Page 78 of Crush

I needed to put the record straight. “Look, I found out about Harkerafterwe spent the night together so it’s not like I lied to you.”

Amber stomped her foot, her shoulders stiff, “You lied by omission.”

She then took a step towards me, attempting to get in my face which, under normal circumstances, would have been funny, her being so short. “I don’t believe you. I think you’ve been lying to me all along. I was a project to you and that’s all. It had nothing to do with you caring one jot about me, it was all about crawling up my father’s arse.” One long fingernail waved in front of my face. I hated being pointed at but now was not the time. I moved a couple of steps back giving Amber some room to vent and she started pacing in front of me. “And to think I thought you were different. But no, just another manipulative scheming male. You made me start to feel something again.” Amber paused and then stopped to glare at me, adding, “I think I hate you.” She said in a quiet voice.

THUD! It felt like someone hadpunchedthrough my chest cavity.

I washed a hand over my face before saying, “No, you don’t. You hatehim, and so you should. Harker is the one that fucked you up. You’re in panic mode due to finding out he’s out. And I know that must be a cluster fuck of the century but don’t take that out on me—on us.” I said, motioning between us.

Her expression darkened and her lip curled at one side, “On us? Don’ttalkto me like you knowanythingabout me or what happened with Zander.”

And I snapped, grabbing Amber by the top of her arm, and hauling her towards me. “Don’tfuckingsay his name to me,” I snarled down into her face. She tried to pull away but my fingers tightened.

Amber barked a bitter laugh and stopped struggling, realising it was useless. “Why? Does the thought of me with him make you jealous?”

She was right. Jealously as hot as molten lava pumped through me.

A muscle in my jaw jumped and I released her, hating the welts on her skin where my fingers had been. I needed to get a grip. I dashed a hand of frustration through my hair and paced back and forth in an uncoordinated circle before turning back to her.

“Is everything OK here?” a male voice slurred behind me. I shot him a look of contempt. He wasn’t security, just one of the guests and there was a huddle of older women looking ridiculous with their grey tightly bunned hair in their far too revealing gowns. They were pointing and whispering.

Amber spoke over me, “It’s all fine. I was just leaving.”

She shot me a look of contempt, just like she used to and I felt a wave of regret and sadness. It was like what we had built had just been demolished in one fell swoop. Perspiration dampened my brow.

I watched as Amber rubbed the skin of her arm and remorse pounded into me. I didn’t manhandle women (unless they wanted me to).

The annoying bloke was still buzzing at the side of me like an annoying fly. “Thanks, pal, but everything’s OK. We’ve got this.”

The man nodded and then turned and walked away.

I raised my hands in surrender as Amber watched me like a kicked puppy, the ice now melting. “Look, this is getting out of hand. Let me take you home, we can talk this out. You’ve got it all wrong. Let me explain.”

She shook her head again. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

Amber moved around me and I let her. As she showed me her back and started to walk away, I shouted, “That fuckerreallydid a number on you?”

This stopped her and she turned her head to one side. “Just leave me alone. I’ll call Dexter to come and get me.”

My lip curled as I thought how much I wasn’t going to let that happen. “You have no phone to call your driver,remember.” I knew I sounded like a prick but I was past caring.

Amber stropped back towards me, holding her tiny hand out. “Then give it back to me,” she said with a stubborn tilt to her chin. Fresh fire blazed in her eyes.

I folded my arms and stared down my nose at her. “No. Not until you hear me out.”

She stamped her foot. “You’ll give me back my phone now, or,” the last of her sentence left her mouth like vapour.

I arched an eyebrow. I could deal with the bitch version of Amber, the pained one just cut my heart in two. “Or what? Take it if youdareprincess, it’s sat right here over my heart, where it’s been most of the night.” I sneered, tapping my suit pocket with one hand. I had to raise my voice as the noise in the room surged with a pop song.

Amber glanced away and then drilled me a look, “I can see what you’re doing but it won’t work.”

I moved into her space, looking her up and down. She was smoking hot and the shift in our fight was now making me hard. I moved my mouth to the cuff of her ear. “Won’t it? It’salreadyworking.” I nuzzled Amber’s neck and heard her breath catch as she responded to me.

“Don’t think you can charm your way out of this Max,” she said, drawing back to look up at me. “I can’t trust you now. You’re nothing to me except a good lay. Let’s leave it at that.”

I smiled, lifting my fingers, and running them across her collarbone. Goosebumps flitted across her skin.

“If that’s all it was, I doubt you would be as upset as this. I mean something to you. And why shouldn’t I? We’re not so dissimilar, we both like to fight and fuck,” I whispered against her throat before raising my head again. “You’re getting hot under the collar because I make you feel alive.” I provoked before adding. “Look, you’re upset and hurt because you think I lied to you and in a way, I did but I did it to protect you. Yes, you have a right to be angry but don’tthink I’m going to allow you to retreat into the frigid bitch that you’re not. You seem to be forgetting that I’ve been inside you Amber, I’ve tasted the fire between us and now it’s too late to pretend anything else. Whatever you think you had with that loser was the lie, not this.”

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