Rules of Love Read online

  “Right. I love to read. I don’t get a chance to read as much as I used to, but I do still take time to read.”

  “I like. I really do.”

  “Glad you approve.” Jason smiled. “Let me show you something.”

  Amber placed the book back on the shelf. Jason opened a door next to the chaise, revealing a balcony. He held his hand out. Amber took it as he led her out onto the balcony.

  An ocean view greeted them.

  “It’s beautiful. I could sit out here and write all day.” Amber walked to the edge of the balcony.

  Jason placed his hand in the middle of her back. “The water is so pretty and blue. I love the sounds from the waves. I sit out here to meditate, and before I know it, I’m waking up from a nap I hadn’t intended to take.”

  “I thought I had a nice view. This is better.”

  “I’m not on the beach but close enough that I can walk if I like, or drive.” Jason smiled.

  “Not sure how long I will be here, but I feel that I’m going to like it here.”

  “Good. I have a maid service come in and clean up once a week. I’m so busy that although I can cook, I don’t always have time to cook, so I use this service that brings in my food for the week as well.”

  “Yes, please keep the maid service because I hate cleaning up. But the food service? You can call and cancel them. As long as I’m here, you will be getting some home-cooked meals.”

  “There are some benefits to being married. Maybe I should have tried this a long time ago.”

  “You weren’t marriage material then.”

  “So you agree I am now.” Jason pulled Amber into his arms.

  “The verdict is still out.”

  “Maybe this will convince you.” Jason kissed Amber, lifting her off her feet.

  “Now that was a kiss,” Amber said as soon as her feet hit the floor and Jason released her from his embrace.

  Jason grabbed her hand. “Come on. I want to show you the rest of the house.”

  Amber followed Jason from room to room. Each room seemed to have its own theme. Besides the master bedroom, she’d already decided the kitchen was her second-favorite place in the house.

  “This kitchen is perfect,” Amber said as she admired the spacious layout. The counters were marble, and the stove and refrigerator were stainless steel. There was an island in the middle with bar stools placed under it. In one corner was a kitchen table with four chairs around it. The color scheme reminded Amber of a sunflower. It was bright and yellow and made the kitchen very inviting.

  “This is my favorite part of the kitchen.” Jason pointed to a twenty-inch television with a connected stereo system adjacent to the counter.

  Amber opened the refrigerator. Inside were packages of prepared food, bottles of water, and juice. There were no condiments, no fruit, no vegetables; the refrigerator was empty as far as she was concerned.

  “First order of business is grocery shopping. How can you live like this? There’s hardly any food here.” Amber shut the refrigerator door and looked at Jason.

  “I told you, usually by the time I get home, it’s late, and I get my food prepackaged.”

  “I see.” Amber opened the doors to the cabinets. She was pleased to see there were nice dishes inside. She opened the pantry. “Um. I see now.”

  The pantry was filled with junk food. Potato chips and other snacks filled the shelves.

  “I know. I’m a junkie.”

  Amber placed her hand on his chest. “With all of this junk food, I’m surprised you’re so fit.”

  “I work out almost every day.”

  “I can tell.” Amber winked and continued to inspect the kitchen.

  Once they were through in the kitchen, Jason led her to the backyard. The lawn looked freshly cut, and the beautiful, colorful flowers were neat and trimmed.

  “I pay a gardener to come by once a week to keep the yard up,” Jason noted.

  “I might be spending a lot of time back here. I’m surprised you don’t have a pool.”

  “Beyond those walls.” Jason pointed at the wooden fence. “There’s a natural pool. God’s beautiful ocean. When I want to take a swim, I just follow the path through the fence there and go to the ocean.”

  Jason grabbed her hand and led her through the gate and down the path to the beach. They spent the next hour walking hand in hand along the sand, enjoying the cool ocean breeze. This part of the beach wasn’t busy with tourists. In fact, no one else was on the beach but them.

  “You’re so beautiful,” Jason stopped and said.

  Amber chuckled. “Have you been drinking again?”

  Jason removed the clip from her hair, and it fell to her shoulders. “Look at you. You’re gorgeous. I’m a lucky man.”

  No man she’d been with had ever described her as gorgeous. Jason had a way of making her feel confident. “Compliments will get you everywhere,” she responded with a smile on her face.

  “It’s the truth,” Jason said right before kissing her.

  Amber wasn’t sure how long they kissed, but she knew she never wanted his lips to leave hers. Being in his arms at this moment in time made her feel at peace. She didn’t want the feeling to end.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Thirty minutes later, they were seated in the den, with Jason’s laptop turned on and in front of them.

  “You can order whatever you feel we need for the kitchen, and someone will deliver it,” Jason said.

  He positioned the laptop so Amber could have a clear view.

  “Since I’m not sure how long I’ll have to be camped out here, we are going to need a lot.”

  Jason handed Amber his credit card. “I’m going to leave that part up to you. While you’re taking care of that, I’ll be making a few business calls.”

  “On a Sunday?” Amber asked.

