Chapter 14
Theo
What annoyed me was the fact that things went super well with the team yesterday, and it made me feel like something bad was gonna happen. My life proved the pattern of oh things are going well would immediately be followed with let’s fuck up his life.
The team worked out yesterday, and five of the guys and I headed out after to talk shit. There wasn’t any weirdness at all. They wanted to hear about the draft experience, what playing at Indiana was like, and then we ate pizza and watched Friday night football. Easy. Simple. Even one of Quentin’s sidekicks showed up and wasn’t a dick.
Reiner wanted an update on Quentin the following week, and while I didn’t have one, I chose to focus on the other Hawthorne consuming my life. Audrey fucking Hawthorne. The most brilliant, wonderful, and sexy woman ever. I planned our whole date after working out the stuff at home, and Em even commented on my outfit saying I dripped of rizz.
My siblings loved her, and that solidified that all my feelings were right. I wore black slacks and a dark gray shirt buttoned up and put on my favorite watch. It belonged to my grandpa and made me feel like a million bucks. I wanted to look good for Audrey. I knew my looks, and I was thankful for genes, but a compliment from her meant so much more. It was wild how much I valued her opinion and thoughts. Like, this woman had hated me a few weeks ago.
I chuckled, pulling up to park outside her dorm when the thought hit me. Her and I were probably a not great idea. Should we even do this? I didn’t have a lot of time, and there was the complicated matter of her brother always lingering over us.
Before my mom’s stroke, I used to do pro and con lists with her, but now I stopped focusing on the cons all together. Life was too short. I could be injured tomorrow and never play hockey again, and the first thing I’d do? Beg Audrey to date me. So yeah. If hockey and Quentin were the only reasons holding me back, that was fucking stupid.
I parked and hopped out of truck just as Audrey waltzed from the dorm doors like she’d been waiting for me.
Any doubt vanished. Audrey gave me a shy, half-smile that hit me right in the chest as I admired every part of her. She wore her auburn hair down in waves, and her hair landed just above her breasts. Some dangly earrings shined in the light, and her lips were redder than normal. Damn. Those lips looked kissable as hell.
Her dress was a deep red, almost like blood, and it clung to her body, and fuck. The deep v in the front showed her ample cleavage. Flashes of her lacy bra entered my mind, along with the way her pussy had looked all spread on my bed. Shit. I didn’t want to lead with my dick tonight. I planned to gain her trust. She was a virgin, and while a part of me, annoyingly, liked the thought of being the first one to show her how to fuck, she deserved more. I wanted her comfortable and safe.
“It’s too much, isn’t it?” She winced, and I felt like an idiot.
“No Auds, you look stunning.”
A pretty pink danced on her face as I finally woke from my trance and ran up to her. I took her hand and kissed the back of it. Her pulse raced at her wrist. “Are you nervous?”
“Very.”
She smelled delicious, and now that I stood closer to her, there was a mole right on her left breast that I desperately needed to touch. But that would come later. I had to hold it together until then. “What are you nervous about?”
I guided her toward my truck and helped her in, about groaning into my fist at the back of the dress. News flash. There was no back. Her entire back was exposed, and the dress hung just above her butt. It was so fucking sexy and so unlike anything I had seen Audrey in that it made me wonder if she’d bought it just for me.
Fuck, I wanted that.
So, was she wearing a bra? She couldn’t be? Not the time.
“This seems so surreal with you. I like you, Theo, but I don’t go on dates. I haven’t… ever, really. One year, I went to a school dance with my friends and their dates, but never… me.”
Again. Her comments punched me in the chest, and I wanted to give her the best date of all time. “Well, it’s an honor I get to take you on your first one.”
“You’re getting lots of my firsts, Sanders.”
“Oh, I’m aware and fucking love it.” I winked as I started the car, and she blushed like I wanted her to. “Nervous because you don’t know what to expect?”
“I’ve seen movies, so I know we’re gonna eat dinner and talk.”
“Sure, but you said you trust me.” I put on the radio to some classic rock station and pulled onto the road. She crossed one leg over the other, and the slit showed her entire leg. “That’s it, I have to ask. Did you own this dress before, or did you buy it for me?”
“I bought it for you.”
A deep, satisfied rumble left my chest. “I fucking love it.”
“I don’t wear things like this usually, but I wanted to look nice tonight.”
“You buy sexy bras, Hawthorne, so you do like buying naughty things sometimes. And this dress? Naughty. I want to be kind and a gentleman, I really fucking do, but I can’t stop staring at all your skin.”
“That was the point, Sanders.”
Oh. I liked that snappy little comeback. Reaching over, I gripped her knee and squeezed for a few seconds. “I really like you too, Auds. This is gonna be a great night.”
