Empty Net (10 page)

“I guess you can’t burn things on the front lawn,” he said.

Tate watched as the emergency response teams left. Audrey stood beside him taking deep breaths as her eyes stayed on the pile of junk that had been drenched with water from the fire trucks. Tate still couldn’t believe the show she had put on for him. It was quite the sight, watching her grunt and cuss as she threw each item out on the lawn. When she got the matches and lighter fluid, he wanted to laugh but could tell she wouldn’t like that much. She was visibly upset, and he wanted to know why.

When she glanced up at him with a sheepish smile, he smiled back. Then they both started to laugh. She held her stomach as she laughed loudly, adding a little snort here and there. That made him laugh harder, and soon he was bent over laughing.

“What a show, huh?”

Tate smiled. “It was interesting.”

Audrey giggled. “You probably think I’m a psychotic slut.”

Tate’s smile fell as his eyebrows drew together. “I don’t think that at all.”

She waved him off, rolling her eyes. “I just set fire to a couch and a mattress, and other things. I’m pretty sure that gets me a one-way ticket to Crazyville.”

Tate shook his head. “Obviously, you are upset.”

“
Upset
is a good word for it, but I think
psychotic
is better.”

“I think you are being too hard on yourself,” he scoffed.

She looked up, surprised. They shared a long look before she nodded. “I’m always too hard on myself.”

“See, even you know that you aren’t a psychotic slut.”

“Oh, I don’t think I am. I said you probably think I am.”

Tate shook his head, confused. “I don’t think that at all. Why would I?”

Audrey looked down shyly. “Like I said, I burned up some furniture, but before that I slept with you after only knowing you for five minutes.”

Ah, okay. That was where the slut part came from.

“Audrey, I just think that you had the same passion I had and we acted on it. What’s wrong with that?”

She smiled as she shrugged her shoulders. “I had never done that before.”

Tate grinned as he nodded. “Well, I’m glad I was your first.”

She looked away again. “I’m sorry for the way I acted at the wedding, I was a bitch.”

He shrugged his shoulders, a small smile pulling at his lips. “Don’t think twice about it.”

She gave him a bright grin before moving her hand through her long wet hair. Tate took a deep breath as he kicked at the grass with his bare feet. He had this need to know everything about her. Knowing that it was she who lived next door still made his pulse kick up. He hoped she would get to know him and that something would develop between them. He was intrigued by her, and more than a little attracted to her. He wanted her. Bad.

“You want to tell me what happened to cause you to set your furniture on fire?”

Audrey shrugged before looking up at him, her eyes cloudy with tears. It tugged at his heart to see her like that. He wanted to gobble her up in his arms again and kiss away the pain, but knew that would be rude. She obviously needed time, so for now he would keep his hands to himself.

“Like always,” she said, “I fell prey to another wicked scheme.”

“What do you mean? Wait,” he said before she could answer. “Why don’t we sit down. I’ll get us some hot chocolate and we’ll talk.”

Audrey nodded slowly. “That would be nice.”

She settled herself on the porch while Tate went inside to prepare hot chocolate. He had finally finished getting the condo decorated with his things and probably should have invited her inside, but she seemed happy to sit on the porch. It was chilly, but it was still a bright, beautiful morning.

When he came back outside, Audrey was sitting on the top step, wrapped in a blanket and wearing a coat too. In short shorts and a tank top, he had thought she would be cold, but guessed that with her adrenaline still running on high, she didn’t feel the chill. He handed her a bright purple Assassins mug before settling in beside her.

Audrey took a sip and smiled over at him. “This is good.”

Tate smiled widely. It was his mom’s hot chocolate recipe from back home. He loved it, and loved it even more that she liked it. He continued to grin, his body filling with warmth from the girl beside him. For some reason, he wasn’t shy about his smile around her. Maybe it was the way she would smile when he did. It made him feel good, like he didn’t need to hide the gap between his teeth.

“So, wicked scheme?” He knew he said
scheme
wrong. It sounded more like
schewe
when he said it. Oh well, she must have gotten the point because she nodded.

“Yup, like always. I always take shit from idiots.”

“So, in other words you haven’t found the right guy?”

She laughed. “Nope, but I’ve found every wrong one on the way.”

Tate nodded. “So, what did this idiot do to cause you to burn stuff?”

Audrey ran her finger along the rim of her mug before looking up at him. “Why is it so easy to talk to you?”

The question confused him. He grinned while shrugging. “I’m not sure, but I’m happy about it.”

Her eyes softened and she nodded. “It’s nice.”

Tate continued to grin. “It is. Now tell me.”

Her smile fell as her hand went up to a strand of her hair, which she began to twirl slowly around her finger while she stared at the pile of burned mess. “I went home with someone who I have been sleeping with for the past eight months when I knew I shouldn’t have. He doesn’t love me, but for some reason I keep hoping for something that is never gonna happen. I woke up to him getting dressed and he proceeded to tell me he only wants to have sex with me. He doesn’t want to be with me.”

Tate cringed. The dude was an idiot! But all in all, the idiot’s loss was his gain.

