Striker (54 page)

‘Listen, I… Before everyone goes I’ve got something I need to do. And it involves this woman here in front of me.’

Amber looked at him, a slightly confused expression on her face, which turned into something a little more anxious as he held her hand tighter, pulling her into shot. ‘Ryan…’

He smiled at her, leaning over to give her the briefest of kisses, his nerves suddenly dissipating the second his lips touched hers. He felt on top of the world right now, and this would only make that feeling stronger, make it complete. He was way out of his comfort zone, but living on the edge was what he did best. And this was way out there. Nobody would be expecting this, not from him.

‘I love you, Amber Sullivan. I love you, babe, and… and I want to ask you something…’ His eyes never left hers, his fingers gently stroking a stray strand of red hair away from her face. Shit! He was really going to do this! And he’d never felt so frigging excited. ‘I want to…’ He leaned forward and kissed her again, his fingers wrapping themselves tightly around hers. ‘Will you marry me?’

*

‘You’re supposed to report the sports news, not
be
the sports news,’ Kevin sighed, quaffing a large mouthful of champagne in the Players Lounge. ‘Congratulations, though. Despite the fact our satellite friends got the bigger coup because their broadcast went out live, that should still guarantee us a few more viewers when our segment goes out in the late bulletin in an hour or so. Everyone loves a local fairytale with a happy ending.’

Amber leaned back against the bar, sipping her own champagne. ‘It’s hardly a fairytale, Kevin. And it hasn’t even begun yet, never mind have a happy ending.’

‘It’ll be a frigging fairytale when we do our own story on the pair of you, and your “romance”.’

She looked at her producer. ‘Huh? Sorry, did you just say you’re going to do a story about me and Ryan?’

‘Of course we’re going to do a bloody story. We work on a local news programme, Amber. And, right now,
you’re
the frigging news. Our very own Sports Editor has just got engaged to one of the most famous, most high-profile, most talented players in the country right now, a player who just happens to be both a local lad
and
playing for one of the region’s biggest clubs – it’s fucking manna from heaven!’

‘I’m still getting my head around it all,’ Amber sighed, watching Ryan across the other side of the room as he talked to Gary and Rob. He looked relaxed, happy. He looked like a different man to the one she’d first encountered here less than six months ago. Six months, that was such a short time in reality. Six months in which Christ knows what had happened, and she’d just agreed to marry him. Six months ago she’d been determined never to go near another footballer again, and she’d meant it. But then Ryan Fisher had walked into her life and now, after everything she’d ever promised herself, she was about to spend the rest of her life with him. Jesus, just stopping to think about it for a second actually made her feel quite sick.

‘Right, well, I’m off to start planning this story then,’ Kevin said, downing the last of his champagne and slamming the empty glass back down on the bar. ‘I’ll see you in my office first thing Monday morning. Talk your fiancé round, okay?’ He threw her a wink and a grin and walked out of the Players Lounge. Amber turned to face the bar, picking up a bottle of champagne that was sitting on the end of it, pouring out the last of what was left inside, filling her glass back up again.

‘I’d like to say congratulations, but I’d be telling you something I can’t ever really mean.’

She turned to look at Jim as he leaned forward on the bar, his suit jacket now off and his shirtsleeves rolled up to the elbows. ‘Then I’d rather you said nothing at all.’

He looked down at his clasped hands. ‘It’s killing me, Amber. I mean, it was hurting before, before he asked you to marry him, but…’ He looked up at her, his eyes almost pleading, and Amber couldn’t help but feel her stomach lurch slightly. ‘What are you doing, Amber? You don’t belong with him, you don’t… Is this not just something you’re doing to try and deflect from what you really feel for
me
?’

‘You flatter yourself, Jim. And this really isn’t the time or the place to be having this conversation, so, if you don’t mind…’

He grabbed her wrist as she made to go, swinging her back round to look at him. ‘
We
belong together, Amber.
Me
and
y
ou. He isn’t right for you, he’ll let you down, he’ll hurt you…’

‘Then he’s really no different to you, Jim. Is he?’

