Page 70 of Under Her

I get out of my chair and head over to the bar to order our food and drinks.

The bartender is busy, so I lean my elbows on the counter and wait.

“Wilder.” A female voice has me turning my head.

“Audrey. Hi.” I smile, shifting around to face her.

She steps a little closer to me—not invading my personal space, more like she wants to say something but doesn’t want everyone to overhear.

And I’m right when she says in a quieter voice, “I was hoping I’d see you again before I left. I wanted to thank you…for turning me down the other night.” She doesn’t sound like she’s being bitchy. She actually sounds genuine.

“Well, that’s the first time a woman’s ever said that to me.”

I laugh, and so does she.

“Seriously though, I wasn’t doing it for the right reasons, and even though you’re gorgeous, I know that I would have regretted it in the morning if we had slept together.”

“Well then, you’re welcome.”

I’m taking the glory for this, but I know me, and if I wasn’t so hung up on Morgan, I would have nailed Audrey without a second thought.

And knowing that she would have walked away from that, feeling shitty, has me thinking about how many other women I have screwed who have regretted it.

And I’m not thinking in terms of a dent on my ego. But…well, I would never want a woman to leave after having sex with me, feeling like crap because she screwed me for all the wrong reasons.

Then, I think about Morgan. What if we have sex and then she regrets it afterward? Honestly, it would fucking gut me.

“How are things going with that girl who had your head all messed up?” Audrey asks, breaking into my thoughts.

“Ah. Well, nothing’s changed. But I’m hoping it will soon.”

She gives me an encouraging smile. “I’m sure it will. How could any girl resist you for too long?”

“True.” I give a cheeky grin.

“Well, it was good seeing you again.”

“You, too.” I smile.

Audrey leans in and presses a kiss to my cheek. “You’re a good guy, Wilder. Take care.” Then, she’s gone.

I stand here a moment, staring at the empty spot where Audrey just stood.

I can’t stop thinking about what she said. About regret.

I never thought I had any regrets. But I do.

I regret all the time I’ve spent fighting with Morgan. And I don’t just mean since she came back into my life. I mean, back in college, too.

Things could have been so different if we’d just pulled our heads out of our asses and actually spent time getting to know one another.

Because I’m pretty fucking sure we’d have ended up together back then if we had done that.

And I don’t mean, just for a quick fuck. I mean, together, together.

Because that’s sure as hell what I want now.

Sure, I want to bang her. I mean, Jesus, have you seen her?