Final Score (13 page)

‘You don’t know…’

‘I know it all, Amber. I know you never really loved me; I know I was always just some kind of buffer between you and him, someone to run to when he was treating you like crap. I know that’s all I ever was to you.’

‘That’s not true.’

He looked at her, her eyes shining with fresh tears, and yet still all he could feel was love. He wanted to hate her for what she was doing, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t hate her. ‘Just admit it, Amber. Please. No more pretending, okay?’

She leaned back against the doorpost, pushing a hand through her hair as she stared up at the ceiling for a couple of beats. ‘Why does everything always end up so complicated?’

He wasn’t even sure she was directing that question at him. She wasn’t really directing it at anyone, she was just thinking out loud, or that’s what it seemed like.

‘When are you going?’ he asked, his voice calmer now. That anger he wanted to feel just wouldn’t come.

She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. ‘Jim’s last match in charge is New Year’s Day. He wanted to finish on a home game.’

‘That’s big of him.’

Amber threw Ryan a look, telling him his sarcasm wasn’t something she appreciated. Tough. He didn’t appreciate her taking his son hundreds of miles away, but he wasn’t being given much choice in the matter.

‘I wanted to leave sooner,’ she whispered, her eyes staring down at her black ankle boots.

‘That desperate to get away from me, huh?’

Her head shot up and she glared at him. ‘Grow up, Ryan.’

‘What do you expect, Amber? Did you think I’d be happy for you? Really? Did you think I’d be jumping for joy at the thought of my son –
my
son – being brought up by a man who has basically taken from me the one person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with?’ He walked over to her. His head was all over the place, and that anger he’d wanted to feel earlier was now creeping in, spreading slowly. ‘And now he’s not only taking
you
away from me, he’s taking my son, too. So I can’t be happy, okay? I can’t do that.’

Her eyes locked onto his, and all that guilt she knew she deserved to feel flooded through her, like someone had just opened a floodgate somewhere inside her. ‘I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. But I can’t… I need him, Ryan. I need him.’

‘Like shit you do, Amber. You don’t need anyone. The Amber Sullivan I first met, where’s she gone, huh? Where’s
she
gone? Because
she
wouldn’t have let herself be dragged down by a man she knows she should have left behind a long time ago. She wouldn’t have done that.’

Amber shook her head, taking a deep breath, her eyes still locked on Ryan’s. ‘But she did, Ryan. Don’t you see? That’s exactly what she did.’

*

Jim leaned back against his desk and looked around the office he was about to vacate in just a couple of weeks’ time. Part of him felt a little sad about that, because he’d come here to Newcastle Red Star, and turned this club around. He’d given them the success they’d craved for decades; he’d helped them become league champions, seen them through several good Cup runs and stints in Europe they could only have dreamed of before. So his decision to leave and go back to Endleigh United wasn’t going to be a popular one. He knew that. Only a matter of weeks ago he’d been determined not to let anything get in the way of ensuring this club stayed right where it belonged, at the top of the League. That memory just intensified the guilt he was already feeling at leaving them like this, in the middle of a season in which they were doing well. They were doing really well. And he was leaving them. But he had no choice. He was a different man now. Things had changed; his life had changed. He had Amber back. And if he wanted to keep her; if he wanted to make sure it worked this time, something had to give. And that something was Newcastle Red Star.

Thinking about Amber also made Jim realise that it was going to be his private life under scrutiny at this press conference just as much as his professional one, which made him slightly uncomfortable. Anything to do with his personal life becoming public made him uncomfortable. For years Jim Allen had been a very private man, an enigma, almost. The most anyone knew about him was that he was better at his job than any manager of his generation. But then everything had come out about his past relationship with Amber, about Brandon Palmer being his son – about his marriage ending because Amber was pregnant with Ryan Fisher’s baby, even though that had only been part of the problem. And now – now it was going to happen all over again. Today wasn’t only about telling the footballing world he was making the trip back down south, it was also about telling the world he was back with the woman he loved. And for once he wanted everyone to know that. He wanted them all to know how much Amber meant to him. He was quite willing to expose himself emotionally if that’s what it took to show just how much he loved her. If that’s what it took to prove that, this time – this time it was for keeps.

