Read Online Amber's Ace by Taryn Kincaid - Free Book Online

and watched them through the trees.
    He had a bunch of little ones in tow, some still afraid of the water, and was teaching them to dip their toes in, to accustom them to the chill, to teach them to be less fearful.
    As one small cub named Danny stood timid and tearful on the bank, an older boy, Joey, came up from behind and pushed the youngster into the spring then stood on the shore, taunting the small one and howling with laughter.
    “Come on, guys, let’s show him how it’s done.” Riley picked up two of the smaller kids, and holding each securely in an arm, ran with them to the edge of the bank, jumping in with a howl and crazy shout like Robert Redford plunging off a cliff in the iconic scene from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid . Splashing around in the water, the kids climbed his back and shoulders, chortling. He gathered all the wet boys to him in a giant bear hug.
    The boy on the bank frowned, the tables turned on him. The ones in the water had fun while he remained stuck on dry land.
    “Why’d you do that?” Joey demanded of Riley as he climbed out of the water, the other kids clinging to his arms, legs, and back like giggling monkeys.
    “To teach you something about compassion,” Riley said. “Because we don’t make fun of our friends and our teammates, especially not when they’re littler than we are, and when they’re afraid. We don’t make them cry or bully them. We’re a team. All for one and one for all. We have each other’s backs, all the time. We don’t do things like pushing someone under the bus. Or into the water when he’s not ready to go.”
    “Okay, I get it.” Joey picked up the smaller boy, patting him all over to make sure he was all right. “I’m so sorry, Danny. Friends?”
    The littler cub looked at Riley. When Riley nodded, he turned to the other boy again, nodded tearfully then wiped his eyes and sniffed.
    “I’ve got you, Danny,” Joey declared. “We’re pack.”
    As the scene unfolded, Amber approached them carrying the pile of towels he’d stacked nearby and, to Riley’s shock, handed them out to the little boys.
    “I like what you did,” she whispered to him. “And what you said. Especially about watching out for each other. It’s like me and Garnet. That’s how we got by when…. You know.”
    He took a towel from her and dried off, trying to meet her eyes. Her gaze focused on his bare chest, and a rosy blush spread across her cheeks. His wolf preened beneath her regard, and he scented her heightened interest. Placing two fingers beneath her chin, he lifted her face. Their eyes met. For a split second, she showed him her longing. His wolf leaped with ecstatic joy.
    Mate , the wolf growled. Claim .
    Careful . Riley tamped down his excitement. “I’ll have your back, too, Amber. Always. Whether or not you’re ready to let me be more…to ever acknowledge the link between us. I’ll always look out for you, angel. Do my best to protect you.”
    She sighed. “I have two brothers who do that, already.”
    “Yeah, I know. I’ve met them. They send me killing looks whenever they see me in Gee’s.”
    “Are they giving you a hard time?”
    “Nothing I can’t handle.” Wow. They were actually having a conversation. Something he’d done had impressed her. A minor thing, not even as big a deal as his record-breaking consecutive string of strikeouts or his multiple Cy Young Awards. He’d never had such trouble getting to first base with a female in his life. “Besides…it’s my job, not theirs. To protect you. That’s what mates do.”
    “Mate?” she echoed. A gaggle of conflicting emotions, ranging from longing to fright, chased each other across her features. She took a deep breath, and he watched with relief as she deliberately stifled the brief panic shaking her. She gazed at him, a little stunned, a lot intrigued. “You think that’s what you are?”
    “I know it.”
    “You’re that sure?”
    “Hells yeah. Never been more certain of