Carly Phillips - Lucky Streak

Amid murmurs of approval, his colleagues began to filter into the room, waiting for the restaurant staff to finish the setup. They’d even brought plastic plates, forks and knives.

Mike’s stomach churned, torn between wanting to kill Amber for infiltrating this part of his life, and gratitude because he and his colleagues rarely had the opportunity to enjoy a decent lunch. Thanks to Amber, they would indulge today. And everyone in the precinct seemed thrilled with the surprise.

Only Dan, who’d met Amber in Vegas, seemed as concerned as Mike himself. “What’s going on?” he asked.

Mike spread his hands in front of him.

“Better yet, what kind of a psycho woman follows a man across the country and then proceeds to feed his friends and coworkers?” Dan continued, not giving Mike a chance to reply.

Not that he knew what to say anyway.

“His wife, that’s what kind of psycho woman would do something like this,” Amber said, suddenly appearing beside them. “Hello, Dan,” she said, patting his shoulder. “How’s married life treating you?”

“Oh, shit,” Mike muttered.

“Wife?” Dan practically shouted. “What the hell did you do in Vegas anyway?”

Silence descended around them, broken soon after by an impromptu round of applause.

Mike could barely process his thoughts as people slapped him on the back, shook Amber’s hand and complimented him on bringing back a gem of a wife-a woman who cared not just about his stomach, but his friends’ too.

Only Dan watched them warily.

“I’ll explain later,” Mike promised his partner.

“You bet you will. Natalie will want to have dinner with the two of you.” He shook his head. “You. Married.” He looked perplexed and confused.

“Yeah, I know how you feel,” Mike said. “Go eat.” He turned away from Dan and toward Amber. “You. Outside. Now. We need to talk.”

She raised an eyebrow, but let him grab her hand and pull her onto the street.

“What the hell are you doing?” he asked once they were alone on the sidewalk in front of the station.

Amber blinked at him, all soft eyes and confusion. “I thought you’d be surprised, not mad. What’s wrong? You don’t like Italian food?” she asked, obviously trying for humor.

Mike clenched his jaw, steeling himself against her appeal. He needed to be strong and make her understand how things should be between them until they returned to Vegas. “I don’t like my private life being bandied around. Especially since I didn’t plan on telling anyone we were married.”

“Oh.”

He heard her disappointment and felt it inside him. Once again, her error had left him feeling lower than dirt. Despite it all, the last thing he wanted to do was to hurt her.

“Look, this is a complicated situation,” he said, meeting her gaze.

“Do I embarrass you?”

He took her in with one glance. From her strappy sandals, simple sundress, to her sunny hair, she was a breath of fresh air. “Hell, no, you don’t embarrass me. Those guys inside are probably frothing at the mouth with jealousy.” Unable to stop himself, he ran his hand through her soft curls.

She wet her lips and her eyes turned softer with gratitude, and hazy with that damn attraction that was always there between them. Simmering just below the surface.

Daring him to ignore it.

As if he could.

He didn’t know who started it, but soon his lips were on hers, seeking her sweetness, apologizing for hurting her, showing her she wasn’t an embarrassment, but a woman he desired. His tongue swept through her mouth, feeding off her delicious taste.

“Excuse me,” Dan said, clearing his throat when they didn’t break apart right away. “But there are people inside waiting for an explanation. And some just want to congratulate you.”

Mike stepped back.

Amber’s cheeks flushed pink. “I guess we should head back in.”

Mike inclined his head and gestured for her to walk ahead of him. Which gave Dan the opportunity to add, “And some of us just want to know if you’ve lost your damn mind.”

But even his partner’s concern couldn’t stop the grin that spread across Mike’s face. Because as Edward had said, Amber was hot. And she was a challenge-he didn’t know what she’d do next.

Still, Mike had to admit she was trying to make things up to him. She treated him like the center of her universe, going out of her way to please him. It was difficult not to remember all the things that had drawn him to her in the first place.

KING BOBBY stared at the phone in the office of his dealership, willing the darn thing to ring.

“A watched pot never boils,” Emmy Lou said, peeking into the room.

“Go away, woman! You sound like my momma!” No wonder he had a mistress waiting for him whenever he could escape from the woman’s nagging.

As if on cue, the telephone rang and he let out a whoop of glee. “Speak to me!” he demanded.

After listening for a few minutes, he barked to the man on the line, “So someone at the Chandler admits that an Amber once worked there? That’s it? If I need to do your thinkin’ for ya, I got no need to pay you. Just tell ’em your boss wants to open a hotel and is interested in this old employee of theirs. Throw some money around until you git access to her employment file. I need a last name!” he bellowed, his blood pressure rising.

“Once they get her names they should check the Department of Records,” Emmy Lou suggested.

King Bobby hadn’t realized she was still there, damn nosy broad.

If he hadn’t knocked her up when she was young and she hadn’t threatened to take him for all he was worth, he’d be long divorced by now. Emmy Lou liked being King Bobby’s queen. Good thing she came in useful once in a while.

“Good idea, sweet cheeks,” he said. Then he repeated her words to his guys out in Beverly Hills. “Next time you call me, I want concrete information!” he bellowed so they’d know he meant business.

After hanging up the phone, he pulled out his bankroll and peeled off a number of hundreds, then waved them at Emmy Lou. “Why don’t you go shopping. I have work to do.”

Emmy Lou smiled, pleased, and snatched the cash from his hand.

