Chapter 7
My heart beats wildly out of my chest. I didn’t expect to see her right here, right now. There’s so much I want to say, but I can’t utter the words. I whisper her name, like a ghost from my past, convincing myself that this moment is real.
I almost didn’t recognize her with light brown hair. Had she dyed it? Or had it been ten years of time naturally changing it? Her makeup is heavier than I remembered. Are the tiny freckles that I love still underneath?
But man, those eyes. Those forest green eyes still take my breath away.
“Audrey, wait!” I shout, stumbling out after her. I need to be close to her. I need to explain myself. I need to—I stop my train of thought before I get carried away, imagining that maybe we could start again.
She ignores me completely, rightfully so. She forcefully pulls open her car door and slides in the driver’s seat in record time. The door slams shut as soon as I approach her window. My palms slap the glass, desperate for her attention.
“Audrey, please! Wait!”
I see Josie in my peripheral vision, holding Audrey’s coffee and a paper bag on the curb. My eyes refocus on Audrey as she fumbles with her keys, struggling to put it in the ignition.
“Shit,” I stammer, swiping the coffee from Josie. I hear the engine rip alive and sprint back to the driver’s seat window as she whips her car in reverse.
“Audrey! Your coffee! Damn it,” I yell out. She peels out of the parking spot, her tires squealing as she furiously turns the wheel and speeds down Main.
“Fuck,” I mutter. I pull my keys out of my pocket, sprinting to my truck parked a few spots down.
“Donovan! The cinnamon roll!” Josie shouts from the curb. I wave my hand in the air as I approach my driver’s seat.
“Leave it, Jojo! Gotta go!” I shout back, shoving Audrey’s coffee into the cupholder.
“Ow, fucking shit!” I cry out, splashing hot coffee on my wrist. The engine roars, and I speed out on Main, desperate to catch up with Audrey.
My mind is going a million miles an hour. What would I say? Would she give me the chance to explain? Seeing her is like seeing a rare comet burning through the sky with only one chance to catch it. This is my chance.
I take the familiar turns toward the winery. I lean on the gas, tearing down the winding driveway as oak trees blur past on either side, the Winthrop Estate in view just ahead. A ball of dust covers my windshield, kicked up by her tires.
One conversation, Audrey. Just give me one conversation.
I add frantic pressure to the pedal, gaining precious ground. Suddenly, her brake lights flash red.
“Jesus Christ!” I shout, slamming hard on my brakes.
Her car door flies open, and out comes an angry, gorgeous Audrey.
I throw my car in park and fling open the door. Her long legs stride toward me, and she slams my door shut before I can get out.
“Why are you following me? I need you to leave. Now!” she shouts angrily.
The swell of her breasts moves up and down with her erratic breathing, and I can see her nipples pebbled beneath her skin-tight, olive green tank top. Her leggings cling to every curve as if sculpted out of marble. Her pink lips part in a tantalizing pout, instantly making my mouth dry. My dick twitches at the sight of her, and I shake away the thought, realizing it’s not the time to fantasize about her.
She takes the cardigan she’s wearing and wraps it across her chest, her arms crossing over her breasts like an extra layer of protection from me. I roll the window down and put my hands up in surrender. She glares at me with daggers, ready to puncture any hope I have of explaining myself.
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to follow you,” I say softly.
She scoffs and tears her gaze away from me, looking towards her house.
“Donovan, I don’t want you here. Turn around and get the fuck off my driveway,” she demands, her words frothing with hate and frustration. I take it all because I fucking deserve it.
But god, hearing her say my name, even in spite, restarts my heart.
I grab her coffee from the cupholder and hang it out of the window, gesturing for her to take it. “You left this. Take it.” I say, arching my eyebrows.
She crosses her arms. Her stare is cold like stone. I give her a playful grin and swirl her coffee in her view, trying to ease the tension. Does she know how incredibly sorry I am for fucking up and that if I could go back and change it all, I would? No, she doesn’t know. I’ve never told her—and that’s my fault.
She rolls her eyes and yanks the coffee out of my hand, spilling some right at the tops of her breasts. I bite my lip and try to stifle a laugh.
“Fucking great,” she groans with a frustrated sigh, wiping away the errant coffee with her free hand.
Damn, I wish those were my hands instead.
“Oh shit, I’m sorry. Here, let me get you a napkin,” I say apologetically.
Her scowl burns a hole through my soul, but it won’t stop me from trying. Before I can grab a napkin from my truck, she’s stomping back to her SUV.
Nuh-uh, get back here.
