And there was that feeling again, that breathless, bottomless exhilaration. Was this love? Should it feel this terrifying? Theo’s hand settled, warm and solid, on her thigh, as if he could feel her panicked thoughts. He rubbed softly while he talked with Neal next to him, and she breathed in the moment, anchored by him.
After dinner they danced again, and this time she didn’t look away from Theo’s eyes. The flash of cameras barely registered. It was the two of them in the middle of hundreds of pairs of curious eyes, but only one pair of cool blue ones mattered to her.
“Thank you for making tonight such a success,” Theo said, reminding her of something that had been nagging her.
“What made you choose the Maple Street Center?” she asked.
Theo looked at her steadily. “Because that night Grant and I picked you up changed everything for me. Just like it probably did foryou.”
Amber stumbled, but Theo’s firm arm guided her. “What do you mean?”
“It was the first time in my life I faced a situation where I couldn’t right a wrong, no matter how much I wanted to. I knew that someone had let you down, even if you wouldn’t admit it or let me help. Being on the board of Maple Street is a way for me to help.”
“You did help me that night. I would have had to walk home in heels with a ripped dress,” she said lightly. Her stomach was still fluttering.
“I would have done more,” he said, looking at her directly.
And, oh.Oh. Now she knew for sure what that emotion was swelling her heart and making it hard for her to swallow around the lump in her throat. It wasn’t terrifying after all. It was beautiful and soft. Tender. She knew this because it was reflected in his eyes, directed back at her.I love him.
She smiled then, just for him. Not for the benefit of the cameras or the surrounding people watching them. It was for Theo because she loved him.
His eyes went dark and so utterly warm and dipped to her mouth. Then he kissed her.
In full view of her family and reporters and photographers, he kissed her. Thoroughly. Possessively.
She closed her eyes and soaked it in, Theo’s soft lips, and his cologne that made her want to lick him all over, the way his arms held her close to his body, and his hands cradling her face. It was a lingering, bold kiss that sent a message to everyone in the room.
Amber leaned in and enjoyed every second of it.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Amber hummedon the way to the bathroom. The two glasses of champagne were making her feel bubbly and light, like she was still kissing Theo in the ballroom.
That kiss would be all over the town’s Facebook page for sure tomorrow, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. It had felt so right, like a declaration and a promise of what the night would bring her later. She couldn’t wait for later. Theo in a tux was giving her all sorts of dirty fantasies. He did like when she brought them to life.
She thought about the Post-it she had given him with his golden ticket on it. If she lived to be one hundred, she would never forget last night in Theo’s office. She laughed softly, then looked around to make sure no one caught her silliness.
“You should be laughing,” Neal said. He was in the doorway of the hotel’s lounge room, leaning slightly on the frame. Even the dim lighting couldn’t hide his red-rimmed eyes. His bowtie was loosened, and his short, fine gray hair looked damp around the edges.
“Hello, Neal. Are you all right?” She didn't really care, buthe was a friend of Theo's family, and she didn’t want him to ruin Theo’s night.
Amber looked around for someone to help her if he passed out. She had been around enough inebriated people in her life to know the look. “Come in here. Let’s sit on the couch for a minute.” She led him over to a couch next to the fireplace and sat down next to him to think through her options. Theo had her phone in his pocket, so she couldn’t call him.
“Let’s just sit here for a few minutes until you’re steadier on your feet. I think you've had too much to drink," she said. The alcohol on his breath was enough to knock her over. She tried to keep the distaste off her face, but it was difficult.
“Here I was thinking we should toast,” he said. He wasn’t slurring, but his eyes had that unfocused look that Amber recognized as well on his way to a bender. He pulled out a silver flask and took a swig.
“What do you mean?" she asked, edging away from him. Maybe she could just leave him here and bring Theo to Neal. It would be less embarrassing for him in the long run.
“I mean, you won. You got everything you wanted. You got Theo panting after you. How does that feel, by the way, to know that he's going to lose this election? Will you still want him then?” He gripped her elbow tightly enough to leave a bruise.
“Now I know you've had too much to drink. Take your hands off me, and we'll go back out into the other room." She sat up stiffly on the couch. Neal’s grip on her arm tightened painfully.
"You're always trying to call the shots,” he muttered, his eyes dropping to her chest. A shiver of revulsion took her. “You think you can do that with Theo because he’s fucking you, but you're not putting out for me.”
A wave of exhaustion overwhelmed her, and suddenly she was so very tired of everything. The rumors she could neverescape, that she had made part of her identity in order to control them, the men in her past that had looked at her the exact way Neal was looking at her now.
It was all so fucking exhausting, and she was done.
