The Comeback (BWWM Interracial Romance Book 7) (7 page)

He was agreeable; he even seemed to know it was coming. “We can pick it up tomorrow. Like I said, we’re ahead of schedule—take the night off and get your head straight.”

She hurried out to the parking lot and climbed into her car; Amber knew that she was being impulsive, and that it was probably a terrible idea, but she turned on the ignition and pulled out of the spot, one hand flipping through a playlist until she came to the song she wanted: Salt N’ Pepa featuring En Vogue. She began to smile, taking deep breaths until her nerves began to calm and singing along with that track and all of the ones that followed it.

Amber pulled up to Brenton’s house; she had no idea, she realized suddenly, if Felicity was there—she could see that Brent’s car was in the driveway, but in the dark it was impossible to see whether or not his daughter was around. Taking a deep breath, suddenly nervous, she climbed out of the car and walked quickly to the front door. If Felicity was there, she was there. It would give her a chance to meet the girl—though Amber had to admit it was probably not the best possible opportunity for that. She knocked on the door anyway, biting her bottom lip and steeling the last traces of her courage.

“Amber? What are you doing here—you’re supposed to be in the studio,” Brenton said as he opened the door and took in the sight of her. He frowned, and for just a moment Amber’s worst fears reared their ugly head; he was with someone else, or he was going to break up with her right then and there. She couldn’t actually decide which one could possibly be worse.

“I—I needed to talk to you,” she said, forcing herself to hold onto her composure. If Brenton was cheating on her, she could leave him without a shred of regret. She wasn’t going to let anyone treat her the way Kobe had. If he was going to break up with her outright, she at least wouldn’t have anything left to fear. The worst would have happened.

“Come inside,” Brenton said, glancing around in concern. “Can I get you anything? You look like you saw a ghost.”

Amber swallowed. The fact that he was willing to let her in made it clear that he wasn’t cheating on her. “I had a breakdown in the studio,” she said flatly, sitting down on the couch.

At her words, Brenton sank down onto the couch next to her, reaching out to take her hand. Amber jumped slightly, but didn’t push him away. “Are you okay?” Brenton said.

Amber smiled slowly; Brenton was so concerned—he had to really care about her. He had to love her. “I just…” she took a deep breath and shook her head.  “Make love to me, Brent.”

Brenton’s eyes widened. “Not until I know you’re okay. What’s going on?”

Amber took a deep breath and exhaled. “I need to be with you. I… I talked to Cara about what was going on and she pointed out that neither of us really knows where we are in all this.” Amber leaned in and kissed Brenton lightly on the lips. “I love you. I want to be with you.” Brenton held her gaze for a long moment. Then he leaned in to close the distance between them again, and kissed her on the lips; lightly at first and then more hungrily. His hands began to wander over her, and Amber felt her doubts and insecurities starting to fade away.

She responded, kissing him back, letting her hands trail over his body slowly. She slid her hands down the front of his body, finding the buttons on his shirt, feeling the muscles rippling underneath his clothes and skin. He was hot to the touch, something she had always appreciated about him; Amber felt herself getting warmer, felt her skin beginning to tingle. Brenton pulled back, looking into her eyes. “God, I’m so glad you came over,” he murmured, bringing one hand up to caress her cheek. “We were that close to screwing this whole thing up, weren’t we?”

Amber laughed quietly as Brenton took her hand and pulled her up with him as he stood, and she felt her nerves crackling with electric anticipation as he led her towards the bedroom.

“I’m so sorry things have been so bad—it’s as much my fault as anyone’s,” Brenton told her. He paused and kissed her again. “But I can make it up to you.” Amber smiled again, lust flowing fast in her veins as his hands slipped up underneath the hem of her blouse. His fingertips brushed along her skin, sending shivers rushing down her spine.

Amber draped her arms around Brenton’s shoulders, kissing him hungrily as he caressed all along the curves of her body. He cupped her breasts in his hands, giving them a careful squeeze through the fabric of her bra, sending a jolt of sensation through her body. Amber released her hold on Brenton’s shoulders as he dragged her shirt up, breaking away from his lips long enough to let him tug the fabric over her head and cast it aside.

