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

of a vibration against her lips than a sound. His arms tightened around her. One hand caressed the side of her neck. The other glided down her side, over the curve of her hips, and squeezed.
    A delicate sigh left her throat, muffled by the kiss. His lips became her world. A soft, lush, romantic world, a world full of arousal and promise, a world where her nipples tightened, threatened to poke holes in her bra. A world where her sex heated. Lord, it had been a long time.
    Had it ever been better?
    She’d kissed a few men in her day. It had never been like this.
    She jerked when a harsh sound cut into her dream.
    Harper ripped his lips away from hers. Chad McCray stood next to them.
    He cleared his throat again. That had been the harsh sound. A silly smile curved over his lips. “Hey there, Harp, Amber. Anything you all want to share with the rest of us?”
    Harper’s turn to clear his throat. “We were just—”
    “Yeah, yeah. I see what you’re doing. It’s great, really. But this here’s Catie’s party for Violet. I don’t want you two stealing her thunder.”
    “Oh, of course not.” Amber’s cheeks warmed. She was no doubt turning about thirty shades of scarlet. “We’d… I mean I’d…never do anything to spoil Catie’s party.”
    “Me either,” Harper said. “This was nothin’, Chad. Just…we’ve had a little bit to drink and all…”
    “Yeah.” Blame it on the alcohol. That would work. No need to let everyone know she’d kissed him to make him forget about Rachel’s. Evidently it had worked.
    Now if she could only calm down the throbbing between her thighs.
    Harper’s lips were red and swollen. Were hers? She touched her fingers to them. They felt hot.
    Catie ambled up, sans Violet. “Mary put the baby down for a bit,” she said to Chad, and then turned to Amber. “You wanted to talk to me?”
    “Yeah, yeah I did. Would you two excuse us for a few?”
    “Sure thing. Go on and have your girl talk,” Chad said. “I’ll take care of Harp. I have a few questions for him myself.”
    I’m sure you do. Sheesh. What would Harper tell Chad about their kiss? Did guys even talk about things like that? Hell if she knew. She really knew very little about men.
    She and Catie wandered away from the crowd. Catie led her to a charming little bench behind the pool house. “So what’s up?”
    Amber plunked her behind down on the wooden bench. Where to start?
    “What do you know about Blake Buchanan?” she asked.
    “Not too much, really,” Catie said. “He worked here for Chad a while back. Chad said he was a great worker. He knows tons about horses, I guess.”
    “Why’d he leave?”
    “He left town because Evelyn Luke—you know, the librarian?—got pregnant. Blake was allegedly the father. At the time, Evie’s dad was mayor of Bakersville. It’s a small town. Pretty soon everybody knew.”
    “So what? Lots of women get pregnant out of wedlock. That’s hardly a reason to chase a guy out of town.”
    “It is when the father of the girl tries to shoot the guy.”
    Amber perked up. “What?”
    “Yeah. Mayor Luke went all crazy and ended up coming over here to Chad’s, where Blake was living at the time, and holding him at gunpoint.”
    “What happened?”
    “Well, he said Blake would marry his daughter or else. Blake said no way, and I swear to God, Chad said he heard the gun cock.”
    Amber’s muscles froze. One of her greatest fears was to be held at gunpoint. “Chad was there?”
    “Yeah, they were in one of the stables.”
    “So did the guy shoot Blake?”
    “Nope. Another guy walked in on them and ended up tackling Mayor Luke to the ground. I can’t recall who it was. Chad could tell you. He’s no longer here. Anyway, they called the sheriff and the mayor got carted off to jail.”
    “And Blake?”
    “Left town running. Can’t say I blame him. Evie ended up losing the baby. She still says it was Blake’s. He denies it. So who knows? But I’m not going to persecute a