Chapter 10
AUDRA
Ipride myself on being a strong, independent woman.
I've always accepted as little help as possible from my family and tried to work my own way through every situation. My parents always tried to spoil me at arm’s length, using their money to hire assistants left and right.
That wasn’t caring, and it never sat right with me.
I could, however, get very used to being treated like a princess.
Driving back to Old Hemlock Valley with my gear completely clean and dry, gourmet coffee in a travel mug, a gorgeous, attentive man chauffeuring me around… That's an entirely different kind of pampering. Turns out I love it.
Thane squeezes my knee as we drive slowly down Main Street. He stops and waves a lady through at the crosswalk. She nods and smiles, staring at him, then her eyes narrow in recognition. She starts to grin as she makes her way across the street.
"Let me guess. She knows you," I remark, looking over to see Thane shaking his head.
"Yes. Yes, she does." He sighs heavily, then continues driving toward the inn. "Mrs. Sparks is a friend of my mother's. Which means she's going to call her within ten minutes to let her know that she saw me driving with a lovely young woman."
"Is there anything I should worry about?" I grin.
"Not really." He pulls into the parking lot, then comes around to open my door. I love the way he holds me against him while he helps me down, and his arm remains firmly around my back as he kisses the top of my head.
"It’s just that Mom started getting antsy about her sons finding girlfriends. She said if we didn't start looking, she’d start looking for the three of us."
My eyes widen. "I hope she was joking?"
"Hm. Pretty sure she wasn't. Which is why she's going to be delighted to hear about you and then meet you…someday. When it feels right, and you're up for it."
Meeting his mother sounds very official. "I think we need a bit more time first."
"See? We're always on the same page."
He reaches into the truck for my gear bag, pulling my hair out of the way before arranging the strap over my shoulder.
"You've got a bunch of new sound clips to go through, and I don't want to get in the way of your work.
" His deep eyes smolder as he looks down at me.
"I really want to walk you inside, but then I might not want to leave. I don't want to crowd you, angel."
My palm sweeps up his arm and across his shoulder, then up to cup his face, stroking his beard lightly. "You're super thoughtful. I like that."
He smiles again, a slight tension flickering in his eyes. "Audra, I hope last night was everything…you know…that you wanted. Expected."
My heart melts. Everything about Thane has been a green flag from the start. He's even concerned about my first time…our first time…being everything I hoped for? "Yes. Yes."
I stretch up to kiss him, the heat between us taking over instantly. The feel of his palm squeezing my ass. My breasts pressing against his rock-hard chest, causing my nipples to tighten. The faint moaned growl in the back of his throat as he tilts my body to him.
We step apart, both laughing. "You're more addictive than coffee," he mutters. Then he kisses my forehead and steps several feet back. "One of the Dirty boys will bring your keys by whenever your Jeep is fixed."
"Um…dirty boys?"
"Walker, Griffin, and Carson Dirty. Good guys. Great mechanics. Terrible surname."
I try to stop myself from giggling. "Duly noted. Thanks."
"Text you later?"
"Sure." I walk into the lobby, glancing back to wave as Thane gets into his huge pickup.
When I get back to my room, it feels empty without him. How can I be so comfortable sharing my space with a man I've only known for a handful of days, not to mention his bed? It's weird. It feels deeply right, but… It's still weird.
I've usually hated having people in my space. Cleaners, assistants, stylists. All the people my mother employs. Other people's energy is exhausting and intrusive.
I get settled, then spend a few hours sorting and labeling all my new sound files. Before I know it, it's four-thirty. I decide to grab a sandwich quickly, since I think shops close early around here.
Just as I'm passing through the lobby, I see a tall, extremely fit man coming in. He looks around but finds no one at the desk.
"She usually goes to the kitchen to grab a cup of tea around this time of day," I tell him. "She'll probably be back in a few minutes."
He pulls a key ring that I recognize from his pocket. "I could just leave these behind the desk with a note?"
"Oh! Those are mine. For the green Jeep, right? Thane called you yesterday?"
He swivels, dropping the keys into my palm. "Yup. The three of us tackled it together. Since you're a special friend of Thane’s, we gave it an extra thorough check from top to bottom."
"So it wasn't just the starter?"
"We replaced that, yeah. It was toast. Plus gave the engine a full tuneup, new brake pads, checked the alignment…a few other tweaks. Should be right as rain now."
I reach for my purse. "If you could please tell me the total, I can go to the bank machine for cash. Or Venmo it, if that's easier."
His hands fly up as he backs away. "Oh, hell no." He steps closer again to shake my hand. "Griffin Dirty, by the way."
"Audra Barclay. And you must let me pay you. I have money. I'm not a charity case."
He shakes my hand firmly, then lowers his voice. “Listen…this is kind of…” He hesitates. “Thane is a Wolfe. We've done tons of work for him and his family over the years. I'm sure he’d want the bill to go to him, and I’m not about to piss off one of the Wolfe Brothers. You know what I’m saying?"
An icy shiver runs up my spine. Is Thane’s family dangerous or something?
Griffin chuckles. "Don’t look so scared. They're great people. But there's a lot of them, and they hold a lot of sway around here. That’s all. I'm sorry, but I have to go."
"Thank you so much," I call out the door as he disappears.
The nice older lady who looks after the reception desk in the afternoons comes back with her tea just as the door shuts. "Was somebody here, dear?"
"Just the mechanic returning my Jeep."
She smiles, a naughty twinkle in her eye. "Those Dirty boys. There's nothing they can't fix. Such a shame they happen to look handsome while they're doing it."
I laugh at her cheeky grin, then hurry out to get my sandwich. Once I'm back in my room, I do a detailed online search of the Wolfe family.
My jaw falls open, almost spilling crumbs onto the desk.
These people basically run the mountain.
Property, businesses, influence with the town council.
They fund everything from schools to roads…
and there's some online chatter that they donate a lot of money anonymously as well, working behind the scenes.
Thane hasn't said a thing about his family’s power and influence.
But then again, I haven't said a single word about mine, either.