‘You okay?’

He looked over towards the door, a smile spreading across his face the second he saw her. ‘I am now. Come here, come on.’

She walked over to him, stepping between his legs as his arms circled her waist. ‘I just thought I’d pop in and see how you were feeling.’

‘I’m fine. Is it busy out there?’

‘You could say that, yeah. The place is teeming with press and media, as you’d pretty much expect.’

‘And who’s covering this exclusive for Cloud Sports, then?’

‘Ronnie. He’s already got a front-row seat in the Press Lounge, so be nice to him, okay?’ She winked, and he laughed, that low, deep, sexy laugh that made Amber’s stomach flip over and over.

‘And where are
you
going to be?’ he asked, his hands sliding down over her bottom.

‘I thought I’d just stand at the back and keep my head down.’

‘Are they mad at you? The bosses at Cloud Sports, I mean, for not letting on that you already knew about this?’

‘Well, I can’t say they were happy. I seem to make a habit of harbouring secret stories from the world of football, most of them concerning you.’ She shrugged. ‘But I walk a fine line between being professional and being personally involved with the people who make these headlines, so, they kind of understand why I had to keep it a secret, why I didn’t want Cloud Sports to claim some big exclusive just because I’m your… Jesus, Jim, what
am
I, exactly?’

He stared right into her eyes, and for a few seconds he didn’t say anything. ‘Marry me. Again. Marry me, Amber.’

She couldn’t stop a small laugh from escaping. ‘Sorry?’

‘Marry me. And let’s do it properly this time. Jesus, honey, if I’m gonna make a habit of putting my private life out there, then let’s do it in style, okay?’

‘Are you serious?’

‘Like you wouldn’t believe.’ Jim laughed, pulling her even closer, his mouth gently brushing over hers. ‘Just say you’ll marry me, Amber. Please. And this time… this time we’ll make it work. Both of us. We’ll make it work.’

She smiled, her stomach flipping a ridiculous amount of somersaults as she closed her eyes, letting his kiss take her over, loving the feel of his body pressed hard against hers.

‘I want you, right here, right now,’ he whispered. But he was telling her something she already knew. She could feel him hard against her thigh and a familiar ache for him spreading through her body.

‘You’ve got a press conference to go to,’ she murmured, her mouth moving closer to his.

‘And they can’t exactly start without me, can they?’

She smiled again, already slipping out of her shirt. ‘Well, they
could
, but there wouldn’t be much point.’

‘Turn around.’ His mouth was almost touching her ear as he spoke, and Amber felt that ache grow more intense, her breathing becoming more rapid by the second. ‘I won’t hurt you, I promise.’

She stared up at him, reaching out to touch his face, her fingers running lightly over his cheek, down over his slightly open mouth. ‘Kiss me,’ she whispered. ‘Just kiss me.’

The electricity between them was almost ricocheting off the walls, and the intensity that had suddenly filled the room seemed to make the heat rise and the temperature almost unbearable, despite it being freezing outside.

And when his mouth touched hers she felt her stomach take a leap so strong her knees literally gave way and he had to hold her up, catch her in his arms, all the while his mouth never leaving hers. His fingers were loosening her jeans, pulling them down slightly, his tongue flicking across the back of her teeth, sending her stomach into yet more spasms.

He pulled away only to gently turn her around, and she leaned forward, her hands palm-down on his desk, knowing exactly what was coming now, the anticipation verging on unbearable. She could hardly breathe; every breath was shallow and ragged as it tried to escape, mingling with the small gasps the touch of his hands on her naked skin were causing. Gripping the edge of his desk she closed her eyes as she felt him pull her jeans down around her ankles, his hands sliding back up her legs to slowly pull down her knickers, and she gasped again, louder this time, desperate for him to take her, to push inside her so hard she’d feel that beautiful pain she so badly wanted to feel. Her whole body was on fire, just waiting for him to come inside her, to give her that relief she needed now. And when she felt his knee nudge her legs further apart, his hands on her hips keeping her still, she bit down on her lip as she waited for the inevitable, crying out quietly as he pushed into her with an almost violent thrust that rocked her forward, causing her to grip the desk even tighter.

