CHAPTER SEVEN - LUKE
I woke the next morning with Amber still on my mind. Had she really been in the living room the night before and I hadn’t taken full advantage of it? Yeah. Fuck me.
Groaning, I rolled over and let my eyes move across the picture of Em. She was the reason I wasn’t willing to do anything with Amber. It was a bit of a thrill to see my little princess enjoying someone else’s company, but what happened when Amber would finally decide she was tired of us? Of me? ‘Cause she would.
Where sex with her would be fucking incredible, that’s ultimately all I would want, and that wasn’t fair to her. She was an employee of mine first. I could keep my dick in my pants; I had to.
After laying there a few more minutes, I got out of bed and slipped on a pair of jeans to walk up to Emery’s room. I usually just called up the stairs, but I wanted to see her and make sure she was feeling better.
I stuck my head into her room and smiled. “Wake up, little one.”
Emery rolled over and opened her eyes. “Morning, Daddy.”
“How are you feeling?”
“A little better,” she said. “Not all the way.”
“Well, Daddy has to go to work, but I’ve got a little surprise for you.”
Emery perked up. “What is it?”
“Amber’s coming over to take care of you while I’m gone. Would you like that?”
“Yes, I really like her, daddy.”
“More than Marla?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I’m glad you like Amber so much.” The doorbell rang. “That should be her now. Be right back.”
I walked back downstairs as my heart skipped a beat. Fuck! I was getting sappy over the woman loving on my daughter. I was doomed.
I opened the door and my jaw almost hit the floor. Amber stood there, but there something different about her. At that moment, I realized I’d never seen her outside of her work clothes. She looked more gorgeous than ever.
She wore a long flowing sun dress that accentuated her curves in a very distracting way. Her black hair flowed down her shoulders, almost shimmering in the sunlight. I had the wild urge to run my fingers through it. Bright red lipstick stained her lips, drawing my gaze to her ripe mouth that looked to be made for kissing and sucking.
My sudden interest must have shown on my face.
Amber arched an eyebrow at me, her cockiness knowing no bounds. “See something you like?”
I shook my head, as if coming out of a trance. “Sorry, no. It’s just, you look different today. You actually look nice.”
She smiled sardonically. “I can’t tell if that’s an insult or a compliment.”
“No, I mean—Well, you know what I mean.” The woman had me flustered. It was not a feeling I was used to. Amber seemed to delight in my discomfort.
“Relax, I’m just kidding.” She held up a brown paper bag. “I brought some ginger ale for Emery. It seemed to help yesterday.”
“Yes, thank you. She’ll like that. Please, come in.” I led her into the kitchen. “There’s food in the fridge. Feel free to help yourself. If Emery’s feeling up to it, you can try giving her some plain toast. I’ve got Pepto in the cabinet, and there’s a list of phone numbers to get ahold of me on the table.” I tapped a finger to my lips. “Let’s see, what else?”
“I think I got it. If I can handle working for you, I can handle just about anything.” She gave me a sweet smile and my cock twitched in my jeans. Fuck. I didn’t even have on a shirt or shoes. Her eyes moving across the wings on my chest caught my attention. Was she going to be ballsy enough to say something about it? To ask more questions?
Her left hand squeezed into a ball, and I couldn’t help but wonder if she were thinking about reaching out and tracing it. I wouldn’t survive it if she did. She would find herself pinned to the wall, or spread out across my kitchen island. Both would work.
“Right,” I said, trying to still my nerves. “It’s just that I worry about her.”
Amber reached out and patted my arm as I tensed. “I know, and it’s adorable. But everything is going to be fine. Now go get dressed, and then get out there and feed the hungry masses.”
I nodded. “All right.”
After standing there a minute too long, I walked back to the bedroom and got dressed quickly. Every cell in my body was screaming for me to make something happen. I wasn’t going to survive being around her and remain aloof. But I had to. I’d been wearing a mask since Jen left. I could keep it up. I was fucking Luke Harrison. I could do anything.
I walked back down the hall and grabbed my keys as she stood in the kitchen, her hip popped out as she leaned over the counter, reading something. The thick curve of her ass pushed against her skirt and my body ached with need.
“I’m out, but again, you call me if you need anything. Anything.”
“Will do.” She turned and smiled. “There’s the asshole chef I know.”
She had me there. I rolled my eyes and walked to the door with her behind me. The scent of her perfume rose up and filled my senses, leaving me a little dizzy with lust.
“Good luck today,” she whispered as I opened the door.
I walked out and grunted something incoherent. It felt too much like we were playing house. I got in the car and put it in reverse, watching in the backup camera instead of turning my head around. I wanted to see her a little more.
She waved as I pulled out of the driveway. A strange sensation of vertigo overcame me. It was like having a vision of the way life could be. Being sent off to work by an adoring wife, Emery having a mother taking care of her while I was away. not coming home to an empty bed.
It was a nice idea, but that kind of life just wasn’t in the cards for me. Life was what it was. No sense in torturing myself with fantasies that would never come true.
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