting her dance business because he was on board as well. Maybe he didn’t like me, or maybe he was still trying to hold onto a semblance of control, but either way, I needed to talk with him. I wasn’t going to be the reason Amber and he had a strained relationship.

If I couldn’t talk some sense into him, then I’d have to leave. It was that simple.

I loved Amber too much for her to go through life without the support of her father. She thought it would be alright, but it would strain every family holiday. She would never get to enjoy the Thanksgivings or Christmases or birthdays the way she was used to. There would no longer be any random weekend get-togethers that didn’t end in an argument, and it would eventually get to a point where she wouldn’t want to go because of the stress. She wouldn’t want to be around her family for the holidays because she would get sick and tired of fighting, and it would be easier not to go. The damage I was trying to repair would be greater than ever if I stayed with her without her father’s permission.

So, I got up this morning and decided to text Luke. I told him I was going to come by his parents’ again, and I thought to have him and his mom there would help. Maybe if Ron saw two people who did approve of our relationship, it would cause him to see how he felt wasn’t warranted. Throughout all this, I never once disrespected him or his daughter. If anything, I came to her defense, which is something a father should admire.

And I figured that talking with him along with everyone else present would help.

I pulled into the Duffield’s driveway and saw Darlene and Luke waiting for me on the porch. They welcomed me with open arms before their faces got serious, and that’s when I knew.

Ron was expecting me.

“I support you, dude. I’m in your corner,” Luke said.

“I’ve never seen Ron be so stubborn before. Maybe we can get him to open up about what’s going on,” Darlene said.

“It means a lot to me that you are here. I care about Amber, and all I want to do is show him that,” I said.

“Amber’s lucky to have you. Dad just needs to get his head out of his ass,” Luke said.

“Sweetheart, language.”

“Sorry, Mom. But, it’s true. If there’s anyone that’s bred tension while we’ve been here, it’s been Dad. Not Tyler,” Luke said.

“You ready, honey?” Darlene asked.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

The three of us walked into the house, and Ron was sitting in the fireplace room with a book. He had a mug of coffee sitting on his thigh while his eyes scanned the page, and he paid us no mind as the three of us sat down. We all watched him while he read, his mug coming up to his mouth every once in a while. He looked so stoic like he was deep in thought about something, and I gathered myself one last time before I took a deep breath.

But, he cut me off before I could begin talking.

“You already know my answer,” he said.

“Ron, just listen,” Darlene said.

“No.”

“Dad quit being a dick about this,” Luke said.

“Approaching me with a rude attitude gets you nowhere, Luke,” he said.

“Mr. Duffield.”

“You are not dating my daughter,” he said.

“With all due respect, I’m already dating your daughter.”

That caught his attention. The book fell onto his lap, and he set the coffee mug on the table beside him. His glasses fell into the crook of his nose as his eyes slowly panned up to mine. He scanned my body, sizing me up while his head whirled with what to say. In that very moment, I was confident. I knew what I wanted to say to him, and I knew it probably wouldn’t do any good. I knew he would probably reject everything I had to say, no matter who was in my corner.

“I love your daughter, Mr. Duffield. She’s sassy and independent. She’s driven and vivacious. She’s incredibly beautiful and—”

“I’ll save you the time. You are not getting my blessing, you will never get my blessing, and if I have anything to do with it I’ll be convincing Amber you’re not right for her,” he said.

“You will be doing no such thing, Ron,” Darlene said.

“I won’t?” he asked.

“You pull this every time you feel life spiraling out of control. You’ve always had a plan for our lives, and every time it gets derailed you try to pull the ‘head of the household’ card. You try to take back your control and right the ship instead of understanding that you were never in control in the first place. Our children have never really been ours. We raised them the best we could, then we sent them out into the world,” Darlene said.

“Just because they are legal adults doesn’t mean we stop being parents, sweetheart. When they are making a bad decision, we make sure they don’t make it,” he said.

“And yet, you almost forced Amber to make a stupid decision with her life based on your fear of lack of control,” Luke said.

“She broke a promise to this family, and she’ll have to live with the consequences,” Ron said.

“Enough with the consequences, Ron. You’re not some sort of executioner. The only person making the holidays unpleasant at this point is you,” Darlene said.

“So, now I’m a bad father because I don’t want my daughter dating a man with no family, no stable income, no life experience, and no positive dating history up until this point? I’m just supposed to hand her over to a man who walks around with a leather jacket on and picks fights with his business partner?” he asked.

“That argument was between Tyler and me,” Luke began, “and business partners argue all the time.”

“Well, have you resolved anything yet?” he asked.

“No, because we’re too busy trying to get you on board with what’s more important,” I said.

“And what’s that?” he asked.

“My being in love with your daughter and wanting to give her the world,” I said.

