“And you’ll always be the sister with the best butt,” Pepper countered. One silly evening long ago, the girls had decided who had the best assets among their siblings. In addition to Pepper’s figure and Amber’s butt, Grace had the best legs, Morgyn had the best lips, eyes, and hips, Brindle had the best boobs, and Axsel had it all going on.
There was a knock on her office door, and Phoenix peeked in. “Sorry to interrupt, but you just got a delivery.” She set a box on the desk and headed back into the store.
“Thanks,” Amber said as Phoenix closed the door behind her. “Pep, I have to put you on speaker.” She put her on speakerphone and began opening the box. “What were we talking about?”
“How great your butt is.”
“Ha ha.” Amber snagged the card with the Just Desserts logo on it that was taped to a Styrofoam container inside the box and quickly read it. Looking forward to working through those rewrites together. Dash. “Dash sent me a package. His sister is the host of Just Desserts, and he must have had her send it.”
“This guy is seriously into you.”
“I know!” She was giddy with delight as she removed the Styrofoam top and the frozen cold packs inside, letting out a little squeal as she placed the expertly wrapped cake on her desk. “He sent me a tiramisu crepe cake!”
“Okay, that’s it. I’m getting started on a clone machine today.”
Amber sat back in her chair, grinning from ear to ear. Even her brilliant scientist sister couldn’t clone the very best parts of the man who was stealing her heart one sweet moment at a time.
Chapter Ten
THE SEVEN-HOUR flight did nothing to calm Dash’s excitement over seeing Amber. He’d never thought of himself as a cheesy guy, but as he walked into Story Time bookstore Saturday evening, just the sight of her made him want to queue up eighties music, see her spin around with a beaming smile—maybe even drop a book from her fingertips—and run into his arms.
After only two nights away.
He was definitely losing it.
Amber was a sight for sore eyes in a red floral dress and cream-colored cowgirl boots, but she was busy talking with a customer. Dash tucked away his silly romantic notions and meandered farther into the store. Reno was lying on his dog bed by the register. Phoenix was in the children’s section with a young mother and toddler, and there was a handful of other customers milling about.
Amber looked over and did a double take, the smile on her beautiful face widening. His heart thudded faster as “Dash” fell from her lips, breathless and excited. He winked, unable to stop his own excitement from shining through, sure he looked like a ridiculous overgrown toddler staring at his favorite candy.
“I…” She held up her index finger and returned her attention to the customer for only a few seconds before turning around, and as if she’d read his thoughts, she took a few fast steps, the beginning of a run, then slowed, glancing nervously around her.
She was so damn cute he wanted to haul her into his arms and eat her up, but her pink cheeks held him back. “Good evening, Ms. Montgomery. It’s a pleasure to see you again.”
“Hi. It’s nice to see you, too.” Her eyes danced with desire, the air between them crackling so hot, he was surprised the whole store didn’t go up in flames. Her chest rose with her heavy breaths as she struggled to restrain herself. “How was your flight?”
“Too long.” He leaned closer, breathing in her familiar feminine scent, his hands itching to touch her as he lowered his voice for her ears only. “I need to kiss you.”
“Oh!” Her delight was unmistakable. “Yes, we just got that order in,” she said loudly. “Why don’t you come into my office, and I’ll show it to you?”
That’s it, sweetheart. Lead the way.
Dash followed her as she hurried toward her office, catching the knowing glance Phoenix tossed their way as he closed the door behind them. Amber ran to the glass partition, lowering her blinds, and had barely let go of the chord when he swept her into his arms, taking her glorious mouth with fierce possession, igniting the fire that had been burning for days. They’d talked and flirted for hours the last two nights. The more they talked, the more of her sweet self she revealed, and the deeper he fell. He would have kept her on the line all night just to hear her voice and see her sweet face if he hadn’t been worried about her getting too exhausted. He’d spent every second since aching for these kisses.
He pulled back only long enough to take off her seizure-alert necklace and put it on the desk. Their mouths crashed together, and they both intensified their efforts. Her sexy sounds wound through him, tugging at his heart and his cock. Their late-night calls hadn’t been sexual but had felt even more intimate, made him crave more of her. All of her. The way she kissed him with her entire body, rubbing and grinding against him, made it impossible to hold back. His hands were everywhere at once, groping her ass, caressing her back, in her hair. God, he loved her hair. He tangled both hands in it and tore his mouth away, gazing into her lustful eyes. “How can I miss you this much?”
She blinked rapidly, clinging to him and shaking her head, as if she couldn’t make sense of it, either. She tugged his mouth back to hers, and the whys and hows of his missing her ceased to matter. He missed everything about her. Her smell, her touch, the way she clawed at him now, like she couldn’t get enough. He backed her up against the wall, their mouths fused together, feasting hungrily, and ground against her, groping her breast through her thin dress. Her nipple pebbled against his palm, and a growl crawled up his throat. She must have loved that sound, because she arched into his hand. He was so damn hard, he felt like a volcano ready to blow and quickly realized he had no endgame. They were in her office. It wasn’t like he could take her on the desk. Not his sweet Amber. But holy hell, he wasn’t about to stop. Not yet. He needed this—her—and if her sinful noises and the rocking of her hips were any indications, she needed him just as desperately.
He wasn’t usually this greedy, but he was driven by more than lust. He was driven by the power of them. He moved his hand down her leg, slipping under the hem of her dress, and caressed her thigh. “Tell me to stop” came out like a demand against her lips.
Her doe eyes filled with confidence. “I don’t want you to stop.”
Seeing his sweet girl open up to him here of all places sent his emotions surging. He kissed her rougher, greedier, and she was right there with him, opening her legs for him. He pushed his hand into her panties, his fingers sliding through her wetness, and God, he wanted to drop to his knees and devour her. He teased her, earning needy moans that made his entire body throb. His thumb circled her clit, and her head fell back. Her eyes were closed, her skin flushed. He slicked his tongue along her lower lip, applying pressure to the bundle of nerves that made her breathing hitch. “I hope you’ve cleared your schedule for me, because I cannot wait to get you naked and love every inch of you.”
Her eyes opened, fire blazing in them as he pushed his fingers into her tight heat, and a long, lustful moan escaped her lips. He captured it with a hard kiss, working her faster, earning more sexy noises that seared through him like lightning. Her fingernails dug into his arms, her muscles flexing. He nudged her legs open wider with his knee, grabbing her ass with his free hand, using the angle to hit the spot that made her lose control. Her sex pulsed around his fingers, her hips bucking wildly. He swallowed her needful sounds, as lost in her pleasure as she was.