Shades of Amber (12 page)

After making me dance to
one last song, Troy dragged me to the center of the ballroom with
its amber drapes and tablecloths, and introduced me as
his
past, present, and
future. Just remembering the look in his eyes was enough to make me
shiver. It said one thing: he meant it. He must have since he
announced it in front of two hundred people.

Scooting to the left, I
scrutinized my reflection. This time I was in a cream nightgown. I
fingered the soft fabric and used it to dry my tears.

There had to be a way out
of this. If I could just find a phone or….

The pity party ended with
a noise in the hall. Getting to my feet, I eased forward until my
palm covered the knob. I didn’t hesitate when the bronze globe
turned beneath my fingertips.

Now was the time to
escape.

My gown swirled around my
legs as I ventured through the silent house. Shadows lingered in
the corners, but I ignored my unease.

It seemed that Troy would
do anything to keep me here, so who knew what would happen
tomorrow. The more time we spent together, the more I considered
how we could make it work.

Moonlight was a poor
substitute, but I could spot the stairs at the end of the hall.
Unfortunately, it masked the crevice of light beneath the
door.

Essence

Your essence calls to
me…

Rich and sweet,

Our eternal
love,

I dare not

Speak.

Like a fine
wine…

It grows better
with

Time.

You’re the perfect
girl

And

You will always
be

Mine.

-Troy

Chapter 12

“
I’ve been waiting for
you,” Troy said as he snatched me from the hall. His hand smothered
my screams as the door slammed with me on the wrong
side.

Still determined, I beat
on the wood until he pinned my hands above my head and flipped me
around.

“
You’re feisty tonight,
cher.”

“
Why did you unlock my
door?”

His face was blank, but
his eyes shone with mischief. “It wasn’t locked.”

“
Yes, you locked
it!”

“
Perhaps it was a dream.”
He retreated to the grand piano in the corner.

I crossed my arms. “There
is a lot of amber here.”

“
It runs in the
family.”

“
The color?”

He smirked. “You could say
that.”

I settled onto the cream
couch near the fireplace. “You and your family are weird. You can
take offense if you want.”

“
I know you don’t mean
it.”

My eyes strayed to the
king-size bed before looking away.

“
You’re beautiful when
you’re nervous.”

A reply was on my tongue
until his fingers touched the ivory keys. He was a dark and sensual
version of Mozart.

The music lured me to my
feet—seducing me with its tempo, and then he pulled me onto his
lap. I didn’t want to be that close, but I couldn’t fight the fire
inside. He held my hips as our tongues tangled, rocking me back and
forth.

After two years of
mourning and weeks of trying to pretend the “new” him didn’t exist,
I was tired of resisting.

Troy broke the kiss and
brought his lips to my ear. “See, you don’t have to fight me,
Jade.” He kissed me again and carried me to the bed.

My body stiffened as I
sank into the mattress.

As much as I loved him, I
didn’t think I could go back.

“
Relax,” he whispered as
he brushed my hair aside.

The room was closing in. I
tried to take a deep breath, but his scent reminded me of all the
nights I went to bed wishing I had him for comfort. Troy was here
now, but the longer I looked at him, the more anxious I was to get
away.

He gathered me close and
pulled the covers up. “You don’t have to be strong anymore.” His
heart thumped beneath my ear as I ran my hand over his
chest.

My dark angel was finally
home.

If this turned out to be
an illusion, my mind wouldn’t be able to cope.

“
I want your love, not
your fear.”

I stopped fidgeting, but
didn’t respond.

“
I’ve waited so long for
this,” he said as the lights dimmed with the snap of his
fingers.

“
I don’t know what you
want from me. I think you’re trying to drive me crazy.”

He shook his head. “That’s
the last thing I want.”

“
You could have fooled
me.”

“
Maybe
you should stop trying to fight
us
.”

I grabbed a handful of his
shirt. “What do you mean by
us
?”

“
Our love.”

I scoffed and pushed him
away.

We were on different
sides, literally and physically. I stared at the wall as the
silence stretched. I didn’t want to break it, but I couldn’t bear
it after a few minutes.

He was looking at me when
I rolled over.

“
You
left me! Why would I still love
you?”

“
Argue as much as you
want, but I know you do, and I love you.” He grabbed my arms and
sat me on top of him. “You want me to go away so you don’t have to
remember how good it feels to be with me, but I won’t let you
forget.”

“
You don’t have a
choice.”

Troy released me as soon
as I dropped onto his chest.

I didn’t want to hurt him,
but I couldn’t let him control me. “I don’t feel anything anymore!”
I ran for the door. “You broke my heart and then you died! Am I
just supposed to forget all that other stuff happened?”

He stalked forward. “You
don’t have to be afraid. I would never let anything happen to
you.”

“
Open this door,” I yelled
when I couldn’t do it myself.

Fire stroked my insides as
he reached around me, took my hand from the knob, and licked my
neck.

“
That’s not going to
happen, but I’m curious.” His thumb brushed my butterfly ring. “Why
are you still wearing this if you don’t love me?”

“
You were dead. I wore it
to feel closer to you.”

He kissed my cheek. “I’ve
been back for weeks.”

“
I know; that’s why I
almost took it off.” I turned around the instant he backed
away.

“
So what stopped
you?”

