Page 19 of Unraveled

Hannah’s eyes lit up. “Did you finally go on a date?”

Good Lord, Hannah made it sound like Audrey had been in a convent. Though, to be fair, that wasn’t far off the mark. Still, Audrey grimaced and bit her lip. “Not a date.”

Hannah tipped her head to the side as she contemplated what Audrey had said—and what she hadn’t. “So… oh!”

Audrey smirked. Oh, indeed. There had been quite a few of those during her night with Carter. She stared across the lobby at the man who sent a curious look her way as he got ready to hold the door open for them. The black suit accentuated his sleek form, and she couldn’t help but be drawn to him.

Her eyes scanned over him one more time, and she was transported back to Friday when she had skimmed her fingers over every inch of him. It was a shame the man was such a jerk because he was definitely worth going back for seconds.

Hannah squealed beside her, tearing Audrey from her reverie. “I’m so happy for you!”

“No, no,” Audrey warned her. “Don’t get your hopes up. It was just a one-time thing.”

“I don’t know,” Hannah sang as she started again toward the door. “He looks pretty determined to me.”

“Yeah, well…” Audrey didn’t have a response for that. Still, she had her life to figure out before she could even begin to think about inviting a man into it. “I can’t.”

“Why not?” Hannah asked as they continued on. “I know the whole thing with Scott has made you wary, but…” She lifted her hands in a little shrugging motion. “It doesn’t have to be serious, not yet. You deserve to find someone who cares about you.”

“Maybe.” It was all the response Audrey could muster at the moment. Carter had taken her reserve and turned it upside down, then shaken it like a snow globe. She had never felt more comfortable with a man than she did with him.

The rational part of her urged to give him a chance, to let him prove he was as serious as he seemed. Her heart, on the other hand, was locked up tighter than a vault. She couldn’t bear to endure that kind of hurt again, and she wasn’t sure she’d ever let someone fully inside again.

Their small group reached the front door, and Carter held it wide, then followed them to the parking garage. Audrey was hyperaware of his presence as he strode beside her, doing his best to make small talk. When she failed to respond, he finally grew quiet, and they passed the last portion of the trip into the parking garage in awkward silence. The four of them stopped beside Audrey’s car, and she took the boxes from Carter and Luke, then set them in the back seat.

“You good from here?”

She met Luke’s intense gaze before turning to Carter. He looked so sincere that she figured he deserved at least a couple of minutes of her time. With a sigh, she turned to Luke.

“Yeah, we’ll be fine. Thank you.”

She hugged Hannah, who looked like she might burst with happiness. Audrey rolled her eyes and gave Luke a lopsided smile. He studied Carter, the corners of his mouth tugging down in a frown like he still wasn’t quite sure what to make of the other man.

He finally met Audrey’s eyes and gave her a meaningful look. She clearly read the message in his hazel eyes that he’d gladly tear the man apart if he made a wrong move. With a surreptitious wink to Luke, she leaned against the car and turned her attention to Carter with a raised brow.

He waved to the others as they walked away, Hannah comically craning her neck to watch them. Luke finally managed to corral her and guided her around the corner to where her car was parked. Audrey tipped her head at Carter. “That bruise looks rough.”

His lips pulled up in a grin. “I’ll bet you can kiss it and make it all better.”

Audrey’s mouth kicked up in a smirk before she could stop it. Not wanting him to see how appealing she found the suggestion, she let out a little scoff. “There’s too much wrong with you to fix with just a kiss.”

His expression turned serious, and he stared at her imploringly. “I really need to apologize. What I said was…” He shook his head. “I was a jerk.”

Audrey nodded once. “You were.”

“I didn’t know about…” He raked a hand through his hair before gesturing after Hannah. “That was her, right?”

“It was.”

“I’m sorry.”

Audrey met his solemn gaze. If he could own up to his actions, then so could she. “Me, too. I was a coward. I was going to leave you a note.”

He raised a brow in her direction, and she felt her cheeks heat. She knew she had taken the easy way out, running out of her own home without a word to escape a one-night stand. “I think I was, anyway. To be honest, I wasn’t totally thinking clearly. I saw the news, and I had to go see for myself that she was okay.”

“I understand.” He reached out and took her hand. “I don’t blame you for that. I thought you were running away from me because you were embarrassed.”

Audrey gave a little nod but remained silent. What could she say to that? Admit that it was partially true? She had been terribly ashamed of her behavior that night; part of her still was. Her husband and she had been separated for only months, and her divorce hadn’t even been finalized before she had thrown herself at Carter like a lunatic. She almost cringed just thinking of the things they had done that night, things she had never done with another person, including her husband of six years.