She swallows hard, eyes shining for half a second before she blinks it away.
The urge to touch her—comfort her—hits fast and sharp, and I lock my hands behind my back like I’m restraining a weapon.
“I’m sorry,” she says anyway, like she can’t help it.
“I know,” I say. “But you don’t have to be.”
She looks at me like she doesn’t believe in that kind of permission.
From the kitchen, Mark’s voice carries. “For the record, if anyone throws up on my shoes, I’m suing.”
Alex responds immediately. “You’d deserve it.”
Audra’s lips twitch again. This time it’s real.
She closes her eyes for a second, and the smile stays there—small, tired, reluctant.
When she opens them, she looks… steadier.
“Okay,” she says quietly. “I’m ready for the crackers. And my phone. And maybe… an explanation.”
I nod once. “You’ll get all of it. One piece at a time.”
And for the first time since last night, her shoulders drop like she might—just maybe—let someone carry the weight with her for a minute.
Chapter Fifteen
AUDRA
My phone is a landmine.
That’s the first thought that hits me the second Derek hands it over, screen dark and heavy in my palm like it’s judging me for every decision that led me here.
The second thought is worse.
I’m in Derek Pierce’s house. Again.
Not the bright, sharp version of his life—the office, the boardroom, the places where he’s always in control and I’m always on guard. This is something else. A space that smells like coffee and clean linen and the faintest trace of masculine cologne that shouldn’t be comforting but somehow is.
I sit at the edge of the couch, blanket still wrapped around my shoulders like armor, and stare at my locked screen.
“Take your time,” Derek says.
His voice is calm. Not CEO-calm. Not command-calm. Something softer, like he’s trying to make the world less sharp for me.
It makes my throat tighten.
Mark drops into the recliner with an overly dramatic groan. “Ifyou pass out again, I’m writing it into the official friendship contract.”
Alex sets a small plate of crackers on the coffee table like he’s presenting a peace offering. “Saltines. Safe food.”
I eye them suspiciously. “Are you sure?”
Alex nods solemnly. “As sure as I can be about any food.”
Mark snorts. “He’s lying. He once got betrayed by a taco.”
“It was the lettuce,” Alex says, offended. “It was suspicious.”
