Chapter Twenty-Five

Amber

I was sore in all the right places. My legs feel like I had put them through one hell of an intense yoga workout. Harry had bent me in ways I didn’t know I could move. Every position made it all so much better. I loved that he was daring and creative and so dominating in the bedroom. Thinking about the way the man could make my body hum with a single stroke or even a look was making me wet. His boasting about being very good at what he did was not without merit. He had proved time and again he was very skilled in the sex department.

I had to pull myself together. I didn’t want William to catch me in the midst of a fantasy about his brother. That would be weird. I could feel the heat in my cheeks. It wasn’t the only place that was feeling a little warm.

“Hey,” Misty, the head of HR said, sitting on the corner of my desk.

“Hi,” I said, feeling guilty for where my thoughts had been. “What are you doing up here?”

She shrugged. “I thought I would stop by. How are you?” she asked.

I smiled. “Fine. Why? You don’t normally stop by and ask me how I am. What’s up?”

“I wanted to make sure everything was okay up here,” she said, her eyes moving around the floor and stopping on William’s closed door.

I looked around. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

“Your boss isn’t being especially cranky?”

I shook my head. “I haven’t seen him today. He had a meeting out of the office this morning.”

She nodded her head. “Okay, well, do me a favor. If anyone is having trouble, please tell them to come see me. I want to head off any issues before they can become a problem.”

“What are you talking about? Has someone been complaining about him?” I asked, suddenly defensive. “He’s been stressed and maybe he isn’t as friendly as usual, but they can’t expect him to be nice all the time.”

She shook her head. “No. No one’s complained. I mean, I have heard he’s been difficult lately, but nothing serious. However, that was before everything happened.”

“Before what happened?”

I felt like I had missed the beginning of the movie. I was lost.

“The wedding,” she said, dragging out the word.

I waved a hand. “He’s fine, just a little stress.” I looked around before lowering my voice to a whisper. “You’ve met his fiancée. A saint would be stressed.”

She looked at me, her eyes wide. “You haven’t heard.”

“Heard what?” I asked, quickly growing frustrated with the conversation.

I could tell she had a juicy bit of gossip she was dying to share with me.

“He called it off,” she blurted out.

My heart tumbled and hit my empty stomach, causing a whole crazy mixed bag of reactions in my body. I opened my mouth and then closed it again.

“What?” I croaked out, not sure I understood what she was saying.

“He called off the wedding.”

I shook my head. “No way. He wouldn’t do that. His entire family is counting on him.”

Her head popped up. A guilty look crossed her face. “I have to go. Don’t say anything. If there are any problems, feel free to bring me in, and I will try to keep everyone happy. I don’t want any official complaints lodged against him. He’s going through a rough time and deserves a little understanding. Some of these people don’t understand that,” she said with a frustrated look.

I had no idea who had been bitching about William, but I would worry about that later. The man was making his way directly for me. I did my best to school my features. I didn’t want him to know I knew. I wasn’t sure if I really believed the gossip. Part of me hoped it was true while another part of me felt bad the man was hurting.

“Good morning,” I said with a pleasant smile.

“I need to see you,” he grumbled. “Now, please,” he demanded without breaking his stride as he walked to his office door.

Misty was looking at me. I held a finger to my lips, letting her know I wouldn’t tell William how I knew or that I knew anything if the subject came up. I doubted he would want to talk about that kind of thing with me.

“How was your meeting?” I asked cheerily.

He sat down behind his desk. “Fine.”

“You have another client coming in in about an hour.”

“I know.”

“Okay,” I said, waiting for him to tell me why he had called me into his office.

“I need to talk to you. Will you please have a seat?” He gestured at the chair in front of his desk.

I sat down, doing my best to appear calm and normal.

“Did you need something else?” I asked, my voice a little higher than usual.

He nodded his head, looking nervous as hell. “I broke off my engagement.”

“Why?” I said. “You can’t. You need this marriage.”

He buried his face in his hands. “I can’t do it. It was a huge mistake to think I could. I’ve been trying to convince myself it was the right thing to do.”

“William, why would you do that?” I said, failing at keeping my breathing normal.

“You were right. Tiffany is not the woman for me. I’ve never been more miserable in my life than in the weeks I’ve spent engaged to her. I can’t do it.” He groaned. “I know my family is counting on me, but I can’t.”

I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t think of the right words. “I’m sorry.” It was all I could come up with. It felt so cliché and wrong for the moment.