Audrey worea half smile the entire dinner. It was so different than her serious, no-nonsense expression I was used to. Her eyes sparkled as she glanced around the restaurant, her glee evident. She kept twisting a lock of her hair before meeting my eyes, blushing, then repeating the process.
If I wasn’t charmed before, I would be now.
“Tell me what you’re thinking.” I nudged her knee with mine under the table. We both ate our side salads, and our main entrees were on the way. She’d ordered a white wine, and I’d opted for water. I was driving, plus, I tended not to drink much to prepare for the season.
“This is wonderful.” She scrunched her nose, and a giggle escaped her mouth. “Everything smells so good, and the people-watching! I’ve heard others talk about how they love watching others and guessing their story, but I never understood it until now. Like, the couple in the back who can’t keep their hands off each other. Or the family a few tables to the left. Are they celebrating?”
“What do you think they’ll say about us then?” I reached across the table and ran my fingers over her palm. “That we’re on our first date and that I’m counting down the seconds until I can kiss you afterwards?”
She pressed her lips together and rubbed them before her eyes lit up. “No. That we’re estranged lovers who spent a year apart. We’re different people, so we’re deciding if we want to date again.”
I shook my head. “Of course we do.”
“Okay, hm, what if we’re stepsiblings who fell in love? That’s taboo.”
“Audrey Hawthorne.” I grinned. “Scandalous.”
She laughed, the sound becoming familiar to me, and relaxed more into her seat. ”I am funny sometimes. No one knows that about me though.”
“Mm, what else don’t people know about you?” I wanted all her secrets to myself. Call it irrational or weird or protective or obsessed, but after hearing her orgasm for the first time, I wanted to know everything. Even if it was a tiny, silly confession.
“This might not surprise you, but I’m a homebody and shy. I don’t do things like this.” She waved her hand around the restaurant. “My ideal Saturday night is a book and watching a show in my bed.”
“I know you mentioned you haven’t dated before. Did you ever see anyone in high school?”
She shook her head. “I kissed someone sophomore year, but he was popular, and I wasn’t. I’m quiet, introverted. I don’t need to be at parties or have everyone stare at me. Attention from others isn’t what I crave. Then, well, someone was always sick in our family.”
“What do you mean?” She’d mentioned her dad passing, but this sounded serious. I continued running circles on her palm with my finger. Whenever I stopped, even for a second, her eyebrows pinched together. She might not tell me she liked it, but her body reacted like she did.
“My dad battled his sickness for a decade, and most of my childhood was going to visit him in the hospital or watching my brother. My mom dedicated her life to helping him, but then she lost her parents and her sister all within five years. Grief and illness follow our family. So, it never made sense to grow attached to anything because well…” She shrugged, and a dark, grief-filled look crossed her face.
Because well what?
“Anytime I found a groove and tried something, someone would get sick. Nursing and helping others are the only things that’ve been a constant with in my life.” She swallowed and glanced around the room, her gaze hesitant and her posture rigid.
An aggressive, overwhelming urge to protect her grew in my gut. I didn’t have the time or the energy to add Audrey into my circle of people who I cared for and would do anything for, but she was there, wedged next to my siblings. Her attention landed back on me, and one side of her mouth curved up.
That gesture had my throat tightening with emotion. “Thank you for sharing all that.”
“You’re so easy to talk to.” She chewed her lip, red painting her cheeks, when her eyes widened at something over my shoulder.
“No.” She gasped and ripped her hand away from mine. “Who is…what…I can’t…” She pushed from the chair before I had a chance to stop her.
“Audrey, what’s happening?” I craned my neck to search behind me, but no bad guy or person stood out. The momentary bliss of her opening up was shattered as I snapped my attention back to her, but she was gone. What the fuck?
My pulse raced as my gut churned. Who had spooked her this much? Who or what caused her to leave mid-sentence, without a word? It wasn’t me. I was confident about that, but where had she gone?
She left her damn phone on the table, so if she was making a run for it, it wasn’t great she forgot this. I pocketed hers, annoyed now I couldn’t call or text her to see where she went. The entrance was the opposite way, so maybe she was in the restroom? Back hallway?
Would she leave the restaurant entirely?
Fuck.
My jaw tensed as annoyance worked its way to my muscles. She needed to be safe, and leaving in that fucking dress, without her phone, wasn’t the best decision. My senses went into hyperdrive as I checked the two restrooms. Nothing in there.
Nothing in the back hallway.
All there was left to check was the patio which—shit. She totally went through there. I swore I could smell her lingering perfume as I pushed the door open and spied the side gate still open. We were miles away from her dorm. The gate creaked with a high-pitched squeak as the humid air filled my lungs, and there she was.
Audrey sat on the ground, her back to the restaurant brick wall, with her arms wrapped around her knees. Her hair hung around her, hiding her face, but she shook. Almost like she was…
A sob escaped, and my heart shattered.
