Chapter 24
”You signed me up for what?”Theo’s eyebrows raised nearly to his hairline.
”I signed you up for the dunk tank,” Amber replied smugly. She tied the red bandanna in her hair a little tighter and tugged down her blue gingham sundress to a more appropriate length for a family carnival. “Consider it payback for making me run every day. You know that”s not a fair dare. Just because you”re going to these community events doesn”t equal me training for a 5K.”
Theo sighed deeply. ”Now we”re running four miles tomorrow.”
”You”re all talk, boss,” Amber said. “Consider this another PR strategy. What better way for you to connect with the community than them seeing you half naked?” She wiggled her eyebrows lasciviously. “This is going to win you major brownie points with the female voters.”
They were standing at the entrance of the carnival, held every year on the Fourth of July in the parking lot of the Northfield Fire Department. Tents, carnival rides, and lights stretched out before them in a kaleidoscope of colors. It was one of Amber”s favorite town events of the entire year, and not just because of the funnel cakes. Her entire family was somewhere in the crowd, including Val and Dylan. She had driven Val, who quickly ditched her as soon as they got there. Amber had to promise up and down to Val that she wouldn’t “act weird” if they ran into them.
”Now put a smile on your face and get naked, big boy.”
Theo”s eyes narrowed. Honestly, he had no sense of humor. The memory of his face before he kissed her in the rain yesterday made her skin heat. He might not have a sense of humor, but the man could kiss. Good lord. The memory of that kiss in the rain singed through her body until the July sun wasn’t the only thing making her sweat.
“Amber . . .” he said warningly.
“What”s the use of having a body like that if you”re not going to show it off?” Theo’s expression grew even more flinty. “Fine. Here, I grabbed your swim trunks when I stopped by to let Puddin’ out.” Sadly, she tossed him the navy board shorts.
Theo started to respond, but one of the ladies from the juice crew waved at him and came over.
”Hi, Mr. Mayor. We had such a great time at our juice date,” she said. “I got my whole neighborhood to sign the dog park petition like you suggested.”
Amber held back a smile and stepped back, letting Theo do his mayor thing.
Soon, there was a crowd of people surrounding the dunk tank, more for the view than anything else, but hey, PR was all about how things looked. And her boss was an absolute stud of a man. She made sure to snap a bunch of pictures for his social media account with the hashtag #dunkthehunkmayor. Theo would probably be a sourpuss about it, but if there was one life lesson she had under her belt it was that sex sells.
“Step right up!” she shouted. “Who wants to dunk the mayor?”
“Hi, Aunt Amber,” Sammy said. He grinned at her, wide and infectious in its enthusiasm. Holly and Ben joined him, and she gave them all a hug. Man, she loved these kids.
“Hey, kids. Want to dunk the mayor? He loves it.” She nodded over to Theo who sat on the platform, dripping wet from the last dunk. “Right, Mayor Clairmont?”
“Can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be,” he replied, sounding almost sincere.
“Thanks, but I spent all my money winning Holly a goldfish,” Sammy pointed to the clear bag Holly held protectively and turned bright red. They smiled shyly at each other while Ben made a gagging noise.
”I used all my money on Thor”s hammer,” Ben said. ”Otherwise, I would. Sorry, Mr. Mayor.”
“It”s on me, kids.” She pulled out a ten-dollar bill from her back pocket and handed it to them. ”Go tell your friends there”s more where that came from if they have a good arm.”
”Sweet, thanks, Aunt Amber.” Sammy missed all three throws. He shrugged good-naturedly while Theo settled back looking smug. “This is why I play guitar instead of baseball now. Ben, you’re the pitcher. You try.” He stepped back while Ben swung his arm to warm up.
Theo”s smug grin was wiped off his face with Ben’s first pitch. He took the dunking like a champ, exaggerating his fall and staying under long enough that she peeked over to make sure he was fine, even though it was only a four-foot tank. He came out of the water like the Loch Ness monster, roaring with his arms up and water splashing everywhere, getting everyone wet around him, making the kids laugh and scream and run away.
”Looks like the mayor has a flair for the dramatic,” Annette said, dabbing water off her Chanel bag from Theo’s theatrics. Despite the heat, Annette was effortlessly chic in a pastel yellow summer dress that didn’t have the audacity to wilt in the sun. Not many people had audacity around Annette. She merely had to look at you with her cool, gray eyes and people stumbled to do her bidding. Amber had spent years trying to master that look with no luck.