“You couldn’t even give her an apartment, much less the world. A relationship takes more than love, or whatever it is you claim to have. It’s more than wanting to spread your seed, Tyler. It takes dedication, and money, and stability. None of which you have or possess,” Ron said.

“Not true on any counts,” Darlene said. “The business for Luke and Tyler is booming, so much so that they’re opening a second location right here in LA. He’s dedicated to his company, which proves he can stay dedicated to something he truly loves, like our daughter. And he’s stable. He came from a family that didn’t care about him, and look at the man he’s become. A career-minded man who is business savvy and will be able to provide a great deal for Amber. Ron, we had less when we first met.”

“That was different. We weren’t in love with one another for a couple years after we met,” Ron said.

“I loved you from the moment you first kissed me.”

I watched Ron whip his head up to his wife, and I had enough sense to keep my mouth shut. Luke's eyes were darting between his parents while he tried to figure out what was going on, but I knew. They were silently communicating about something that had never been talked about. Ron was living in one interpretation of his relationship with his wife while Darlene was working off hers. The mere fact that they couldn’t agree on when they fell in love with one another gave me a glimpse into the reason why Ron was bucking so badly at this.

In Ron’s mind, it took them a long time to fall in love. With Darlene, however, it was almost instant.

“Tyler and Amber are good together, Dad. They support one another. He puts up with her crap without taking any of her bullcrap, and she keeps him in line. They really are two peas in a pod,” Luke said.

“Thanks,” I said.

“And I’ve seen the way Amber looks at him, Ron. It’s the way I used to look at you. The way I still look at you. Remember how my parents reacted when you stated your intentions to them? How much my mother couldn’t stand it?” Darlene asked.

“That was different,” Ron said.

“Because you didn’t wear a leather jacket or because you didn’t meet them until a year after we were dating?” she asked. “Tyler cares for our daughter. He cares about what happens to her, so much so that he’s been going around to everyone and convincing them how wrong they’ve been. He talked to Luke about how stupid the two of them were being, fighting over this. He came to me and showed me that how we treated Amber was wrong, which I knew from the beginning but I didn’t have enough courage to stand up and say it. Well, I’m standing up and saying it now: you’re wrong about the two of them. I support them fully, and I hope they stay together despite what you say. Had I listened to my parents, we would’ve never married, and look at what we’ve built. The family we’ve created. And you’re trying to hold onto it so tightly that you’re crushing it in the palm of your hand.”

I watched Darlene intently before my eyes panned back over to Ron. Honestly? I wouldn’t have been able to say it better myself. I knew when I needed to keep my mouth shut, and this was one of those times. Darlene’s eyes were boring into Ron’s, and I could tell he wasn’t happy. The frown was falling on his face, and his brow was furrowing deeper and deeper.

I thought I had a shot to change his mind until he slowly stood to his feet.

“So long as I’m alive, I will never approve of a man like Tyler being with Amber.”

In that moment, I felt the wind being ripped from my lungs. If his own wife couldn’t change his mind, then there was no way I would be able to. I sighed and hung my head while my mind began to whirl with all sorts of things, and one of the things that dawned on me was how close Christmas was.

And the lack of a gift I had for Amber.

“I’ve never been disappointed in you, Ron Duffield. Not in my entire life, until now. Congratulations. The man you didn’t want to ever turn into you just became.”

With that last sentiment, Darlene stormed off. Luke looked over at me and put his hand on my shoulder, then I stood to my feet and held out my hand to Ron.

“Thank you for your time, sir,” I said.

But, all he did was stare at my outstretched hand.

“A man who can’t even shake another man’s hand after a conversation has no business calling himself a man,” Luke said.

Ron whipped his gaze over to his son, glaring in his direction before Luke ushered me toward the door. The two of us walked out of the house, the door closing with a soft thud as I breathed in the cool, crisp LA winter air.

“I don’t have a gift for Amber yet,” I murmured.

“Then why don’t we go fix that. I think we could use a nice walk anyway,” Luke said.

“We should talk about what we’re doing with the business,” I said.

“We can do that over food or something. Right now, let’s focus on getting Amber something from you. You got anything in mind?”

Honestly? I didn’t. I’d been so wrapped up in this crusade that I hadn’t given it much thought. But, I figured if I walked around long enough it would come to me.

Just like she had come to me in college.

“Let’s get out of here,” Luke said.

“Yeah,” I sighed. “Let’s go.”

Chapter 32

Amber

 

 

“I don’t have to go, Amber. I know your family isn’t going to want me there.”

“I’m spending Christmas Eve with you, Tyler. If my father kicks up a stink, we’ll leave. We can go create our own traditions and memories for the holidays if that’s what happens,” I said.

“But, if you go without me, no stink will be risked, and you can spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with them the way I know you want to,” Tyler said.

“I’m not spending this holiday without you,” I said. “Now, come on. Let’s go.”