Brenton guided her towards his bed, kissing all over her face and neck, and Amber sank down onto the soft mattress and blankets, unbuttoning his shirt even as Brenton moved his lips down onto her chest, past her collarbones. She brought his lips back up to hers and kissed him hungrily once more, tugging and pulling at his shirt until she managed to get it off of him.

Their clothes fell away slowly as they explored each other’s bodies, touching everywhere they could reach. Amber opened her eyes, looking up at Brenton; they had had sex before, but somehow this felt like the first time that they were really, truly, completely connecting. Brenton took in the sight of her with his bright eyes darkening with lust, his lips parted slightly as he panted with desire. Amber watched the interplay of their bodies together as he trailed his pale hands over her dark body, teasing her nipples, caressing her all over.

Brenton slipped down along her torso, kissing everywhere on an inexorable trail downward. Amber moaned as he nibbled playfully along her hip, looking down with her eyes half-lidded to watch him, holding herself up on her elbows. She gasped as he spread her legs, kissing along her inner thighs teasingly. She loved the sight of his flushed, pale skin against hers, the light and dark of them together; but the next moment she couldn’t even think about anything at all as Brenton buried his face against her, licking and sucking, sending jolts of pleasure through her body.

Amber fell back among the pillows, twisting and writhing as Brenton made love to her body with his lips and tongue, bringing her to the edge and backing off again and again until she was ready to beg him to get her off. She threaded her fingers in his soft, thick hair, clutching at his head in desperation as her hips moved and her body squirmed, trying to get better contact. When he pulled back from her body, she nearly keened with frustration; she was on edge, absolutely convinced that if she didn’t reach orgasm she would probably die.

Brenton kissed his way up to her lips slowly, his hands trailing along the lush curves of her body, and Amber clutched the sides of his face, drawing him up to her, claiming his mouth in desperation. He shifted his body against hers and she felt the heat of him pressing against her, teasing her for torturous moments as they rubbed up against each other slowly. He thrust his hips into hers, and Amber moaned out as he filled her inch by inch, his heat pushing past the initial resistance of her body. She wrapped her legs around his waist and pushed her hips down, taking him deeper, beginning to move before he had even filled her completely.

They fell into a rhythm like a tidal flow, their hands wandering everywhere over each other’s bodies, touching and teasing. Amber kissed Brenton over and over again, dragging her lips along his soft skin, following the line of his jaw down to his neck. They gradually moved faster and faster, and Amber could feel Brenton’s body tensing up, feel the ripple and shift of his muscles underneath his skin. She clutched him tightly against her as she finally reached her climax, moaning against his lips as the first waves of sensation washed through her body, obliterating any thoughts she had. They both kept moving, Amber kissing Brenton’s body everywhere her lips could reach, until the last spasms of pleasure worked through them both, and they sagged against the bed.

Amber fell into a contented doze, happy to not have to think about anything, or anyone, at least for the moment. For the time being, at least, everything in her mind was at peace, and everything felt right.

In the weeks since she and Brenton had decided to become more serious, Amber at first felt relieved; she knew that it would take time, and that she would have to be patient, but she trusted that with both of them on the same page, it would work out in the end. She had felt secure—truly secure—for the first time since things had begun to go south with her ex, and everything was wonderful.

Amber and Brenton went back to the way things were in the beginning, making time for each other, calling and texting when their busy schedules and lives kept them apart. They weathered the brief storm that their public fight had caused, and for a while, Amber thought that everything was okay between them. She thought of how silly she had been to actually have entertained the belief that Brenton would ever cheat on her the way that Kobe had, and laughed about her insecurities over cocktails with Cara.

But as the weeks became a month, and then a month and a half, Amber started to doubt again. Brenton finally—finally—let her meet Felicity, and Amber had been on her best behavior, not saying a thing when he simply introduced her as his “friend.” It was nothing—and she had told him that she didn’t mind if that was the way that he identified her to his daughter. She understood that Brenton wanted to be cautious.

