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"Okay, sure. Why don't you break out the ugly Christmas sweaters? That’s the best part of Christmas, isn’t it?"
She's messing with me, and I am loving every single moment. She knows my family hate Christmas sweaters.
"Is it the best part? I kinda thought it was the unwrapping which was the best.”
Audrey catches me staring at her luscious curves. The eroticism of her hot stare encourages me but looking and not touching is torture. How long can I hold on before declaring undying love and pouncing on her?
"You dropped one."
"Where?" She glances at me with sultry eyes, and I point to the silver bauble under the tree. "I'll have to bend over and pick it up." She pouts, her expression is the perfect blend of naughtiness and innocence.
Shifting to the edge of my seat, I swallow around the desire building in my dry mouth and place the mug on the table. She wiggles her hips; I lean closer, willing her to bend over and touch her toes. Christ.
Urgent rapping on the front door saves me from acting on my depraved lust-filled thoughts.
"Terrible timing," she giggles. It's the delivery driver with the takeout we ordered on the way. "But I am starving."
A change of scene will give me a chance to pull myself together. Wiping sweat from my brow, I push to my feet to open the door and collect dinner.
"I'll get it," I tell her, hoping there's enough blood circulation to make my legs move. Having her in my home feels natural. Now she's in my sights, there's no way I'm letting her go.
When I return with the food, Audrey's finished with the Christmas lights, and connected the power. The lights flicker to life and the room feels so much brighter.
We catch up on news while we eat, skirting any issues that might trigger deeper conversation. We haven't gotten around to talking about work yet. It's the ruse I used to get her to comehome with me, but we both know it's not real. And yet, we both know what's coming.
We can't avoid talking about family issues all night. The dam breaks when Audrey asks about my cousin, Chase.
“Didn’t he buy a brewery or distillery with your cousins?” she asks.
“It was something like that.”
My family made their money in the hospitality industry before expanding into luxury hotels. Chase wanted to try something different. He went into business with a couple of our cousins and opened a chain of restaurants. He was trying to keep things within the family, but a difference of opinion saw them split acrimoniously.
“It didn’t end up well and now he’s saddled with debt.”
“Ouch. That sounds rough.”
“You know what the family is like.” It’s a loaded statement, as they are the source of all our problems.
“Yeah, I do.” Sighing, she rests the fork on her plate.
"Auds." We've hit a turning point, and this is my chance to find the answer to a question burning me up inside.
"Mmm?" She glances up and the serious expression on my face startles her. "What is it?"
I've played by the rules and respected the boundaries because I thought it's what she wanted. But she's as miserable as I am and unless someone can give me a good reason why we can't be together, I am done with this shit.
"Your ex-fiancé. What happened?"
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I knew you were upset with me, when you left for Europe so fast, and—"
I wave my hand to stop her. "Don't. You couldn't talk to me, and I get that." I hate it, and I don't want any secrets between us. Not anymore. "But I need to know what happened."
She takes a deep, shuddering breath and composes herself before answering. "I didn't love Brent. My parents pushed us together, and I only accepted the proposal out of a sense of duty. The more I got to know him, the more I realized he wasn't who I thought he was."
The urge to comfort her drives me to reach for her hand. She's delicate but not fragile. As I trace lines on her skin, her pulse quickens.
"When a friend told me she'd seen him kissing another woman, I confronted him, and he ended the engagement."