“
I wanted to remember the
man you used to be.” I traced the amber wing with my index finger,
wishing for that other life—the one where he was my boyfriend
instead of my back-from-the-dead-stalker.

November 11,
2007

“
I’ll never get tired of
that sinful smirk,” I said as I jumped into Troy’s arms. He held me
close, kissing a path from my neck to my cheek, and then his lips
were on mine.

I felt lost—tangled in
something so magical it left me lightheaded.

My mom cleared her throat.
“Stop letting all the heat out!”

“
Happy Birthday!” he said
as he carried me into my house.

Before I could lock the
door, Kimmie ran out of the kitchen. “Cake time! Cake time!” she
called, tugging at Mom’s apron.

“
Okay, Okay!”

Troy grabbed my hand as we
followed.

“
Gee, you’d think it was
her birthday from the way she’s acting.”

He kissed my palm. “She
knows it’s your day, she’s just excited about the
sugar.”

We shoved through the
doors and found a two tier chocolate cake. Without another word,
Troy kissed my forehead and stood guard by the table to prevent my
siblings from sneaking a taste.

“
Happy Birthday!” Dad said
as my mom placed a small pink gift bag in my hand. I shook it,
disappointed by the size.

Mom nudged my shoulder.
“Just open it, Jade.”

My face lit up as my
fingers met cool metal. “Did you get me a car?”

They nodded. “You only
turn eighteen once!”

I ran toward the living
room and hurried back. “Where is it?”

Mom clapped. “In the
garage!”

“
Wow!” My mind went blank
when I spotted the periwinkle Volkswagen Beetle.

It was the best gift
ever.

“
Thank you!” I opened the
door, caressing the leather seat before I noticed the box of CDs on
the passenger side.

“
Nice car,” Troy said as
his he hugged me from behind. “Just wait until you get my
gift.”

I turned and kissed him.
“I can’t wait.” I closed the door and pulled him back inside the
house. After everyone had a piece of cake and a hug, Troy grabbed
my hand and led me to his car.

“
Where are we
going?”

“
You’ll see,” he replied
as he stepped on the gas.

A few minutes later, we
pulled up to The River Rock Cafe. “You look ravishing,” he murmured
as the maître d’ escorted us to his private table in the back. I
still didn’t know how he did it, but he was very adept at getting
what he wanted.

“
Thank you.” I said,
scooting into the booth.

Troy followed with one of
his steal-my-breath-kisses, and when he pulled away, there was a
small silver box on the table.

A smile formed as I lifted
the lid.

He took the box and slid
the ring onto my finger. “Think of this as a promise ring. I
promise that you will be a part of me forever. There’s no me
without
you
,
Jade.”

Okay, this was the best
present ever. Who needed a car when my sexy boyfriend just promised
to love me forever?

I nodded, mesmerized by
the gesture. “I feel the same.”

2010

“
You left to protect me,
so why did you come back? Is the danger over?”

“
I thought you’d be safer
without me.”

“
And…?”

He gripped my hips. “And I
came back because I couldn’t bear to be away from you any
longer.”

“
Is the danger gone or
not, Troy?”

The room was silent except
for our breathing.

I lifted my chin. “What’s
the matter? Cat got your tongue?” I shoved his chest and ran toward
the couch, looking for something I could use to threaten
him.

He walked toward me with
his hand out, but I continued my retreat. “That’s what we need to
talk about Jade, but not tonight.”

I blinked and he was
there, pressing me against the cushions.

“
You are safe with me.” He
was trying to make me weak, so I looked everywhere but in his eyes.
I was almost strong enough until he kissed me. He leaned back and
brushed my hair behind my ear. I tried to focus on his mouth, but
before I knew it, my eyes were on his.

Troy was warmth and
comfort wrapped in a dangerous package. I tried to pry my gaze
away, but I was lost as he moved me to the bed. He was worse than
Medusa.

One look at Troy stole
more than my resistance—he took a piece of my heart.

“
Don’t fight it,
cher.”

I sat up and shoved his
chest. “I need to get as far away from you as I can.”

“
You chose to stay, just
as I chose to come back. Our souls are entwined, whether you like
it or not.”

He laid back, patting the
fluffy pillow next to his. “Come; stay the night with
me.”

I stopped biting my lip
and scooted closer to the edge, noting the three feet between
us.

Maybe I could reach the
door and bang until someone heard.

His hand was around my
wrist before I could try it. “You know, I think you like the chase
as much as I do.”

It was unsettling to see
just how disarming he could be. There was no doubt in my mind that
he’d changed. Sure, he made my heart go pitter-pat when we were
younger, but now he knew how to overwhelm me with a
glance.

“
Stop thinking so hard.”
He snapped his fingers and the candles went out. “Tomorrow, I’ll
tell you everything.”

“
Will you
really?”

“
Of course.” He pulled me
closer, making my thoughts dissolve as that familiar melody hummed
through his chest.

Darkness surrounded me
when I opened my eyes. There were no windows, nothing for me to
focus on except for the soft mattress at my back and Troy’s warm
body at my side. It was strange waking up next to him after all
this time. I nestled closer until I remembered the long list of
things keeping us apart.

His voice was like velvet
as he nuzzled my neck. “What’s wrong, Jade?”