Your Little Secret (32 page)

“I know,” Lucy moaned out and literally growled. “What if he thinks I’m a complete weirdo?”

“You are,” Ethan joked and couldn’t move fast enough as Lucy struck her palm on his legs. “Hey! You are, but that’s a good thing. Look, Rob isn’t some hotshot guy who thinks he owns the world. He’s like me. He likes a good time, loves Ambi and her weirdness, so why would you be an exception?”

“C’mon,” Amber said standing up, dusting herself off of grass and crumbs and putting her hand out. “It’s time to go back to the flat, open a bottle of wine and get ready.”

“I get dibs on shower time with you?” Ethan asked, pouting mischievously at his girlfriend.

Lucy rolled her eyes. “I’ll put my headphones in and paint my nails whilst you two do whatever.”

“Girl, you learn quick,” Ethan joked, pushing Lucy playfully as he did so. “I say we get Rob around for pre-drinks. It saves the nerves, and we can all go together to meet the others.”

Watching Lucy look at her pleadingly, Amber smirked, “Good idea.”

“Amber!” Lucy exclaimed in horror. “You’re supposed to be making this easier!”

“I am,” Amber joked. “Look, it’ll happen when you least expect it, and I just think Rob is the guy for you. He’s amazing. I didn’t expect to be six months into a relationship with the man of my dreams,” she shot Ethan a wink as she said that, “after I found Connor sleeping around with a two bit whore, but here I am. When I least expected it, my life changed and I won’t regret it. Give Rob a chance. This could be the making of you.”

“Then all we have to do is convince her to move down here with us,” Ethan quipped, folding up the large tartan blanket they had been sat on. “It’s hotter weather down here too. Everyone loves hotter weather.”

“And hotter men,” Amber joked, giggling as she watched Ethan’s face darken for a moment.

“Finished with that sentence?” Ethan asked her, wanting to her to reiterate or elaborate for his egos sake.

Biting her lip and casting her eyes up to the gaze thoughtfully, Amber began to slowly nod. “Yup, I think I nailed it all.”

Watching Ethan dropped the blanket, Lucy pushed Amber away, “I’d run before I have to explain to the police that this is public molestation going on.”

With a small squeal as Ethan made a beeline for her, Amber ran off, looking over her shoulder and not seeing who she was colliding with. She felt her heart sink and her stomach bottom on her. What were the chances she would literally run into Connor as he seemed to be going back to work after seeing him only twenty minutes earlier?

Suddenly, Connor's face broke into a flurry of panic. “You need to know something.” He grabbed Amber’s hands, trying to keep her from running back to the man he hated. “It’s about Eva. She-”

“Stop!”
Amber ended his attempt at telling her something. “You and her are both in the same categories. You both hurt me, and I don’t want to know. I can’t trust you enough not to hurt me, Connor.” Snatching back her hands Amber ran one through her hair. "You can't just waltz back here and act like everything is a'okay when it's really not. I don't give a fuck about you, or a fuck about Eva. You're both welcome to each other. Don't make me part of it!"

Ethan watched on with a vengeance. He didn't want Connors propaganda flooding Amber's mind. He knew how vindictive he was. "Leave him
Ambi, just come back with me, baby."

Connor snorted, and looked back into the love of his life's eyes and shut his at the pain he felt inside. Reopening his eyes he shook his head slightly. "Don't say I didn't warn you both. Enjoy your evening." With that he turned his back on her, on them with hope for better days.

***

"We don't have time, Ethan, stop it!" Amber giggled as he kissed the sensitive spots on her neck.

"You two are gross!" Lucy shouted from the other room. "I have mojitos in here! Come grab one!"

"Come on baby," Ethan whispered, his hot breath teasing Amber's ear. "I know you want me." Ethan placed his hand on Amber's lower back and teased the skin. "This dress shows too much skin, I want to kiss every inch all over." Winking, he pulled her into a long lingering kiss.
"My beautiful Ambi."