As they lay around the house together one night, Amber thought about it. Felicity was at her grandparents’ house. Even though she and Brenton had been seen together in public, even though their pictures had appeared in magazines, on websites, with more than a few members of the press speculating about how serious they were, Brenton still managed to somehow avoid the discussion of what they were to each other. The fact that he had introduced her to his daughter was a step forward—but he still hadn’t acknowledged their relationship in any real formal way, not to his daughter or anyone else, and that made her uncomfortable.

“Brent,” she said, sitting up on the couch to look at him. They had been watching a movie, unwinding together. Neither of them had been interested in going anywhere and playing the public game of being seen. “Can I talk to you about something?”

Brenton sat up as well, setting his beer down on the coffee table. “What’s on your mind, Am-bear?”

Amber took a deep breath. “Why did you tell Felicity I was your friend?”

Brenton’s bright eyes closed, and she saw him take a deep breath. “Because you told me you were fine with it,” he said. “If you’d changed your mind, you should have told me.”

Amber felt a flare of resentment. “You said you didn’t know how serious I was. I’m glad that you finally found it in you to introduce me to your daughter, but if we’re going to be serious, she needs to know that we’re in a relationship.”

Brenton sighed, scrubbing at his face. “She’s not even three years old yet, Amber. She doesn’t know what that means.”

Amber crossed her arms over her chest. “She knows what love is, doesn’t she? You tell her you love her—I’m sure you probably tell her you loved Kelsey, if she ever asks about her mama.”

Brenton clenched his teeth. “Yes, I tell her I loved her mother, I tell her I love her. I tell her that her grandparents love her.” He licked his lips. “But don’t you think it’s a little bit complicated to tell a toddler about a girlfriend?”

Amber pressed her lips together. “Is it really? ‘Felicity, this is my special friend, Amber. I love her very much—not the same way that I love you, but I love her.’ Brenton—can you even remember a time when you’ve told
me
you love me?”

Brenton’s eyes widened. “I—I have to have said it,” he said, looking down at his hands, deep in thought as he considered the question. “You know I love you.”

Amber swallowed against the tight feeling in her throat. “We’ve been together off and on for just about six months. If you’ve told me you love me it sure hasn’t been enough times for me to remember it.” She shook her head. “I thought we knew where we are in all this. Do you know where you are in this relationship?”

Brenton picked up his beer and drank a long sip. “I know I love you. I know I want to be with you. But Howard and Betty are just looking for any excuse to make my life miserable and get someone to take Felicity away from me.”

Amber groaned. “Jesus. Yet again you bring them into this. They aren’t Felicity’s parents: you are. Who the hell cares what they think? You’re a good dad and you know you’re a good dad.”

“That’s not the point!” Brenton said. “I could be father of the year, I could make a million dollars tomorrow and they’d still find something to be down on me about. They hate me, Amber. They absolutely hate me. They didn’t like me before Kelsey died, and now that she’s been dead for over a year they still haven’t gotten over the fact that she died in an accident because I wasn’t there to do all of the driving.” He exhaled. “They think you’re trash, Amber. I don’t agree with them for a second, but the minute I try to commit to you they’re going to claim that I’ve lost my mind, or that you’re a bad influence on Felicity, and that if I don’t leave you I should lose her.” Amber felt blood rushing into her face.

“They’ve said that?” she breathed in slowly, feeling her simmering anger transform into a hotter, more impulsive anger.

“They’ve hinted at it. As long as I keep things casual with you they don’t have anything they can hang over me. I’m working on it, Amber. I swear to God I am.”

Amber stood up. “Look,” she said, holding Brenton’s gaze for a long moment. “You’re in this mess because you let them dominate you from the very beginning,” she told him. “You need to make a decision, Brent. You need to decide whether you’re going to let them hold the threat of trying to take Felicity away from you over your head for the rest of your life, or if you’re going to do something about it. If you can’t commit to me out of fear for what they’re going to do to you, then we just can’t be together.” She picked up her purse and reached into it for her keys. “Think about it, Brent. And let me know when you make up your mind.” Her eyes burned with stinging, hot tears as she turned on her heel and shoved her feet into her shoes. Amber walked towards the door, using all of her self-control to fight the urge to look over her shoulder. She stared straight in front of her as she walked out of the front door and to her car to leave.