Owned by Him (11 page)

Amber: Stop with
the !!!!!
They’re frustrating. Deal with it.

In his next text he blew a
raspberry at her, which made her laugh.

“Are you all right in here?”
Dale asked. His head peered around the door. It was the female changing room.
She’d already changed into her going out clothes.

“Yeah, everything is
perfect.” She pocketed her cell and grabbed her purse. “How are you?”

“I’m great. I’m heading over
to Wade’s. I convinced Connie to sing for me. She’s got stage fright and all
that, but I’ve asked her to let me listen. Is she good? I mean, I hope she’s
good, otherwise I’m in for it.”

Laughing, Amber pushed her
arm through his. “Connie could have a record deal she’s that good. You’ll love
her singing. I know I do.”

“
There’s
no hard feelings
, right?” Dale asked.

“No, none
at all.
I’m pleased you’re moving on. Can I warn you that
Wade has been crushing on her for some time? Please be careful with her and
with Wade.”

“Of
course.
I’m not that kind of man, honey. How are you and your
man?”

She smiled. “We’re doing
good
. Better, actually.”

“Good.”

They drove together to
Wade’s. She left him at the door. The guard letting people in stopped Dale from
entering. “I’ve been told to keep you behind,” the man said.

“I’ll leave you to it, Dale.
You may have pissed off the owner.” She gave Dale a wink before heading inside.

Ashley, Connie, and Heather
were seated in their booth. She looked over to the bar to see Wade heading
toward her.

“I take it you’re the one
responsible for Dale being left behind?”

“I need to know what his
intentions are.” Wade glanced toward Connie. “I’m not letting her get hurt.”

“I believe you.” She watched
him leave, and she saw Elijah sat at the bar. He raised a glass to her, and she
rolled her eyes.

“Hey, what’s going on with
Wade?” Connie asked.

Taking her seat Amber looked
at her friend. “He’s taking care of some business out front. He’ll be back in a
moment. I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about. He knows what he’s doing.”

“Where have you been?”
Heather asked. “I really needed to talk to you, and you’ve always been busy.”

“I’ve been dating, and work
has been really crazy. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to abandon you guys,” Amber
said.

They all grumbled for
several minutes. It was her friends’ way of showing her that they cared.

“Okay, leave her alone. She
feels like crap, and now we’ve got to give her the good news,” Ashley said.

Amber smiled gratefully at
her friend.

“What’s the good news?”

“I’m having a baby,” Heather
said, screaming and covering her mouth.

Amber gasped. “What? Julian
got you pregnant?”

“Yes. I can’t believe it. I
took the test a couple of weeks, and then I went to the doctor to confirm it.
I’m not far along, but it’s official. I’m going to be a mommy.”

They all cheered. “That
better not be alcohol,” Amber said, pointing to the drink in front of her.

“No, it’s not. Julian didn’t
want me coming today. I promised him I’d be good. I’d never risk this baby. I
can’t believe I’m going to be a mommy.”

Heather looked so happy.
Laughing, Amber found herself looking for Elijah. He was sat at the bar
watching her. A gentle hum settled over her. She kept her gaze on Elijah,
knowing she wanted a future with him. She’d do everything in her power to make
him happy. In the last few weeks he’d really showed her what their life could
be together.

“I’m going to the ladies’
room with Connie to prepare her,” Heather said.

Amber watched her friends
go. Ashley slid closer to her.

“Are you going to give me
any juicy details?” she asked.

“About
what?”

“About
the hot guy staring at you all the time.
I never thought Elijah was capable of being a stalker. I think he
should win awards for the change inside him.”

Amber laughed. “He’s not
that bad.”

“No? Then why have you both
kept it a secret all these years?”

There was no answer to that
question at all.

“I don’t know what to say,”
Amber said, staring down at her hands.

“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to
burst your bubble. I know you’ve got your reasons, and I’m sure he’s got his.”
Ashley moved away.

“What’s going on with you?”
Amber asked. “We rarely see each other anymore. How’s the bar work going?”

“Fine.
Everything is fine in my life.”Ashley stood. “I’m
sorry to bail. I need to get out of here.”

Amber tried to get her
friend to sit, but Ashley wouldn’t listen.

“Tell Heather
congratulations and I’m sorry for leaving. I just need to go.”

Watching her go, Amber felt
the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Turning around she saw Elijah
stood at the bar. She smiled, but his attention was focused on something in
front of him.

The crowd blocking the
person moved, and she saw the blonde from Club Kink.

Great, just great.

****

 
“What are you doing here?” Elijah asked. The
woman in front of him looked down at her feet.

“I’m sorry. I don’t come to
Wade’s often. I couldn’t believe it was you, and I had to come and say hello.”

Glancing at the table where
Amber was, he saw her talking with Ashley. Shit, he couldn’t remember her name.
Her name had completely vanished from his head. He and Amber were doing so
well. This could spoil it if he didn’t get rid of her.

“You can’t remember my name,
can you?” she asked.

“No.”

“It’s Erika.”

“Hi, Erika.”
Now he remembered her name again. Running his fingers
through his hair, he looked at Amber. She was staring at the woman beside him.
“Shit.”

Erika turned in her
direction. “Oh, you and Amber were an actual couple?”

“Yes, we’re a couple, and I
need you to leave.” He gritted the words out.

“Okay, erm, I’m so sorry.”

