BILLIONAIRE SERIES: HIS AMBER

Chapter 12: Wanted

Amber's POV

"Oh, didn't go into this part of the hedge maze earlier," I said.

"Probably a good thing. You would have gotten lost," Simoun said.

"I would not have. I'm good at keeping track of where I'm going. Puzzles have always fascinated me."

"Why does that not shock me?"

"Because nothing shocks a man with no excitement in his life."

"Hey, I have excitement."

"Oh really? Then name one thing that made you excited in the last two weeks," I said.

I slid away from Simoun's body and turned to look at him. His eyes hardened on mine as that familiar blush crept up his neck. Oh, how I loved teasing him. He was such an easy target. The mouth of the maze was behind me, and I took a step into it, halfway shrouding myself with the shadows looming over the pathway.

"You'll get lost," he said.

"If we aren't back by midnight, I'm sure Onel will surely send out the hounds and footmen to come find us."

Simoun chuckled and shook his head, a sound and an action that filled me with a desire to know him more. I was glad I had jumped at the opportunity to be in the garden with him because I knew what Onel was attempting to set up. While Simoun had been under the impression that Onel was going to join us, I knew he had every intention of doing no such thing. Men like Onel fancied themselves matchmakers. He needed to establish himself as the head of everything around him, including our romantic "love" for one another. He wanted to be able to put his small mark on everything in our world, hence inviting us out to church. Hence, inviting us out to his property. Hence, putting us in romantic scenarios that made him feel as if he was helping us along in our romantic journey with each other.

Onel wanted to feel invested in every part of our world before he made any deals with Simoun, and Simoun simply didn't understand that.

Either that, or he refused to see it. Or couldn't. I really didn't know which one it was.

"Come on. We won't go far," I said.

I held out my hand and wiggled my fingers, smiling when Simoun took my hand.

"If you insist," he said.

"How are you liking Tokyo so far?"

I asked as he began to walk.

"It's nice. Adventurous."

"Anything else?" I asked.

"Not sure what else a city can be."

"It can be fun. Or eye-opening. Or romantic. Or exciting."

"I said it was adventurous."

"That's such a designer answer, though," I said.

"Designer?"

"You know, fabricated. Meant to be nothing more than what it is," I said.

"I still have no idea what you mean."

I giggled and shook my head as our fingers threaded together.

"Have you ever been somewhere that simply... took your breath away? Left you at a loss for words or what to do once you took it in?"

"No," he said.

"Well, that's what Tokyo did for me. My life was never the same after I traveled here for the first time. My definition of beauty and my aspirations in life changed the second I stepped foot in this place."

"Nope. Never had that experience either."

"Shame. It's one of the most defining experiences a person could ever have, in my opinion."

We walked in silence for a little bit before I drew in a deep breath.

"Favorite place to vacation?"

"I don't do vacations."

"Okay. Favorite place to spend time and decompress?" I asked.

"I don't do much of that either. Though I have a nice en suite bathroom and bedroom connected to my office."

"Do you ever leave that place?" I asked with a giggle.

"Not much," he said as a smirk crawled across his cheeks.

"You really are something. Simoun Cardenas work and no play make many men no fun to be around."

"All work and no play is how I've built my empire. And I'm not stopping anytime soon."

"So, how big is big enough?" I asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You're Simoun Cardenas. The technological GPS guru who's single-handedly brought our military into what everyone says is a twenty-second-century way of fighting."

"Nice to see you've been doing your research."

"I have to. You don't talk much about yourself, and I have to know you as if I've known you for the past three years. So, when is the empire big enough? Does Simoun Cardenas have any want for a family in his life?"

"According to our backstory, we're going to fill our home full of children."

"Not what I asked," I said.

"Then be careful what you ask. We don't know who's actually out in these gardens with us."

"Fair enough. So, what's your favorite color?"

I looked over at him as a genuine smile crossed his cheeks. His face lit up with a boyish charm when he let that thing loose. And I could tell by the lack of laugh lines in his face that he didn't do much. I smiled back at him before I leaned in closer, my head leaning against his shoulder. I felt him stiffen, and I shook my head as my thumb began to swirl against the skin of his hand.

"We don't know who's out here, remember? Plus, I don't bite. Well, not if you don't want me to," I said.

He stopped abruptly, and his hand pulled away from mine. The two of us paused underneath a shadowed overhang as my gaze fluttered up to his. Did some sort of physical connection really make him that uncomfortable? How in the world did he expect to pull off having a fiancée if he couldn't touch and tease me a bit? I wanted to ask him. I wanted to have an answer to the question plaguing my mind. Honestly, I wanted to know more about the man, in general. About the life he'd led and the person he'd become. But he needed to loosen up. He needed a little spontaneity in his life. He needed something other than work. He needed something akin to a vacation.

