It was one thing to be burned by a high school crush, but it was a life-altering experience to get into the back of a police car and feel the weight of sympathy and maybe a little pity, from two men who had their lives together.
Not that Theo had made her feel that way. Theo had tried to make her comfortable on the ride to her house, but Amber was too raw and exposed. She had fallen back on her old defenses, cracking inappropriate jokes and— it was mortifying to remember—but she had even hit on Grant, who had been quiet and professional as he declined her offer to show her what he could do with his cuffs.
At one point, Grant had taken her aside and asked her gently if she wanted to be taken to the hospital. She had turned red knowing what he thought had happened and told himflippantly he should have seen the other guy, but the damage to her pride was done.
Theo had found out where she lived and came to check on her the next day. She remembered the shock when Allie told her the mayor’s handsome eldest son was standing on their shabby front step.
She imagined him taking in the differences in their lives up close, and she couldn’t take any more embarrassment. Instead, she’d hidden where he couldn’t see her and asked Allie to send him away.
When she went to school on Monday, the aftermath was merciless. Owen’s retaliation was to insinuate to everyone that he broke it off with her because she was too slutty and hit on his friends.
Her natural flirty ways and teasing were twisted until she had picked up a reputation that stuck around right on through adulthood. Eventually, she had learned to lean into them and control them that way rather than fight a losing battle.
She bent down and took off each high heel, setting them on the edge of the path before walking toward the beach. The soft sand still held onto the heat of the day and the lake sparkled under the moonlight. They were alone as far as she could see, although anyone on the lake house balcony could look out and see them down by the water.
“Let me guess. Neal’s afraid I’m going to cause a scandal, and you’re going to lose the election because of me. That’s what this is really about, isn’t it?” She laughed, low and seductive. “Don’t you know I’m a liability, Mr. Mayor? I’ve slept my way around the ranks of Northfield’s bravest, and now I’ve got my sights set on you.”
She turned abruptly and tailed one finger across the perfect bowtie of his tuxedo. “Just imagine the depraved things I’d want from a good, upstanding pillar of the community like you.”
He frowned and leaned back until her finger dropped.
“Don’t do that,” he said.
“Do what?” She turned fully now, her defenses firmly back in place.
Suddenly, he reached out and curled his large, warm hand around her neck. Amber stiffened, feeling the heat and strength in those long fingers. His thumb rested lightly at the base of her throat and stroked there. She held her breath, feeling her pulse beating frantically against his thumb.
“Don’t pretend. This gives you away every time,” he murmured. His eyes were heavy-lidded while he studied her as if he were choosing which part of her body to taste first. Her breathing stuttered, and impossibly, the tiny pulse beat faster. “This little flutter won’t let you hide your emotions.” He stroked it once, twice, up and down, watching it beat faster while the breeze whipped her skirt against his legs, and she stared up at him in the dark.
“I don’t care what anyone thinks about me,” she finally said. “Especially you. You’ve wanted to think the worst of me since I saw you at the pub. Come on, I could practically see you holding up red flags.”
“That's not fair. I offered you a job, didn’t I?” The warm summer night suddenly felt cold.
“And you’re waiting for the minute I screw up so you can say ‘I told you so’ and fire me.”
Theo looked at her for a long minute. The urge to hide her eyes made her want to squirm. He always made her feel like he could see right through every facade she tried on and she was suddenly, unbearably, exposed. “Do you want people to take you seriously?”
How did he manage to pierce through all her nonsense when no one else could? She didn’t know, but she realized she was going to cry if she didn’t stop the flood ofemotions. And she would never, ever let Theo Clairmont see her cry. "Truth or dare?" she asked suddenly.
For a moment, she wasn’t sure if he would let her distract him, but he dropped his hand. She wanted to grab it and hold it to her. She wanted his hands all over her body, the heat keeping away the chill she felt inside. He put his hands in his pockets and shrugged. “Truth, of course.”
“Truth again. How predictable, Mr. Mayor.”
Theo’s eyes dropped to her mouth and lingered. “You keep assuming things about me,” he murmured. “Why is that?”
She held his eyes, her breath coming in fast little pants, and wondered suddenly if he was going to kiss her. She wanted to feel those firm lips against hers. She wanted to taste him and see what burned under his cool exterior. “You don’t strike me as the kind of man to give in to impulse,” she said huskily.
“Don’t underestimate me, Amber,” he said, holding her eyes steadily. “I’m not always a gentleman.”
She held his eyes in challenge. “Prove me wrong, then. Pick dare.”
For a moment, she thought he would. His eyes narrowed and his nostrils flared, and heat crackled between them so thick she could almost feel it pulsing between her thighs and in the tightening of her nipples. His eyes were a deep, heated blue. Theo glanced behind him at the party in the distance and when he met her eyes, they had cooled again.
“Truth.”
She let out her breath. “I saw you talking to that reporter, Pippa Shelton.”
Theo looked at her. "Is that a question? I'll answer yours if you answer mine. What’s Johnny to you?”
