Page 13 of Don't You Want Me, Baby?

‘He is?’ she muttered, but it was swallowed up by the music as they hit the lane.

The second they reached Ben and Tyler, Amber could feel their eyes on her. Tyler stood first.

‘Everything okay?’ he drawled, and she met his eye with a happy smile she didn’t feel. Her mind was trying to fit things into neat little boxes but everything was suddenly the wrong bloody shape.

‘Yeah, everything’s great. Let’s play; they’ll be turfing us out soon.’

Ben clapped his hands together. ‘Game on, eh Amber? Ready to thrash them again?’

‘Amber’s on my team this time,’ Tyler cut in. Heading to the ball rack, he passed her the pink one she always used when they came. ‘You’re up first.’

Sharon laughed, slapping Ben on the arm as she took a seat.

‘Looks like it’s you and me, Benny Boy.’

The second game was decidedly more high stakes than the first.When Amber went to take the ball from Ty’s hands, he leaned closer. ‘Let’s knock that smile off Ben’s face, Cherry. I am not losing to him again. He’ll be insufferable at work tomorrow.’

Despite herself, him using the name he sometimes called her made her grin. He’d once said she would end up looking like a cherry pie, after one shift when she ate five of his pastries. He’d called her Cherry after that, when they were messing about. He’d not said it in a while. Since Bradley, she realised with a jolt.Were there other things I’d missed, being with Bradley? Like the fact my chef and close friend is actually kinda hot? Scratch that. He’s totally smoking hot. Henry Cavill level of hot.Maybe it was the baby fever. That was it. Her uterus was throwing her at the nearest available male specimen. It wasn’t like she’d just noticed him.Oh Jesus, take the wheel. I’m losing my damn mind.

‘Oh, come on!’ She shrugged, giving herself a mental cold shower. ‘Sharon doesn’t care about the game. You men and your sports.’

Sharon was three vodka and cokes down already and drinking her fourth. She threw them a hearty thumbs up. ‘You’re right there. Benny my boy, you don’t need me, right? I thought you were the king of pins?’

‘Yeah,’ he huffed. ‘Well, let’s just get on with it.’

Turning to bowl, Amber walked straight into Tyler. His hands were there instantly, steadying her, and there it was again. That jolt. The second he put his hands on her bare arms, it was like she’d been zapped. When their eyes met, he was staring at her as if they were the only two people in the world. She could swear she felt his fingers clench around her arm.

‘You good?’

All she could do was nod dumbly up at him.

‘Yep. Yeah. Sure. Definitely. All good. Thanks.’

With a twist of his lips, he released her and went to sit next toSharon. Amber’s arms were jelly and goosebumps. It took all of her muster to not drop the ball on her damn foot as she headed to the pins. Taking a deep breath, she launched the ball with everything she had.

‘Strike!’ Tyler yelled as the pins skittered away from the impact. She heard Ben curse, Sharon laugh and Tyler’s roar of joy almost drowning out both. Turning on a heel, something warm and solid brushed up against her. Turning to look up, she found Tyler’s face was right there. He lifted her off the ground and twirled her around. ‘Perfect!’ He whooped, his arms tight around her.

Laughing, she pointed at their opponents. ‘Suck on that, losers!’

Tyler laughed again, giving her a high five.

‘That’s my girl,’ he rumbled, lowering her only to tuck her under his arm. Amber’s stomach flipped like a pancake.

‘Yeah,’ Sharon slurred from behind them, slapping Ben on the back. ‘We’re going to need another round.’

5

The taxi pulled up to the Slug an hour before last orders. Ben having gone home to see his wife, it had been down to her and Tyler to corral Sharon into the car. Which was probably just as well, because the energy between the two of them was positively crackling. Amber had been zapped with a shock when she touched the cab door to get out, and she was pretty sure it was the air around them sensing the tension between them.

‘Ouch,’ she yelped, yanking her hand back as Tyler helped Sharon to the pavement.

‘What?’ he asked, his concerned gaze snapping to her.

‘Electric shock,’ she laughed, reaching back in to grab her bag. It was vibrating and, when she pulled her phone out, her face dropped.

‘I need a little coffee,’ Sharon hiccupped.

‘No shit,’ Tyler laughed, propping her up against the lamppost as he paid the driver. ‘I’ll get Mary to put the kettle on.’

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