We climbed into Tyler’s rental car and headed to my parents’ house. It had taken days to convince Tyler to come along with me, but I was glad he was coming. I wanted to be with Tyler for a very long time, so Dad was simply going to have to get over whatever he was holding against him. Maybe the holidays would soften him, and he would see what he was doing and how irrational he was being. But if he wanted to kick up more drama, then he would reap the consequences of his actions.

Which would be not having his baby girl for Christmas.

“Amber, I’m really not sure this is a good idea.”

“Tyler, I want you for the holidays. That’s all I want. More than any present or any business or anything to do with my family. I want you. I want to try this. I want to try and make this a familial holiday like you set out to do. But, if I can’t, if this backfires, then I leave with you. Not because of you. Got it?”

I took his hand and brought it to my lips before I placed a small kiss on top of it. I could tell he was still hesitant about everything, but there was a little sparkle of happiness in his eye. I knew where he was coming from. He didn’t want to be the reason my family didn’t enjoy the holidays. But, what he had to understand was that no one was suffering because of him.

They were suffering because of my father.

“Oh! You made it! Oh, that’s so wonderful. We’re going caroling again this year.”

“Mom, we go caroling every year,” I said.

“And this time, Tyler gets to do it with us,” Luke said, smiling.

“Oh, no. I don’t carol. I’ll lip-sync or something, but I don’t sing,” Tyler said.

“Don’t worry. None of us should be singing either,” I said.

“Yeah, especially Amber. Trust me, it’s worth it just to hear her belt out everything off-key,” Luke said.

“Hey! That’s not funny. I’m a wonderful singer,” I said.

“Yeah, in the shower,” my mom snickered.

“You’re supposed to be in my corner!” I exclaimed.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart, but Luke’s right. Tyler, try to go easy on her when you hear it,” she said.

“I feel so betrayed,” I said.

My father was silent the entire time. He caroled while we went door to door, but he didn’t interject into any of the conversations we were having. As far as I was concerned, that was just fine with me. If he wanted to be miserable on one of the most beautiful holidays of the year, that was on him. He was throwing a tantrum like a child, and I was over it.

After we went caroling around the neighborhood, we headed back to the house for my mother’s annual Christmas Eve party. She always outdid herself every single year, but this one was too much. Neighbors from across the street and from the other side of town had shown up in their reds and blacks and greens and silvers. They all doted on the garland we’d strung up and the mistletoe that had been hung. The delicious smells that were wafting from the kitchen made everyone’s mouth water. On several occasions, Luke had dragged Tyler off to a corner to talk, and I was hoping they were talking about the business.

I knew, deep down, that Tyler wanted to continue this journey with Luke instead of splitting it like they had recently decided.

But, I realized something was wrong. I realized my father wasn’t anywhere to be found. I grabbed a drink off a passing tray and went to go find him, and the moment I rounded the corner into his office, I saw him looking through a picture album. I recognized the cover immediately: it was the photo album that housed Luke and my baby pictures. He was flipping through the pages one by one, no doubt relishing in memories of when we were younger.

Of when he could protect us.

Of when he could instruct us on the path he thought would be best for us.

“Merry Christmas Eve, Daddy,” I said.

But, all he did was remain silent and keep his eyes on the book. I walked over to the seat in front of his desk and sat down across from him, and while his eyes didn’t raise up to meet mine, I could tell they had stopped darting over the pictures.

“Why do you like Tyler?” he asked.

“Because he’s wonderful, Dad. He’s kind and considerate. He’s passionate about the life he’s created for himself, but he hasn’t stopped dreaming. He’s handsome and caring, and he supports me in all my current and future endeavors. Deep down, he cares about my relationship with this family and his role in it, and he always holds my best interests close to his heart. I love him, Daddy. With everything I have. And I really need you to approve of this relationship because I know Tyler is the one I’m supposed to be with. He’s the man I want to spend the rest of my days alongside, fighting the good fight while we reach for the stars. Why can’t you see that? How happy he makes me and how good of a man he is?”

“You really like him, don’t you?” he asked.

“No, Daddy. I love him. I love Tyler Raymond. And if he ever gives me the chance, I’m going to spend the rest of my life with him. Supporting him and becoming successful beside him. Don’t hurt this family any more than you already have. Don’t make the holidays like this every single year. Tyler is good for me, and I’m good for him. And if you would let him in, you’d see how good he is for this family and how we could all be good for him.

“Honey, I—”

“The only person making this a hard decision is you,” I said. “I’ve already made my decision and so has everyone else, but time and time again you’ve refused to listen and see the reality sitting in front of you. Close that book and look at me.”

“Amber.”

“Close it.” I watched him close the top of the photo album and set it aside before he looked up at me. Tears were rimming his eyes, and it broke my heart, but it was time for a bit of tough love from the mouth of the person he was still trying to control.