“The rules of the club state
you’re not to make anyone uncomfortable outside the club,” he said. Tyler was
strict about his club and his rules.
If people wanted to meet
outside of the club that was down to them.
This was not one of those
situations. He didn’t want to know her.

“I know. I shouldn’t have
come over. The last time we were together I thought there was something between
us.”

He shook his head. “No,
there’s nothing between us. Nothing ever will be between us. This is my fault.
I shouldn’t have brought you into my mess.”

“Mess?
You consider us a mess?” Amber asked, standing behind
him.

Turning around he saw the
sadness in her eyes. She looked behind him at Erika.

“Amber,” he said.

“Elijah.” She stared at him
with tears glistening in her eyes. “I should have known this was a big
mistake.”

She turned away and started
toward the door.

Throwing his hands up in
frustration, he threw some notes down on the bar. “Don’t approach me in a bar
again. There is nothing between us, Erika, and you know I’m not the man for
you.”

He charged after Amber. She
was storming down the street as he got outside.

“Amber.” He shouted her
name.
 

She wouldn’t stop walking
away from him.

Running down the street
Elijah called her name several more times.

Amber kept walking.

He caught her up quickly.
“Will you stop?”

“You think our life together
is a mess?” she asked, stopping to yell at him.

“No, I don’t think it’s a
mess. I made it a mess.”

“You’re not making any
sense.”

“Do you think I don’t know
that?” He looked around him to see they were secluded in a darkened alleyway.
“I could have had you at eighteen, Amber, and I didn’t. We both walked away,
and for the last seven years we’ve been having these moments together that were
so fleeting, they might as well be a joke.”

He ran his fingers through
his hair, trying to find the right words to convey what he wanted to say.

She didn’t speak or dispute
him, which he took as a good sign.

“We’re good together, Amber.
Even without the fucking sex we’re that good. You can’t tell me you don’t feel
it?” He moved toward her, and she took a step back. “Don’t pull away from me.”

“You’re not making any
sense.”

“I’m making perfect sense. I
love you, Amber, and Erika means nothing to me. The mess I mentioned was the
mess I’d caused with me giving her the wrong impression about my attention.”

She stared down his body.
Her hand touched his chest. “Why did you caress her, Elijah? If she meant
nothing, why did you do it?”

“You’re always so closed off
around me. Heather gets a part of you I’ll never see, and I’m jealous of her.
I’m jealous of my sister because she gets a chance to have you in ways I
can’t.”

He dropped his head, panting
for breath. Elijah was opening himself up in ways he never thought he could.
Amber left him no choice but to open up.

“I’m yours, Elijah.”

“Are you really?” he asked.

“I’m yours. You’ve told me
enough times that I’ve got no choice but to believe it.”

He chuckled, caressing her
cheek. “We’re not a mess. We’re the best we’ve ever been together.”

“Will you take me home?” she
asked.

“You’re not going to shout
at me?”

“No. I’m not going to yell.”
She offered him her hand, and he took it.

The walk to her apartment
was slow, and he took her the long way around to her apartment. He wanted all
the excuses he could find to be around her.

“We’re a strange pair,
right?”

“Yeah, we’re strange.”

“I was thinking we could
tell Heather soon. I don’t like lying to my friend. You’re her brother, and I
want her to know I’m seeing you. Sneaking around and lying is so not my thing.”

“I thought you’d never ask.”
He snaked an arm around her waist and took her back to her apartment.

“Does this mean we get to
have sex?” she asked.

“Not yet.” He wanted to fuck
her more than anything. First, he needed to make sure Amber held no doubts.
Heather finding out about them was a good sign.

“Do you want me to tell
her?” he asked.

“Do you think she’ll take it
better coming from you?” she asked.

“You talk to her,” Elijah
said. He’d give Heather the truth but tell her to give Amber some time to admit
it. His sister was a little matchmaker in the making.

He left her at her apartment
door and dialed his sister’s number on the way out of the apartment.

“Elijah, I’ve got good news.
I’m pregnant.”

Heather’s news took him by
surprise, halting all of his thoughts. “Wow, congratulations.”

She talked and talked until
he heard Julian complain about some attention.

“Sorry. I’m excited. I’ve
got a human inside me, and I’m amazed.”

He laughed. “It’s all good.”

“What did you want to talk
to me about?” she asked.

“Amber wants to tell you the
truth about us.” He’d been talking with his sister for some time. They were
slowly coming together, and Heather had started calling him by his given name
rather than the insults she sent his way.

“Okay. I’ll be gentle with
her. It’s about time she opened up to me. I’ve hated all this lying.”

He talked with Heather for
several minutes before finally ringing off. Staring up at the moon, he wondered
if this would finally be the year when he got his heart’s desire.

Chapter Ten

Telling Heather about her
relationship with Elijah wasn’t as hard as she thought it was going to be. Her
friend was understanding and comforted her even though Amber didn’t think she
deserved the comfort. For a long time she’d been deceitful to her best friend.
She felt better that everything was out in the open.

“I can’t believe you’re
dating my brother. It’s so weird. I mean, he’s my brother, Amber.”

“I know. I’m really sorry
for keeping it from you.” Amber reached over to grab her friend’s hand. They
were in a cute Mexican restaurant and had ordered some tacos for lunch.

“Don’t worry. The way I’ve
been freaking out over my brother I’m not surprised you’ve kept it to
yourself.”