“Oh.”
He heard her disappointment and felt it inside him. Once again, her error had left him feeling lower than dirt. Despite it all, the last thing he wanted to do was to hurt her.
“Look, this is a complicated situation,” he said, meeting her gaze.
“Do I embarrass you?”
He took her in with one glance. From her strappy sandals, simple sundress, to her sunny hair, she was a breath of fresh air. “Hell, no, you don’t embarrass me. Those guys inside are probably frothing at the mouth with jealousy.” Unable to stop himself, he ran his hand through her soft curls.
She wet her lips and her eyes turned softer with gratitude, and hazy with that damn attraction that was always there between them. Simmering just below the surface.
Daring him to ignore it.
As if he could.
He didn’t know who started it, but soon his lips were on hers, seeking her sweetness, apologizing for hurting her, showing her she wasn’t an embarrassment, but a woman he desired. His tongue swept through her mouth, feeding off her delicious taste.
“Excuse me,” Dan said, clearing his throat when they didn’t br
eak apart right away. “But there are people inside waiting for an explanation. And some just want to congratulate you.”
Mike stepped back.
Amber’s cheeks flushed pink. “I guess we should head back in.”
Mike inclined his head and gestured for her to walk ahead of him. Which gave Dan the opportunity to add, “And some of us just want to know if you’ve lost your damn mind.”
But even his partner’s concern couldn’t stop the grin that spread across Mike’s face. Because as Edward had said, Amber was hot. And she was a challenge—he didn’t know what she’d do next.
Still, Mike had to admit she was trying to make things up to him. She treated him like the center of her universe, going out of her way to please him. It was difficult not to remember all the things that had drawn him to her in the first place.
KING BOBBY stared at the phone in the office of his dealership, willing the darn thing to ring.
“A watched pot never boils,” Emmy Lou said, peeking into the room.
“Go away, woman! You sound like my momma!” No wonder he had a mistress waiting for him whenever he could escape from the woman’s nagging.
As if on cue, the telephone rang and he let out a whoop of glee. “Speak to me!” he demanded.
After listening for a few minutes, he barked to the man on the line, “So someone at the Chandler admits that an Amber once worked there? That’s it? If I need to do your thinkin’ for ya, I got no need to pay you. Just tell ’em your boss wants to open a hotel and is interested in this old employee of theirs. Throw some money around until you git access to her employment file. I need a last name!” he bellowed, his blood pressure rising.
“Once they get her names they should check the Department of Records,” Emmy Lou suggested.
King Bobby hadn’t realized she was still there, damn nosy broad.
If he hadn’t knocked her up when she was young and she hadn’t threatened to take him for all he was worth, he’d be long divorced by now. Emmy Lou liked being King Bobby’s queen. Good thing she came in useful once in a while.
“Good idea, sweet cheeks,” he said. Then he repeated her words to his guys out in Beverly Hills. “Next time you call me, I want concrete information!” he bellowed so they’d know he meant business.
After hanging up the phone, he pulled out his bankroll and peeled off a number of hundreds, then waved them at Emmy Lou. “Why don’t you go shopping. I have work to do.”
Emmy Lou smiled, pleased, and snatched the cash from his hand.
“I won’t be home for dinner,” he said to his wife’s retreating back.
She wouldn’t care.
Mentally, she was halfway to the mall already. With money in her pocket, she wouldn’t be home early tonight, either. She’d call her friends, hit the stores, head to an expensive dinner and come home toasted.