17. Amberlee
Chapter 17
Amberlee
W e end up walking to a bar right on the strip, just a few blocks down from the hotel. The sidewalks are crowded, forcing our bodies closer together. Each time my body brushes against his, tingles explode through me. I’m burning up, and it’s not from the summer heat.
“So, what’s the place called you’ve kidnapped me to go to?” I raise my voice so he can hear me.
Jeremiah laughs, the sound dark and smooth, which only makes my damn heart beat faster.
“It’s called the Beach House. They have a small dance floor and a DJ. But I thought we’d try and get a table outside and just talk a bit.” His fingers brush along the back of mine, briefly intertwining, before I pull my hand away.
“Okay.”
I try to act interested in what’s going on around me. The cars pass by with people yelling and honking horns, and the small shop owners calling out, trying to get you to buy what they’re selling.
My attention drifts to the novelty shops, and I make a mental note to come back tomorrow and buy something. I’ll get up early and slip away before anyone can try and come with me.
“We’re here.” Jeremiah’s hand slips around my waist, causing me to stumble and fall into him. The touch sets me on fire.
“Shit,” I squeal.
“Sorry, I just said it a few times, and you kept going. I wasn’t sure if you heard me.”
“No,” I mutter as he leads me up the steps. Just as we hit the landing at the top of them, he spots a table at the very end that’s empty. Fucking great.
“Let’s sit there.” His hand rests on the small of my back as he ushers me to it. He never breaks contact, and I both love and hate it at the same time.
Pulling out a chair, I take a seat and he sits down across from me. His eyes are firmly planted on me, causing me to squirm, both from the attention and to ease the ache building in my core.
“It’s fun to be out, just me and you. I’m hoping after tonight we can have more nights like this together.”
I’m saved by the waitress stepping up to the table and handing us each a menu. “Can I get the two of you something to drink to start with while you look at the menus?”
“Can I get a shot of tequila?” I blurt. A strong drink is definitely what I need to help me make it through this night.
“I’ll take one too, and a beer, anything on draft is good,” Jeremiah tells her. She gives him a flirty smile and wink before trotting off, her ponytail swaying with each step. My jaw hurts from how hard I’m clenching my teeth.
I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself. Jeremiah isn’t my man. He never will be. I have no right to be jealous.
“Tequila? I didn’t know you drank liquor, or drank at all, for that matter. Does Ryan know?”
I quirk my eyebrow as I lean back in my seat, crossing my arms across my chest. Really. He’s asking that?
“I don’t need my brother’s permission to drink. Unless you missed it, I’m over twenty-one and a grown woman.” My words come out more bitter than I intended. Mid-sentence I realized why he would ask. Ryan is very protective of me, and even though he knows I drink a glass of wine at special events, he doesn’t like it.
“Trust me, Amberlee, I know you’re all grown up.” His eyes are hooded as he looks at me, my body melting under his appraisal.
The waitress chooses that moment to come back, placing a shot in front of each of us as well as a glass of beer in front of Jeremiah.
“Did we want something to eat?” she asks, her attention solely focused on Jeremiah, but he doesn’t even notice. His eyes are on me.
Picking up the shot, I lift it to my lips and shoot it back. It burns as it travels down my throat and I hold back the squeal that wants to break free.
“I’ll have two more shots and a Liquid Marijuana. I’m not hungry, but please feel free to order some food if you are.” I’m not a drinker but tonight I am, it’s how I’m going to make it through it.
“You know what, I'll have the same as my girl here, and can we just get the chips and queso appetizer plate, please?”
“Sure thing. I’ll have that out for you shortly.” The waitress turns, but I feel a small amount of glee at the way her face dropped when he called me his girl.
I don’t say anything, making sure she’s well out of earshot before I do.
“My girl?” I shoot him a suspicious glance.
“Yes. Well, I’m hoping you will be. My girl, that is.”
My jaw drops. Did I wake up in the Twilight Zone? Is this some alternate universe or something?
“I’ve actually been waiting for the perfect moment to talk to you about it. About the way I feel about you.”
My heart races and I’m far too sober. Reaching across the table, I pick up his shot glass, still sitting untouched, and shoot it.
“You could’ve just asked. I would’ve shared.” His laughter is husky, and my nipples tingle with desire from the sound alone.
“Feel about me? What are you talking about?” My hand instinctively touches the back of my neck, rubbing it as I bite on my lip.
