Total pages in book: 51
Estimated words: 48550 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 243(@200wpm)___ 194(@250wpm)___ 162(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 48550 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 243(@200wpm)___ 194(@250wpm)___ 162(@300wpm)
She stared at him wordlessly. Her heart had remained shattered for a long time after she’d headed out of town for college. In the beginning, thoughts of him filled her every waking moment. That had faded over time to frequent memories and a jarring hope at the sight of a stranger in a crowd who looked a bit like Rio. Amber had never forgotten him, either.
Mechanically, she swung her leg over the bike after he settled into place. Emotionally overwhelmed, she welcomed a moment of privacy to wrangle herself under control as they set off to return to town. Amber pressed her cheek against his back and clung to his hard frame.
When Rio covered her hands with one of his, she knew he understood how she felt. Rio had always sensed her feelings. Regardless of any front she put on to fool the world, he got her.
Reaching town, he returned his hand to the handlebar to maneuver safely through the traffic. He drove into a new section of town that Amber had never visited and stopped at a guard shack that controlled the entrance to an exclusive neighborhood.
“Hi, Rio,” the older man greeted them as he waved from the small building.
“Hi, Charlie. This is Amber Murphy. She’s the other name on my account and will need access.”
“Hi, Amber. When you drive in for the first time, I’ll get your car make and model with your license plate to complete your registration. Then you can just wave at us as you come in and out.”
“Thanks, Charlie,” Amber said smoothly, wiggling her fingers against Rio’s waist to signal she had questions.
He drove the motorcycle through the quiet neighborhood. Everyone they passed waved hello, and several called Rio’s name in greeting. When he pulled into the driveway of decidedly the residence Amber would not call a condo, she scrambled off the bike to look at him with her hands on her hips.
What is going on here?
“Let me put this in the garage and I’ll answer all your questions.”
Unbuckling her helmet, Amber worked very hard not to tap her foot in annoyance as Rio turned the bike around and backed it into the garage next to a very expensive sports car. She paced forward to return it to him as he stepped off the bike. Within seconds, he wrapped an arm around her waist and steered her inside.
“Are you kidding me? What’s going on here, Rio? Did you rob a bank?” she demanded.
“It appears that you made some assumptions about the young man working as a bartender at your dad’s establishment,” he said with a raised eyebrow. “Come on. Let me get you something to drink. I’m always thirsty after a ride.”
“I don’t understand this, Rio.”
“I know.” Opening the refrigerator door, he pulled out a carton of milk and a bottle of chocolate syrup.
As he poured two tall glasses of milk and added syrup to one, Amber collapsed onto one of the kitchen island’s barstools.
“I haven’t drank chocolate milk since I was twelve,” she informed him as he sat it in front of her.
“I bet you still like it.”
To prove him wrong, she took a sip. Chocolatey goodness coated her parched throat and settled easily into her churning stomach. “Okay, it’s delicious,” she admitted and took another drink before waving a hand around in a silent message.
“My family owns the De Leon banks. We don’t rob them.”
“And you were working in the bar?”
“My father believed all his children needed to find their way in the world. After high school graduation, we received nothing from the family coffers until we were twenty-five and began working for the family.”
Amber did some quick math in her head. “You were twenty-five when I was twelve. Why did you stick around at the bar?”
“You were a phenomenal kid. I knew you’d be a remarkable woman. I wanted to watch you grow up.”
She stared at him, speechless. He’d made what seemed like a bunch of money to a teenager in tips but looking back now, Amber knew her father had not paid Rio a lot of money. He’d lived in a crappy apartment and ridden a second-hand motorcycle just to stay close to her?
“I also needed to find my niche in the banking business. Your father helped me discover that,” he shared.
“My father?”
“He was being swindled by the liquor company he used back then. As I checked in a few deliveries when he was out of the bar, I noted errors in the invoices and reported them. Eventually, he had me check a stack from previous orders. I believe he changed companies after that.”
“You could tell something was wrong at a glance?”
“Turns out that’s my superpower,” he joked.
“That’s a pretty handy superpower for a guy whose family is in banking.”
“It is,” Rio confirmed.
“Are you working two places now?”
“I am. The bar is a hobby. There is a full staff and a couple of managers. I simply keep an eye on the books and bartend when I want to be there.”