She groaned in frustration as they said good night with nothing more than a wanting look in their eyes. She’d always loved Hallmark movies, but she was beginning to see why her sisters had a hard time watching them. Had Dash ruined them for her? She couldn’t stop thinking about the way he’d kissed her like he never wanted to stop and touched her, unhurried and greedy, as if he were savoring every second of it. She closed her eyes, and his face bloomed in her mind, his dark eyes full of desire, just as they’d been as he’d lowered his mouth between her legs. Her entire body shuddered with the memory. She’d been revved up all day. All it took was one thought of Dash for her body to go into some sort of sexual frenzy. She’d never reacted so viscerally to a man, much less thoughts of a man, and she had no idea what to do with the sexual energy that clung to her like a second skin. It had been embarrassing at work. It wasn’t like she could disappear into her office and whip out a vibrator to ease the tension.
Who was she kidding? A vibrator couldn’t butter her biscuit the way Dash could.
She ate another bite of ice cream, thinking about the dirty romance movies her sisters and friends watched. She’d never been too curious about them, because she’d always felt like her sisters and friends were miles ahead of her with their sexuality. They’d owned theirs since they were teenagers, while Amber had been a late bloomer and she’d never really learned to own it. But with Dash, she seemed to have skipped over owning it and had charged into uncharted territory, not only relentlessly replaying the dirty things he’d done to her but also fantasizing about the wicked things she wanted to do to him, which she’d experienced in great detail in her dreams last night. In her dreams, he’d talked dirty to her as he’d pleasured her, and she’d given that pleasure right back to him. It had only been a dream, but she could still feel his hard length in her hand and sliding through her lips, could still hear the filthy things she’d said that made her cheeks burn just thinking about it.
Lord have mercy.
She was as hot and flustered as she’d been when she’d woken up this morning. She glanced at the clock. Dash wasn’t supposed to call for another forty minutes. Giving in to her newfound curiosity, she picked up the remote, trying to remember the name of the movie Brindle and Lindsay gushed about a few weeks ago. Brindle had said the sex scenes were so hot, she and Trace had watched them together several times.
She grabbed her phone and texted Brindle. What was the name of the movie you told me about with the girl who gets abducted and falls for the guy?
Her phone rang, and Brindle’s name flashed on the screen. She answered it, but before she could say hello, Brindle said, “You want to watch 365 Days?”
Amber scrambled for an excuse. “One of my book club friends was asking if I knew any good billionaire romance movies, and you seemed to like it.”
“One of your book club friends? Really? Because I’d think they’d all be in the know about that particular movie, especially since it was a foreign book first, and when the movie came out here, bookstagrammers posted about it for weeks in anticipation of the English books.”
Shoot. “I guess not.” Amber fidgeted with the edge of her sleeping shorts.
“I heard your friend is out of town. Are you feeling a little lonely? Looking for some visual inspiration to get you through the nights while he’s gone?”
Amber had spent a lifetime listening to her sisters and friends rave about guys and the way they made them feel. Part of her wanted to claim her turn, to gush about Dash and how wonderful he was. To rave about the letter he’d written her, the gift he’d given her, and the incredible way he made her feel special. But a bigger part of her wanted to treasure those things and keep them all to herself. She didn’t even know what it was between them yet or where it would lead. But she wanted to find out.
“No, I am not,” Amber answered.
“If you say so. You know I’m cool with Dash getting all up in your end zone, right?”
“Ohmygod…” Another call rang through, and Dash’s name flashed on the screen. Her pulse skyrocketed. “Thanks for the name of the movie. I’ve got to go. I have another call.”
“From the sound of your voice, I’m guessing it’s Dash?” When Amber didn’t answer quick enough, Brindle’s all-knowing voice came through the line. “Girl, forget the movie. Let him ease your loneliness. Have fun!”
Amber turned off the television and switched over to Dash’s call. “Hi.”
“Hey. I hope it’s okay that I’m calling early. Are you busy?”
The sound of his deep voice made her forget all about the movie. “No. I’m glad you called. How was dinner? The few times I spoke with Shea, she seemed really nice.”
“Shea’s the best. A little pushy, but that’s her job. And dinner would have been better if you were there.”
“You say the nicest things.”
“I’m just being honest. How was your day?”
“It was good. Work was busy, and I chose a winner to decorate the front window for November, which is always fun.”
“You let other people decorate your front window?”
“Some months I do. I like letting the community be part of the bookstore, and it’s fun to see how excited they get when they win. They put a lot of effort into the display. It’s become a coveted contest. Believe it or not, I get hundreds of entries.”
“That’s amazing, but it’s not surprising. Your shop has a really great vibe, and you’re so personable, sending out cards to your customers. It sounds like they like giving back to you.”
“I’m glad you think so. I want people to feel like they’re stopping in to see an old friend, even if they don’t know me that well. But I do the window display every October. It’s my favorite month of the year.”
“The display is gorgeous. Why is it your favorite month?”
She settled back against the pillows. “Because the sky is blue, but the air is crisper than any other time of year. Except winter, but winter skies are whiter. I love fall flowers and seeing the leaves change colors. Autumn is like Mother Nature’s gift, and knowing that soon the branches will be bare and the blue skies will fade to white makes them even more special.” She waited for him to respond, but silence stretched between them. “Sorry, did that sound weird?”
“Not at all. I was just thinking about how long it’s been since I’ve even noticed those things and how much I’d like to be looking at them with you.”
“I wish you were here, too.” Her mind took that thought and braided it into a sexy scene in her head. “How long has it been?”
“Honestly? I’m not sure I ever noticed the sky or the leaves the way you do. Football is a fall and winter game, but off-season conditioning starts in the spring, and there’s summer training camp. I’ve been playing since I was a kid. Between that and helping take care of our family after our old man left, there wasn’t much time to stop and smell the roses.”
“Can I ask you something about your childhood?”
“Sure.”
“You said you practically raised your brothers and sisters, but if you were only thirteen when your father left, then your sisters were really young. How did you manage?”