Amber grinned at her mom. ”Isn”t it great?”
”It definitely shows something,” Annette nodded, her eyes lit with sharp humor.
Theo joined them, rubbing his chest with a towel, and held out his hand to shake Annette”s. “I aim to please, Ms. Hart.” Even standing there dripping wet with his broad, sun-kissed chest bare and his hair slicked back by water, Theo’s confidence rivaled Annette’s formidable presence.
Each was the epitome of sophistication and poise—qualities Amber had tried to imitate over the years, yet could never get just right and instead stuck with a more literal, smack-you-in-the-face approach: blatant sex appeal. “But I have to admit, this one was all your daughter’s idea.”
”I have no doubt about that,” Annette said. “My daughter has always had a talent for bringing out the best in people. I’ve noticed your campaign has gained momentum since she joined your team,” she added pointedly.
“Mom,” Amber hissed. How mortifying could she be?
Theo’s smile broadened. “She’s definitely got me stepping outside of my comfort zone. Can”t say that I mind as much as I thought I would,” he admitted, flashing his own thousand-dollar smile at Annette “Especially in such good company.”
Oh, stop it,Amber told herself. He’s just being charming. But it still kindled something warm and lovely inside her.
Annette seemed to assess the dynamic between them before nodding. “I can see that,” she said, smiling faintly. “See that you don’t take it for granted.”
Phillip Beckerman sauntered up for his shift at the dunk tank wearing a Hawaiian shirt and red sunglasses. He held her hand a little too long when Theo introduced them, while his smile managed to be overly bright and entirely insincere. He definitely practiced that in front of the mirror.
“Nice work on the socials, Theo.” Har har har. Even his laugh grated on her. Too loud and too long to be for anything other than show. Major tool. “You finally decided to join the twenty-first century.” Har har har.
They left quickly and wandered around the carnival, stopping frequently to chat with people. Theo chatted. Amber ate her way through the carnival.
With a frozen lemonade in one hand and fried dough in another, she looked up at Theo. “Want some?” she asked, her mouth full of cinnamon sugar fried dough going directly into her arteries, and she didn”t even care.
He bent down and ate the piece she offered him straight from her hand.
“What are you doing?” she hissed. “Someone might see you.”
Theo studied her, then lifted a brow. “I thought you don’t care what people think about you.”
“I don’t, but you need to. I thought you were trying to change your image?”
Theo frowned. “I don’t owe anyone an explanation for my personal life. I’m committed to my work, but outside of that, my life isn’t up for public debate.”
“Well, we don’t have to make it easy for gossip to start,” she said, exasperated. “Hey, let’s go on the Ferris wheel.”
Theo looked a little sick. ”Heights and spinning. Two things I don’t love.”
Amber’s face fell. ”All right.” She looked around for something else that would give her the thrill she was chasing. The tilt-a-whirl? Lame.
”Wait,” Theo said, grabbing her elbow and pulling her back around. ”Let”s give it a try,” he said hesitantly.
She beamed at him. “Look at you, risk taker. Georgie would be so proud.”
“She can tell me how proud she is if this thing doesn’t fall apart while we’re on it.” Theo gingerly stepped onto the metal platform and closed the door of the cart that would take them one hundred feet into the air. “Are you sure this is safe?”
”Oh sure, permits, everything. It’s completely above board,” she said breezily. Ferris wheels had always captivated her. She craved the exhilaration and the little twinge of fear because it made her feel alive like nothing else did. To be suspended there, high above the trees, made everything else in life seem small in comparison. There was nothing like it.
Theo looked pale across from her.
”Here,” she said, handing him the lemonade. “I”ll come sit on your side. It”s a better view anyway.”
”No, you stay over there.” He looked alarmed. “We should keep the cart balanced.” The cart rose higher and stopped, allowing more people to get on.
”Oh, stop,” she laughed. ”People have been necking on Ferris wheels for as long as they”ve been invented.”
She settled down next to him. Theo”s body was tense, and he held onto the bar next to him so hard his knuckles were white.
”How long is the ride?”
“This is one of the longest ones. That”s why it”s my favorite.”
”Great,” he said. With a creak, the Ferris wheel rose higher. Theo stared straight ahead. His jaw ticked.