“Audrey, honey.” I crouched and placed a hand on her shoulder. Her skin was sweaty and cold, despite the heat. “What do you need?”
“Can we leave?”
“Of course.” I slid my hand down her back, her smooth skin covered in specks of gravel. “Can I help you up?”
“This is so embarrassing, Theo. I’m not sure I can look at you.” She sniffed and faced the other way when she stood without my assistance. “Can I just call an Uber or something and we pretend this didn’t happen?”
“Not a chance.” I brushed the rest of the rocks off her back and butt, the little pieces clinging to the silky material. A rush of heat hit me as I stared at her very curvy, very perfect ass, but that didn’t matter at all. “Let me walk you to my car and then I’ll settle the bill.”
“God, our dinner! I ruined it. I ruined my first date.” She sniffed again, and I said to hell with this.
I placed my hands on her shoulders, spinning her around so she faced me. Her scrunched nose and red cheeks were so damn cute. Even as her mascara formed dark circles around each eye, she was so pretty. “Audrey, the date isn’t over. You haven’t ruined anything.”
Her bottom lip trembled as she took a shaky breath. “I’m sorry, Theo. Maybe this isn’t?—”
“If you say we shouldn’t do this, I’m going to hard disagree. You’re upset. Something happened, and when you’re ready to tell me, I’ll listen, but you and me? We fit.”
“My brother is in there.” She closed her eyes and hung her head. “With a girl I’ve never seen and… my m-mom. I haven’t seen my mom in months, and she’s here? She doesn’t have money! And she’s with Quentin? Without… telling me? I can’t…“ Another sob escaped, and I yanked her to my chest.
I wrapped her arms around me before squeezing her. I read once that when we hug, we receive endorphins that help our immune system, but you needed to feel the other person’s heartbeat. So that was what I planned to do. I wanted to give Audrey all my heartbeats, to help give her strength when she needed it. Her head rested against my chest, and I rested my chin on top of her head, cocooning her for a few moments of peace.
It was easier focusing on her rather than Quentin. I hated that dude. And her mom not telling her she was in town? Something about money? A family dinner without inviting the one who’d held the whole family together for years? It wasn’t fucking right, and I was furious. It was bullshit. How dare they do that to her? The sweetest, most selfless woman I had ever met? Yeah. I’d do whatever I could to cheer her up and help her forget what she saw.
And, hopefully not run into the Hawthornes on my way out. There was no way to know what I’d say to them, but it wouldn’t be good for any of us.
“You’re okay, honey, I got you.” I rubbed my hands up and down her spine, breathing her in. She smelled delicious and felt so good in my arms. So soft and sexy and strong. “You’re amazing, okay? Fuck your family. Fuck them for not telling you about this.”
She snorted, which was a great sign. “I’m getting mascara on your shirt.”
“Fuck my shirt.”
“Is that gonna be your response to everything?”
“Probably.” I fought a smile and squeezed her extra tight for a beat. Then, I cupped her face and stared at her, hoping she understood how serious I was. “I’m going to grab our food to go, then we’re going to find the best place on campus to eat it, and we’re gonna have the best night.”
“Even if I cry?”
“Even if you cry.” I wiped her tears with my thumbs, doing my damndest to not kiss her. Her lips were so full and wet from her tears, and I wanted to taste them. Kiss the sadness straight out of her. “Now, let me get you into my car. Then we can go.”
She nodded and leaned into my hands. “Thank you. I don’t deserve this from you, but it’s really appreciated.”
“Don’t deserve this?” I ran a finger over her lip, giving in to my wild urge to kiss her. It was a form of torture. “Audrey, you have helped me out numerous times when I desperately needed it. You helped me with my sister after she freaked out. You’re so fucking kind and thoughtful, so yeah, this is the least I can do. Be there for you when you’re sad and upset. This isn’t a burden on me at all. I’m glad you feel safe enough to tell me what’s going on.”
Her eyes welled up, and she sighed, her breath tickling my face. “You make it hard to not fall for you when you say things like that.”
“Stop trying not to. I’m very fall-able.”
Her famous snort returned, and I grinned. “There’s my favorite girl.”
She blushed and stood on her tiptoes, her hands reaching out to cup my face. We looked ridiculous, each cupping each other’s faces, but I about gasped when she leaned up and pressed her perfect lips against mine in a quick peck. It lit me up and made me feel like I could fly. Her touching me first was a huge win and show of trust. “Thank you, Theo. You are one of a kind.”
She released her grip, and we walked toward my truck, but my lips still tingled. Her act of kissing me might’ve been innocent, but it was huge that she took that first step. I felt like I could walk on water.
Earning affection was Audrey was becoming an addiction, and I’d spend the rest of the night earning it. Because any doubts I had earlier disappeared. I wanted this woman and would prove to her we could work.