Then & Now (11 page)

“Hello, smiley.”  He chuckled as he nuzzled the crook of her neck.

“I can say the same to you.” She smiled even wider while tracing the grin on his beautiful mouth.

“Umm…I’m sure you can.”  Kissing her lightly, his lips seemed to consume her.

Pulling him as close as she could, Amelia savored the feel of his warm body pressed into hers.  Although she had actually lost count on how many times they had done it in the past seven hours, she wanted him inside her desperately.

“Do you want to take a shower with me?” He asked between kisses.

“No. I want a bath.  My garden tub should fit both of us.” She giggled as he nibbled on her earlobe.

“I’ll go start the water.” With that he bounced off the bed.

She laughed at his eagerness.  This all still felt like a dream.  In fact she almost didn’t want to fall asleep earlier this morning in fear that he wouldn’t be there when she awoke.  If it hadn’t been for the exertion, she would have forced herself not to sleep.

Though hearing the water run and feeling the delightful throbbing between her beast and thighs she knew that it was all very real.

Not wanting to wait for the bath to fill, she also bounced off the bed.  Excitement raced through her as she thought about what to make him for breakfast.  Unfortunately her thoughts were silenced by a loud pounding on her front door.  She would have ignored it if she hadn’t recognized Heidi’s voice.  Unluckily she wouldn’t go away and she had a key.

Throwing on her robe she prayed she could get her out of there before Bryant heard her.  She raced to the door only to get almost knocked over by her impatient friend.

“Where in the hell were you last night?  Did you know that Nathan Cook was arrested last night?  Apparently he was trying to break into
Sharp Industries.  Rumor has it that he wanted to get back at Mr. Sharp for firing him.  He had a gun and everything!”  Taking a quick breath Heidi gave Amelia a once over before asking.  “Are you sick?  You’re all flush, and you look as though you didn’t sleep a wink.”                              

Shaking off her friend’s question, she held up her hands. “What do you mean he wanted to get back at Bryant?”
“Sorry, Amelia. I just want to be heard.”
Nathan’s words echoed through her head.  She visualized the 9mm handgun that had been fisted tight in Nathan’s hand as she remembered his next words
“Shh, sweetheart.  This isn’t for you.”

“According to the grapevine, Nathan had caught his wife in bed with their neighbor the day before Mr. Sharp fired him.”  Heidi paused for a moment to rummage through her purse.  “He e
ven attacked some poor woman trying to get in.”

Obviously Heidi had no idea that Amelia was the “poor woman” he had attacked.  And what was even more evident was that Amelia had just been at the wrong place at the wrong time. 
Which probably saved Bryant’s life.  If he had been waiting for Bryant with that loaded gun, Bry wouldn’t have had a chance.

“How did you find this out?” Amelia asked suddenly anxious.

“When you weren’t here I thought maybe you were still at the office, I got there just as everything was getting cleaned up.  The officer on sight told me the gist of it. I even got his number.”  Heidi smiled clearly proud of herself.  “Oh, Amelia! You should have seen this guy.  He was so cute in his uniform.”  She gushed.

Amelia shrugged, “Sorry.  I was umm…a little busy.”

“Busy?”  Her friend scoffed.  “Really?”  Glancing around the apartment, then back Heidi shook her head.  “Please don’t tell me that you went to that bakery on the corner and spent an hour picking out cakes and then came back here and watched old movies!  Oh, Millie!  You did, didn’t you?”  She groaned, letting her shoulder bag fall onto the floor.

“No! 
Not exactly.”  How much should she tell her friend?  He was both of their boss.  This could complicate things, especially with what happened last night.  By Monday morning everyone will know what happen, some will even be fabricated.  Bryant would probably want to keep their relationship quiet until everything settled.

“Not exactly?”
  Her friend repeated unconvinced.

“Amelia?”  Bryant’s deep voice boomed from her bedroom, causing them both to turn in that direction. “Baby, your bath is waiting for you.”