  “Truthfully, in this line of business, the days run together.”

  “It’s like that when I’m trying to complete a screenplay. I usually try to write Monday through Friday, but when the story is talking to me, I get in that zone and don’t want to stop.”

  “Beauty and brains is her name.” Jason gave her a quick peck and left the room.

  He went to his home office and took a seat in the leather swivel chair behind his desk.

  He logged on to the computer and checked and responded to emails.

  While online, Charlotte instant messaged him. Call me.

  Jason dialed Charlotte’s number.

  “Welcome back. The phone’s been ringing off the hook,” Charlotte said.

  “I can imagine,” Jason responded, while still scrolling through his emails.

  “You have to remember Amber is not only Max’s daughter, but a child star. People like to keep up with celebrities.”

  “She’s been out of the spotlight for so long, I think she’s forgotten she was once a star,” Jason added while typing a response to one of his employees. “I see, other than my little drama, nothing else has gotten out of hand.”

  “We’ve got everything under control. I talked to Max and he wants to meet with us on Wednesday.”

  “With everything going on, I hadn’t even thought about asking Amber to renew her contract.”

  “You’ve had more important things on your mind. Love will make you lose your train of thought,” Charlotte said.

  “Who said I was in love?” Jason smiled as he asked the question.

  “I’ve seen how you look at her when you think no one is watching. And that’s all I’m going to say,” Charlotte responded.

  “Enough about me. What’s going on with you?” he asked. Jason stopped typing and gave Charlotte his undivided attention.

  Charlotte burst out crying. It caught Jason off guard.

  “Charlotte, do I need to come over there? What’s wrong?” J
ason asked question after question.

  “It’s Sean. I think he’s having an affair. I’m about to have his baby, and I don’t have the strength to confront him.”

  Jason laughed.

  “Jason, this is not funny. I’m serious,” Charlotte shouted from the other end of the line.

  “Stop crying.”

  “What am I supposed to do? I’m always fixing other people’s lives, but who’s going to fix mine?”

  Jason scrolled through his contacts and sent Sean a quick text message: We need to talk.

  He said to Charlotte over the phone, “You and I both know Sean is not sleeping with anyone else. That man adores you.”

  “I thought so too, but lately he’s been acting strange. He won’t even touch me. My Sean would never not touch me. But this new Sean? He acts as if I have the plague or something. And this is his baby I’m carrying, so why is he acting like this with me?”

  Jason didn’t know, but he didn’t like hearing that his business partner and best friend was hurting. If Sean was messing around on Charlotte, he would have hell to pay.

  His phone beeped, alerting him to an incoming text.

  “Charlotte, calm down. It’s not good for the baby and it’s not good for you. Try to get some rest. I’m sure nothing’s going on.”

  “I’ll try, Jason. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Seconds after hanging up with Charlotte, Jason dialed Sean’s number.

  “If it’s not the newlywed,” Sean teased.

  Jason interrupted him. “Forget that. I need to know who you’re screwing and why?”

  “Excuse me?” Sean responded.

  “You heard me. How long have you been having an affair?”

  “Jason, where is this coming from? Affair? I’m not having an affair. I’m a happily married man. My wife’s about to have a baby. But you know that.”

  “I just got off the phone with your wife, and she thinks you’re having an affair.”

  “Jason, I swear to you, I am not cheating. I love Charlotte. She’s my world. I would never do her like that.”

  “You need to explain yourself. Why are you treating her as if she has the plague? Her words, not mine.”

  Sean sighed aloud. “Man, I’ve been trying to deal with her being pregnant the best way I know how. I want to touch her, but I don’t want to hurt the baby. I keep my distance because being around her keeps me in a constant state of arousal, especially knowing she’s carrying my child inside of her.”

  Jason felt relieved. He wouldn’t have to hurt Sean after all. “I think you two need to talk. She thinks you’re acting funny with her because you’re sleeping with another woman. You don’t want to touch her because you’re afraid to hurt her. All of this drama because of some miscommunication.” Jason laughed.

  “I didn’t know she felt that way. I definitely need to clear this up and fast. I’ll talk to you later.”

  “Sean, you should be glad we’re also friends, because if we weren’t, I would have kicked your behind and asked questions later. You know Charlotte is my best friend, and nobody hurts my best friend.”

  “Charlotte’s lucky to have a guy like you in her corner.”

  “Please remind her of that, because lately, with my drama, she needs that reminder.”

  “Got to go, man. Got to clean up this mess.”

  Jason was glad to find out Sean and Charlotte’s situation could be cleared up with a simple phone call. Too bad his situation wasn’t that easy to fix.

  Chapter Fifteen

  After speaking with Sean and Charlotte, Jason returned to checking his emails and sending out correspondence. The doorbell rang.

  “I got it,” he heard Amber say from the hallway.

  Jason disregarded her comment and went to see who was at the door himself. “No, I got it,” he said to her.

  Amber stood to the side as Jason opened the door.

  A deliveryman with boxes of groceries on a dolly greeted them. “Delivery for Jason Lewis.”