I jump out of my truck so fast that she can’t even process I’m closing in on her. She hears me gaining on her heels and angrily turns to face me after placing her coffee on the roof of her car. Our noses are just a few inches from each other. Memories of her flood my senses.
She still smells like strawberries and fresh-cut flowers. Her skin looks soft and supple, her dainty fingers so delicate I want to kiss each one. Her hands suddenly reach up and touch my chest, like she is holding me back from coming closer.
Boom. Lightning strikes. Does she feel the electricity between us when her hands are on me? I hope she can feel my heart thumping through my shirt, beating only for her.
Her eyes dart quickly back and forth on her hands, and she shoves me away with force, causing me to step back as my heel drags on the path below.
“No! Don’t come any closer to me,” she cries out. Her brow furrows and her lip quivers. Frustration vibrates her body, showing me every ounce of her anger. I did this to her.
My hands open at my sides and I shrug my shoulders up, then down. “Audrey, please let me explain. I?—”
Another shove to my chest. I stumble back, surprised at her reaction.
“You don’t need to explain anything to me. I want you gone. Why are you even here, Donovan? Just leave!” she screams. Her voice is shrill and tears fill her eyes. If she’d let me, I’d wipe every single one away.
“Okay, you want me gone? Fine. I deserve that. I just…you’re here. In the flesh. I thought I’d never see you again,” I sigh out, my heart sinking deeper with every tear slipping down her face.
My feet stride towards her, and I’m powerless to stop them. If I were a better man, I’d do what she asks and leave. But I know if let her out of my sight this time, there won’t be a next time. I’m powered by a single thought:
Get. Closer. To. Audrey.
Surprisingly, she doesn’t retreat. I move closer, inch by inch, drawn by those rings of emerald green. I know these eyes, but there’s a brokenness in them I don’t recognize. The protector in me wants to kill anyone who had a part in breaking her.
Is that someone me?
A tear falls, running down her cheekbone. I reach up and catch it, wiping it away with my thumb. She closes her eyes as another tear falls from the opposite eye. I catch it with my other thumb, my hands now cupping her face.
I’m searching for Audrey in there, but I can’t find her. I’m desperate to see a glimmer of her spirit, the one that captivated my heart that unforgettable night.
“Hey, talk to me?” I say with a gentleness, and when her eyes open, I catch a glimpse of that glimmer.
There’s my girl.
She reaches up and gently takes my hands away from her face, and I immediately miss her warmth under my touch.
“Talk, huh? You did always talk a big game, Donovan King.”
There’s a spark in her eyes. Her tone is almost playful, flirtatious even.
Holy fuck. Is she flirting with me right now?
She stares at my mouth as she licks her delicious, pouty lips. Her hands snake up my chest, sending me straight to heaven. I feel like I’m about to pass out.
“I, uh, I—” I stutter. She has me tongue-tied, my mouth bobbing open like a fish out of water. I swallow hard, my breath hitching as she pins me in place with her siren eyes.
What the fuck is she doing to me?
Her gaze fixates on my lips like she wants to devour me, her hands hold steady on my chest.
“I have a boyfriend, you know. You shouldn’t be following me.” Her tone is still playful as she grips my shirt and pulls me closer, her lips just inches from mine.
So it’s true? She has a boyfriend. It should sting, but it doesn’t. Not even a little. Probably because her hands are on my body and she’s licking her lips like she’s wondering how I taste after all these years.
“I. Don’t. Care,” I growl, keeping my voice low, barely above a whisper. I reach out and grip her waist, my hands buzzing from the contact. Our faces are so close, just one tilt forward and my lips will be on hers.
A blur of movement. A searing pulse of sudden pain. Can’t. Breathe. No air.
Fucking hell.
Audrey Winthrop kneed me right in the balls. I double over, letting out a loud groan and a strained laugh. My hands cup my balls through my jeans, pleading for the ache to stop.
There’s my minx.
“Think again. Now leave,” she fumes, turning on her heel.
I let out a pained laugh as the nausea from her knee to my nuts subsides and fight to stand upright as she walks away. I probably shouldn’t do this, but…
“It’s really good to see you, Mouse,” I tease, grinning playfully.
She freezes with one hand on the door handle. Her head turns, putting the dainty profile of her face directly in my line of sight. Her chest rises and falls in big, deep breaths. Her jaw clenches for a moment, then softens. I can hear her exhale while she swipes her coffee from the roof of her car. She slips into the driver’s seat, slamming the door shut.
Just as I think she’s about to drive off, our eyes meet in her side-view mirror. A subtle upward curl forms on her lips, and in that fleeting moment, I’m back in the game.
Audrey is home, and this time, I’m not stopping until I win back her heart.