My Everything - Seth & Amber (15 page)

The problem with Seth was that from the first
moment she'd met him, he’d represented complete and total
safety...while simultaneously representing complete and total
danger. How he pulled that off was beyond her, but he did – and
spectacularly, at that.

She trusted him to keep her safe. She knew he
would never do anything to intentionally hurt her, and she knew
that if he was around, he wouldn’t let anyone else hurt her,
either.

The danger came into play because she
also
knew that she couldn’t risk her heart with him. That
was a problem, because her instinctive response to him was so
powerful that she wasn’t sure if the walls of protection she had
built around her heart could withstand it.

Ah, well. There was nothing she could do
about that right this second. That was a worry for another day.
Right now none of that mattered. Because tonight? Tonight, she was
flying.

--- ~ ---

Amber’s hands spread across Seth’s abdomen,
gripping tightly - but not the same way that she had when they had
started their ride, back when she had been terrified. He could tell
that she was not afraid now, not at all.

When she had put the helmet on and decided to
go, a feeling of pride had washed over him. He knew that she
trusted him now, with her life. That fact shouldn’t make him as
happy as it did.

They had been out for over an hour and he
sensed immediately the moment she had surrendered to the
experience. Her body had relaxed behind him and he could almost
feel the tension draining from her.

He could still feel her breasts pressed up
against his back. Her inner thighs gripped his hips. But it was not
in a holding-on-for-dear-life type of a feeling anymore. Now, it
felt more like the grip of exploration and enjoyment.

He had chosen to cruise this route along the
river because the day he had gotten his bike, five years ago, it
was the first thing that he had wanted to do. Obviously, since he
had been stationed in North Carolina it hadn’t been an option.

Since he had gotten home a week ago, he had
been meaning to do it, but it had never felt like the right time.
This ride was momentous and symbolic – it meant he was accepting
that this was his life. That he lived in Harper’s Crossing. That he
was no longer a Marine.

Somehow, though, with Amber behind him it
wasn’t such a hard thing to face. He had always used rides to set
the reset on his brain. In the past, he had used the solitary time
to work out his demons on the open road. After being out with
Amber, he wasn’t sure if a solo ride would still hold as much
appeal.

The experience was heightened beyond what he
had ever imagined it could be. He knew that she needed this just as
much as he did. He could feel that she was enjoying it just as much
as he was. This ride felt sacred.

Unfortunately, he knew that for a novice
rider, they had been out long enough. He didn’t want her to wake up
tomorrow sore because he had kept her out too long. If she was
going to be sore and him be the cause, it wouldn’t be because of
his motorcycle, he thought to himself as he pulled back on the main
road that would take them back to the shelter, allowing himself a
small grin.

He felt her melt into him as he did, and he
could almost hear a sigh coming from her mouth, realizing they were
headed back. If he wasn’t mistaken, her body language was saying
that she didn’t want this ride to end any more than he did.

She made him wish that he could be different.
That he could be the man for her.

He wasn’t.

She deserved someone who wasn’t as damaged as
he was. After hearing her conversation with her mom, he hadn’t been
able to distance himself like he should have. Granted, he had only
heard her end of it, with bits and pieces of the other side, but it
was enough for him to figure out the basics.

He thought she had needed a friend and he
wanted to be there for her.

That was it. He hadn’t had any ulterior
motivation. But somehow this innocent ride had turned into a much
more intimate experience that he had anticipated.

Pulling into the lot, he parked next to her
car. He heard the click that told him she was unfastening her
helmet. She grabbed his shoulders for leverage as he felt her swing
her leg off. She stumbled as she tried to stand. He wrapped his arm
around her waist and steadied her.

“My legs feel like Jello.” Her warm
golden-green eyes were filled with excitement.

“That’s normal,” he explained, not removing
his arm.

Their faces were mere inches apart. She
licked her lips expectantly. He wanted to kiss her so badly but he
knew that it would end messily if he did. Their lives were too
intertwined for messy.