Heidi’s mouth fell open. “Who’s that? It sounds like Mr. Sharp.”  She whispered, her face still showing signs of shock and approval.

“Err…umm…” Twisting her hands nervously, she franticly thought of what to say and do.

“Amelia?  Sweetheart, where are you?” His sexy drawl came louder that time, sending a wild image of him appearing at her bedroom door wearing nothing but his birthday suit.

“Hold on,
Bry!  I’ll be there in a minute!”  She called to him anxiously.  There was no way Heidi was getting that view.  Grabbing Heidi’s bag, she began to push her friend towards the door.  

“Oh-my-God!
  Millie!  Holly crap, your screwing the boss!”  Heidi squealed under her breath.  Holding on to the door frame, to stop any further exit, she demanded, “How did this happen?  You have to tell me everything!”

“Not now!”  She growled, pushing her friend harder out the door.

“You better call me!”  Was Heidi’s last order before the door shut cutting off the conversation.

“Was that Ms.
Davis?”  Bryant’s voice came from right behind her, startling her.

Spinning around, she found him in his slacks and nothing else.  Letting her eyes wonder downward she took him in.  He was so beautiful she forgot his question entirely.  She nibbled on her bottom lip as he came closer.

Taking her into his arms, he slipped his hands into the folds of her robe.  “I take it that she knows.”

       “Who knows what?”  She asked completely incomprehensive.  His hands were doing madding things to her sides and breast.

He laughed joyfully.  “Your friend, she knows what we’ve been up to.”  He stated with a delicious hum deep into her ear.

“Yeah…Oh, that feels
sooo
good.”  She whimpered at the feel of his tongue bathing her neck.

“Wait until I get you into the bath.”  He chuckled.

“Oh, yeah you ran a bath for us.” She recalled delighted.  Just as she was about to grab him and run to her bathroom, her and Heidi’s discussion came screaming back.  She pulled back abruptly causing his handsome features to constrict into confusion.

“What?” He asked, taking her face into hands.  Concern hugged his breath-taking eyes.  “What’s the matter, baby?  You look upset.”

“He wasn’t there for me last night.”  She let out in a rush.

“What?”

“Nathan!  He wanted to get to you.  The gun was brought to get back at you for firing him.”  Running her hands over his powerfully built chest, she tried to chase away the unwanted images of what could have happened the night before.  “If I hadn’t been there to…distract him, who knows what he would’ve done.”  Tears sprung to her eyes at the thought.

“
Shh, sweetheart.”  He soothed as he folded her into his strong arms.  “I would have gladly taken a bullet over what he attempted to do to you.”

Shaking her head she wiped that possibility out of her mind.  “He said that he just wanted to be heard.  He even told me that the gun wasn’t for me.  God, why didn’t I see it?”

Pulling her back far enough to look at her, he made his face stern. “Listen to me, Amelia.  He was drunk and stupid.  You couldn’t have known what he wanted.  Hell, he probably wasn’t completely sure of what his plan was.”

“Still, the thought of it.”
  She shuttered.  “By Monday everyone will know.”

“Probably.”

“Heidi won’t say anything if I tell her not to.”

“You mean about us?” His question was laced with something she couldn’t identify. “You don’t want anyone to know about us?”

“I assumed you didn’t.”  Pushing some of her unruly hair back she gave his expression a long look.  Was it her or did he look offended? 

“Why would you assume that?”  No he was definitely offended.

“Jacob.  I know he doesn’t approve—”

“Do I look like someone who needs approval?”  Okay now he was angry.

“Umm, well no.” She really shouldn’t fine this funny, but he was extremely sexy when he was upset.

“Damn right no.”  Folding his arms in front of him, he reminded her of a child throwing a tantrum.  “Are you laughing?”

“No.”  She lied unsuccessfully.

“Yes you are.” 
His anger fading.