“That book is the past, and you’ve been living in it for a while now. I love you, but I also love Tyler. Don’t make me choose because if you do, you’re not going to like my decision.”

There. I’d said it. The one thing I’ve wanted to say to him since all this bullshit started. With everything he’d instilled and attempted to do, I needed him to understand that he was no longer my first choice. Respect and love went both ways. Those weren’t traits you could demand or require from another person. They had to be earned by being reciprocated, and Tyler did that on a regular basis.

My father, however, was not.

“You love him?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said. “I do.”

“Then, you have my approval.”

“Wait, really?” I asked.

“The only thing I’ve ever wanted for you was for you to be happy, but I’ve been so caught up trying to make you happy on my terms that I never stopped to think it was your job to be happy on your terms. I’m sorry, honey.”

I watched a lonely tear trickle down his cheek, and I sprang into action. I ran to his side and threw myself into his lap, and he held me close before he buried his face into my neck. For the first time in years, I felt like I had nothing to worry about. I felt like I wasn’t being held to an unfair expectation, and I had control of my own happiness.

For the first time in my life, I felt truly happy.

“You can come in, Tyler,” my father said as he released me. “I know you’re standing around the corner.”

“Huh?” I asked.

I turned toward the entryway and saw Tyler slowly come into the room. I felt my face fall while I stood there next to my father, and he held my gaze as he slowly approached my father’s desk.

“I’m sorry, sir. I came to try and find Amber and heard you two talking. I didn’t want to interrupt.”

“It’s alright, Son. Come here.” My father stood up and held out his hand, and that’s when Tyler finally ripped his gaze from me. I felt rooted to my place in shock. How long had he been standing here? Had he heard everything I’d said?

How did he feel about all of it?

“I’m sorry for how I’ve treated you in my own home. I hope you’ll still consider spending Christmas,” my father said.

“I would love that. And I can admire a father who cares for his kids as much as you do. It beats having a father like mine,” he said.

“If you want, you and Amber can stay in the guest bedroom you were sleeping in so you can wake up here in the morning if you’d like. If you want to go pick up some things or bring over presents or something,” my father said.

“I think we would enjoy that. Right, Amber?”

I drew in a sharp breath before I ripped myself from my trance. I had to file that conversation in the back of my mind for later. Right now, I got to rejoice in the fact that we would all celebrate Christmas together.

Like the family I wanted us all to be.

“Yes, Daddy. We would,” I said, smiling. “But, I do need to get some things from my apartment.”

“Well, don’t take too long. You know your mother likes you here at the party.”

“Which is why you should probably get downstairs,” Tyler said. “She was looking for you earlier.”

“Whoops. I guess that means I should get out of here. Tyler, drive safe. You’ve got precious cargo with you. Sweetheart, I’ll see you in a little while.”

“I will, Mr. D,” Tyler said.

“I’ll see you soon, Daddy,” I said.

Chapter 33

Tyler

 

 

I woke up Christmas morning to Amber’s hair in my face and all I could do was smile. The entire family was gathering downstairs while I held her close in my arms, and for the first time in my life, I realized why people enjoyed Christmas. The air seemed a bit fresher, and the house felt a bit more jovial, and I heard people calling up the stairs for us trying to roll us out of bed so we could all open presents.

“Morning, beautiful,” I said, kissing her neck.

“Five more minutes,” she murmured.

“Everyone’s waiting for us to open presents.”

At that moment, I realized how much Amber loved Christmas. She bolted out of bed and hopped to her feet. She tossed her hair up into a bun before she wrapped her robe around her body, then she rounded the bed and pulled me out. She threw her arms around me for a massive morning kiss, and my cock throbbed and came to life against her body.

“Later. Right now, presents,” she whispered.

I threw on a pair of sweatpants and a shirt before the two of us came down the stairs hand in hand. The smell of cinnamon rolls and coffee were wafting through the house, and the Christmas tree was stacked with presents underneath. On the coffee table were cinnamon rolls and fruit, bacon and egg sandwiches and sausage. We all ate breakfast together in the television room while we watched the traditional Christmas parade, and then the presents started to be divvied out by Ron.

For once, I was a part of someone’s Christmas traditions, and I soaked in every single part of it. The way everyone was eating breakfast around a television while they commented on the floats. The way Amber cradled herself deep into my body. The way she kept feeding me bites of bacon before she’d raise up and press a kiss to my cheek.

And now, I got to open presents with a family for the first time in my life.

Everyone opened presents and discarded the paper by wadding it up and trying to make a basket with it in a paper bag. They reveled in their gifts and hugged one another around the neck, and a few things even came my way as well. Darlene got me a new leather jacket she’d seen in a store, and Ron got me a gift card to the coffee shop in town I was always frequenting. Luke gave me my first decoration for my apartment in LA, and then the entire family had pitched in and bought me a gift card to help furnish my apartment.