“You know what I’m talking about. But in case you don’t, let me refresh your memory.”
“Here you go, four shots, and two drinks. Your food will be out shortly. Can I get you something else?” The waitress places her hand on Jeremiah’s shoulder, and I see red. All I want to do is jump from this table and rip her heart right out of her chest.
“Yeah, you can start by removing your hand off my shoulder,” he says as he plucks her hand off like she is made of something gross. “And stop flirting with me. It’s disrespectful to my woman, and it won’t earn you a big tip. Quite the opposite.” His voice is direct, perhaps even a bit snippy.
My mouth forms a smug smile, and I love how her face turns red as she’s put her in her place.
Her expression sours and she quickly turns, heading towards a table full of men. No doubt looking to reclaim her confidence with them.
We sit in silence for a minute. I pick up one of the shots and drink it, slamming the empty glass down on the table, and then do the same with the other. I’m not a drinker, and I can already feel the effects it’s having on me. My body’s relaxing, and my thoughts are becoming muddled.
“Now that the annoying waitress is gone, let me finish. I noticed you the first time I came home with Ryan all those years ago. The instant I laid eyes on you, I was a goner. I wanted you then, but you were young, and his little sister. I made the worst decision of my life by hooking up with Sylvia. It was a selfish attempt to take my mind off you. It didn’t work.”
I take a sip of the mixed drink, absorbing every word, trying to process it all. He’s telling me things I’ve yearned to hear, while also ripping my heart apart.
“But I don't regret my relationship with Syliva, it gave me Angel, and she’s my everything. I can’t imagine my life without her. I want you, Amberlee, as my woman, my lover, and eventually my wife and the mother of my children. I’m not sure if you feel the same, but I have a gut feeling you do.”
I don’t say anything. All I can do is stare at him with wide eyes while I suck on the straw. He lifts his shots and takes them. Is my silence bothering him, making him doubt my feelings? God, he is right, though. I do want him. Since the first time I saw him, I’ve felt the same as him.
I don’t know how much time passes by as we sit in silence. The waitress stepping up to the table with our food pulls me out of my thoughts.
“Here you go. Can I get you something else?” It doesn’t pass my notice that she’s not flirting this time, instead, she looks at me, pretending as if Jeremiah isn’t sitting across from me.
“Yeah, can I get three more shots and another one of these drinks?”
Jeremiah clears his throat. “I’ll have the same.”
“Coming right up.” She leaves, and once again, we’re left in awkward silence. But Jeremiah doesn’t let it stay that way for long.
“Am I wrong? Are you not interested? I’ve seen the way you look at me, and it’s been blatantly obvious that you’ve been avoiding me at every turn since you moved here.”
Sighing, I finally break my silence. “It doesn’t matter how I feel. Ryan will never allow it. You’re his best friend.”
“Who better to date his sister than someone he knows will treat her like a queen? And trust me, Amberlee, that’s exactly how I plan to make you feel.”
I suck on my straw, the liquid giving me the courage I need to have this conversation. Is he right? Would Ryan be okay with us, or would it ruin their friendship? It would kill me if I was the reason they stopped being friends.
“I do like you.” I clear my throat. “Hell, I have since I was fifteen, crushing on my older brother's hot friend. But you broke my heart and didn’t even know it.” I look away from him, pausing for a moment. I can do this, I need to get it out.
“When you were with her. You know, I saw you at the pool that night having sex with her. She saw me watching. It’s the moment I knew I could never have you.” My eyes well up with tears, and I close them, preventing them from falling. I’m not going to break down, not here. And not in front of him.
“I'm sorry.” I feel the shift in the air as his body brushes against mine. When I open my eyes, he’s sitting in the chair beside me. “I’d take it all back if I could. But you were too young then. I would’ve gone to jail. But it’s different now. Give us a chance. I’ll talk to Ryan and make him see how good we are for each other.”
He doesn’t miss a beat. He takes hold of my chair, angling it toward him. Slipping his hand through my hair, he cradles the back of my head before crashing his lips down on mine.
I tense at first, but my body relaxes, and my mouth opens, allowing his tongue to enter. I’ve never felt this way. My whole body’s on fire, and all I want is him. His tongue gently caresses mine and I realize all at once that the lines of fantasy have blurred into reality.
I’m kissing Jeremiah Dawson.