He stared at her, not able to look away from
her full plump lips, gorgeous glowing skin and windblown hair. She
looked like she had when they had laid in bed together, before he
had fallen asleep. She looked like a satisfied woman.

That made him want to satisfy her in the same
ways he had in that hotel room. Which was exactly why he needed to
keep some space between them.

When he removed his arm he saw a flash of
disappointment in her eyes before she quickly masked it. She smiled
but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. He didn’t want that. He didn’t
want to be the cause of any sadness for her. That was why he knew
he was doing exactly the right thing by maintaining distance.

“Thank you so much for the ride. It was
incredible. I feel so relaxed and calm.” Her arms stretched out and
she spun around once, “It felt like I was flying.”

“I’m glad you liked it.” The corners of his
mouth turned into a grin.

“I
loved
it!” she exclaimed. “I was
always scared of bikes. I even had to break up with a few guys
because they wouldn’t leave me alone about riding with them.”

Her eyes widened as she realized the gravity
of the statement she had just made.

“Why did you ride with me?” he felt his heart
tighten at her admission and for some reason he just wanted her to
say it.

She stared, her eyes glowing with emotion, “I
trust you.”

Even though he already knew the answer, those
three words washed over him in a powerful wave.

He knew he didn’t have any rights to her. No
rights to make any demands whatsoever, but he heard the words
coming out of his mouth, “Don’t ride with anyone else.”

Her eyes darkened with lust at his
authoritative command. She licked her lips. He wanted so badly to
kiss her perfect mouth. His body knew what her lips felt like and
it ached for them. He heard a deep moan of appreciation escape
him.

A knowing half-smile tilted Amber’s mouth as
she shrugged. “We’ll see. I might trust other people too.” Lifting
her hands to her chest, she added sincerely, “I’m a very trusting
person.”

“Smart ass,” he smiled, knowing she was
messing with him.

“You keep calling me that like it’s a bad
thing,” she smiled proudly. “Just so you know, I take it as a
compliment.”

“It is a compliment.” His voice had an edge
of need to it.

He saw her shiver and realized it was
freezing out and she needed to get in her car. He got his bike and
walked to her passenger door. He heard her unlocking it as he
did.

After he opened it, she stepped inside and
sat down. Her eyes filled with sincerity as she looked up at him
and touched his chest. “Honestly Seth, thank you for the ride, the
security system, the class. Everything.”

He nodded at her before closing the door.

She rolled down her window as she pulled out
of the space. “Now that I know you can speak in full paragraphs
we’re going to have to try and work that into our
conversations.”

She smiled widely, her eyes bright with humor
as she waved goodbye to him.

He shook his head as his own face broke into
an unintentional smile. Smart ass.

Amber heard the knock on her door and walked
slowly to answer it. With every step, her body told her that
muscles that had not been used in a very long time – if ever – had
been overworked the night before. Not that she was complaining.

That bike ride with Seth along the river had
been one of the best nights of her life, only coming in second to
her night in DC with her Mystery Man now-known-as-Seth. Yes, she
realized there was a pattern here. Both nights had one thing in
common…Seth. No, she did not want to think about the significance
of that observation.

She looked through the peephole and saw Jamie
standing there, holding brownies. Hmmmm...Jamie might just be her
new best friend.

Amber opened the door to her smiling,
brownie-bearing, neighbor.

“I come with chocolate treats.”

“In case I haven’t told you lately,” Amber
said as she stepped out of the way to let Jamie in, “you are the
best
neighbor a girl could ever have.”

Amber noticed Jamie’s smile falter a little
and then return looking a little forced.

“Everything okay?” Amber asked, feeling a
little worried. She hadn’t known Jamie that long but Amber truly
did consider her one of her best friends. There were just some
people you clicked, with and she and Jamie had clicked.

Jamie and Joey, Jamie’s six-year-old son, had
only moved to Harper’s Crossing a little over a month ago but it
already felt like they had been there for years.

Jamie had recently gotten engaged to Alex
Sloan. Things had happened really fast and Amber hoped everything
was okay with them.

