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 caressesmine and I realize all at once that the lines of fantasy have blurred into reality.
I’m kissing Jeremiah Dawson.
Chapter 18
Jeremiah
I’m kissing Amberlee Michaels.
This is all I’ve thought about for the last seven years. Now that the moment is here, I can say it really is everything I’ve dreamed it would be and more.
A throat clearing breaks our moment and we pull away from each other.
“Here are your drinks.” The waitress places the shots and drinks in front of us, turning her nose up at our new seating arrangements.
“What are we doing? Ryan—”
“Don’t worry about your brother. I’ll handle him. When we get home, I’ll come over and talk to him. Explain everything. He’ll understand. It’s going to be alright. Let’s just enjoy tonight.”
Picking up one of the shots, she swallows the contents quickly, no longer making the face she did with the first one.