But then those thrusts became more gentle, a little slower, and she pushed back against him, wanting him deeper, needing to feel every inch of him. And it was just minutes before his actions grew faster again, his movements in and out of her speeding up, pushing harder, until neither of them could hold on any longer. But the inevitable endgame was every bit as beautiful as she’d wanted it to be, that white-hot pain searing through her as she felt him flood out into her, filling her with everything she needed from him. Everything she’d ever wanted. He was making himself a part of her all over again and she was taking him, and loving him, and keeping him close this time.

She felt his grip on her hips loosen slightly as he slowly pulled out of her, and she stood up, quickly yanking her knickers and jeans back up her legs as she leaned against the desk.

He smiled, and she felt her stomach embark on another round of somersaults. Would it never let up with those acrobatics? Was she going to feel this way about him forever? ‘You know, there’s a perfectly respectable office down there in the Parkfield Stadium. And I’m sure my desk was bigger there, too, if I remember rightly.’

Slipping her shirt back on, she returned his smile, running her fingers through her hair and shaking it out. She was absolutely positive people were going to be able to tell what she’d been doing in here. She was sure of it. And she didn’t care. ‘You get off on this, don’t you?’ She pulled him towards her by his shirt collar. ‘Fucking me, in your office. You really get off on it.’

His arm snaked around her waist, his smile widening. ‘I could be fucking you anywhere, Amber, and I’d get off on it. Jesus, just thinking about you gives me an instant hard-on.’

‘Well, try not to let that happen out there, okay?’

‘Can’t promise.’

She moved her mouth closer to his as she spoke. ‘Try.’

‘Still can’t promise.’

She was lost in him again, falling into his kiss like the lovesick teenager he was constantly going to make her feel she was. Almost forty years old and still she couldn’t stop herself from feeling like that sixteen-year-old kid she’d been when this man had first walked into her life.

The sound of someone clearing their throat made them both jump apart, and Amber looked over toward the door. Max was standing there, arms folded, a look of something bordering on slight amusement on his face.

‘You two finished?’

Jim took another step backwards, his hands now in his pockets, his head down as he gave a small laugh. ‘Yeah. Yeah, we are.’ He raised his eyes slightly, giving Amber a look that only made those stomach somersaults start up all over again. ‘I’d better go. I’ve got a big announcement to make.’

Amber straightened his collar, quickly kissing him before he grabbed his jacket from the back of the couch and slipped it on.

‘I’ll see you in there?’ he asked, turning back around to look at her.

She nodded, folding her arms and smiling at him. ‘Yeah. I’ll see you in there… Jim?’ He turned around again, his eyes fixed on hers. ‘You
are
sure about this, aren’t you?’

He didn’t know whether she was talking about him taking the Endleigh United job, or whether she was talking about them, but either way, he couldn’t be more sure about anything. ‘I’m sure.’ He smiled, and she leaned back against the desk to steady her already weak knees. ‘I love you, Amber.’

‘Yeah. I love you, too,’ she whispered, watching as he left the room.

Max closed the door behind him. ‘Well, thanks for making me sit through something bordering on some schmaltzy scene from a Hollywood movie.’

She looked up and poked her tongue out at him.

‘Nice. You know, if you took
Ice
magazine up on their second, much more lucrative offer, and did exactly that whilst wearing nothing but your ex-husband’s suit jacket you’d make sure they sold so many copies they’d have to order a dozen reprints.’

‘I’m going to start ignoring you. I’m almost on the wrong side of forty now, and I’ve just had a baby. I think my days of doing glamour shoots are over.’

‘You’ve only done the one.’

‘Exactly.’

‘But you’ve got a body kids half your age would kill for.’

‘So? Does that mean I have to get it out for all and sundry to look at? And why are we talking about this?’

Max walked further into the room, stopping to check out the array of Manager of the Month awards that lined the wall of Jim’s office. ‘This has shattered Ryan.’

‘I can’t help that, Max.’