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She’s everything I want in a woman, and seeing her again reminds me how much I've missed her. Without Audrey, I feel like I’m drowning in a vat of hot oil bubbling in one of the lower levels of hell. Absolute hell, the one with pain and endless suffering.
A void opens in my chest—making me want to say, ‘screw being noble’ and confess how I feel. But it’s too late. I’m a fool. She’s engaged now and off—limits.
It kills me to think she belongs to another man, but I swore to respect her boundaries. I vowed to keep my hands and opinions,cough, to myself because the only thing that matters is her happiness.
Audrey's hair catches the light. One strand juts out, tempting me to tuck it behind her ear, yet I hold back the urge. I can’t cross the line with such an intimate gesture. It’s too painful, stirring memories of our moonlit tryst when she looked at me with stars in her eyes.
Now, there’s steam blowing out of her ears. The narrow-eyed stare sharpening her delicate features would make another man crumble, but not me. I love the pure passion flowing from the Mediterranean blood in her veins.
Audrey can beat her fists on my chest. She can tear my skin to shreds and leave me a bloodied mess. I don't care. I'll take whatever she gives--I'll do anything for her.
I steel myself for the onslaught. I deserve it.
“Don't you dare accuse me of anything! Not after that stunt you pulled,” she says.
“I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me.” I reach for her hand, but she backs away, looking at me as if I were a stranger.
“You can't act like a brute just because you see me talking to another man!”
My behavior was ridiculous. I don't blame her, but I need to fix this. Quickly.
My voice echoes through the empty backstage area. “Audrey, please, talk to me. Why are you so mad you ignored me during the meeting?”
Her lips remain pursed, arms crossed. “I wasn’t mad at you. I couldn't see you.”
My stomach clenches. “What are you talking about?”
She blows out a breath. “I tried telling you earlier. Glitter fell in my eye. I tried changing my contacts, but Ivy—.” She shakes her head. “The details don’t matter. I wasn't wearing my contacts or glasses, so everything was a blur.”
Come to think of it, she was standing at the back of the room. Audrey didn't ignore me. It was a simple misunderstanding.
I run a hand over my face, scraping my whiskers, and groan. “Why didn't you say so sooner?”
Audrey tilts her head slightly, studying my face. “You wouldn’t let me get a word in.”
I look away. “I’m sorry.”
“Did I embarrass you in front of everyone? Is that why you're behaving like this?”
Embarrassed?
“Do you think I care what anyone thinks?” I challenge, my eyes locking onto hers.
Audrey raises an eyebrow, a hint of amusement twinkling in her eyes. “Oh, Luca. First Kaiden. Then you think I snubbed you—aren’t you being a little dramatic?”
“Of course. I feel things deeply. It’s how I create art,” I tell her, leaning against the wall, my gaze unwavering.
She laughs a bit too sharply, shaking her head. “You sound like a pretentious idiot. Say that to someone else, and they’ll likely slap you.”
My eyes never leave her face, captivated by the way her cheeks flush a delicate pink.
“Is that so?” I muse, an ironic half-smile tugging at the corner of my mouth. I shake my head. “That may be true, but I can’t help myself when it comes to you. I’ll always look out for you.”
“I appreciate it, but I don’t need your protection. We’re not kids anymore, playing ball at your house. You remember, right?” she teases.
I had better pull myself together. “I’m sorry. I overstepped. It's not my place anymore now you have what's—his—name in your life.”
“About that—”