”What can you see on your side?” She felt him breath in sharply against her. ”Just look, Theo. You”re going to waste your chance to see this beautiful view of our town. Let yourself enjoy it.” She leaned next to him, watching the top of the red and white striped tents flutter in the evening breeze. The sweet scent of popcorn and caramel corn drifted up.
The string lights around the stage below made everything softly glow along with the neon lights from the rides. She spotted Sammy and Holly walking around, and she could”ve sworn she saw them holding hands. She smiled to herself. Young love. So cute.
He sat back, paler than before. He needed a distraction.
“So, about that kiss yesterday,” she said casually. “That was in the top ten, for sure.”
Theo’s hands relaxed a little on the side of the cart. “It was better than top ten.”
“Eh,” she said flippantly. “I’ve had better.” She hadn’t.
Theo didn’t look nervous at all now. He looked smug. “Top five, at least.”
“You know how to use your tongue. I”ll give you that,” she added grudgingly. Credit where it was due and all. “Hey, I know what we can do up here. Let”s play truth or dare.”
Theo”s face turned wary.
“Just say ‘truth.’” She rolled her eyes. “We both know you’ll never pick dare.”
“Baby steps. I’m on the wheel of death, aren’t I? Truth,” he said.
”What did you talk to Johnny about on Saturday morning?” she asked immediately. That conversation after the “hot peach” incident, as she had coined it in her mind, had nagged at her for a week.
Theo looked uncomfortable for a minute, as if he was still debating playing along.
”You have to answer. That”s how you play the game.”
Theo sighed. “It”s not a secret. You”re going to find out, anyway.”
”Find out what?”.
Theo looked out over the tree line to the lake in the distance. “I asked Johnny to fix your car and to send me the bill.”
”What?” she asked, unable to hide her astonishment. ”Why did you do that?”
”I wanted to know you were safe,” he said simply.
It hit her square in the chest, making her blink at the stab of unfamiliar emotion. ”I”ll pay you back,” she blurted out. The scoreboard tipped even more in Theo’s direction and her breath got short and tight in her chest.
He shook his head slowly. “I don”t want you to pay me back. You might as well know I took your credit card statements and the loan letter from the debt collection agency and paid them off too.”
“What? I was going to pay them. You can take it out of my paycheck,” she said almost desperately.
”I don”t want to do that either. Consider it payment for the work you’re doing with the gala if you need to. None of that work is in your job description. Or take it how I intended it, as a gift. You give gifts all the time. Please accept mine.” The way he looked at her made her heart pound in her ears. A little sad. A little rueful. Raw.
“I’ll pay you back so we’re even,” she whispered. It was too much money, too much emotion, too foreign to have someone look out for her like this.
The scoreboard had always been skewed in his favor, leaving her off balance. She had spent her entire adult life pretending that she had things under control, only to come to this moment and realize Theo saw right through her.
Theo shook his head slowly. “It was never a competition. We’ve always been on the same team.” There was no judgment there, only a soft understanding that made her feel suddenly as dizzy as if she had a fear of heights instead of him.
She had nothing under control at all. She handled the feelings welling up inside of her like she always did. “My turn,” she said, almost angrily. Defiantly. “I choose dare.”
”Pick the truth.” Theo countered. That cool, assessing look she remembered so well was back, along with the eyebrow. She bristled.
”Why? Eager to get at more of my deep dark secrets? I”m an open book.”
”You”re far from an open book,” he said. ”What is Johnny to you?” he asked abruptly.
The question caught her fully off guard, and she sat back as if he had shoved her off. ”Does it matter?” she finally asked.
”It matters,” Theo insisted. “You said you don’t do relationships, but I can see there’s something there, or there was. What is it?”
”That”s too bad,” she said flippantly. ”I choose dare. So, what is it, Theo? What”s your big bad dare?”
Theo didn”t hesitate. “A swim in the lake.”
She was almost disappointed. If you grew up in New York, swimming in one of the many lakes was a favorite summer pastime. “That”s pretty tame, Mr. Mayor. Are you sure you can”t think of something bigger?”
Theo smirked. “Naked. Right now. Let’s go, Red Hot.”
”Here are the rules,”Amber announced as soon as Theo’s car rolled to a stop in a secluded corner of the beach parking lot. There were only a handful of cars parked along the far end. Most of the town was still at the carnival waiting for the fireworks to begin, but it was still a risk.
Theo hesitated and considered cautioning Amber or even taking back the silly dare, but Amber was almost humming with the energy of his challenge. She was already kicking off her sandals.
