13. Amberlee
Chapter 13
Amberlee
O nce inside my room, I release the breath I’ve been holding, letting my body rest against the door. The question he asked earlier is still bouncing around in my head.
“Any woman? Does that include you?”
I was so close to letting the word ‘yes’ slip out, but I bit my tongue and gave the only answer I could. It could never happen. He’s my brother's best friend.
Pushing off the door, I head to the bed, dropping my bags on it. I pace back and forth across the room, tapping my fingers against my leg as I try to calm myself.
How am I going to do this? Make it through a whole weekend, especially knowing he wants to plan a night we go out together, as friends. But is it? Is that what he’s going to tell Ryan? Fuck, I don’t even know.
I need to find something else to think about—anything but the man in the room next to me. Changing gears, I open my luggage, take out my clothes, and put them away.
Ten minutes. Ryan wants us ready for the beach and in the lobby in ten minutes. I can take my time and head down closer to when I’m supposed to meet them. There’s no way in hell I want to be caught in the elevator with Jeremiah. Hell, I can take the stairs. We’re only on the third floor, it won’t be that bad.
Once I’ve wasted time unpacking, I pick up my bikini and take off my clothes, putting on the skimpy suit.
Turning, I look at myself in the mirror. Why did I think a bikini was a good idea? Oh, I know, because it’s the only suit I own and since I rarely swim, I didn’t need more than one.
A loud rapping at my door causes me to jump. In my panicked state, I rush to cover up but end up tripping over my own feet and falling to the floor. The noise that comes from me is so embarrassing. I don’t know why I felt the need to cover up when no one can just walk in without a key.
“Amberlee, are you okay?” Jeremiah shouts from the other side of the door, his voice panicked. Why is he here?
“Amberlee?” he calls again.
“I’m fine, just tripped,” I shout, hoping he willl go away.
“Are you okay? Do I need the front desk to come up and open the door?”
My eyebrows raise and my mouth goes dry. No, I don’t need that. I don’t need anyone to see me in this state. I’m a fucking wreck.
“No, I’m good.” I scramble to get up and straighten my suit.
“Open the door, I kinda feel like a skeevy perv out here in the hallway screaming at you.”
“Is Aunt Lee Lee okay?” Angel's sweet voice drifts through the door.
No way in hell am I opening it. I don’t care that he has his daughter with him.
“No, it’s okay, I'm good. Just getting changed. I'll be down in just a couple of minutes.”
He doesn’t say anything else and I sigh. Okay, I need a cover-up to put over this tiny piece of fabric, my towel, sunglasses, and sunscreen. Stepping over to the dresser, I pull out a pair of shorts and a tank top and put them on, before sliding my feet into my sandals. As I put everything in my beach bag, I mentally check off each item on my list. The last thing to go in the bag is my phone, book, and wallet, which I made sure to slip my room key in.
Okay, Amberlee, it’s time to face your fears. Or rather, the man waiting downstairs.
I slip my bag over my shoulder, pick up my sunglasses from the bed, and walk to the door. I keep my head down, so when I step out and look up, my hand goes right to my chest. I shuffle back a step or two, the door hitting me in my back as I do, causing me to yelp.
Jeremiah Dawson is standing there, holding his daughter’s hand, waiting for me.
My posture becomes stiff, and my breath hitches.
“Jeremiah, what… what… are you doing here? I thought you already went downstairs?” I stammer.
“I messaged Ryan and told him we were running a few minutes late and would be right down.”
What? Huh? We’re running late? As in me and him? We? Fuck, what did my brother think about that?
“Before you ask, I saw some frat guys on the floor, so I messaged Ryan and told him I didn’t want you going down alone. He agreed.” I can’t help but notice how his eyes roam my body as he steps closer, cutting the distance between us.
“You know I’m a grown adult and I’ve been maneuvering through life just fine without having a man to protect me.” I cross my arms over my chest and glare at him.
He laughs, letting go of Angel’s hand, putting both of his up in the air and backing away.
“You’re right. I’m sorry. But since I’m here, may I please escort you downstairs? It’s not often I get to have two beautiful ladies on my arm.”
My face heats as I bite my lower lip, dragging my teeth across it as I nod. As much as I know nothing can happen between us, him calling me beautiful makes my heart race. One day, I hope to find a man that makes me feel the way Jeremiah does.
We make our way to the elevator and I move to the other side of Angel, keeping a body distance between us. I don’t trust myself. My desire for him is still so intense. if Angel wasn’t here, what would I do? Would I seize the opportunity to flirt back? Knowing it would end up nowhere?
Thankfully, I’ll never have to know.
The tension is so thick between us, it’s almost suffocating in the small space of the elevator. We only make it down one floor before we come to a squealing stop, making me wonder if we should have just taken the stairs. All the movies with people dying gruesomely in an elevator come to mind instantly.
When the doors open, I sigh. It just stopped to pick more passengers up. As other people enter, I step back until I hit the wall, trying my damndest to squeeze my body into the corner—trying to keep distance between Jeremiah and myself.
