Empty Net (20 page)

“Thank God! I was about to break your phone!”

Tate laughed, and Audrey laughed along with him, taking the phone back. “You’ll need to get your own
Temple Run
since you have phone-breaking tendencies.”

“Hey, I break things, and you burn them, what a pair we are, huh?”

Audrey smiled as she glanced at him, holding his gaze with hers. Tate stopped laughing mostly because he couldn’t breathe. Her eyes were so bright and happy, her face glowing as her smile grew. She blinked twice before running her tongue along her bottom lip. He watched her do it again, and couldn’t take no as an answer anymore. All his patience and control went out the window as he leaned toward her, testing the waters and space between them. When she didn’t move away, he placed his mouth on hers.

Audrey let out a little meep, but that didn’t stop him. He moved his hands up into her hair, pulling her closer as her hands wrapped around his wrist. He had forgotten how much he liked to kiss her. He knew he had kept her mouth busy during their time together, and this time was no different. He craved her lips, the taste of her mouth, and the feel of her body heat running waves over him. He never wanted to stop, but when he went to deepen the kiss, she pulled back.

“Tate,” she whispered against his lips.

He shook his head, reconnecting their lips with desperate need, but she pulled again.

“Tate, please stop,” she whispered again. His body was on fire. The last thing he wanted to do was stop, but he wouldn’t force her into anything. He pulled back, letting her go as he tried to catch his breath. She was breathing just as hard as she ran her hands down her face. When she glanced over at him, his heart stopped. Her face was flushed, her lips swollen a deep shade of red, and man, she was beyond sexy. Forcing himself to turn away, he took a deep breath.

“I’m not going to apologize, Audrey. I want you. It’s not a secret,” he said quietly.

“We are friends, Tate,” she said. “Remember? It doesn’t matter how much I want you or you want me, we can’t do this. It isn’t right.”

His face scrunched up; he didn’t understand. “Why? It feels right to me.”

“Because I’m not the girl for you, believe me. We have a great time together, we do, and yes, I am very much attracted to you, Tate. Just take my word on this—I’m not the girl for you.”

Tate shook his head. “I don’t agree with you.”

Audrey’s shoulders slumped and she brought her legs back up to her chest. “I can only be friends with you, Tate. I’m sorry. I care about you too much to be anything more.”

How in the world did that make sense?

They sat in silence for what seemed like hours, when it was only minutes. He didn’t
know what to say to change her mind. He wanted her to agree with him, to feel what he felt. How could she not see that they were made for each other? Looking back over his shoulder at her, he knew his answer.

“Okay,” he said, folding his hands above his head. “I would rather be friends than nothing.”

“Tate, that’s not fair to you,” she said sadly.

“Didn’t you just say ‘life isn’t fair’? I’ll deal with it, and hope that one day you will come around. Because I’m not going anywhere.”

Her face softened and she looked down at her knees, her bottom lip trapped between her teeth. “Someone will come along, Tate. You are a super great guy.”

And she was the girl for him.

“I’m not going to stop, Audrey. If I see a chance to snatch you up and make you mine, I will.”

She looked over at him and smiled. “There won’t be a chance.”

“We’ll see about that,” he said, standing up. “So are we still on for tomorrow?”

She stood up too, moving her hands down the front of her shorts, nodding slowly. “
Swamp People
marathon, same time. I’ll cook dinner.”

“Awesome. I have practice early, so I have to go.”

“All right,” she said, following him to the door. He put his jacket and hat over his arm. He reached out with one arm, wrapping it around her shoulders to bring her close to his chest. She wrapped her arms around his stomach, hugging him tight. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said as she pulled back, not looking up at him.

“See you,” he said as he went out and toward his condo. He knew she was watching him
as he reached into his jeans and pulled out his keys to open his door. He glanced over and smiled.

“ ’Night, Audrey.”

A small smile crossed her face as she leaned against her door. “ ’Night, Tate. I’m really sorry.”

He nodded. “Everything is going to work out.”

Walking into his condo, he shut the door behind him and threw his stuff onto the couch before going to the fridge for another beer. Popping the top, he leaned against the fridge and gulped down the cold, refreshing brew. He hadn’t been lying when he said he wasn’t going to stop trying. She might think there wouldn’t be a chance, but there would be. There was always a chance to score. After tonight, he knew there would never be anyone like Audrey. He had to have her, and would treat his conquest of her as he would when he was in goal, intent on winning the game.

Nothing would stand in his way.

Nothing was getting past him.

And then he would protect her heart, like he did his goal.

“I want you, Audrey, so much.”

She lengthened her neck, giving him more access as her hands moved across his back to his bottom. She pressed herself against him, using her hands to press him harder into her. His impressive, hard length made her gasp as she tightened her grip. He moved one hand into her hair, kissing her deeply while the other slid slowly into her panties. When he dipped his finger inside her, she gasped into his mouth as she arched her body toward his hand. She was dripping with want, and the smile against her lips told her that he loved it
.

“You are so hot, Audrey, so hot,” he whispered against her lips
.

“Oh, God,” she gasped as his fingers moved in just the right way to make her squirm. His lips advanced along her jawline, the coarse hair from his chin tickling her skin as he licked the length of her neck and she moaned appreciatively
.