”There are no rules. This is my dare.” Theo said. He leaned back in his seat and watched her with hooded eyes. Despite the dark interior of his car, her skin glowed in the lamplight. Her dress displayed the delicate lines of her collarbones and the top swells of her breasts. If he looked hard enough, he could imagine how fast the pulse in her neck was beating. It would match his.
“Of course there are. I’m an expert skinny-dipper, boss,” she scoffed. He didn’t miss the emphasis she put on boss. She was putting distance between them. The irony of her taking her clothing off to put distance between them wasn’t lost on him. But he was a patient man, and he knew what he wanted was worth the wait.
“Rule number one: you have to count to ten in the car to give me a head start.” She paused, her eyes glittering with mischief. Her excitement was palpable in the small car.
“And rule two?”
“This one is the most important one.” She leaned in close enough that Theo could smell her floral shampoo and a hint of the cinnamon candy she loved. “Number two: you can see me naked, but only if you catch me.”
“That”s not how you play...” he growled, but she put one long slender finger over his lips. She looked wild and carefree in the seat of his car in the moonlight. Theo felt his heart hammering in his chest and a slower, harder pounding beginning in his groin at the thought of finally seeing all of her beautiful body laid bare.
”Ready?” she asked, her hand on the doorknob.
“Set.” She climbed out, one graceful leg poised to run, and turned to look at him with a smile. He thought he could never get tired of watching her.
“Go!” The door slammed behind her, and she took off like a nymph, heading straight to the woods that led to the beach.
Theo sat still for a moment. The logical, honorable part of him started to count. ”One...two...fuck it,” he said viciously. He ran.
The parking lot was edged by a dense thicket of pine trees, with a winding path that led down to the public beach. Through the branches, Theo caught a glimpse of golden hair weaving along the tail. He quickened his pace, his heart hammering against his chest. Every cell in his body vibrated with life, the chase igniting a primal instinct in him to pursue until he was almost soundless in the dark woods.
Her laughter, light and teasing, floated back to him, punctuated by a startled “shit”—she probably stepped on something. Silly woman left her shoes in the car. He passed her red bandanna flung to the side of the path. Anticipation spiked, and he lengthened his stride to put an end to the chase.
”Come and get me,” she taunted, running faster to the dock. In one smooth move, she reached down for the hem of her dress, drew it off over her head, and tossed it just before she ran onto the wooden dock. She was close enough now that he could see the smooth globes of her ass in the moonlight.
A lacy purple bra hit him in the face. It slowed him down just long enough for her to get to the end of the dock, where she turned around, bare except for the thin blue lines of her underwear. She was magnificent. Her body curved like an instrument. Smooth, graceful lines dipping in and flaring out. He wanted her more than anything in his life. He stopped running and drank her in.
Slowly, she lifted her hands into her hair and pushed it back over her shoulders, revealing herself even more. The lake was calm, the soft lapping of the water against the dock and the faint hum of the carnival music across the lake the only sound as she stared back at him boldly. Her breasts were full, with dark pink tips that tilted upward, her softly curved stomach leading to graceful thighs. Even her feet were a work of art. Pink tipped and dainty. White hot lust ripped through him. ”Amber,” he breathed.
”I took pity on you and slowed down, Mr. Mayor,” she said teasingly. “I’m a runner now, you know.”
”You cheated,” he said.
She raised her eyebrows. ”Are you not looking at me naked?”
”You”re not naked,” he said, his eyes dropping to her bikini bottoms.
A slow, flirty smile curved her lips. ”Oh? Then take care of that.”
Theo reached out, gripped the fragile strips of fabric, and yanked her forward. They came off in his grip, and he was left holding a scrap of nothing. Amber laughed and turned around, lifting her arms into a perfect swan dive off the dock.
He grew up swimming in this lake. His family owned a lake house on the other end, and he knew every dock and swim spot, but his heart hit his throat when he saw her graceful dive into the water and held until she popped back up.
”Was your naughty dare everything you thought it would be, Mr. Mayor?” she said, leaning back and backstroking. Her nipples broke the water, wet droplets beading her skin as the water rippled around her.
Theo undid the buttons on his shirt.
”I”m telling you, there”s nothing you can do that would scare me. I”ve done it all,” she said, lazily stroking parallel to the shore.
He shrugged his shirt off, followed by his belt and pants while he toed off his shoes.
