Chapter 26 Donovan
DONOVAN
Iwoke up the next day thinking about Audra and the pain on her face when she walked into our office.
She couldn’t even breathe as the sobs racked her shaking body, and I didn’t hesitate for a single second to pull her into me.
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t notice how perfectly she fit right against me, like two puzzle pieces clicking into place.
She smelled like a hospital, but she also smelled like her.
It was some lotion, but I couldn’t quite peg the scent.
Positively divine is what it was. Sweet, but not like candy.
Or maybe that’s exactly what it was; some kind of cotton candy lotion. The thought made me smile.
I knew she had to walk off some of the crash she was experiencing. After my boxing jaunt, I knew what it felt like to have that kind of adrenaline coursing through your veins.
What fuckstick at the hospital didn’t allow her to change patients if she was being treated so poorly?
Who could I complain to about that? I could see the headline: Donovan Wright, millionaire developer, charges into hospital demanding answers about his nurse friend.
I laughed at the absurdity. Not that I was having gossip articles written about me down here, but all the things written about me in New York still haunted me, and I knew a headline like that wouldn’t be too far off.
God, I hated that shit. The only woman I’d ever dated seriously was going behind my back to the press, letting the paparazzi vultures know my next location and tidbits about me they wouldn’t have gotten elsewhere.
It took about three months to figure out where the leak was, and when I did, it cut me deep.
It just felt like another reason not to trust people.
I had so much on my to-do list, but McKenna’s celebration dinner and Audra were dominating my thoughts.
Thinking about the dinner, that I’m sure would be a disaster, was a waste of time …
there was nothing I could do about that.
But there was something productive I could do—check in with Audra.
Asking Maeve how she was doing would be trouble because she wouldn’t let go that I asked about it, and then she’d spin it into something.
Especially after the sweatshirt thing. Although I’m not quite sure I was actually hiding anything.
Regardless, I didn’t have Audra’s number.
I had an advanced freaking degree, several phenomenally successful businesses, and people came to me to make multi-million dollar decisions on the spot, yet there I was like a middle school boy scheming about how to talk to a girl. Jesus Christ.
I settled on, “Maeve, how is Cora holding up?”
“Shit. She’s shit. My brother is shit. Everything’s shit. I could seriously kill him, Donovan.”
“Have you and Audra been spending time with her?”
“I’ve been over there every night, but Audra said something about a bad day at work and didn’t come by last night.”
“Is everything ok with her?” I pried
“When have you ever cared about my friends, Wright? Did she borrow your sweatshirt again?” Maeve snickered.
“Well, seeing as I am part of the dart league fan club and poker night, I was under the impression they’d be my friends, too.
” Audra’s words the night I drove her home from darts stuck out in my head.
I appreciated that people were receptive to me, and though I didn’t think I was a bad addition to their clique, it was validating to hear her speak to it.
At that, she softened. I knew she was stressed, too.
She was heartbroken for Cora, and I’d imagine a mix of sadness and anger that her brother was leaving.
Given the dark circles under her eyes, I’d bet she hadn’t been sleeping either.
There’s no way Tucker was going to propose during that mess.
I sympathized with him, too. The timing of all this was fucked.
“You’re right. You did fit right in, Donovan. In the most respectful way possible, you sure as shit surprised me.”
“Glad to hear you think so. And you weren’t even that out of control, Maeve.” I laughed. “I’m going to run out for lunch; need anything?”
“Nah, I’m good, but thanks.”
Waving goodbye, I ran to Savvy Sips to get a couple of things from the bakery.
I wished I could have procured some rainbow cotton candy, but these baked goods would have to suffice, because I was one hundred percent going to run over to Audra’s house.
The tipping point for that decision was when Maeve dismissed her day as just a bad day.
It didn’t take that advanced degree to know that Audra didn’t tell her the extent of what actually went down.
Maeve would have been raging about the fact that the dad of that kid was intimidating her.
She’d probably push to find out who it was and concoct some revenge plot shit.
If I were the only one who knew all about what happened, it was my responsibility to check in on her, right? Yeah. That’s what I was going with.
I pulled up to her house and rang the bell.
