"Of course, angel. Your call. Kai's assistant can book the jet back whenever we want."
Marlena's eyes gleam. "You came here by private jet?"
Somehow, I manage to keep my grin under control as I nod nonchalantly. "Well… We were in a hurry. I didn't want Audra to miss this."
"Yes, I'm glad I was here." She squeezes my hand. "Thank you.”
Marlena's hand rests on my arm for a few seconds. "I'm glad my daughter has found someone who understands priorities. Family is what's important."
"I like that Thane appreciates how important my soundscapes are to me," Audra adds. "He’s been extremely helpful with them."
Marlena shakes her head. "I’ve always assumed that's just a phase you're going through. Of course, now that you've found a quality man?—"
I cut her off before she can say another word. “Audra will continue to do her work, or whatever else she likes. She's the one in charge of her life. I'm just grateful to be invited along for the ride."
Marlena blinks in surprise, looking back and forth between the two of us. Her mouth opens and closes like a guppy’s. Then she nods. "Well… Okay then. It was lovely to meet you, Thane. Audra, I'm so glad that you dropped in." She spins on her heel and marches toward a crowd of women near the bar.
Audra squeezes my fingers, practically vibrating. "Wow. That was amazing!"
"What was?"
She laughs. "Nobody has ever told my mother off like that before."
"I didn't really tell her off…"
"Please. You interrupted her. You disagreed with her. Trust me, that's more than anyone has dared to do in ages.”
My hand glides up to settle on the bare skin between her shoulder blades. "Someday you're going to tell me all about your weird childhood, right?"
She nods slowly. "Yeah. Definitely. Just…not this week, okay?"
"Sure."
I look around at the clusters of people mostly gathered around the bar. "Would you like a drink, or?— "
"Let's bolt." Her eyes sparkle. "We've done our duty. Now I want…" Her hand slips into my jacket and presses against the side of my chest.
"You're not suggesting that I should ever take off this immaculate suit?"
"Oh, that's exactly what I'm suggesting.”
16
AUDRA
For the sake of our poor taxi driver, Thane and I stay at opposite ends of the back seat on the ten-minute drive back to our hotel. We make it through the lobby while politely holding hands. But the second the elevator doors close, his lips crush to mine with a deep groan that I swear I feel pulsing straight between my legs.
His huge body cages mine against the mirrored wall as I loosen his tie with trembling fingers. We break apart when the doors open, then race down the hall to our room.
The second the door is locked behind us we kick off our shoes, then Thane picks me up and carries me over to the bed. He strips off my dress slowly, while kissing under my ear. "We’re going to do this backward, angel."
"Backward?"
"Normally I would take you out to dinner, then make love, then sleep. Tonight I'm going to start with dessert first. Then we'll order a late supper and some champagne, and finish by watching a movie. Sound good?"
I catch his eyes, wondering if he realizes what he just said.
His jacket and tie hit the floor, then Thane chuckles darkly. "Yeah, gorgeous. As much as I’m going to fuck you until you scream again, it's also making love." His belt hits the floor with a thump. "Because I do love you."
