They’d belonged together and now she’d turned on him. And why? For that cop husband of hers she’d known for less than one week. Well, he hadn’t looked happy finding her with King Bobby, either, but she hadn’t protested when the guy put his hands on her and dragged her out of the diner.
Last time Marshall had seen her, Amber Rose had warned him not to touch her ever again. As if he was scum. When he finally got her alone, she’d see the difference between a pansy-ass cop and a real man.
And Marshall would make sure it was a lesson she’d never forget.
NOW THAT MIKE had Amber by his side, he vacillated between being furious at her for leaving the house, and being overcome with relief that King Bobby hadn’t hurt her.
He didn’t say one word on the car ride back to his father’s place. He needed to calm down first and, typical of Amber, she understood his anger and remained silent. Unfortunately, by the time he parked the car in front of the house, his tension and frustration hadn’t eased.
Once inside, he found a note on the entryway table from Clara. He read her neat handwriting with Amber glancing over his shoulder, her fragrant, arousing, now-familiar scent seeping into his pores, magnifying every emotion he felt for her, both good and bad.
He was wired.
Tense.
On edge.
The note stated that Clara and Edward had gone to town, looking for store space and for dinner. The craziness of it all didn’t escape him. Mike couldn’t begin to figure his father out and at the moment, he didn’t care to try. He was solely focused on his wife and the fact that
He slowly turned to face her. Her sunglasses were still perched on her delicate nose, her baseball cap askew on her head, and she stared at him intently with those beautiful, knowing eyes.
“Mike-”
“I came home and you weren’t here,” he interrupted her. “No one knew where you’d gone.” He’d never been so bone-chilling scared in his life.
“I know, and I’m sorry.”
“And then I find you breaking bread with the man, forging agreements, making promises-”
She winced at his description. “You have to know that I would never turn Marshall over to King Bobby. I only said that to keep the guy happy. Not that I think I’ll ever hear from Marshall again, but I wouldn’t give him up to King Bobby.” She wrinkled her nose in thought. “Even if he deserves to be taught a lesson. Heaven knows I’ve learned one,” she said quickly.
“Right now, I don’t give a damn about what happens to Marshall.” But he did understand what she was trying to convey. She was attempting to distance herself from her past and the people in it. She wanted him to believe she’d changed, that she understood the error of her past actions and the type of people she’d associated with.
“Amber, do you realize how lucky you are? The man could have killed you. Or worse,” Mike said through clenched teeth.
“What’s worse than killing…me…Oh…” Her voice trailed off and she turned pale, the blood draining from her face.
She suddenly understood all the things that had gone through Mike’s mind when he realized she left his father’s house. Assault, rape, heaven only knew what else. He’d seen a lot in his years on the force.
She swallowed hard. “I’m sorry I didn’t listen. That I took off. I didn’t mean to blatantly go against you, but I was going stark raving mad doing nothing for days on end. I’m a proactive person, Mike. I’ve been taking care of myself for years and I’ve never had anyone to rely on before, nobody else to consider before I acted.”
“If he’d gotten you alone-” This time
She reached out and placed a warm hand on his arm. “He didn’t. I knew better. I didn’t even know he was in Stewart until I saw him in the diner window. And then I realized I had a choice. I could keep running…or I could face him and put this mess behind me. I chose a public place where he couldn’t hurt me. I was smart, I swear.”
He ground his teeth so hard his jaw hurt. Pride in her bravery warred with lingering fear for her safety. He couldn’t listen to her rushed rambling for another minute without feeling for himself that she was safe.
He grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her hard against him, covering her lips with his. She melted into him, wrapping her arms around his neck, kissing him back.
Everything next happened in a blur, thanks to the blood rushing through his head-and to other body parts. He devoured her with his mouth, relief that she was home safe firing up his blood along with her eager, hot response.
He pulled her hat off her head and tossed it onto the floor, freeing the long curls from confinement. She yanked her glasses off and then she was back, kissing him again.
Undressing him.
She pulled his shirt up and over his head. Lowered his jeans and briefs around his ankles, leaving him long enough to grab a condom from his wallet, step out of one pant leg, then the other before she plastered herself against him once more. But it wasn’t enough for Mike.
He needed to feel her heat, her warmth. He pulled her T-shirt up for skin-to-skin contact and realized she wasn’t wearing a bra.
He gazed appreciatively at her full breasts and darkened nipples before he yanked her against him with one hand. Flesh against flesh, heat seared him.
His groin pulsed between them, throbbing against her stomach. “Do you feel what you do to me?” he asked gruffly.
She grazed the head of his shaft, liquid coating her fingertips. She grinned. “Yeah, I feel it.” She tipped her head back and met his gaze, wickedness burning in hers. “Now it’s your turn.” Her hands shook as she unbuttoned her jeans and quickly peeled them off along with her lacy underwear.
God, she was gorgeous.
“Feel what you do to me,” she ordered.
He slid one finger into her warm, feminine heat, finding her slick and wet. Ready for him.
He reached behind him and turned the lock on the front door, assuring them nobody would walk in. “You sure you want to do this here and now? Isn’t it disrespectful?” he asked, only partially teasing.
She’d felt that way before and if he took one more step, he wouldn’t be able to stop.
She pushed him against the wall and practically climbed him to get closer. “That was then. Edward was around the house somewhere. This is now. And trust me, if Clara actually managed to get him out, she won’t bring him back for hours.” Amber treated him to a warm, wet, lingering, seductive kiss. “Are you sure you want to keep talking?” she asked.
Everything in him screamed for release. “Talking’s overrated.” He picked her up and carried her to the nearest couch, only to find it too narrow.
Amber laughed, the sound cushioning his heart in warmth. “At this point the floor works,” she said, panting with desire.
He lowered himself onto his back, shielding her from the hard surface. He took care of protection, then held out his hand.
She took it.
Amber lowered herself over him, positioning her thighs over his until her feminine cleft sat poised over him. Her eyes never leaving his, she slid home.
Inch by sweet, delectable inch, she enveloped him in wet heat until he couldn’t think. He thought he groaned out loud, but he couldn’t be sure, so hard was the blood rushing through his head, his ears.
And then she squeezed, contracting her internal muscles, pulling him into her very essence and he couldn’t control the wave of emotion filling his body, his mind, his heart.
If only everything between them was this perfect, Mike thought.
And then she began to move, and rational thought fled with the silky-smooth viselike grip her body had on his. He cupped her breasts in his hands as she rode him, up and down, fast, seeking release. He was damn close himself.
But suddenly he didn’t want it fast. He wanted to savor it and her. In case this was the last time.
Shaking off that thought, he bent his knees slightly, slowing her tempo. Her eyes opened wide and as she met