As they made their way into the kitchen, Amber propped herself on a breakfast stool and sipped on the green drink in front of her. "Luce, this is yum babe!" Taking another large gulp, she watched her beautiful friend dance around hers and Ethan’s kitchen.

"Sooooo," Lucy lingered. "What do you reckon sleezeball wanted to tell you?"

Shrugging, Amber smiled. "I don't really care Luce, I have all I need right now, he's keeping me sane, my
Ethie Baby!" Smiling, Amber finished off her drink and pushed the martini glass back towards Lucy. "Top me up bitch!"

Lucy turned, and smirked. "Sure, 'bitch’." Empathising the -itch Lucy poured her best friend another drink. "You're happy Amber, this makes me happy."

"Good I'm glad. I miss you so much Lucy, you need to come live here, London is so full of adventure!"

“I get enough adventure out of your stories of the dates you and Ethan go on,” Lucy quipped with a wink. “How would I handle living it?”

“You’d love it,” Ethan said as he came out, deciding to roll his sleeves loosely to help keep him cool on this humid summer evening. The real temperature might be scorching, but the sight of his girlfriend just rose the levels to a murderous height. “You’d love the life, the heat, the shopping.”

Amber nodded her head. “Oh, you would! The shopping is amazing!”

“Now you say that!” Lucy exclaimed at her best friend. “I remember a time you used to complain about not having money to buy the amazing outfits you used to put together.”

“Ah, that’s because I now have a job that loves my bank account instead of abuses me,” Amber joked and took a sip of her drink. “I say tomorrow we go and blow some money. My last client gave me a lush tip so I’ve been waiting on spending it.”

“Oh sweet Jesus,” Ethan muttered, “I’m going to have to build new wardrobe at this rate.”

“Or buy the flat next door,” Amber gave him a playful week.

Ethan chuckled. “You’d love that. I preferred the window shopper you. Now I fear the takeover of clothes.”

“But I have to look hot, and now I can actually keep myself happy by doing so,” Amber teased, her eyes firmly stuck on watching Ethan as he fought himself for a perfect response.

“Don’t I keep you happy?” Ethan asked, pulling her flush against his body. “You’re hot with or without clothes on, Amber.”

Lucy threw her hands up into the air at that comment, “Whoa, whoa, stop that right there! I am in no way near in the mood for this! So slow your roll, keep your clothes on and separate before I witness something I’ll need years of therapy for.”

Ethan laughed and did as she asked, “I’m going to go and see where Rob is.”

“Great,” Lucy chirped with a sarcastic humour.

“Lighten up, when I said Rob is a great guy, he really is,” Amber tried to calm her best friend, but she could see it was a losing feat. “He’s not just any old work colleague of Ethan’s. He’s our age, hot, friendly, funny.”

“I heard you the first time,” Lucy mumbled nonchalantly.

“Stop being a grump. You’re just unhappy because for once I’m setting you up and not vice versa,” Amber teased and Lucy stuck her tongue out at her.

“Rob’s on his way,” Ethan said finishing up the call quickly.

“Friendly face on!” Amber continued to tease Lucy relentlessly. Amber looked to Lucy who once again paled and looked distraught. Smiling evilly, Amber knew she would actually enjoy seeing Lucy squirm for once. “Now what to do to pass the time?”

“Shots!”
Lucy quickly changed the game plan.

Opening cupboard after cupboard Lucy stopped when she found the one that hid the liquor. "Jackpot!" she yelled, shaking the orange looking liquid. "Where are the glasses?" Amber pointed to the top cupboard and Lucy pulled down 4 shot glasses. Unscrewing the cap, she poured each one and necked one straight away.

"Um, Luce. I'm pretty sure that's not how you do shots."

Lucy stuck her tongue out at her and smiled, pouring another glass. "I
gotta loosen up right? If this stupid blind date is going to work I need this."

Laughing Amber followed Ethan towards the front door. "Baby?" she whispered desperate to taste him.

