Chapter 5

Richie kept saying that he was making too much of it, there were plenty of women to choose from in the world and she most likely would want nothing to do with him after he left her in that jetliner’s head. Following the scent, he mused that fate was probably playing a cruel joke on him; the woman wearing the perfume most likely was sixty, fat and no fan of his. As he approached Evan, still on the trail of the mystery woman wearing the perfume, the thought occurred that the scent wasn’t just the perfume that attracted him, it was her musky scent mixed with it that drew him to her, that was missing tonight so he resigned himself to meeting this friend of Evan’s and leaving to drown his regrets in wine. “Hey man.”

“Jon,” Evan turned to Amber grinning like a school boy ready to enjoy the surprise he’d prepared “I’d like to introduce you to...” Turning to face her boss’s friend, her mouth fell as she saw him.

“Amber, love the name, love the color, same color as whiskey.” His heart skipped a beat and then stopped dead. It was her, standing before him looking radiant, her dress enveloping her like deep, red wine and he found himself entranced. Her eyes shimmered; she blushed as he spoke those same words that got him into trouble the first time. “I missed you at the party.”

Her blush deepened, she licked her lips, this wasn’t real, Jon wasn’t standing before her looking so remarkably sexy in a tuxedo, it had to be some kind of dream “you didn’t give me the address.”

“I figured everyone in Miami knew where he lived.”

“I didn’t, besides I went to visit my widowed aunt. She wouldn’t have appreciated...”

Stunned at the exchange between them, it was obvious they’d met and what was even more stunning was that his Bon Jovi fanatic assistant never mentioned it. “I see you’ve already met, guess my work here is finished.”

“Thanks Evan. I’ll be by to pick up the car in the morning.” Jon said offhandedly, his eyes not leaving Amber’s.

“Ah, I thought you were staying at my place?” He spoke to their retreating backs, Jon with his hand hovering over the small of Amber’s back and her eyes locked on his. The entire exchange took less than a minute and was completely surreal to Evan, wondering when and where they met originally and what just happened. Turning to Summer his confusion matched hers, “what exactly just happened?”

Shrugging Summer was mystified. “Beats me, but I’m guessing they hit it off.”

Giving the retreating couple one more glance, Evan devilishly smiled, “I guess he’s going to be owing me a favor once he comes up for air.”

“Evan!” She batted at him, her jealously of Amber increased tenfold by the way Jon was holding Amber close on the dance floor.

Dancing slowly on the floor with her nestled tenderly in his arms, Jon’s mind was soaring, he’d found her thanks to his old friend and now was at a loss for words, her scent filled his nostrils, the softness of her skin touching his bringing into sharp relief how desperately he wanted her, tightly leashing his demons to prevent them from embarrassing him right here on the dance floor. Sliding his tongue across his lips to bring moisture to them “I owe you an enormous apology. You didn’t deserve...”

“Shh, let me enjoy this. The flight attendant told me you looked uncomfortable the rest of the flight.”

“It wasn’t about me. There were rude comments and I didn’t want to subject you to that.” Why he’d wanted to protect her from the moment she landed on his lap, he wasn’t certain, but something in him hitched and he couldn’t explain the feeling.

Smiling softly up into the most sincere, incredible blue that she’d ever lost herself in, Amber could have cried “you did that for me? Why Jon?”

“I wish I knew,” he shrugged “maybe I wasn’t willing for you to have to deal with all the unwanted attention. I really don’t know, but as much as I regret you spending all that time in the confines of that tiny closet, I don’t regret protecting your honor.”

Nuzzling close, Amber could hear his strong, steady heartbeat against her ear and sighed in contentment, he wasn’t as callous as she’d thought, he was truly her very own chivalrous cowboy. Dancing with him would be yet another thing that her girlfriends wouldn’t believe unless someone took a picture, she saw a flash, oh yes, there would be a picture.

The heat of his hand on her back was burning through her skin, the slip of panties she’d bothered to put on were already soaked just from being this close, the smell of some kind of spicy, very male cologne permeated her senses, her hand resting properly on his shoulder where she could feel the subtle tension in his body. This time she didn’t feel like a giddy school girl, it was real and he apologized, actually explained why he didn’t rescue her from that sardine can sized bathroom and said he missed her. Actually said it! This was more than a dream come true, it was possibly the most incredible night of her life and he just arrived.

“You wanna get out of here?” Jon wasn’t ready to battle his need for her an entire evening, he could feel his rising erection that refused to listen to reason.

“Now?” He’d only just arrived.

“Yeah, darlin’ I want to kiss you and not stop till morning or after and I’m not going to do that here. You don’t need the scandal.” Protecting her again, it still made no sense, but when near her he had an overwhelming urge to do just that and the scent of her rising need for him once again mingled with that floral spice of her perfume making for a heady aroma that would be his undoing and create a mess that hadn’t occurred since he was a randy teenager in heat.

“Um, sounds...” she couldn’t think when his eyes were trained on her, sparkling more than her wrap that she left in Evan’s car, and he called her darlin’ again, damn but that was her undoing every time he said it “ah, delicious.” Tracing her lips slowly with the tip of her tongue, her glazing over doe brown eyes joined with his, thoughts of what he’d be able to do in a proper bed sending frissons of heat down her spine pooling at the juncture of her thighs, already drenched with her fluids wanting him.