Fair Game Inc (2010) (12 page)

oOh God, Amber, IAEm so sorry.o

Ice cold liquid trickled down her pantyhose, pooling in her shoes. Behind him, she saw Roger approaching, saw the horror dawn on his face. He looked at the set of GraysonAEs shoulders, the absolute fury in AmberAEs eyes, then turned and fled into the crowd.

oSorry!o AmberAEs voice cut through the beat of the music. It was desperately hard to behave with dignity with an entire pitcher of Sangria dripping from her dress, but she pulled herself up to sum of her diminutive height. oIf that was your idea of a joke, Mr. Charles, fine itAEs on me. Consider us even.o

Chapter
SEVEN

oAmber!o Grayson hollered through the firmly locked door. Down the hall a door opened behind him. A middle-aged woman wearing a housecoat and an array of pink foam curlers glared out the door at him.

Great, now IAEm frightening the neighbors! He leaned his head against the door in defeat. Inside he heard the dull rush of a shower running. After his clumsiness with that pitcher of Sangria, he ought to slink home and hope in time sheAEd forgive him. But he simply couldnAEt leave her like that, thinking the worst of him. God knew what conclusions sheAEd drawn about RogerAEs impersonation of him.

Roger, heAEd deal with later. Right now it was Amber that mattered. Pressing his ear against the door, he heard the shower stop. Footsteps padded past the door.

oAmber!o He glanced cautiously over his shoulder in case the curler lady had heard him again and lowered his voice. oAmber, please! I just want to talk to you for a minute.o

Silence. The footsteps ceased. He pictured her standing still in the hallway, listening, while he embarrassed himself. Grayson knocked again.

oGive it up buddy,o said a male voice behind him. oShe doesnAEt want to talk to you.o

Grayson turned, coming face to face with a man in sweat pants and a t-shirt who likely outweighed him by about a hundred pounds. Not the kind of guy you told to get lost and mind his own business.

oLook,o Grayson said as politely as he could. oItAEs an emergency, okay?o

oSure, pal.o

oAmber,o he hissed desperately into the door.

To his astonishment, it opened. At least as far as the chain barring it would allow it to open. Amber glowered up at him, looking none the less ferocious in her purple and black striped bathrobe and with a multitude of damp crimson curls framing her face. He imagined her that way on sleepy Sundays mornings after a night curled up before the fire in his house leisurely making love. Grayson promptly yanked his thoughts back to the present. If she only knew what heAEd been thinking ... But wasnAEt that what had started the whole mess? His failure to share his feelings for her.

oYou donAEt give up, do you,o she growled, yanking the robe tighter.

oI just want to talk to you for a moment,o he whispered, conscious of their audience. oI promise I wonAEt come further than your front hall.o

oSo talk.o

He glanced behind him. oCouldnAEt we talk about this inside?o

oYouAEve got to be kidding.o

oEverything okay, Amber?o called the guy from across the hall.

She looked crossly up at him through the crack in the door, then her gaze shifted to her neighbor. oYeah, Chris, everythingAEs okay. Nothing I canAEt handle.o

AmberAEs neighbor gave him a long warning glare. oBetter behave yourself, buddy,o he said, then mercifully shut his door.

She was still staring up at him, gray eyes hard as stone.

oI came to apologize,o he said softly. oFor my clumsiness, and for RogerAEs interference.o

oI certainly hope so.o She shut the door, and he could hear the chain sliding free. She opened the door wide enough for him to step through, then closed it behind him. oOkay, letAEs hear it.o

Standing face to face with her in the intimacy of her apartment, the eloquent words heAEd planned to say to her escaped him once again. Grayson opened his mouth, no sound came out. He tried again.

oAmber, I know it sounds crazy, but Roger really was trying to help.o

oStop making excuses for him.

