Especially the ones she's not telling me.
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, getveryused 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…ourfirst 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 deeplyright, 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.