But Jeremiah obviously doesn’t feel the same. No, instead, he moves Angel in front of him and scoots his body so close to me, my bare arm brushes against his for the second time today.
Fucking elevators.
I begin naming off books I’ve read in my mind, trying to distract myself from how good he smells and calm my racing heart.
One by one, going by series, I recite titles. Slowly, my heart stops pounding and my breathing levels out. I can still feel his presence beside me, his cedar essence dancing through my senses.
Why does he have to smell so good?
If he reeked of onions and bad breath, his damned good looks wouldn’t affect me like they do.
“Are you coming?” Jeremiah asks loudly as Angel tugs on my shirt. When I look up, he’s outside the elevator doors, holding them open with his hands while a group of middle-aged women look at me with their lips pressed tightly together, tapping their feet on the floor.
I shake my head, pushing all thoughts of Jeremiah to the back of my brain.
“Yeah. Sorry ladies, I zoned out.”
As I go to step off the elevator, one of the ladies closest to me whispers to the one beside her, just loud enough for me to hear.
“I’d be zoned out too, if I had a man like that. Oh, to be young again, I’d give that girl a run for her money.”
The ladies erupt into laughter and I can feel the heat rising on my face. Keeping my head down, I rush past Jeremiah, hoping he didn’t hear them. But when he laughs, my hope is crushed. I should have known I couldn’t be that lucky.
“I bet you would too. You’re gorgeous now, so I can only imagine how stunning you were thirty years ago. But my heart is taken by a brunette bombshell.”
Jeremiah responds to her, but I’m too embarrassed to turn back and look.
“She better know how lucky she is to have a young man like you,” one of them says. Thankfully, the further away I get, the less I hear.
My feet keep moving, steering me toward the lobby where Ryan is standing by one of the chairs that Maddy's sitting in.
“It's about time! What took you so long?” A wide grin spreads across Maddy’s face, looking like the cat who ate the canary. When Ryan turns his head, she gives me a wink.
“When I pulled my bikini out of the bag, I decided to go ahead and unpack and put everything away. I didn’t realize I had taken so long.”
“She also fell. You probably even heard the thud all the way down here in the lobby,” Jeremiah jokes, but my heart sinks. Is he calling me fat? I’m no size eight, not even on a good day. But I’m proud of all my curves. They make me feel more feminine, desirable. Does Jeremiah not feel the same?
“Yeah, it was loud. Daddy was worried about Aunt Lee Lee,” Angel adds in as she sits down in the chair with RJ.
“You were worried about my baby sister?” Ryan turns to Jeremiah, raising an eyebrow as his stance becomes rigid.
This isn’t going well so far.
“I’m sure he was just worried I hit my head or something and was lying on the floor in a pool of blood and the vacation would be cut short,” I rush out in one breath.
Ryan raises an eyebrow, but just shakes his head.
“You are kind of a klutz, aren’t you?” He reaches out and gives me a playful punch in the shoulder that’s a little harder than I think he meant for it to be. I lift my hand, rubbing the spot he hit, trying to ease the ache that's building.
Ryan must not notice, but Jeremiah does. When I look up, he’s staring at me with concern-filled eyes.
“Okay, Mama decided what we’re doing first, and it’s eating. Apparently, the babies are hangry and devouring her from the inside out.”
I smile, happy about that decision for a couple of reasons. One, I’m hungry as well. Two, it’s a little longer I don’t have to be around a topless, wet Jeremiah on the beach. It’s a win-win.
“So now the question is, what do the babies want to eat?”
“PIZZA!” both kids scream at the same time.
“Anyone object?” Ryan smiles, staring at his son.
“Sounds good to me. Most of the places that sell it have a salad option,” I add, feeling a little self-conscious about Jeremiah’s remark.
“Salad? What the hell are you, a rabbit?” Maddy balks as her face scrunches up. “You’ll have pizza just like the rest of us.”
Ryan steps closer, sliding his arm around my shoulders, and pulling me flush with his body. “When does my sister turn down one of her favorite foods?”
“Since she’s gained a few pounds and needs to drop them,” I bark back, pissed that I need to justify my food choice to him.
“I don’t see where you need to lose any weight,” Jeremiah states a little too loudly. Ryan’s head jerks in his direction so fast I’m positive he got whiplash.
Jeremiah holds his hands up for the second time in thirty minutes.
“Ryan, I’m not blind, nor is any other man in eyeshot of her. Anyone could see she’s perfect..”
Ryan narrows his gaze at his friend, making me all the more self-conscious, as if the pizza and Jeremiah’s compliment weren’t enough to do the trick.
“Make sure to keep your eyes and body away from my sister. Maddy, we need to change rooms,” Ryan grits out with a tic in his jaw.
“Would you stop, Ryan? He’s just stating the obvious, your sister is a smoke show. You need to let go of this overprotectiveness and we’re not moving.”
“Fine.” Ryan sighs, but glares at Jeremiah. “Let’s go eat. We’re taking your SUV Jeremiah since it has the booster seats already and three-row seating.”
“Sounds good.” Jeremiah gives Ryan a playful shove, and it’s like the tense conversation we just had evaporates into thin air.