oBelieve me, right now IAEd like to strangle him slowly. ItAEs hard to believe, but he had the best of intentions.o

oI canAEt see how.o

Grayson heaved a deep sigh. oHe thought I was messing things up between us by not telling you how I felt ... about you.o

oAnd how do you feel?o

oI donAEt know.o Truth helped the words flow smoothly. oIAEve never felt this way about anyone else before.o

His confession caught her off guard. Her face softened a little, but her eyes still watched him warily. oYou still havenAEt told me what that means.o

oIt means that when IAEm with you, I forget about everything else. It means I want to spend a lot more time with you.o He reached for her, setting his hands lightly on her shoulders. To his surprise, she didnAEt pull away. Beneath the thick material of her robe, her skin was warm from her shower. oIt means that even though weAEve only known each other for a short period of time, my life feels empty when youAEre not there,o he finished softly.

Gray eyes searched his face. He couldnAEt imagine a more thorough lie detector. oIsnAEt that kind of a change of heart, Counselor, considering you sued me to get that wonderful insightful help?o

He winced at the sarcasm in her voice. oHow I wish I hadnAEt done that.o

Her brows drew together, but mercifully she didnAEt pull away from him. oYou do?o

Grayson nodded. oI wish IAEd laughed the whole thing off and asked you out instead.o

oThat would have been a better end to the evening.o

oPerhaps we could start over.o

Hope lightened her expression. oPerhaps we could,o she said cautiously.

She was still in his arms, all warm and fuzzy in her robe, her hair smelling of coconut shampoo. He slid his hands over her shoulders and down her back, pulling her gently closer. Her hands slid over his upper arms, whether to pull him close or push him away he couldnAEt tell.

oHi, IAEm Grayson.o It sounded stupid to say it, but he wanted to make sure they got off on the right foot this time. oI like red wine, good food and playing squash. One day I hope to have enough money to buy a sailboat and enough free time to sail it.o He carefully left out any mention of his career, wanting her to know only him.

oSailing?o Tiny laugh lines bracketed the corners of her mouth. He hadnAEt noticed before. Likely because she spent most of her time scowling at him. oNow that I wouldnAEt have guessed. You just donAEt look like a sailor.o

oI look devastating in a pair of Dockers.o

Her rich laughter filled the hallway. oIs that so?o

oCome on,o he said tightening his arms around her. oYour turn.o

She stared at the ceiling, as if it had been a long time since sheAEd had to think about any of this. oHi, IAEm Amber,o she began slowly. oI like expensive champagne, the more expensive, the better, good company and good music. And some day, if I ever have the time or the money, IAEm going to learn to play piano.o

oPiano....o

oDonAEt you dare laugh at me, Counselor, or IAEll--o White fire burned in those gray eyes.

oIAEm not laughing,o Grayson said quickly. oItAEs romantic. IAEm ... charmed.o

oCharmed,o she repeated with a soft snort that said she didnAEt believe him at all.

oReally. IAEd never have imagined, but now that you mention it, I can picture you sitting at a black baby grand, a candelabra and a glass of Dom Perignon within armAEs reach.o Her embarrassment told him heAEd hit close to one of her fantasies. oAnd the more I think about it, you do have a musicianAEs passion.o

Watch out for the women with tempers, Roger was fond of saying. TheyAEre the most passionate. Actually, Roger had phrased it more crudely, but Grayson didnAEt think it wise to share either version with her.

oWhat would you play?o he asked, eager to keep her within the circle of his arms, in this rare, reflective mood.

oOh, everything!o She was beautiful with her face aglow with enthusiasm. oClassical, rock--o Then as if sheAEd just revealed a terrible secret, she stepped back out of his arms. oThis is silly, weAEre standing in my front hall and IAEma.o She looked down at her robe and the bare legs beneath it in embarrassment, oin my bathrobe.o

Reluctantly, Grayson let her go. He couldnAEt allow her to get away from him now. oI donAEt think itAEs silly. IAEve been enjoying our conversation more than any IAEve had in a long time.o

Again that suspicious, half-hopeful glance.