He needed not to be so damn serious all the time.

"You know, I used to be afraid of the dark as a child," Simoun said.

I looked around us at the darkened space we were standing in and figured now was my chance. I could use the idea floating around in my head as an excuse to lighten the mood and get him back out into the moonlight. He looked dashing in it, anyway. No use in wasting time, especially when I was learning so much about him that would surely come up in conversation over the course of the next week.

"Ever played tag in a labyrinth before?" I asked.

"I've never been in one before, so no."

"Have you ever done anything fun in your life?"

"Does working constitute 'fun' if I love what I do?"

"No, it doesn't."

"Then no, I don't do many fun things in my life," he said.

"Then... you're it!"

I tapped his shoulder before I turned on my feet to run away from him. My giggles filled the large space as I ran down the row, then made a sharp left turn. My hair flowed behind my shoulders as the maze in front of me unfolded, and my mind began to map it out as I circled around and around toward the center.

"Amber! What are you doing? You're going to get lost!"

"You're it, Simoun! Come catch me!"

My feet carried me as fast as I could as I darted through the maze. But I couldn't keep my laughter under wraps long enough to get myself hidden. Every time I came to a shadowed dead end, a giggle would slip from my lips and I'd hear Simoun hot on my tail. It forced me to dash out and keep running, and every time laughter fell from my lips I'd hear Simoun in hot pursuit.

"For someone who's never played tag, you're good at it!" I exclaimed.

"Because you can't stop laughing to get yourself hidden."

I squealed when he popped his head around the corner, and I wrapped myself around another turn. I was able to leave him in my dust a few times, but he was right. No matter how many times I bit down onto my lip to keep from laughing, I couldn't stop myself. Every time I thought I had him fooled, I'd hear his footsteps and start giggling again.

"I hear you," Simoun said.

His hands reached through the shrubbery and grabbed on to my waist. I squealed and threw my head back as laughter fell from my lips. He stepped through the brush, covered in twigs and small waxy-looking leaves. His lips were parted in a laughter that filled the space between us. I plucked the twigs from his suit jacket and smoothed the leaves off his shoulders. I reached up and pulled a few mangled twigs from his hair before smoothing it back off to the side. His hands held my waist tightly, his grip never letting loose as we stood near the center of the maze.

I couldn't take my eyes off him once our gazes connected.

His beautiful emerald eyes darkened as his hands slid around my waist. They planted them in the small of my back and pulled my body flush into his. The sounds of soothing fountains rushed behind me as the moon reflected in his darkened gaze. The heat of his body was too much. The twinkling of the stars cheering us on was too much.

Onel had been right. The gardens were romantic underneath the nighttime sky of Tokyo.

Without thinking, I stood on my toes and pressed my lips against Simoun's. Wind kicked up around us and rustled the leaves, and I felt his hands leave my back. I gripped his suit coat, keeping him against my body for as long as I could have him. I wanted just one kiss. One brief moment when I actually enjoyed giving this service to a client.

Then, his hands pressed back against me and brought me flush with his body.

He groaned into my lips, his tongue pushing through and capturing mine. I felt my knees grow weak. My hands fisted his jacket tighter. His arms slid to cloak my back, bringing me closer as his head tilted off to the side. I memorized the way his tongue stroked the roof of my mouth, the way his groans filled my throat, the way his hand fisted my hair and kept my lips pressed against his.

Holy hell, the man could kiss.

His hands gripped me tightly as he began to move forward. I stepped backward in time with his movements, allowing him to guide me wherever he wanted me. The passion of his response left me breathless. I found myself drawing from his ragged breath as his tongue battled with mine. Our teeth clattered as his hands slid to my ass. He cupped my cheeks and lifted me onto my tiptoes. I danced along with him, feeling his body twirl us until the backs of my legs pressed against something cool.

Something smooth.

Something strong.

He sat me down on the edge of the fountain as the water poured behind us. He knelt between my legs, his hands sliding up the bareness of my thighs. I cupped his cheeks, raked my fingers through his hair. His hands slid over my dress and wrapped them around my lower back again, drawing me to the edge of the fountain's seat. My lips swelled against his. I tasted the white wine still dancing on the tip of his tongue. My hands slid down the front of his body, taking in the lean, rippling muscles underneath his tailored suit.

I didn't even try to hold back the shiver that wafted down my back.

I felt alive. Beautiful. Wanted, for the first time since my life had imploded. I allowed myself to fall into him. To collapse into his strength as his hands roamed my body. The command he had was fierce, so unlike the blushing boy that tried so hard to stay away from the big, bad call girl. His hand came up to fit my hair again and pulled my head back, exposing my neck so his lips could trace over my skin.

"Simoun. Don't stop," I whispered.

And for the first time in my career, I meant every syllable of that phrase.