Chapter 35

Chapt er 35

Amber

I watch as they stride inside, looking as confident as they always do. I take another drink of water and swallow hard. They're a powerful, good-looking group of men. Stephanie walks next to Sebastian, looking amazing. He's got his arm wrapped around her and laughs at something she says. They look so happy. I glance away, and my eyes land on Bri and Aiden. My sister looks amazing, and my brother-in-law looks pretty handsome. Bri's smile is huge. I watch as she tugs on his sleeve, and he leans down for a moment. He smiles down at her as they share something private between them. I sigh as I watch them. Gunner leads the group in, and I recognize several of the other players. And then my breath catches in my throat because I finally see Rico. If I thought he looked good in casual clothes, that's nothing compared to seeing him in a tux. He looks like he belongs on the cover of a magazine. I try to see if he's brought a date, but I can't get a clear look.

"Amber," Adam says, tugging me close to him. "This is Mark. He's the senior advisor for..." His words go in one ear and out the other. I try to catch another glimpse of Rico, but they must have gone into another room. My heart aches. That's the group I want to be with tonight. I take a breath and remind myself that I got myself into this mess.

I follow Adam around, feeling so out of place as he works the room. Finally, we're called to take our spots for dinner. After we're seated, I look around for Rico and the others, but they must be seated in a totally different area. We have to sit through several speakers, but then finally we get to eat. I eye the salad plate that's set in front of me and wonder if they pulled it from the weeds in the backyard. I take one bite and slide it away. The main course isn't much better. It's some kind of meat with mushrooms; I hate mushrooms. I'm so busy pushing said mushrooms around my plate, I miss when somebody stops next to Adam. I hear a familiar voice and look up. Sebastian stands in between Adam and one of his teammates, carrying on a lively conversation. Somebody taps my shoulder, and I nearly yelp. I turn to see Gunner standing right behind me. He nods his head towards the door, and I stand up and push my chair in. Adam doesn't glance my way as I follow Gunner. He speeds up, and I can't possibly stay with him. But a few seconds later, Aiden falls into step next to me. "Aiden? What's going on?" He hands me a plate. "Bri's worried about you; she knows you hate mushrooms. Go eat it in the back. Second door on the left." He walks away, leaving me alone and utterly confused. I glance at the door he pointed to and make my way there. It wouldn't hurt to get a break from the crowd and have some peace and quiet just for a few minutes.

I cautiously open the door and relax when I see it leads to a small balcony. I step out into the darkness and take a deep breath. I see movement from the corner of my eye and nearly have a heart attack when somebody steps out of the shadows. "Rico?" I put my free hand over my heart. "What are you doing?"

"Hey, Amber," he says softly. I can't see him all that well in the darkness, but his voice wraps around me. I resist the urge to sigh.

I look around. "Did you...did you orchestrate this?"

"Yes."

"I can't be here with you." I take a step backwards.

"Hey," he says in a low voice as he puts a hand on my arm. "He's not here; he can't see you and neither can anybody else. You're safe with me."

"I—I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't you?" he asks softly.

"Rico, I can't..."

"I just wanted to see you. Can't you spare me five minutes?" My heart tugs in my chest. I finally nod, not trusting my voice to work. "It's really good to see you; I've missed you. You look gorgeous tonight, by the way."

"Why are you talking to me like this?"

"Like what?" he questions.

"I've been awful to you. Why are you being nice to me?" My voice breaks slightly on my words.

"At first I was mad, but then I looked at the pictures," he says, utterly confusing me.

"What pictures?"

"The ones online of you and Adam."

I take a step back again. "This is a mistake." I turn to walk away, but his voice stops me.

"You weren't smiling in a single photo."

I pause and turn back, frowning. "Yes, I was."

"No, Amber you weren't. Oh sure, you might have been fake smiling, but I've seen the real thing. And that wasn't it; not even close. So you know what I figured out? You don't really want to be with him, but you feel like you have to for some reason." He steps close. "I'm going to find out that reason and blow it to smithereens."

I swallow and try to keep my emotions at bay. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"It's okay, Amber. Play your game; do what you need to do. I know you wouldn't do it unless you thought you had to." He takes another step closer. "But know that I'm watching and waiting in the shadows." He reaches out and tucks a hair behind my ear so gently. "You don't know this yet, but you're mine, Amber Nicole. And I'm not letting you go without a fight."

"Please," my voice breaks. And I don't even know what I want from him. "Please don't."

"I see you, Amber; and I'm coming for you. I just have to figure out what hold he has over you."

I can't take his nice words. Tears fill my eyes, and I spin around. "You deserve someone so much better, Rico."