It was too much, and I was so overwhelmed with joy that tears sprang to my eyes.

“Welcome to the family, dude,” Luke said as he slapped my back.

But nothing could hold a candle to the present Amber placed in my lap.

“Open it,” she said.

I was careful with the tissue. Part of me wanted to peek in before I opened it to make sure it was appropriate, but part of me knew if it needed to be opened in private she would’ve said so. I put the colorful tissue aside while I pulled out the DVDs from the bag, but there was one that caught my eye.

The movie we’d first had sex to.

Inside the bag were all my favorite movies. Top Gun. The Die Hard series. Scarface and The Blues Brothers. And there was also Never Been Kissed.

I looked up at her with a smirk on my face before I pulled her in for a hug. Memories of the first time I’d claimed those beautiful lips came back to me, and I had to take deep breaths to control my cock in front of the family. I kissed the shell of her ear, feeling her shiver into my skin, then I let her go while she sank back into the couch.

“I love you so much,” I said.

“I know,” she said, winking.

“No. Amber. I’m serious. I love you.” I looked into her eyes and saw the shock roll over her features. I knew she had been nervous about what I had heard last night, and I wanted to put all those fears to rest. I wanted her to know that I felt the same way. I’d love her as much as she’d let me for as long as she’d let me.

And, if I was lucky enough, she’d let me love her forever.

“You are the most remarkable thing that’s ever happened to me. From all the memories we’ve shared before all the way up until now. You’re incredible, and for as long as you’ll let me, I’m going to love you. No matter what.”

“Oh, Tyler. You heard me last night, didn’t you?” she asked.

“Every word. And I need you to understand I feel the same way.”

“I love you, Tyler.” She threw her arms around me in front of her family and planted her lips onto mine. I slipped my arms around her, feeling her tremble against me while our lips moved in tandem with one another’s. She was warm to the touch, and I felt the love she had for me sparking between our bodies. Her touch was electrifying, sending tingles and vibrations up my back just before she pulled away and smiled.

“I love you so much,” she whispered.

“Now, it’s time for your gift.” I sat her back down on the couch as her family watched, and I pulled up a little flat, rectangular box I’d kept hidden in my pants pocket. I handed it to her, placing it in the palm of her hand while her eyes flickered between me and the box, and I felt her family slowly lean in to see what it was.

“Open it,” I urged.

Her trembling fingers plucked the top of the box off and inside was a shining pair of keys. She furrowed her brow in confusion as she clasped the keyring between her fingertips and the moment I caught her gaze, I couldn’t keep it in any longer.

“Luke was right. The office space I purchased is way too big for the operation we’re going to be running out of it. So, I had it sectioned off. And that section now has its own door and key and set up,” I said.

“You’re giving me half your store?” she asked.

“It’s perfect for your dance studio,” I said, grinning.

I heard Darlene gasp while out of the corner of my eye I saw Luke smirk. Amber looked down at the keys she held in the palm of her hand, and then I saw the reaction I was looking for. Tears rose to her eyes as she panned her gaze back up to mine, and I brought my hand to cup her cheek while my thumb caught her tears.

“It’s your dance studio, if you’ll take it,” I said.

“Holy hell, Tyler. What did you do?” she asked.

“Why don’t I just take you by it later, and you can see for yourself?” I asked.

We finished our breakfast and picked up the mess from the presents before everyone started to settle down. Luke and Ron took in an afternoon cocktail while Darlene began preparing Christmas dinner, so it was a good time for Amber and me to slip out. We got dressed and hopped in my car, then I raced across town so I could show her exactly what I’d done. I had no idea what to get her for a gift except the one thing she truly wanted, and I hoped to heaven on high she would enjoy what I’d done with the place.

We pulled up to the office space that used to be completely designated for the company Luke and I owned, only this time half of it housed a name Amber was familiar with.

“Holy shit, that’s the name of my business,” she said.

“So, I got that right? ‘A.D. Century Dance & Consignment’?”

She threw her arms around me before she jumped into my arms. I smiled into her hair, feeling her body shake with delight at the idea of finally having her own business. I plucked the keys from her hand and walked us to the front door. I unlocked it to reveal the inside, but all I could feel was Amber crying into the crook of my neck.

“Sweetheart, it’s alright. Do you want to see the inside?”

“How did you do this?” she asked.

“With the help of Luke, I have to admit. It was a lot to pull off last minute, but nothing else seemed appropriate for Christmas,” I said.

“How am I going to pay you for this?” she asked. “I haven’t even taken out a loan yet, or thought of decorating the space, or talked to contractors.”

“Why don’t you get down so I can show you the plans I have?” She unraveled herself from me, and I kissed her tears away before I turned her toward the room. I let her eyes roam over it while she walked through the space, watching while she gathered her own ideas. The smile that was scrunching her cheeks and twinkling her eyes made my heart sing out with joy. Then, when she stopped at the end of the room and looked at me, I launched into the speech I’d prepared.