She walked off without looking back at him, knowing that wasn’t the end of it but she couldn’t deal with him right now. She just wanted to be with Ryan. But it seemed the world and its mother was conspiring to stop her from getting to him, even though he was only across the other side of somewhere that was smaller than the average living room.

‘Engaged?’ Ronnie asked, looking at Amber with wide eyes.
 

She stared back at him with eyes just as wide. ‘Oh,
now
you want to talk to me.’

‘You’re seriously going to marry him?’ Ronnie went on, ignoring her slight dig.

‘I’m thinking about it, yes. You got a problem with that?’

‘Amber… just a few months ago you were telling me this wasn’t anything serious and now he’s proposing to you live on TV! What’s
that
all about?’

‘I love him, Ronnie. Okay? And, yes, this has come as much of a surprise to me as it has to you, because getting married isn’t anything anyone expected Ryan Fisher to do, but, do you know what? I quite like surprises.’

‘You never used to,’ Ronnie said, an almost defeated tone to his voice. ‘Shit, Amber. I hate the way things are changing.’

‘It happens,’ Amber smiled, taking his hand and squeezing it. ‘And anyway, nobody’s doing anything yet. He may have asked me to marry him but any wedding is a long way off, believe me.’

‘Glad to hear it,’ Freddie Sullivan said as he joined them, a pint of lager in one hand, the other stuffed in his pocket. ‘All I can say is, he’d better look after my girl or I’ll have something to say to him.’

Amber sighed, throwing her head back. ‘I need this, don’t I?’ She looked at her dad. ‘You do realise I’m thirty-seven-years-old, don’t you? And that I
can
look after myself.’

‘Oh, yeah, I realise that, pet. I just hope you know what you’re getting into with Ryan, that’s all. Compared to you, he’s still a bairn.’

She looked at him again. ‘Thanks, Dad. Now I feel really old. Look, lunch tomorrow, is it going to be a problem? Would you rather me and Ryan didn’t come?’

‘Don’t be bloody stupid!’ Freddie admonished, taking a long sip of lager. ‘I’m just acting like any dad would act when they find out their only daughter is getting hitched to football’s worst kind of bad boy.’

‘Yeah, that statement makes me feel really excited about bringing him over to yours.’

‘He’s gonna be part of the family, Amber. And if you say he’s changed then I’m more than willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.’

Amber said nothing, she just let go of Ronnie’s hand and finally made her way over to Ryan.

‘Hey, gorgeous,’ he smiled, sliding an arm around her waist and pulling her in against him. ‘Everything okay?’

‘Apart from the flack you’re getting left, right and centre from my close friends and family, you mean?’

‘I take it they’re ecstatic about the engagement, then?’

‘Over the frigging moon,’ she smirked, closing her eyes as his mouth touched hers, an instant feeling of calm washing over her. ‘They’ll get used to the idea. I’m still getting used to it myself, if I’m honest.’

He kissed her again and she let herself fall against him, a sudden tiredness now joining that calm feeling. ‘It feels so right,’ he whispered, stroking her cheek with his thumb. ‘I love you so much, Amber. I need you, babe, and I just want you to be there, in my life. Always.’

‘I never had you down as the romantic type,’ she smiled, letting her fingers slide slowly up under his shirt.

‘Yeah, well, I’m full of surprises, me.’

‘Do you wanna skip all this shit now? Go back home? Do some celebrating of our own?’

He grinned, sliding his hands down over her backside, pushing her harder against him. ‘If that celebrating includes sex then I’m all over it, beautiful.’

‘And in a little while, I’d quite like you all over
me
.’

‘Jesus, Amber…’ he groaned, running his hands up her back, underneath her top,‘… you’re killing me here.’

‘Come on,’ she whispered, her mouth touching his as she spoke. ‘Let’s get out of here. The only party I’m in the mood for right now is a private one.’