"I don't want someone else; I just want you."

With those words ringing in my ears, I leave the dark of the balcony and make my way to the bathroom to give myself a minute to recover. I toss the plate of uneaten food in the trash. When I come out of the bathroom, Adam is standing there. He looks angry. "What?" I ask.

"Where were you?"

I stare at him. "You literally just saw me come out of the bathroom."

His eyes narrow on me. "Come on." He grabs my arm and pulls me forward, surprising me. I try to jerk my arm away, but he won't let go.

"Adam, let go of me."

He turns back and scowls at me before stopping suddenly. I see what's made him stop. Aiden stands in front of us. He's got an inch or two on Adam, and he's using it to his advantage to look down at Adam. "Brooks," Adam growls out. "Did you need something?"

Aiden's eyes find mine, and I can see the barely restrained anger. "Are you okay?" My eyes widen. He's mad for me ? Something tightens in my chest. I nod, unable to say anything. "I suggest you don't put your hands on my sister forcibly again, or you and I are going to have a problem. More than we already do," he adds. I stand there, unsure what to say or do, but Aiden once again takes the lead. "Amber, your sister is looking for you."

"Oh, okay. I'll go find her."

Adam turns to me like he's going to say something, but with Aiden standing right there, he stays quiet. "Go ahead, Sweetheart. I'll catch up to you soon." I refrain from rolling my eyes. Barely.

I pat Aiden's arm as I walk past, not knowing what else to do to show my appreciation. I chance a glance over my shoulder and see Aiden hasn't moved from his position. I practically run into Brielle; she puts her arm out to steady me. "Are you okay?"

I look behind her and see Sebastian and Stephanie and Gunner as well as a few other members of the team. "Um..." Gunner and Sebastian have matching expressions on their faces; they look angry. Actually, Stephanie does too.

"We all saw him grab you."

"It's fine," I say, trying to brush it off. I glance at the group again and notice Rico is absent.

"Gunner made him go outside to cool off," she says quietly. I almost play dumb and ask who she's talking about, but I stay quiet because it's pointless. "Amber, are you in trouble? I'll help you."

My heart softens because I know she means it. "Thanks, Bri." I step forward and give her a hug, surprising her. "I love you."

Her arms tighten around me. "I love you too."

"I want in," Stephanie says, joining our circle. "I love you both too."

Bri laughs. "We love you too, Stephanie."

"Amber." Adam's voice is like cold water. I release my hold on the girls, who are both wearing matching expressions.

I squeeze both their hands. "Please just let it go." I walk over to Adam. Aiden is standing near him with his arms crossed. I give him a nod, letting him know I appreciate him. Adam sweeps his arm around me and pulls me into his side. I do my best not to grimace. I smile at my friends, or at least I try to before he sweeps me inside the large room where we ate.

"Was that you're doing?" he asks when we're a good distance away from my friends.

"Nope," I say, popping the p. "That was all on you. Newsflash, grabbing women is not a way to get popular." I disentangle myself from him, wondering for the thousandth time what I ever saw in him. I stay with him what I think is an acceptable amount of time. "I'm going to head out." He barely even acknowledges me. I make my way to the exit. I'm tired, my feet hurt, and I'm starving.

When I get home, I am dragging. I make my way up to the front door and head inside. I stop when I see the group gathered in my living room. I turn around and look at the door and then back at them. "How did you all get here? I didn't see anybody's cars."

"We parked up the street, so you wouldn't see the cars and not come inside," Brielle says from the couch, where she's sitting next to Stephanie. Sebastian is sprawled out on the couch next to his girl. Aiden's taken up a spot on the wall behind Brielle, and Gunner's sitting in the overstuffed chair. I see Rico in the doorway, but I don't make eye contact with him. Wearily, I take off my shoes. "So, why are you all here?" I ask.

"We want to know what Adam is holding over you." That's from Sebastian. Apparently, he's the spokesperson for the group tonight.

I sigh. "You all need to let this go. I've made my choice, and you all need to be okay with that."

"Wrong answer," Rico says from the doorway. I bite the inside of my cheek but don't look over at him.

"You just can't handle that I don't want to be with you, Rico." The words taste like acid in my mouth.

I wait for him to storm out of here, but he shocks me by chuckling. "Want to try that again, Sweetheart?" he asks in a low voice.

"Don't call me that," I snap. My temper is rising, and I'm getting frustrated. I'm trying to do the right thing, and they're making it so difficult. Before I can say anything, there's a knock at the door. I whirl around, thankful for the excuse to move away from being the center focus of this group.