Page 118 of I Love My Mistake

AMBER

Chapter Fifty-Six

Driving Up to The Dove Parlour

“We could circle the block a few times,” Josh whispers in my ear, his hand up the hem of my dress. His fingers travel up my thigh toward my lacey panties.

Wishing we could postpone this night, I lean into his kisses. I don’t even care about the cab driver looking at us. A disappointed moan falls from my parted lips. “That feels so good. But Nicole needs me. She hasn’t talked to Jess…”

He groans against my skin. “Come on. What if I sucked on your earlobe? Would that change your mind?” He knows it would. I can never say no when my earlobes are licked, bitten, or sucked on. It’s my Kryptonite. I couldn’t be held accountable for my actions if he did that.

Reluctantly – oh so reluctantly – I push him off me. “I wish we could.” Pushing my dress down, he leans back, adjusting the bulge in his pants as we stop in front of the bar. I lock eyes with our taxi driver in his rearview mirror and say loudly. “Sorry to disappoint you, but we’re not going to fuck.”

“Amber!” Josh laughs. “God, you surprise me all the time now.”

I throw him a smile. “I’m loosening up. What can I say?”

“I like it. Hold on.”

He pays the driver and jumps out of his side of the car to run over and open my door. He hasn’t always done that. We’ve come a long way since I stopped playing the man and the mom, in this relationship. Josh’s mouth twists into a sexy smirk as he holds out his hand, his dark brown hair falling over his forehead. I slide my hand onto his and glide up out of the car. He shuts the door with an artistic flourish. “Such a performer,” I smile.

“You know it,” he says with a grin, bending his arm at the elbow. I rest my hand there and we head down the stairs. “This place looks cool.” He looks at me and frowns. “What’s with the long face, gorgeous?”

“I don’t know what’s going to happen tonight. Mark’s coming.”

“I know. You’ve told me a thousand times.”

I sigh. “Yeah, but you know why.”

“Because you hate not being in control?”

I shoot him a playful warning look as we walk inside. He smiles, but behind his eyes is the concern we’re both feeling. He’s like a brother to my girlfriends now. What if Jessica and Nicole don’t work things out? Plus, Jess and I had the biggest fight we’ve ever had. An uneasiness tingles in my chest as we search the room, scanning the crowd.

I gasp. My hand tightens on Josh’s arm.

Josh looks at me, worried. “What?” Stunned, I jerk my chin in the direction of the couch in the corner of the dark room. Josh follows my horrified stare and gasps, too. Nicole and Jessica sit on either side of Mark, both leaning into him as lovers, with Nicole nibbling on his ear and his arms around them both. Jess reaches up and touches his chest as she whispers into his ear! Mark is smiling like the evil kid who stole everybody’s cake. Three drinks are on the table, not four.

“Whoa,” Josh whispers before he remembers to paste a polite smile on his face.

“Where’s Chris? What the hell is this? This is the solution they came up with?”

“I don’t know. I already looked. He isn’t here.”

“Oh my God. What are we walking into?”

“Smile, Amber.”

“I can’t.”

Mark sees us and lifts one hand in a casual wave. Jess turns her head, her hand fluttering to Mark’s chin. Her eyebrows go up. “Oh! Hi Amber.”

“Hey.”

“You were right. I was being silly.”

Nicole slowly unlatches her teeth from Mark’s earlobe. She smiles like a cat covered in milk. “Isn’t this great? We worked everything out.” My stomach lurches. I want to vomit. Josh’s eyebrows get lodged on the planet Jupiter. He’s nodding like he doesn’t know what else to do.

The three lovebirds are staring at me and I can’t take it. “Please tell me you’re fucking with me right now.”

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