Ethan turned and took in the view before him. She was fucking beautiful. It was different now, he saw every curve defined and stuck to his memory, the way she bit her lip when he made her cum and the way she reacted to his touch. Before he could respond Amber pinned him against the wall and kissed him. Hard. She let her tongue fight his and the desperation was fierce. Ethan lifted her slightly and ran his fingers through the gap in the back of her tight black dress so he could touch her pale skin.

"You're so beautiful, my beautiful girl."

"Shut up," Amber whispered against his mouth and continued to kiss the man she loved.

They were interrupted by the doorbell, but Amber didn't let go.

"Baby," Ethan muffled though her kisses. "Door."

Smiling beneath him she kissed the side of his neck causing a deep groan to flow through Ethan's body.

Pointing a finger at her he laughed. "You will be the death of me lady."

Shrugging Amber returned to the shots awaiting her in the kitchen. Sitting on a barstool she picked up a small glass of the alcoholic liquid and tipped it back. The heat burned her throat and settled in the pit of her stomach. Warm arms circled her waist.

"Where's Lucy, baby?" Ethan asked kissing her neck. "Robs here, he's in the lounge."

Groaning under his kisses she relaxed her body. She wanted him, even now when they had company. She didn't care she just wanted to jump him. "Don't do that." Amber warned through a whisper. "Otherwise I might take advantage."

"I like the sound of that," Ethan whispered into her ear, causing deep pools of desire to form inside her. He gently pushed her hair from her shoulder to gain access to the flawless skin on her neck. Kissing softly up and down to and from her ear, he let his hand spew across her stomach and he could feel her body heat rise.

"Seriously, Ethan," Amber warned, humour on her lips. "We have guests."

Laughing, he released her and Amber stood to her feet. As she walked toward the lounge Ethan slapped her arse and Amber turned back to scowl at him, receiving a wink back. She was happy. This was it. Reaching the room, she found Lucy enthralled by the six foot five God that stood looking slick in a loose shirt, the top button open, the arms rolled up in a causal manner much like Ethan’s.

“Well this seems to be going well,” Amber muttered sarcastically to her boyfriend as they approached the pair. “I guess introductions are off the agenda now.”

“Oh,” Lucy said, noticing her best friends. “Rob was telling me how he’s been looking forward to seeing the girl from Amber’s Facebook, and how he’s heard things about me.” She smirked excitedly, “Good things.”

“I had a whole bunch of other things to say, but
Ambi stopped me,” Ethan joked, Amber hitting him playfully, Lucy glaring at him playfully.

“I’ll go and grab Rob a drink before we head out,” Amber excused herself, heading into the kitchen to fetch Rob and Ethan a beer each.

Lucy allowed the two men to fall into an easy conversation, discussing the latest British win at the Ashes and was more than thankful when the doorbell sounded. “I’ll get it,” Lucy elected, knowing that when Ethan starting discussing cricket there was no hope of distracting him. She went to the door, trying to work out who this could be, but she hadn’t a clue. Everyone else was meeting them at the bar. The moment she opened the door her heart physically shuddered. “Ehhh, guys,” Lucy stopped them leaving the flat and opened the door wider, the shock and horror literally meddling with every cell of her body. “We have a problem.”

“What’s that?” Ethan called out as he stood with Amber now pulled into his side, her body fitting against his like the final piece of the puzzle.

“This,” Lucy moved to the side to reveal a nervous look Eva.

“We need to talk,” Eva spoke up, stepping forward from the darkness shrouding her in the hallway and into the light of the flat.

The moment Amber set her gaze on Eva, she felt the air literally disappear from her lungs and her heart ceased its beatings. If this was what your world felt like to shatter down around you, then Amber had no control over stopping it from happening again.

She just had to watch as Eva stole her happily ever after without ev
en saying a single word.

All she had to do was run her hand over her bulging stomach and Amber knew hell was a place on earth - Eva was pregnant.

The End... for now.

Your Killer Secret

-Part two of the story-

Chapter One

(Subject to change)

"How can this happen?" Amber asked into the darkened room, her broken heart was in her throat, struggling to stay alive.