It’s such a strange bout of mind fuckery.
We’re steps from the truck when a crack of thunder breaks through the air. I look up as huge, cold droplets of water fall from the sky onto my face. Audrey shrieks and we jog the rest ofthe way to my vehicle. I toss our purchases into the back seat and then help her climb into the cab.
But as I step away to close the door, her gaze catches mine, and I lift a brow.
“Thanks,” she says. “Not just for dinner, but for everything.”
The corner of my mouth flickers.Thank you, too.“You’re welcome.”
I slam the door, moving to the back of my truck. I take a second, just one short moment, to catch my breath. She’s so easy to spoil, an interesting conversationalist, and the sex with her has been some of the best I’ve ever had. The taste of her is imprinted on my tongue, and right now, I fear I’ll never be able to forget her.
I was right. She’s going to be the death of me.
CHAPTER
TWENTY-TWO
Brooks
“How many T-shirts do you have?” Audrey shouts from the bedroom. “What are some of these?” She pokes her head around the corner and holds up a Sugar Creek Scrapers shirt. “What is this?”
Steam from my shower billows out of the bathroom around me. “That’s a shirt from an alumni softball game a few years ago. I work out in it sometimes.” The hardwood is cold on my feet. “What are you doing going through my stuff, anyway? I believe I asked you to find me a pair of shorts.”
She shrugs helplessly. “It’s like a treasure trove in here. You have more T-shirts in this bag than I own.”
“I packed in a hurry.”
“Every shirt you own?”
I make a face at her, swiping a pair of shorts off the top of the pile. “That’s a very small piece of my T-shirt collection, thank you very much. I have every T-shirt I’ve ever owned.”
Her jaw drops. “You’re kidding.”
“Afraid not.” I unwrap my towel and toss it onto the bed. “Well, I probably don’t have anything before sixth grade exceptfor whatever Mom kept. But I’ve held on to most of my things since then.”
Audrey stands, looking absolutely delicious in one of my Alfie’s shirts. It hangs from her shoulders and stops mid-thigh. It gives just enough hints about what’s beneath the fabric to drive a man, namely me, wild.
“I don’t think I have an item of clothing from when I was younger, except maybe what I came home from the hospital wearing,” she says. “Mom’s not the keeper type, if you get my drift.”
I kiss her on the forehead as I pass her to pick up my phone off the bed. “My manager, Isaac, called while we were at dinner and shopping last night, and I forgot to return his call today. He shot me a text before I got in the shower. I need to check in with him, if you don’t mind.”
“No, I don’t mind,” she says, stretching her arms over her head. The hem of my shirt rises so high it nearly bares her pussy. And I nearly miss calling Isaac back. “I need to call my friends, anyway. Gianna has demanded details.”
“Of?” I ask coyly.
“The size of your dick, mostly.”
“I hope you give me a good report.”
She taps her lip as if she’s thinking. “If it gets foggy, you might have to give me a refresher later.”
I plant a loud kiss against her lips, grab my phone, and head into the kitchen.
We spent the day lying around the house and watching movies. I woke up early this morning, keenly aware that we leave here tomorrow. I get one more day with her before this slice of paradise is over. She seemed more than happy to curl up with me, almost like she shared my sentiments. Maybe that’s true, and maybe it’s not. I didn’t ask.
The sun is in the perfect position just above the trees. Everything is bathed in a warm, peachy glow. I stand at the glass doors and gaze across the lake, wondering what it’s like to be here when the weather is warmer, and you can swim and take a boat out onto the water.
I see those things in my head. Resting on the hammock with Audrey, watching her jump into the water from the rope swing, and her sitting on my lap as I guide a boat through the waves. But it hits me as quickly as the ideas formed—those things won’t happen. I can come back, butshewon’t be with me.
