Treasuring Amber: The Temptation Saga: Book Five Read Online Free

himself. Every cowboy west of the Mississippi knew about Rachel’s in San Antonio.
    It was a strip club.
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    A s she breathed in the fresh scent of baby powder, Amber’s uterus skipped a beat. She silenced her reproductive organs and handed Violet back to Catie. “She sure is precious.”
    “Thank you.” Catie beamed up at Chad. “We sure think so.”
    “Now you know I’ll babysit anytime.”
    “Of course. Violet will love having her Auntie Amber come to sit. Won’t you?” Catie cooed to the baby.
    “I need to talk to you when you have a minute,” Amber said.
    “Oh, sure.” Catie kissed the top of Violet’s head. “She’ll be ready to go down for a nap in about twenty minutes. I’ll come find you.”
    “Perfect, thanks.”
    Chad handed the cosmo he’d been holding back to Amber, and he and Catie left to show Violet off to more people. Harper pulled Amber aside.
    “Before you talk to Catie, you need to talk to me.”
    “What about?”
    “About San Antonio.”
    Amber gulped.
    “About Rachel’s.”
    “What about it? I’ve never heard of it.”
    “You expect me to believe you lived in San Antonio and never heard of Rachel’s? Sorry, not buyin’ it.”
    Amber gulped again. She glanced down at her drink. Damn. Still half full. Couldn’t use the old “could you get me another drink?” eye batting thing.
    “Okay, okay. It’s a gentlemen’s club downtown.”
    “On the outskirts of town, and it’s not a gentlemen’s club. It’s a strip club. And the strippers are known to take certain liberties. For money.”
    Amber’s heart thudded. “Just how would you know all of this?”
    “Easy.” His lips curved into a sardonic smile. “I’ve been there.”
    “Oh?” She arched her eyebrows.
    “Now don’t go lookin’ at me like that. Every cowboy goes to Rachel’s at one time in his life. It’s kind of a requirement I think. A rite of passage.”
    “And I suppose you paid for liberties?”
    “Me? Hell no. I look but don’t touch. I kind of feel sorry for those girls.”
    Amber tried to hide her surprise. “Sorry? Why? They make great money.”
    “So you are familiar with the place then.”
    Amber inhaled. Why wouldn’t her insides stop quivering? Maybe she’d said too much. “Not really. I just know strippers usually make good money.”
    “Not all strippers. But at a place like Rachel’s I’m sure the money can be great. Course it’s been a long time since I’ve been there.”
    “Oh?”
    “Yeah. Chad McCray—don’t tell Catie—dragged me there when I turned twenty-one. He was twenty-three or twenty-four at the time. We were in San Antonio on an overnight for a rodeo.”
    “How old are you now?”
    “Thirty.”
    Amber exhaled the breath she’d been holding. The flip-flops in her tummy slowed down a bit. He wouldn’t recognize her.
    “I can’t believe you and Chad would go into that place.”
    “So you do know it.”
    “I’ve heard of it.”
    “Now I wonder…why in the world would Blake Buchanan think he had seen you there?”
    “I’m sure I haven’t the slightest idea.” God, how can I stop this conversation?
    “I’m thinking you’re hiding something, Amber, and I aim to find out—”
    Her drink fell out of her hand and hit the grass with a soft clump. She threw her arms around Harper’s neck and smashed her lips to his.
    Anything to shut him up. To end this conversation.
    She hadn’t expected the kiss to be so powerful.
    Harper’s lips were full, and oh, so soft. He parted them gently, and his tongue swept into her mouth, bitter and malty from his beer. Amber wasn’t fond of beer, but on Harper it tasted like nectar. She let her tongue entwine with his. His response overwhelmed her. He wanted to kiss her. Heck, he was enjoying it.
    So was she.
    The kiss became more hurried, frantic. Their lips slid against each other’s, searching and learning. Amber glided her fingers through Harper’s tousled hair, soft as suede.
    “Mmm.”
    His soft groan was more