“The rent for the space is wrapped into mine, so I figured we would split it fifty-fifty. That’ll mean rent for you is only going to be six hundred thirty-five dollars a month, which will drastically lower the loan you were looking at having to take out. Depending on how you want to work the space, you can do your shop a couple of ways. You can use the back room as a shop. Or you can knock out the back wall to widen the space and put the shop up front, so people see it first thing. Or I can section off the space upstairs, and you can put your shop up there, so both the studio floor and the shop can be seen from the street.”

“But, won’t that eat into your apartment space?” she asked.

“You let me worry about that,” I said. “Now, as for decorating, I’ve already brought Kelly by, so she can give you some tips now that she knows what the space looks like. But, there were a few things she wanted me to run by you. She wants to put the mirrors over here, so the room appears bigger, and she wants the entire front floor to be covered in a lighter material. You know, whatever dance floors are made of. She says it’ll open up the room. I could have a shelf made for you to put in this corner that matches whatever color scheme you choose so you could put the bulk of your sound system over here and out of the way. Then we could run cords along the edges of the walls so no one will trip on anything. It’s not much, but it’s a start with how you want things to look. Kelly had lots of other ideas, but she talks extra fast when she’s excited. That’s all I caught.”

By the time I was done talking, Amber was standing directly in front of me. Gone were the tears, and in its place were the glimmering eyes of the woman I’d come to love. She ran her hands up the front of my body before she grasped the collar of my jacket, and I took a step forward to close the gap between us before I nuzzled my nose with hers.

“So? What do you think?” I asked.

The way she encompassed her lips with mine was the only answer I needed.

Chapter 34

Amber

 

 

I couldn’t help myself. I had woken up to the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, celebrated my favorite holiday with him, and now I was standing in the hollowed-out bones of my own dance studio because of him. He had given me every dream I’d ever had as a child. He had single-handedly ignited a passion within me I hadn’t felt in years.

He had given me the rest of my life.

He sank us to the floor, and I felt his lips connect with my neck. It was soft, sensual, like the flapping of butterfly wings on a child’s cheek. His lips fluttered down my body, working their way toward where he wanted to be.

Where I needed him the most.

His hands peeled my clothes off and threw them aside. My legs were bare for him, and he spread them, watching as my pussy juices coated my folds. I felt him press kisses on the insides of each thigh, relishing in how I jumped for him. My fingertips found their way to his hair, pulling him where I desperately needed to be as I bucked my hips closer to his mouth. I wanted to feel his tongue dance around every crevice of my body. I wanted him to fan the flame growing in the pit of my gut.

I wanted him to make love to me the way I’d been making love to him.

His tongue slathered up my slit, and I moaned at his touch. My hands curled into his hair, pulling him closer while his tongue finally found my swollen clit. He lapped and pressed, pulling me toward the edge I so desperately wanted to teeter on. I bucked and writhed for him, moaning his name while my pussy juices dripped down his tongue.

I could hear him swallowing every part of me down as my legs began to shake.

Over and over again, I twitched for him. His hands pushed my legs toward my body, pinning me down as he devoured my pussy. I arched my back, my tits rising to painful peaks as my entire body prickled with electricity.

“I’m so close. Please, Tyler. Holy fuck, yes.”

My legs pulled taut and my body began to jolt. My pussy walls began to clamp down around his tongue while he groaned with approval, and soon I felt his hands massaging my aching legs. My body felt like it was folding in on itself as stars burst in my vision, and his lips rushed up to my clit and latched onto it to coax me through the ride.

My back fell to the floor with a thud before he placed a tender kiss upon my pussy lips. Sweat was dripping down the back of my neck while he worked his pants off his body. I could feel his precum dripping against my skin just before his raging cock touched the inside of my leg, and I raised it to wrap around his waist before he lined up with my entrance.

“I love you so much, Amber.”

He pushed into me slowly, torturously, and I quivered with every inch my body took. I could feel him throbbing against my walls while he bottomed out his hips to mine. He dropped his hands beside my head and encompassed my lips with his, and I couldn’t help but lick my essence off his face. My favorite taste was the taste of him mixed with the taste of me, and I smiled into him while our sensations danced on my tongue.

“I love you, too, Tyler,” I whispered.

His hips slowly began to move, and I raised to meet each of his thrusts. My hands flew underneath his shirt, clawing at his rippling back while I felt his muscles roll underneath my fingernails. The way his body moved for me was intoxicating, and I could soon feel my second orgasm building in the pit of my pelvis.

He rocked slowly into me, hitting that beautiful spot behind my clit while my jaw began to unhinge. The slow-burning sensation trickled up my body and took my breath away, and I began to raise myself to him faster to chase what I wanted.

“Let it go, beautiful. Cum on my dick just like you want to.”