oYouAEre safe with me, Amber. No matter what youAEre wearing.o

oSafe.o Sarcasm added an edge to her tone. oIs a woman ever safe with a man?o

Amber folded her arms across her chest, defying him to argue with her. She was hurting, he realized suddenly. It wasnAEt just the clients or the time spent working with the dark side of love. Someone had hurt her deeply. The thought made him suddenly, irrationally angry. He wanted to track the guy down, settle it man to man. Exact revenge on AmberAEs behalf. That invisible lover stood between them now.

oWho was he?o Grayson asked softly.

oWhat?o

oThe man who hurt you so badly, who was he?o

oThere wasnAEt--o

oYes, there was. I can tell.o

oThere wasnAEt only one,o she snapped and walked away from him into her living room.

The inner sanctum wasnAEt anything like the offices of Fair Game, Grayson thought with a quick glance around. And yes, he had taken a drive over when he was sure she wouldnAEt be there, just before the building locked the doors for the night. No chrome, no leather, no glass adorned AmberAEs living room. A Victorian couch, buried under a mountain of cushions, sat before an old-fashioned wood burning fireplace. Grayson wasnAEt sure heAEd like to live in an old building in which each tenant had their own fireplace, but by the scattering of ashes on the tile in front, he could tell Amber used it often. Dark wood end tables with claw feet held antique lamps decorated with embossed cherubs. The room revealed a private side to Amber he hadnAEt known existed. ItAEs not as if you looked, he imagined RogerAEs mocking voice. And right you are about that, Little Brother. This time.

She stood in profile, staring out the window into the darkness, biting her lower lip, as if to stop herself from saying more. A flurry of leaves blew past the window, caught by the light from the street. He walked towards her, placed his hand lightly on her back, just in case she decided to move away from him.

oTell me about them, Amber.o

oStop cross-examining me!o she said, a plaintive plea as well as a command.

oIAEm not cross--o She escaped his hold. Grayson caught her again, turned her gently in his arms and looked down into her face. oI care about you, Amber. I care that youAEre hurting, I want to make it better.o

oAnd instead youAEve made it worse.o

He could hear the tears in her voice, and he knew sheAEd really hate him if he made her cry. oForgive me. IAEve really made a mess of this entire situation. IAEm--o He dropped his hands helplessly to his sides. oIAEm not very good at this.o

oWhat? A successful guy like you?o

oThey donAEt teach romance at law school.o

oIt shows.o

He winced at the knife in her words. oI tried to learn on my own, failed miserably and gave up. Roger,o he grimaced at the accidental mention of his brotherAEs name, osays I donAEt have the aptitude.o

oYouAEd probably do better if you kept your brother out of your affairs.o

oI never invited Roger into my affairs. But weAEre twins. And there isnAEt the division between us that there is between other siblings. His intentions are good, really Amber. He thinks youAEre wonderful, and that IAEm a fool for not noticing.o

oI agree with the fool part.o

oIAEm trying to make up for it, retroactively.o His head dipped closer to hers, his lips stopping mere inches from hers. oLet me make it better, Amber, in my foolish, bumbling way.o

****

And she did so want him to make it better. But dare she trust him? Eric, her father, the men who professed to love her, had something completely different from love in mind. What ulterior motives lay in GraysonAEs mind?

His fingers laced through her still damp curls. Those full sensuous lips drifted closer. Whatever his motives, she wanted him desperately, she realized. More than sheAEd wanted anything before.

oForgive me, Amber,o he whispered, his lips moving against hers like the brush of a feather. oFor the lawsuit....o

Warm lips touched hers.

oFor my stupiditya.o

Amber tipped her head back, catching his kiss with her own. Her hands flowed up over the roughness of his sweater, across his muscled shoulders and down his back, pulling him against her.

oFor my crazy twin brothera.o Grayson continued, his breath mingling with hers.

Anything! Pressed hard against him, heat rushed through her. Amber felt her defenses dropping. Her body refused to deny her attraction to him.

oFor my clumsiness....o he said softly.