Chapter Twenty
Parker
I had to walk away because I was agitated. Audrey doesn’t want to go out with Warner Price. She thinks he’s a nice guy, but he’s not what she truly wants. A nice guy is someone safe to take home to Mom and Dad; a nice guy doesn’t set your heart or body on fire, and she was definitely on fire. I only meant to kiss her, but I was just seconds away from taking it much further and laying her out on the bar.
I’m sure Brew’s cameras would have loved that. The lust-filled fire was extinguished when I remembered we were being recorded.
I could have handled the goodbye better, but my raging hard-on caused me to drop her at her car and leave abruptly.
She’s likely seething, and the thought of it makes me smile.
I go home and immediately take a cold shower.
My mind drifts back to the night that changed everything. We were just kids, but the memory is so vivid.
She snuck out of her bedroom window and met me at the bonfire down by the cove.
It was Valentine’s Day weekend, and I had helped Uncle Grady on his farm to earn some extra money to buy her something special. Anson’s mother had assisted me in picking out the gift from Sea Goddess Jewelers, the only jewelry store on the island. It was a delicate gold necklace with a heart pendant adorned with two small jewels—her birthstone and mine.
We quietly slipped away from the others to a spot in the woods where I had set up a blanket and flowers I had picked from my mom’s garden.
“Wow, when did you do all this?” she asked as she took in the scene.
“This afternoon. I wanted tonight to be special.”
I led her over to the blanket and sat down, my back against a tree trunk, and pulled her down into my lap. Then I reached into the pocket of my jacket and handed her the small box.
“It’s beautiful,” she exclaimed when she opened the lid to the velvet case tucked inside.
“I know it’s not much, but I hope it reminds you of me when you wear it,” I said to her.
“Can you help me put it on?”
She turned and gathered her long red hair so I could clasp the chain around her neck. Then, she faced me again and pressed her lips to mine. What began as a sweet kiss quickly turned intense as she wrapped her arms around my neck. I gently laid her back on the blanket and positioned myself on top of her.
We were full of teenage passion and gave in to raging hormones that night. She gave me her innocence, and I gladly accepted it. I loved her. I chanted the words over and over as we loved each other with our bodies.
Afterward, we lay entwined together and looked up at the stars as we made future plans. Her father had attended the University of North Carolina, and it was her dream to become a Tar Heel too. We dreamed of both being accepted. I would go a year ahead of her, and by the time she graduated and joined me, I would have an apartment we could share in Chapel Hill.
I made promises that night. Promises that I broke the moment things became too real. I’d wanted the dream, but I ran from the reality.
Anson is awake, returning to his night owl rituals as the season comes to a close, so I join him to watch a movie after my shower.
“Bad night?” he asks.
“You could say that.”
“Audrey driving you crazy?”
“The woman is exasperating. She accepted a fucking date with Warner Price right in front of me.”
Anson laughs.
“What’s so funny?”
“You getting worked up over Warner Price. Isn’t he some uptight school teacher now?”
I shrug. “I have no idea.”
“I’m pretty sure he is.”
“And your point is?”
“Do you honestly see Audrey being interested in a guy like that? She’d be bored out of her mind. I bet you a hundred dollars she bails on him before the main course hits the table,” he says.
Rational me knows he’s right. Irrational me imagines them going back to some fancy home on the river in Wilmington, with her responding to his kiss the way she did mine tonight.
I force myself to focus on the movie so I don’t text her. She wants space and to pretend like nothing is growing between us. Fine. I’ll give it to her. Tonight anyway.
She fucking dressed up for him.
When I arrive at the bar, I find Audrey standing by the dance floor, chatting with Van. She is dressed in a black silk camisole with delicate lace details, topped with a fitted wine-colored leather jacket. Her sleek black midi skirt has a thigh-high split, and she is wearing stiletto ankle boots. Her hair is down, and her makeup is bolder than usual, with a smoky eye and nude lips.
And she looks good.
She waves me over. “Hey, Parker, I’m leaving you in charge tonight. It’s the last night the band will be here, so you’ll probably be busy. Leena will be upstairs, and Leonard will be with you. Van will be on the floor if you need him, and he’ll handle closing out the tips while you guys clean up. The band is breaking down at midnight because they have to be on the road, and our DJ called in sick, so they’re going to let everyone know at check-in that the last call will be early tonight. You should be home by one thirty.”
“Sounds good,” I say and walk away.
She finishes her conversation with Van and follows me to the break room.
“Is there a problem?” she asks.
I walk to the door and slam it shut, closing us in together. Then, I turn back.
“Yeah, there’s a problem,” I say as I advance on her.
She steps back until her backside hits the counter. I grip the cabinets above her with one hand and lean in.
“You look good. That outfit is hot as hell. Too bad it’s going to be wasted on the wrong man tonight.”
Her eyes narrow. “And you’d be the right man?”
I slide my free hand down her hip as my eyes drink in the way the sexy-as-hell skirt hugs her curves.
“At least I’d appreciate all the effort.”
She laughs. “Oh, I’m sure Warner will appreciate it.”
My eyes snap back to hers. Then drop to her mouth.
I bring my finger up and run it across her bottom lip, and she sucks in a breath.
“You’re right. I’m sure he will, but while he’s blabbering on about something boring at dinner and hoping beyond hope that he’ll get a chance to kiss this gloss off your lips, all you’re going to be able to think about is my mouth on yours while you slid against my cock last night.”
A shiver runs through her, and her lips part as the doorknob rattles. Her eyes go wide.
I grin and take a step back.
Calvin comes sauntering in with a box of sandwiches and a basket of fruit.
“Hey, you two, you’re in for a treat. I made pulled pork po’boys tonight.”
He sets the food on the counter for the employees to enjoy on their breaks.
“Audrey has a dinner date, but I can’t wait to try one,” I tell him, grabbing one of the wrapped sandwiches.
He stops, looks at her, and lets out a whistle. “Ooh-wee, whoever you’re gracing with your company tonight sure is a lucky bastard.”
She blushes at his words, and I swear it only makes her more beautiful.
“Thanks, Calvin.”
He glances over at me. “You’d better step up your game, lover boy, or you’re going to lose this one.”
Audrey chokes.
“I’m trying, Cal. She keeps shooting me down and accepting dates from other guys.”
He laughs. “Sucks to be you,” he says before walking out the door.
I look her in the eye. “It sure does.”