I felt my juices dripping down my ass as I came around his thick cock. My walls fluttered around him, forcing him to stop his movements while he dipped his face into the crook of my neck. I could have stayed like that for hours, just feeling his dick throb against my aching walls. But, the moment didn’t last for long. He suddenly raised up and grabbed my legs, tossing them over his shoulders.

And I felt every single part of my body come alive.

Soon, that rolling spark shot right to my clit. His fingertips parted my pussy folds as he started to pound my hips. I could feel his balls smacking against my glistening ass while his fingers found my oversensitive clit, and the moment he began playing with it is when I lost all reckoning within my body.

“Holy shit, Tyler. Fuck. Yes. Oh, good. Yes, just like that. Oh, I love you.”

He bent down onto the backs of my hamstrings, folding me in half while he pounded into my body. My tits jumped underneath my shirt as my hands found their way to his chiseled thighs. My fingernails dug into him, marking him in ways I’d never even thought I would while his dick dove in and out of my wet depths. Our moans and breaths intermingled with one another’s while the sweat from his brow dripped onto mine, and stars burst in my vision.

Before I could catch my breath, I popped. My pussy squeezed like a vice grip on his dick, pulling him further and further into my body as my eyes rolled into the back of my head. His wet lips hit my neck, biting into my pulse point as my juices sprayed onto his balls that were hanging low with want. I felt his cock twitching deep within me, his hips stuttering as he slowly approached his end.

“Amber. Amber. Sweet fuck, you feel so good. Yes. Holy shit, squeeze that cock. Suck out those juices you want so badly.”

At that moment, I had an idea. I somehow found the strength to slip out from underneath him and roll him over while my pussy juices continued to drip down my ass. My body shook with the aftershocks of my orgasm while Tyler hit the floor, his pulsing cock standing tall and proud before I quickly wrapped my hands around it.

I didn’t even have to suck twice before he thrust to the back of my throat and filled me with his thick streams of cum.

“Fuck, Amber! Yes! What the shit!”

His sounds made me smile around his dick as I reveled in how our juices tasted intermingled with one another’s. I gulped him down, cleaning his cock with my tongue before I released him with a pop. I was still catching my breath while his chest heaved for air, and I laid my cheek down onto his twitching leg while the two of us recovered in the middle of my dance studio.

My business.

My new life I’d been afforded because of this man.

“I love you so much, Tyler Raymond,” I panted.

His hand came down and tugged at my hair, pulling me up toward him before he cradled me into his chest. I fell between his legs while my ear pressed against his heartbeat, and for the first time, I could hear just how much he cared for me. With his heart thumping a thousand miles a second and his body trembling against mine, I had a physical reaction to associate with just how much Tyler loved me.

I smiled into his chest while the two of us made plans for our new life together.

Epilogue

Tyler

 

 

I woke up that morning with butterflies in my stomach. I rolled over and kissed the nose of the woman I’d been living with for the past few months before I slid out of bed. I had a plan that I wanted to make sure was executed in perfect fashion, and that meant I needed plenty of time to prepare. I went into the bathroom and cleaned myself up before I put on the suit Luke had helped me pick out, then I worked on the first note I wanted her to find when she woke up.

Amber,

I have something for you at your dance studio. Let me know when you get it.

Love, Tyler

I left the note on her nightstand before I put on a pot of coffee and slipped out the door. The smell of the coffee would wake her when it got strong enough, and her getting ready would buy me enough time to place these notes around town. I got to the dance studio and wrote her another one, then I taped it on her door before I got back on the road.

Amber,

This dance studio was the first thing I knew I could give to you now, but do you remember the first present I ever got you? See you at the coffee shop.

Love, Tyler

I drove to the coffee shop across town where I took her for the very first time. Berkeley might’ve been the first time I saw her, but our first date wasn’t on campus. I had taken her to this coffee shop everyone ranted and raved about, then tried to impress her with my knowledge of coffee. It was the lamest thing I’d ever done in my life, but for a rosy-red-cheeked freshman, she was all over it.

I got to the coffee shop and told the man behind the counter what I was doing, and he was more than willing to hang onto the note I was about to write her. So, I stood at the counter and scribbled it down before I handed it to the man who now had a huge smile on his face.

Amber,

I’ve paid for the first ever coffee I bought you. Grab it, sit, and enjoy. Take time to drink in the moment. I know you might be anxious, but allow yourself the time to rest. You’ve been working hard, and you deserve it. Once you’ve finished your coffee, think about the first time we ever went on a walk. You remember that trail?

Love, Tyler

I crossed town again and arrived at the park we took our first sunset walk at. For a woman I was just having sex with, we sure as hell did some romantic things back in college. I left the note stapled to a gazebo after talking to a park ranger about what I was doing, and he said he would keep watch and make sure she got it. So, I sat underneath the gazebo I first ate that beautiful pussy out in and wrote her the last note.