After a minute, she opened the door flushed and sweating with a pair of headphones around her neck, wearing a tiny pair of spandex shorts, and a tank top sports bra combo thing that she was spilling out of.
Clearly, she was doing some kind of workout.
I lost my ability to speak. The blood drained from my head, inconveniently rushing right to my dick when I looked at those thighs and thought about them wrapped around my fucking head.
My eyes wandered up and then down to her legs again.
Holy shit those were tiny shorts. Was I an ass man or a boob man?
It didn’t matter; Audra King had both in spades.
“Donovan, I wasn’t expecting to see you. Is everything ok? How are you?” she said, out of breath.
“Fine. Everything’s fine,” I stuttered out as if I weren’t the one who was the surprise visitor. Pull it together, man. “I brought you a snack,” I said, holding the bag out as an offering. Good Lord, I had never been so awkward before.
“You came here to … drop off a snack?” she questioned me as she tilted her head.
“Yes … No. Uh, I came by to check on you after yesterday. It was an emotional day, and I would have texted you, but I don’t have your number. Just wanted to see how you were feeling.”
“Oh. That is incredibly sweet, Donovan. I’m feeling better. You were completely right. That walk was the best thing I could have done. How do you know so much about adrenaline crashes?”
“I spent years in a boxing gym honing in on those fight-or-flight feelings,” I laughed.
“Let’s spar!” she said enthusiastically, her breath catching up to her.
“Ah, I haven’t been in a ring in five years.”
“No matter, I’ve never done it at all. Will you teach me some moves?” And she threw a couple of punches into the air. This girl was magnetic.
“Oh gosh, yeah, you clearly need coaching after those punches,” I joked with her.
“Watch yourself, Wright. You don’t know what you’re getting into.”
Fuck, don’t I know it. I definitely don’t know what I’m getting into with Audra King. I thought as she threw some more punches and then accentuated it with a Mortal Kombat Uppercut move. When she growled out “Get over here,” my snicker turned into a full-blown laugh.
“Mortal Kombat and Magic 8 Balls. You’re barking up my childhood tree there, King. We’ll throw it on our list of bar games and have some sort of pentathlon event. What did I interrupt you doing?”
“Pentathlon day would be my dream!” she exclaimed as she held her hand over her heart in an exaggerated motion and fluttered her eyelashes.
Once again, we were interrupted by a voice that I would rather never hear again.
Fucking. Theo. This guy was a cockroach.
He strolled up like he owned the place, and Audra froze.
“What are you squatting these days, Audra? That ass is looking good.” He turned to me.
“She strength trains in the basement,” he dismissively said, insinuating I didn’t know, which I didn’t, but it infuriated me.
Had he been within earshot but out of our eyesight? That was unnerving.
“Why are you here, Theo?” Audra said icily.
“Just walking around the neighborhood. Looking at some properties. You’re a property guy, right, Donovan? Any advice?”
I ran my tongue along my inner teeth and felt my hands ball into fists at my sides. “I don’t give out advice to people I’m not working with.”
“Oh, and here I thought we were friends. Don’t worry about the money, Wright.
I have enough to hire you.” He turned his attention back to Audra.
“Still have that weight bench we liked so much, Audra?” He was goading me with his disrespect to both of us, and I could feel myself rising to take the bait.
Speaking of those fight-or-flight responses, my adrenaline was pinging through the roof, body prepping to have a go.
“Fuck you, Theo,” she responded.
“Been there, but I could have another go,” and he grabbed his crotch and licked his lips in a perverted way.
Welp. Here we go. Fight it is.
I took a step towards him, but before my next footstep hit, Audra grabbed the back of my shirt to pull me back.
Could I have broken free from her grip? Sure.
But she tugged again, and I appeased her as I stepped back and glowered at the piece of shit in front of me.
She stepped in front of me so we were chest to chest and brought my attention to her.
With her back fully to Theo, she put both hands on the neck of my shirt and slowly, but forcefully, pulled down.
I bent to her will, and she crashed her lips onto mine.
It was so unexpected that it shorted my entire goddamn system.
What the glorious fuck?