Hanging around with pro athletes was not something Amber wanted to do ever again. She just needed to do her job and get out of there so she could spend Sunday once again working on her thesis.
And giving Duncan Armstrong his car keys.
Duncan found himself not as eager to get his keys from Amber as he’d been the day before. Seeing her last night in her other job had made him take a big step back. He’d been attracted to her on Friday night at the Sin Bin, but now…knowing she also worked as a model, seeing her dressed up with hair and makeup all perfect, brought back all the things that had been wrong about dating Melissa. The hours waiting for her to get ready to go out. The lack of interest in the kinds of things he liked to do. The epic shopping trips to spend his money. He was not going there again.
Christ. A model.
It wasn’t that surprising. Amber was tall and slender and had great bone structure and perfect skin. Without makeup, and hair in a ponytail, as she’d been Friday night, she’d been beautiful but not flashy. He had to admit talking to her had attracted him to her more than her looks. But with hair and makeup and sexy clothes, she’d been a total, albeit intimidating, knockout.
After their morning skate on Sunday, he grabbed some food with the guys, then drove to Amber’s apartment. He pulled into a parking spot on the street in front of the Lincoln Park building, an older mid-rise, then used the intercom system to call up to the apartment number she’d given him.
A man’s voice came from the intercom speaker. Duncan’s head jerked back. “Uh…I’m looking for Amber Johnson.”
“Yeah, she’s here,” the male voice said. “You Duncan?”
“Yeah.”
“Come on up.”
The buzzer indicated the door was unlocked and Duncan pulled it open and stepped inside. He gazed around the spacious lobby as he walked toward the elevator, impressed. The building had evidently been recently restored. The high ceiling arched between square columns, and two big chandeliers glittered above. He slowly approached the elevator, now even less enthusiastic about seeing her if she had some guy there with her. Of course, they’d never really talked about their relationship status. She had no ring and hadn’t mentioned a boyfriend. With the light flirting she’d been doing Friday night, he’d assumed she was single, which was why he’d asked her out. Maybe the reason she said no was because she had a boyfriend.
Chapter 6
Duncan knocked on the door of unit 503 and the door opened immediately. A guy about five foot ten stood there, around Duncan’s age, his hair a dark chestnut color almost the same as Duncan’s, only this guy’s was longer and straighter, hanging over one eye. A white T-shirt and faded jeans revealed a lean body. “Hey. Come on in.” The guy smiled, then yelled, “Amber!”
Duncan walked into the apartment, greeted by a light, flowery fragrance that he immediately recognized as her scent.
Amber appeared in a narrow hall. She wore faded jeans and a Northwestern hoodie, and her hair was atop her head, with pieces sticking out everywhere. He had to refrain from giving his head a shake at seeing her in yet another guise. And even though she was completely covered in a heavy sweatshirt and jeans, with no makeup and her hair a mess, he still felt that tug of attraction.
She paused and they looked at each other for a long, heavy moment. Then she said, “Hi?” with a smile that surprised him. Friday she’d been pissed off at him and had rejected him. Last night she’d been cool and cautious. Today she seemed warm and friendly, like she’d been when they’d first met. “Here are your keys.” She held them up and crossed the small foyer on feet covered with thick gray socks.
“You look different than you did last night.” But still fucking hot. He felt a kick of lust and a strange surge of possessiveness.
She grinned.
“I’m heading out.” The guy who’d opened the door grabbed a jacket from a coatrack. “Going to meet Jamie for a late lunch.”
“Hang on,” Amber said. “Let me introduce you. Duncan, this is my best friend and roommate, Easton Parker. Easton, Duncan Armstrong.”
He shook Easton’s hand.
Easton gave him a frankly appraising up-and-down look. “He doesn’t look like a farm boy. But you were right about the muscles.” He winked at Amber.
Duncan grinned. Easton was gay. That was so good.
Wait, what? It didn’t matter to him who Amber lived with.
Easton disappeared out the door.
There was another charged moment as they were now alone, the air around them buzzing faintly. His gaze dropped to her mouth, her full rosy lips soft-looking and kissable. He dragged his gaze back up to her eyes. “I didn’t know you had a roommate,” he managed to say in a somewhat normal tone of voice.
“Yeah.” She wet her bottom lip with her tongue and heat flared inside him. “We’ve been friends for years. He moved to Chicago first and was partly the reason I decided to move here to go to college. He’s a photographer.”