Amber,

Remember this fun little place? It’s a particularly fond memory of mine. Why don’t you sit and spread those legs for me, remembering that very moment yourself? If you don’t, that’s fine. Whenever you’re ready, I’d like you to meet me at the memorial tree on Berkeley’s campus. It’s where I was standing the first time I ever saw you dance, and it’s still my favorite place to go whenever I think of you.

Love, Tyler

Then, I headed to Berkeley and waited. I stood underneath that tree and paced, rehearsing the speech in my head as Amber sent me text message after text message. The moment she told me she was heading for the tree, my palms started to sweat. People were starting to stare, and some had gathered in anticipation for what was about to happen, but all I could do was think about what she might be wearing. I had bought her a beautiful sweater dress and put it in her closet, but I wasn’t sure if she would find it.

But, when she crested the hill in her beautiful red and yellow sweater dress coupled with a pair of dark jeans that hugged every luscious curve I’d sink my teeth into later, I couldn’t help but smile with pride.

She ran up to me and wrapped her arms around my neck, and I swung her around before I dropped down to one knee. I didn’t want to give her a chance to speak or think, or ask questions. All I wanted her to do was sit back and listen.

“Amber, you light up my life every single day.”

“Tyler, what are you doing?” she asked.

“You are the reason I now understand what it means to have a family.”

“Tyler, get up,” she said.

I paused what I was doing and looked at her quizzically. I stood to my feet, towering over her as tears poured down her face. She raised her hand to cup my cheek while everyone around us watched in anticipation, and she smiled before she raised up to kiss my lips.

“Merry Christmas,” she whispered.

“May I continue?” I asked.

“Please,” she said, smiling.

I got back down on one knee and took her hand back within mine, and everyone around us gasped. The speech I had rehearsed slowly came flooding back to the forefront of my mind, and I could feel Amber’s hand trembling within my own. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the ring that had been burning a hole in it since this morning, and I watched her eyes widen in shock.

“Underneath this tree was the first time I saw you. You were dancing over there by the building in the corner, and I couldn’t take my eyes off you. My heart skipped a beat right then and there, but the immature part of me thought that meant I needed to get into your pants. I never once stopped to think that it could’ve been because I was looking at the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I believe that’s why the universe found a way for us to find one another again.”

“Oh, Tyler,” she breathed.

“You are the first thing on my mind when I wake up, and the last thing on it before I go to sleep. Whenever I’m doubting what Luke and I are doing with our business, I think about who I’m pressing on for. I remind myself what I’m building and who it’s protecting, and suddenly the struggles no longer matter. You’ve single-handedly shown me the definition of family, and I know there’s absolutely no way I could spend the rest of my life without you in it.”

“I love you so much, Tyler. Oh, my gosh.”

“Amber Duffield, my heart sings out for you. Watching you chase your dreams is something I never thought I would get to do, so kneeling here in front of you is a bit surreal for me. But, I love you with every fiber of my being, and I want you to be my wife. I want to stand at your side and support you in everything you do. I want to be your biggest fan. I want to dedicate my life to making our lives work just the way we deserve, and I want to create a family with you. Amber Duffield, will you marry me?”

She grabbed the collar of my suit and pulled me to her lips. Everyone around us cheered as she nodded her head yes against mine, and I slipped the ring on her finger while our lips danced in tandem with the beating of our hearts. She wrapped her arms around my neck, and I picked her up again, swinging her around.

But, when I sat her back down, she started in on something she had obviously been rehearsing as well.

“Tyler Raymond, you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I was heartbroken when you went to New York City, and I never got over you. When you were in my parents’ house for the first time, all those memories came flooding back, and I was so angry with you. But, little by little, you showed me why I was so taken with you in college. You’re intelligent and crafty. You’re easy to talk with and funny. Your eyes are mesmerizing, and your body touches me in ways I couldn't even conjure in my wildest dreams. The first time we kissed after I saw you I saw everything. A house, children, our businesses, our old age. I saw us walking in the park and holding hands, raising grandchildren and having family Christmases. I saw all of it within the span of that first kiss, and I saw it all with you. I love you, and not only will I marry you, but I will dedicate every single second of my life to supporting you in everything you could possibly want out of this life.”

I buried my face into the crook of her neck and held her while everyone clapped a second time. I slowly began to sway with her while the cool winds of the California winter began to pick up, and suddenly the hustling and bustling around us seemed to fade into the background. Right now, there was just me and her and a whistling tree playing us a rustling tune that blanketed this perfect moment between us.

At that moment, I held the rest of my world within the confines of my arms, and if I had it my way, she would never want for anything more for the rest of her life. So long as I could provide it for her, she would have it. No questions asked.

“I love you, Amber Duffield.”

“And I love you, Tyler Raymond.” There was no denying it, not that she would ever try.