  “Yes, that’s me.”

  The delivery guy gave Jason a clipboard with a sheet of paper on top for him to sign. Jason signed it.

  “Where do you want these?” the guy asked.

  “Baby, show them where to put the groceries. I need to get something real quick.”

  The delivery guy followed Amber to the kitchen. Jason went upstairs to grab some money out of his wallet.

  The delivery guy was still unloading the groceries when Jason returned downstairs.

  Afterwards, Jason walked him to the front door. He handed him the money. “Thanks. We’ll probably be using your services again.”

  The driver smiled when he saw the fifty-dollar tip Jason had given him. “I hope I get the call to deliver it when you do.”

  Jason returned to the kitchen to help Amber put away the groceries.

  “You have some of everything,” Jason noted.

  “I thought you said I could order what I wanted.” Amber stopped what she was doing and looked at him.

  “Oh no. That’s no problem. I just didn’t realize I was out of everything.”

  “All you needed was a woman’s touch.” Amber winked and went back to putting away the groceries.

  “If you need me, I’ll be in my office.”

  “I’ll call for you when dinner is ready.”

  “You don’t have to cook. I can order Chinese food or something.”

  “Nope. This is my first night here. Our first night together at your place, and I want to cook.”

  Jason held his hand up. “Who am I to argue with a woman who wants to cook me a meal? Let me get out of your way.”

  Jason smiled as he left and returned to his home office.

  * * * * *

  Amber whipped up a quick meal for Jason and her in pots that looked like they’d never been used. She cooked shrimp fettuccine Alfredo and placed it on two plates. She took garlic bread sticks and wrapped them up in a basket.

  She set the dining room table, then looked through the cabinets in the dining room and found a bottle of white wine.

  Once she had everything set up, she called out for Jason.

  He walked into the dining room. “I could smell the aroma down the hall. And it looks great.”

  “Let’s eat.”

  Jason sat at the head of the twelve-person table. Her place setting was right next to his.

  Amber watched with pride as Jason devoured the food in front of him.

  “Where did you learn to cook like this?” Jason asked.

  “My mom. She’s from Louisiana. Whenever she wasn’t out working, she would cook. I would be in the kitchen with her. I was her assistant. It was our favorite thing to do together.”

  “This tastes better than any restaurant I’ve ever been to, and I’m an expert on restaurants.”

  Amber laughed. “Being the bachelor that you are, I’m sure you are.”

  “You mean were. I’m no longer a bachelor. I got you now, baby.” He winked.

  She blushed. “Flattery. You keep building up those points, don’t you?”

  Jason wiped his mouth with a napkin. “You’re going to spoil me cooking like this.”

  “My mom always said the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”

  Jason held his hand over his heart. “You got mine.”

  Amber wished that were true. She not only liked Jason, she was falling in love with him. She cooked the food with love because, in less than seventy-two hours, he’d turned her world upside down. She’d experienced several firsts being with him, and that was very special for her.

  If she’d known Jason and she would get along this well, she would have been more open to pursuing more than a business relationship months earlier. Maybe they didn’t need an annulment after all.

  Chapter Sixteen
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  After dinner, Jason insisted on cleaning up the kitchen since she had cooked.

  “Okay, since you insist. I’ll be upstairs,” Amber said.

  Jason washed the dishes and went straight to his bedroom afterward. Amber wasn’t there, but he saw that the master bathroom door was open.

  He stepped inside and saw Amber leaned back with her eyes closed in the spa-like tub with bubbles overflowing.

  Jason smiled. He started removing his clothes. “Would you like some company?” he asked.

  Amber tilted her head to the side and opened her eyes. “Only if you want to.”

  It didn’t take Jason long to discard all of his clothes. He eased himself into the water behind her. The hot water soothed the muscles in his body.

  His back was against the hot tub, and her back was on his chest. She leaned back. His nose caught a wisp of the rose scent in her hair.

  “Amber, what if I told you I didn’t want to get an annulment?”

  “Jason, I know you’re only remaining in this to please my father, so you don’t have to pretend.”

  “I like you, Amber. I really do.”

  “Liking someone is not enough reason to stay married.”

  Jason moved Amber’s hair and kissed the nape of her neck. “If I was pretending, there’s no way I would make love to you the way that I do. I wouldn’t kiss you the way that I do.”

  “Mmm,” Amber said. “Jason, come on. You’re not playing fair.”

  Jason eased his fingers inside of her and twirled them around. “This is not a game,” he whispered.

  Amber’s head fell back on him. He continued the circular motion with his fingers until she came. He took those same fingers and placed them in his mouth.

  She shifted her body so that she was now face-to-face with him. She leaned near him and kissed him. She spread her legs wide and sat on top of him.

  “Oooh,” Jason said when he felt her insides.

  “Ohhh, Jason,” Amber said as she rocked her body on top of his.

  She leaned her head back and Jason bit on her neck.

  He cupped her breasts with his hands. He placed one of her stiff brown nipples in his mouth as she continued to bounce up and down on him.