At his silence, Amber stopped swimming and looked up. ”Oh,” she breathed, the sound full of surprise and appreciation. He stood on the edge of the dock, naked and proud, fearless, with his rock-hard cock pointing at her like a target.
She laughed softly. “I guess you did like it.”
He dove into the cold, clear water. When he burst through the surface, laughter greeted him.
”I didn”t think you had it in you,” she said. Her eyes lit up with mischief. “Georgie would be proud.” She splashed water at him.
He growled and stroked toward her in the water. He could touch the bottom where he was, but he didn”t think she could.
“Don’t talk about Georgie when I have a hard-on,” he said, gripping her slippery waist.
“Is that what that was? I thought it was your vast competitive spirit.” She floated out of his hands and dipped under the water.
He felt the water tremble just before she touched his leg. She wound a small hand around his calf, lightly tracing the contours of muscle and bone with a featherlight touch before letting the tips of her nails drag across his skin as she pulled away. Her head broke the surface, and she found his gaze. The world outside of the lake ceased to exist, leaving only the sensation of cool water and heated skin. She took a breath before diving below again.
He controlled his breathing and waited.
The next touch was a brush against his back, winding around his body to caress him in the most sensitive places. He closed his eyes and tried to identify the drag of her nipples across his back, the faint brush of her belly over his ass, two hands sliding up the front of his thighs while he stood still. It was erotic, mysterious, seductive. Slow, liquid fire burned in his veins.
Amber”s head popped up through the water, her hair slicked back, a wicked grin still on her face. She disappeared before he could reach her. Suddenly, two hands gripped his cock, bold and firm, giving him a hard squeeze that made him groan. His breathing quickened, his chest rising and falling as if he were the one holding his breath under water. She circled her thumb around the round head of him, rubbing and stroking him with wicked hands. Theo felt her hand slide down and cup his balls, gently pulling and stroking them. “Fuck,” he swore.
He reached for her, pulling her body up out of the water and flush against his, from breasts to hips. She wrapped her arms around his neck and fitted herself tightly against him, rubbing against him under the water. He could feel her tight nipples pressed against his chest and heard her breath hitch at the contact. His cock nudged insistently against her stomach, pressed tight between their bodies. He gripped her waist and lifted her up, lining himself perfectly into the even hotter cleft between her thighs, where she tightened her thighs around him.
”That escalated quickly,” she whispered. Her breath came in short, shallow pants in the silent lake.
He gripped her hips tighter and rocked firmly between her legs. Her head dropped back, exposing the tender skin of her throat. He bent his head, grazing her skin there with a possessive kiss. “You keep underestimating me,” he murmured against her skin.
”I think we keep underestimating each other,” she said. ”I wonder why that is.” She looked down at the water. “Do you think the worst of me?”
He tipped her chin up with a finger until he could see her eyes. She wasn’t smiling now, and it was the hint of uncertainty that made his chest ache. “I think the best of you, and as soon as you stop underestimating yourself, the whole fucking world will too.”
“Do you think I’m—” she stopped, and he could see the emotions play over her face. Hopeful, like she wanted to believe him. Scared that he could be wrong.
He waited for her to finish, willed her to fill in the blanks of her version of herself, but she stopped. Her chin lifted out of his hands almost like she was steeling herself. It made him ache. “Yes,” he said, simply. Quietly. “Yes, to everything you’re thinking. I think you’re wickedly sharp and incredibly talented. Gifted. I think you know things about people they don’t even know themselves, and you show them so they can shine right alongside you. You’re funny as hell. Loyal. Hardworking. Gorgeous.” Mine.
The sudden boom that echoed across the lake made her jump, and she bobbed up in the water against him. Above them, the first sunburst of brilliant blue splintered the sky, reflected on the water, and floated slowly down.
“The fireworks are starting,” she said, turning away from him. Her eagerness for the distraction was palpable. He needed it too.
He turned her around in his arms, and they floated like that, looking up at the sky. While she watched the colors exploding in the sky, he watched her and wondered how this woman, this outrageous, bold, tender, and beautifully uncertain woman had woven her way so deeply into his heart.
All too soon, the faint sound of “God Bless America” began, and Theo reluctantly let her go. The carnival would clear out now, and inevitably others would be drawn to the lake on a hot summer night. Theo had come a long way in the risk department, but getting caught skinny dipping with his assistant wasn’t something he could chance.
”We have to go.”
”Val will be looking for me,” she said regretfully.
”Come on. I’ll take you back.”