“Everything’s great,” Jamie said brightly.
Her false cheeriness was not really putting Amber’s mind at
ease.

They moved into the kitchen where Amber
pulled the milk out of the fridge and two glasses from the
cabinet.

Jamie sat at the small breakfast nook and
when Amber sat down, she asked her, “How are things with you and
Seth going?”

Jamie was, by far, the least gossipy person
Amber knew, so it took her by surprise to hear that question coming
from her. Amber would expect this line of questioning from Katie,
Sophie or one of the Sloan girls. Even Chelle, if she were feeling
concerned about Amber.

But Jamie? She never got involved in any of
the juicy stories of the day. So why was she sitting in Amber’s
kitchen asking her about Seth?

“Umm…” Amber took a drink of milk to stall.
She wasn’t trying to shut her friend out, she just really wasn’t
sure what to say.

“Alex and I are getting married on Christmas
Eve,” Jamie blurted out.

“That’s great! I am so happy for you guys!”
Amber exclaimed. She
was
happy for her friends...and also
happy the subject had moved off of herself and Seth.

Jamie continued, “I wanted to wait a little
bit, but you know how Alex is. He’s pretty determined once he sets
his mind to something. So I just insisted that we wait until after
Chelle had the baby and then we would set a date.”

“Anything I can do to help, just let me
know.” Amber had made the bridesmaids dresses for Jason and Katie’s
wedding, and for Chelle’s wedding she had designed Chelle's
dress.

It seemed only right that she offer to help
with Alex and Jamie’s wedding, as well.

“Well, actually…” Jamie was biting her lip
and shredding her napkin and then rolling it into tiny pieces.

Amber knew, from personal experience, that it
was hard for some people who were used to doing things on their own
to ask for help. She figured she would let her friend off the
hook.

“Jamie, if you want I can design your
bridesmaids dresses.”

Jamie’s eyes shot to hers, “Oh thank you! I
hadn’t even thought of that, actually, but that would be
incredible. If it’s not too much trouble.”

Okay, if it wasn’t that, then why was Jamie
acting so nervous, Amber thought to herself. She figured that in
the spirit of her new ‘do nothing’ philosophy, she would just sit
enjoy her friend's company and see how this played out. Oh, and eat
brownies. Definitely eat brownies.

After a few minutes during which Amber
consumed loads of delicious calories, Jamie asked, “So would you be
able to make your own dress then?”

Amber’s brow furrowed in confusion, not
really clear on why it mattered what she wore. “Umm...sure.”

“Oh, I’m doing this all wrong. It happens
when I get nervous,” Jamie sighed in frustration.

“Why are you nervous?” Amber asked, still
totally confused.

Jamie placed her hands flat on the table and
took a deep breath, “I would like you to be a bridesmaid in my
wedding.”

Oh, that’s it?

“Of course, I would lov…”

Jamie interrupted, “You'd be walking with
Seth.”

Oh,
that’s
it.

“I’m not trying to play matchmaker,” Jamie
continued, “believe me! I hated it when people did that to me. It’s
just that, honestly, you were the first person I met in Harper’s
Crossing, my first friend here in my new life. You were the first
person I thought to ask. Then when we were going over the wedding
party, I realized that Jason would be walking with Katie, Bobby
would be walking with Sophie, and Riley would be walking with
Chelle…”

“Which leaves me walking with Seth,” Amber
finished her friend’s thought.

“If you don’t want to I totally understand,
and I could ask one of Alex’s cousin’s, but there are four of them
so I feel like if I ask one I have to ask all of them, which means
coming up with three more guys…”

“I would love to be in your wedding.
Honestly. I’m honored.”

A look of relief flashed across Jamie’s face
as she broke out into a huge smile. “Really? Are you sure?”

“Yes,” Amber confirmed before asking. “Is
that why you asked how things were going with Seth?”

“Yes. I’m sorry. I wasn’t being nosy. I just
wanted to test the waters.”

“I thought it was a little out of character
for you,” Amber admitted.