“I won’t be home for dinner,” he said to his wife’s retreating back.

She wouldn’t care.

Mentally, she was halfway to the mall already. With money in her pocket, she wouldn’t be home early tonight, either. She’d call her friends, hit the stores, head to an expensive dinner and come home toasted.

“Whoo-wee!” He picked up the phone and dialed his lady friend.

If his yahoos found that Amber’s information, the King would be gettin’ lucky tonight. In more ways than one.

AMBER ATE DINNER alone that night, after Mike called to tell her he’d be working late as a last-minute favor for a friend. She was disappointed, but she’d just learned something else about her new husband. She already knew he was a man who cared for his family and now she discovered he was also a good friend. Both were traits she could admire.

Mike was so different from the sleazy characters she’d met on the poker circuit, and he was more settled than most of the guys she’d encountered in Beverly Hills. They’d been aspiring actors or models, men with more love for the face they saw in the mirror than any woman. Not that she’d given any of them a chance.

It wasn’t that Amber didn’t believe in happily ever after. She did. Her family had a healthy history of love and fidelity. Her grandparents had been happily married for a lifetime and if what she’d heard of her parents’ courtship was anything to go by, they’d been deliriously in love. Her mother had given up her career as a showgirl to have Amber and she’d planned to stay at home with her. Only, she’d died while giving birth to her daughter.

Amber shook her head, bringing her thoughts back to the present. To herself and to Mike. In L.A., she’d thought she’d been too busy for a relationship, but she realized now she’d just never met a man who made her want that happily ever after for herself.

Until Mike.

He had longish, dark hair she loved running her fingers through and beautiful blue eyes she could get lost in. And within him, there was a sense of honor and decency she wanted to emulate.

Mike Corwin was the best kind of man. She wanted to be worthy of being part of his life.

This afternoon, she’d loved the chance to do something nice for him, like arranging lunch. And though he’d been upset with her intrusion, the reaction of his fellow cops had helped smooth things over. They’d enjoyed the meal she’d sent over and they’d all eagerly wanted to meet his new bride.

Though Mike had wanted to keep their relationship a dirty little secret, she’d seen the hint of pride in his eyes when they’d referred to her as his wife. It had helped ease her hurt, she admitted to herself. When she’d seen the yearning in his eyes, desire meant for her alone, that hurt had disappeared. And when he’d kissed her, she’d known she was doing the right thing. Now all she had to do was convince him.

A relationship took work and commitment and Amber was willing to give it both. Once Mike understood she’d never betray him again, Amber believed he would give the same.

She’d ordered in a small pizza and had just finished cleaning up and freezing the extra slices when her cell phone rang.

She picked it up from where she’d left it on the counter. “Hello?”

“Amber, it’s Sydney.”

At the sound of the voice of the concierge from the Crown Chandler hotel, a sick feeling spread through Amber’s stomach. “Hey, what’s up?”

“I got that information. I’m sorry, but a new employee gave you up. Those Texans waved some bills around and the guy pulled your employment file. I’m not sure what details they have, but they got a long look. I’m sorry,” she said again. “He’s been fired for violating confidentiality, but that can’t undo the damage.”

Amber closed her eyes and shook her head. “It’s not your fault. I appreciate you getting back to me.” At least now she knew where she stood. “Talk to you soon.”

“Bye.”

Amber disconnected the phone. If nothing else, King Bobby now had her full name. Of course, the only way he could track her down was if he discovered she was now married.

To do that, he’d have to get information on her at the city hall where her marriage license had been filed. If he got Mike’s name and address, she was dead meat.

She bit the inside of her cheek. First thing tomorrow morning, she’d have to find out if anyone had recently requested information on Amber Rose at city hall.

If the worst happened, she’d have to come clean with Mike. She shook her head, fighting frustrated tears. Just as she was starting to make a little headway with him, he’d discover she’d been keeping things from him. After that, he’d never trust her again. And she’d never get another chance with this special man. That possibility scared her more than anything.

She refused to let that happen. Pulling herself together, she renewed her search for Marshall, making phone calls with no luck. When her former partner went underground, he was better than a gopher, she thought, disgusted.

Well, she’d done all she could for tonight. Instead of worrying, she turned her attention to Mike’s father. She’d promised to call Edward, and so she looked through Mike’s phone book for a number she could reach him at.

Once she’d made sure Mike’s dad was okay, she’d wait up for her husband to come home and make him a happy, happy man. Before her world crumbled down around her come morning.

IT HADN’T TAKEN LONG. Amber was looking for him already. Marshall tossed his precharged, prepaid, disposable cell phone onto the bed. According to his sources, there hadn’t been a single one of his haunts Amber hadn’t contacted. Marshall would have been pleased if not for the fact that that his contacts had also informed him that big Texas bag of wind, King Bobby Boyd, was also looking for him and asking questions.

That thought made Marshall break into a cold sweat. He wasn’t hiding without reason. King Bobby had enough clout with powerful, dangerous men to put the fear of God into a guy who’d never believed in any higher power except his own good luck.

This mess was stressing him out. He stripped and walked across the bedroom naked, intending to take a long, hot shower in the bathroom of the house he was currently inhabiting. Marshall had all sorts of contacts and this residence belonged to a friend of a friend, who sometimes traveled different gambling circuits when the heat was on in Vegas. This was one of those times, so the house was empty. After paying off the houseboy, Marshall had let himself in and prepared himself to wait this mess out.