“Come for me, baby, come,” he demanded against her neck. “I want you to come.”

She did, long and hard, coming completely undone underneath his talented hand. Breathing hard, she moved her hands into his blond hair, bringing their mouths together as she—

Wait? Blond hair?

Audrey sat up quickly, holding the blanket against her chest as sweat dripped down her back. Looking around the dark room, she realized she was alone, and that she’d been dreaming. Of sex with Tate!

Her “friend.”

Shit
.

Picking her phone off the end table and seeing that it was only 2:00
A.M.
, she fell back onto the bed with a groan. Man, that was a hot, sexy, yummy dream, and she wasn’t the least bit surprised that she was dreaming of Tate. After spending the whole night with him, then thinking about him nonstop before going to sleep, and still feeling him kissing her, it was bound to happen. The only thing she wished was that it wasn’t just a dream. She was wishing it were true.

Audrey didn’t know what she was going to do. She’d had guys want her before, and knew how to handle them. But it was different when it came to Tate. When he said he wouldn’t quit, she saw in his eyes that he wasn’t lying or playing a game. He was for real, and part of her was scared shitless. She didn’t know how else to explain that she wasn’t the girl for him other than basically telling him about her condition. She hated that she wasn’t brave enough to share her infertility with him. To give him the option of choosing if he would want to be with her or not. She was being a coward, and it was nothing new.

For once she wished she had the balls to do what would make her happy. She was so scared of rejection.

She rested her head against her knees and sat like that for a moment, then slowly ran her fingers along her lips, remembering the feel of his plump, juicy lips on hers. When she heard the faint sound of a piano, she almost fell on her face trying to get out of bed. Running across the hall in only a tank top and panties, she stumbled into her closet.

Sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall, the vibrations from the piano next door tickled her back. She leaned her head against the wall, wondering why Tate was up so late. He had practice early in the morning. Shouldn’t he be asleep?

Her worry about his sleep patterns died when she recognized the song he was playing. It
was another personal favorite, and she was starting to think they had the same taste in music. Hugging her legs tightly, she sang along to the beautiful melody of “Stranger” by Secondhand Serenade. She was the worst singer imaginable, but it was such a beautiful song, she couldn’t help but sing along. A part of her—probably the selfish part—hoped he was playing it for her. When he played the part she liked best, tears rolled down her cheeks as she sang. Closing her eyes tightly, she let the melody take her to another place.

Audrey had no clue what she was going to do, but knew she needed to do something. What if she stopped hanging out with Tate? That seemed the only way to fix everything. As much as she wanted a Happily Ever After with him, she couldn’t be selfish. She couldn’t take away his dreams of having a family someday by wanting him to be with her.

With tears rolling faster down her cheeks, choking sobs ripped through her body. She knew she couldn’t do it. She couldn’t let him go—not yet. All she could do was tell him about her condition and let him choose. Then if he rejected her, she would be in the same place she was now.

Audrey leaned against the wall, crying her heart out, realizing she was in one hell of a pickle.

She was drained.

Emotionally and physically.

It almost kept her home for the day, but she had a meeting with her dad. Walking down the long orange hall to her father’s office, she couldn’t help but hate the color of her family’s company. Being a big University of Tennessee fan, Audrey’s great-great-grandpa decided that
the company’s colors needed to be orange and white, and so everything was. And that meant everything: floors, walls, furniture. It was disgusting, and the place screamed for a makeover, but her father loved it just as much as his father had. Hopefully one day, when the company went to Fallon, she’d change the color. Maybe then she would like working there.

Probably not.

With a shake of her head, Audrey knocked on her father’s door. When he said, “Come in,” she walked in with a smile on her face.

“Hey, Daddy,” she said, shutting the door behind her.

William stood and came around the desk to hug her. “Hello, darlin’, how are you?”

“Tired, but no big deal. Here are those consumer reports on the Big Country wine that was released in California and the ones from Fallon’s cellar.”

William nodded, taking the papers from her and reseating himself behind his desk. Moving through the papers, he had a grin on his face. He had been a different man ever since Fallon’s wedding. It was weird, but good, all in one. Even Fallon was getting along with him, and that was really weird. Maybe, Audrey thought, this would be a good time to tell him she wanted to leave the company; maybe she would get a different response.

Maybe pigs would fly one day.

“She has done really well with that cellar,” William muttered.

Audrey nodded. “She has.”

He nodded too, and continued to look through the papers, asking questions here and there. Audrey answered them quickly and efficiently, wanting more than anything to go back home and get in bed.

Putting the papers down, William looked up. “You look beautiful today, darling.”

She smiled as her cheeks warmed. “Thank you, Daddy.”

William nodded again, and like always, asked, “Everything okay?”

Audrey held his gaze as she had an internal battle with herself about telling him she wanted to leave. He always asked her that, it was almost like he knew she wanted to but knew she wouldn’t say it first. Could she do it, could she tell him she wasn’t happy?

Why do something you don’t love?

Recalling Tate’s question didn’t help. Looking over at her father, she nodded and said, “Everything is fine.”

Feeling like an idiot afterward, she made her way back to her office. She knew she should have said something, but she wasn’t ready yet for that fight with her father. Yes, since Fallon’s marriage he’d been different, but she knew how he felt about his girls working for the company. It was almost mandatory.