Chapter Twenty-Three

Ryan opened his eyes and turned his head to see if she was awake. She wasn’t. He could hear her breathing, her eyes tight shut as she slept. Rolling onto his side he pulled the duvet down slightly, exposing her breasts, watching as they rose and fell, feeling himself grow hard as he continued to stare at them. Sliding his hand underneath the covers he gently pushed her legs apart, touching her down there, his thumb carefully stroking her, moving in a measured, circular motion, his hardness growing by the second as she became wetter, his fingers slipping and sliding against her. But he didn’t move his hand away, even when she slowly opened her eyes and turned to look at him.

‘I don’t believe I ordered a wake-up call,’ she whispered, her eyes meeting his as he continued to touch her. But she had no intention of stopping him; instead she stretched out, opening her legs wider.

Ryan was so hard now it was almost painful, but he was loving the feel of her against his hand, all warm and soaking wet, soft and smooth, but he wasn’t going to be able to keep it up for much longer, not if he wanted to come inside her, which he did.
 

‘Oh, God…’ she moaned, her hands gripping the headboard as his fingers continued to stroke her, the rhythmic, circular motions speeding up slightly until he could take no more. Pulling the covers away from her naked body he rolled onto his back, pulling her over on top of him, and within seconds she’d carefully lowered herself down onto him, leaning back to allow him to go deep. ‘This is the
best
way to wake up.’

‘You’re telling me,’ he groaned, jerking his hips up as she pushed down, making him shout out loud, fighting with her screams as early morning, red-hot sex took them both to that now-familiar place that neither of them wanted to leave. But the urgency meant that this was a super-quick visit to heaven.

‘Do you think it’ll always be like this?’ Amber breathed, rolling over onto her back.

He turned his head and smiled at her. ‘Probably not.’

‘Oh, way to go, Ryan,’ she laughed, playfully punching his arm. ‘Are you saying that once we’re married sex will cease to be exciting?’

He turned onto his side, propping himself up on his elbow. ‘We’re always going to have exciting sex, babe. I’ll make sure of it.’

She smiled, too, gently stroking his cheek with her fingertips. ‘Yeah, well, you’d better, mister. I’ve waited a long time to have sex like this and I’m not ready to give that up just yet.’

‘So, you’re only marrying me for the sex, then?’

‘No,’ she laughed. ‘There’re other reasons, too. I mean, you make a fantastic bacon sandwich…’

He started tickling her, making her scream and squirm as he grabbed her round the waist. Jesus, he was happy. He was so fucking happy, almost afraid it was just some kind of dream and that any second now he’d wake up and find that she was still with Jim Allen, that he really had lost her.

‘What’s wrong?’ Amber asked as Ryan suddenly let go of her, sitting up and pushing a hand through his dark, dishevelled hair.

‘I can’t stop thinking about you and him, Amber. You and the boss.’

Amber pulled herself up into a sitting position, hugging her knees to her chest. ‘It’s over, Ryan.’

He looked at her. ‘Is it?’

She rested her chin on her knees, nodding. ‘Yes. It is.’

He looked away, focusing on the chink of light filtering through the curtains. ‘It might be for you, but is it for him?’

She knelt up, reaching out for his hand, taking it in hers and squeezing it tight. ‘I know this is a really difficult situation, Ryan. I know it is. It’s far from ideal and…’

He turned to look at her. He’d never really stopped to just look at her, not in the early days. When he’d first met her all he’d really seen was this incredibly beautiful woman who’d provided some kind of challenge that he wanted to overcome, just to prove that he could succeed where others had failed. Lust had won over, and love hadn’t even come into it. Not at first. But it was love he felt now, that overwhelming emotion that he’d never really experienced before; a fear of losing someone, constant anxiety that they were, one day, going to walk away from you and it both unsettled and excited him. But the fact he’d never stopped to look at her, really look at her before – he couldn’t believe he’d never done that because she truly was beautiful. Even now, when she’d been awake for just minutes, her face devoid of make-up, her hair all messed-up and sexy, she was beautiful. She may be eleven years older than him but that was something he didn’t even think about anymore. It never
had
been an issue; and the fact that she was so different to the made-up, over-glamorous, almost desperate wannabe WAGs only made her all the more beautiful to him. ‘As long as you don’t love him anymore, that’s all I need to hear, Amber. I just need to know that you don’t love him anymore.’