He looked up at me, and I could see the torment and frustration in his eyes. It tugged at my heartstrings. I wanted to comfort him. I couldn’t. It would be wrong. I was technically engaged to his brother. Not just engaged; I had been sleeping with his brother, though sleeping wasn’t the right word.

“I should have listened to my gut. I knew it wasn’t right. I felt so much pressure, and I caved. I should have listened to you. You knew,” he whispered. “I don’t know why I couldn’t see it before.”

He stood up and walked around the desk. He stood in front of me, reached out a hand, and waited. I hesitated before giving him my hand. He gently pulled me up. I stood facing him, staring at his chin, not ready to look into his eyes.

“Amber.” He said my name like a plea.

I looked up to meet his eyes and instantly regretted it. He leaned down and kissed me. It was soft and gentle and so full of promise. His hand cupped my face as he firmly pressed his lips against mine. I sighed against him before I realized what was happening and jerked away.

“We can’t,” I whispered.

“Why can’t we? I know you want me. We’ve been down this road before. We can, Amber.”

I shook my head. “I can’t. You know why I can’t.”

He heaved a sigh. “I know the engagement to Harry isn’t real. It’s a bunch of bullshit meant to piss me off and make me jealous. It worked.”

I gulped down the lump in my throat. “What? Why would you say that? Did he tell you that?”

He cocked his head to the side and looked down at me. “I know you, and I know him. There’s no way it can be real.”

“William, you have a case of cold feet. You’ll realize you have to marry Tiffany. It’s a case of nerves. Maybe you can take a couple days and try to clear your head,” I suggested.

“It isn’t nerves. I know what I’m feeling, and it isn’t love for Tiffany. I want you.”

I took a deep breath. “William, this is wrong.”

He shook his head. “It isn’t wrong. How can it be wrong? You and I have a connection. I know you feel it. Just admit it. We don’t have to fight it anymore. I’m free.”

“I’m not,” I said, my voice hoarse.

My heart was beating so hard in my chest, it hurt. I had been hoping for this for weeks, and now that it was happening, I felt horrible. It felt wrong.

“You can,” he said as if it were the most obvious answer in the world.

“I tried to tell you before; you shut me down. I can’t let you hurt me again,” I said, my heart breaking with every word.

“I won’t. I want to spend time with you. I want us to get to know each other better and really explore a relationship together. I know you want that, too,” he said, his hands moving to my waist and holding me close.

I wanted to throw my arms around him and tell him yes, that was what I wanted. At least, that was what I wanted me to think I wanted. I wasn’t as sure as I was before. Things had changed. He had hurt me, and it had left me bruised. I had fought my way out of that heartbreak and walked right into Harry’s arms.

“I don’t know what I want,” I told him, being completely honest.

I looked up at him, wanting to see his reaction. Looking up at him had been a mistake. He kissed me again. I let him, even though somewhere in the back of my mind something told me it was wrong. I thought about stopping, but it felt too good. He was the one to step back.

“I’ve missed you. Please, say you’ll give us a chance. I know we can be happy. I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you before. I can be stubborn and get so focused on a goal, I don’t take the time to look around me. You’ve been right there all along. I’m so sorry I didn’t see it.”

I nodded. My head and heart were at war with each other, and my stomach was somehow caught in the middle.

“I have to go,” I mumbled. “I’m not feeling well.”

“Amber, wait. Please, don’t go. Let’s talk about this,” he said, reaching for me.

I pulled out of his grasp. “No. I can’t. I need time to think about this on my own.”

He nodded. “Okay. I understand.”

“I’m leaving for the day,” I blurted out.

“You’re going home?” he said in shock.

I nodded. “Yes.”

I had to get away from him. He had me twisted in knots. I needed space. I wasn’t going to be able to work now anyway. The man had ruined my concentration. I could barely remember my own name. In a bit of a stupor, I made my way to my desk, grabbed my purse, and left the building.

I still couldn’t believe what had happened. It didn’t feel real. I had been hoping and dreaming of the moment for weeks, and now that it had happened, I wasn’t sure I liked it. William had been my dream guy. I had fantasized about him telling me how much he loved me and couldn’t live without me. He had done exactly what I had wanted. But something was very wrong with me.

It didn’t make me feel all warm and fuzzy. It made me incredibly tense and stressed me out. I felt dirty. What the hell had I gotten myself into?