“No, I’m not.”  She giggled. 

Nodding nonchalantly, he glanced away briefly before lunching himself at her.  Startled only at first, she realized that he allowed her landing to be soft and perfectly safe.  Falling onto the couch his playful growl at the hollow of her ear had her laughing harder than she had in years.

“Now, let’s get something straight, Ms. Steele.”  His tone was stern, yet his eyes held genuine humor.  “I let no one sway me.  Particularly when it comes to something I want.  And I want you.”

“Really?”  She couldn’t ignore the way her heart seemed to double in rhythm.

“I didn’t make clear enough last night?”  He asked with a cocked eyebrow.

“Yes.  But, everyone—”                                                 

“I really don’t care about everyone.  There’s only one person I’m concentrating on, and she’s making this a little difficult.” He simplified.

What did he mean by that?  Squirming out from underneath him, she sat up completely.  “Who?”

He let out a boyish laugh.
“You!  It’s you.” Pulling her back into his arms, he gently pushed some of her tasseled hair away from her face.  “What am I going to do with you?” He exhaled noisily.   

“Well…”
Everything she had dreamed of was right before her, and all she could do was giggle.  “Do you think the bath is still warm?”

“Let’s find out.”  Getting up he pulled her with him.

As he led her to the bath she felt her future.  And it felt wonderful.

Sophia Rhodes sat quietly on the drive back to her house.  It was another typical date with her longtime boyfriend John Hunter.  Dinner and a movie that ended with a night cap at her house or his.  Usually nothing new, same restaurant, same action movie or comedy depending.  Same ending of every night, him satisfied, her not so much.

Unsatisfied in bed and in their relationship.
  She had been with John for most of her young adult life.  He had been all she knew.  First crush, first kiss, first love, and hell she even lost her virginity to the man. At first it all seemed so romantic.  Like all those romance novels, they meet, fell in love and were each other’s everything.

Unfortunately, that was only one sided.  Truthfully, she had no idea where John stood in their relationship.  Even though she loved John, she found herself wondering if she wasted some of those firsts.  It seemed as though he was getting board.  He would get snappy with her whenever she suggested change, even in the simplest of
offers.

Watching her friends love lives surpass her own caused the jealousy monster to rise up in her.  Seeing the love they all have for their new men, only reminded her of how absent John and hers was becoming.

If there was a way to bring their relationship back to where it was six years ago, she was completely lost on how to do so.  It saddened her to think that she might not want to bring it back.  She wanted to go forward to marriage and children.  Although she didn’t think that’s were John was headed.

“Well…”  John sighed as he pulled up in front of her home.

“Well…”  She echoed back wondering if she should just call it a night, to avoid another unfulfilled night.

“So, I was talking to my mother.”  John started as he turned off the car.

“Oh, really?  And…”

“She thinks we should get married.”  He said flatly.

All she did was nod.  Emily Hunter had been hearing wedding bells in their future for a while now.

“I think she’s right.”

Turning suddenly to him she felt her jaw drop.  “What?  What are you saying?”

“We should get married.”  He shrugged.

Saying nothing, Sophia sat in shock.  This was not how she imagined this day at all.  Flowers, some candles, moonlight, hell anything would be better than this.

“So….What do you think?”  He asked turning more toward her.

“I—”
think this proposal sucks
! “Okay, sure.  Why not?”  She heard herself mutter.

“Okay.  Cool.”  He smiled. 
“How about a year from now?  A fall wedding was what you and my mom talked about once.  And by then hopefully I’ll be in good with the owner of my work and making way more money.”

She began to nod, not sure if it was anywhere near convincing.  She waited in complete silence as the shock slowly subsided.  This could not be happening to her.  Out of everything that could have went wrong
this
was one she hadn’t seen coming.  Taking in a deep breath she tried to focus on her sudden fiancé.  Unfortunately nothing he said made sense.  It was as if he had started speaking in a different language.