“Did you give him everything you had?” he asked.

“Yeah, and he used me.”

“Then forget him, he doesn’t deserve you. You deserve someone who will love you, not some jackass that doesn’t know his ass from his head.”

Audrey covered her mouth as she giggled. “Everyone tells me that.”

“Then maybe you should listen,” he said with a grin.

She grinned back before nodding. “Maybe I will.”

He got the vibe she was flirting with him, and his heart rate picked up and dick hardened with the beautiful memories of her naked. She was hurting and he was an ass for thinking of sex, but he couldn’t help it. She was so sexy and gorgeous. At the right angle, he could see perfectly down her shirt. For some reason, when he was around her he found himself thinking about her naked and sex. He’d wanted her since he watched her leave the hotel room. It had been a long week, and he was ready for a repeat and more.

Tate turned up his charm, channeling his inner Lucas as he grinned at her.

“Maybe a good guy is in your future.”

“Maybe,” she said, then stood up suddenly. “Thanks for the talk.”

“Any time.”

Tate stood up too, and Audrey handed him the empty mug as he looked down at her, wanting her in his arms again. They said nothing for a moment, just stared into each other’s eyes. Hers were dark with pretty little spots of honey. She was beautiful, so beautiful.

Her eyes fell to his lips, then she looked away quickly and muttered, “I gotta get dressed and go buy a couch and mattress before Aiden gets here.”

“Yeah, Lucas told me Aiden is staying with you for the week.”

“Yup.” She nodded, taking a step back.

“He told me to help out but to know that you probably won’t need it.”

She smiled. “No, Aiden and I are good, but thanks.”

“Sure,” he said as she reached the door. He didn’t want her to go, so he added, “I’m home alone for the week. If you guys want company, let me know.”

Audrey smiled, her eyes brighter than they were earlier. “Will do. Thanks again, Tate.”

“Any time.”

When she went inside, he leaned against the brick of the condo, taking in deep breaths. She did something to his heart and he didn’t understand it, but he liked it. He liked her.

“Hey.”

Tate came off the wall, a quick smile on his face for Audrey. “Yeah?”

“What’s your favorite thing to eat? Candywise?”

He laughed at the randomness of the question but it wasn’t difficult to answer. “Gummy bears.”

Audrey smiled brightly and nodded. “Are you going to baby Shelli’s birthday party this weekend?”

Tate nodded. He didn’t want to, but Shea, his captain, said he had to go.

So he was.

“Yeah.”

“Good, I’ll see you there.”

With a wave, she left, shutting the door behind her.

Audrey confused the hell out of him, but he didn’t care. He wanted her, and he couldn’t wait for the chase. He would give her a week or two, but after that it was game time.

And he had his mind set to win.

“A.A., what happened to your couch again?”

Audrey knew that Aiden didn’t believe the story she told him about why she had a new couch set and bedroom suite, but it didn’t keep her from sticking to it. It had been four days, why would she change her story now?

“I told you, punkin’,” she said, and paused to lick the icing from her fingers. “Those hippogriffs you left here pooped and peed all over my couch! I had to fight them off and then go get a new set!”

Aiden’s giggles filled the room, making Audrey smile.

“You’re so silly, A.A.,” Aiden said, giggling.

She smiled. “And you love me so much.”

“To the moon and back!” he exclaimed with his hands in the air. She laughed and nodded, continuing to put icing in her piping bag. When she had all the icing inside the bag, she squeezed the right amount on each orange cream–flavored cupcake while Aiden leaned on the back of the couch watching her.

“Are you gonna come on over here and pick out all the orange gummy bears from this bag for me?” she asked, cocking her head toward a large bag of gummy bears.

“Sure!”

Aiden ran over to the island, hopped up in the chair, and opened the bag. Audrey continued to frost the cupcakes while he picked out all the orange ones. He was the best helper in the kitchen, plus she just loved being near him. She had been missing him so much lately.

Once she was done, she leaned back, inspecting her work. She had done well with the bright orange buttercream icing she’d made. It matched the cake perfectly, and also the wrapper that Aiden had picked out.

“All done,” he said before hopping off the chair to throw away the packing.

Audrey nodded. “Good work, good sir!”

He laughed while she proceeded to put a gummy bear on the top of each cupcake. When she was finished, she popped one in her mouth and grinned over at him. “You sure Mr. Tate likes orange?”

Aiden nodded quickly, his hair moving with each nod. “Yup! He says he hates purple and hates wearing it at the games.”

Audrey laughed. “I like the purple.”

She had always been a fan of the Assassins’ dark purple jerseys. On the front there was an emblem of a large masked man holding a hockey stick over his head, with the Nashville skyline coming out of his shoulders. The jerseys did it for her; she had two of her own. She thought it made the guys look scrumptious. Something about a manly man in a girlie color turned her on. Call her crazy, but it was hot!

“Me too!” Aiden exclaimed. “Dad got me my own jersey that says Brooks and eleven on the back, since he is twenty-two.”

“How cool! What’s Mommy? Thirty-three?”

Aiden rolled his eyes. “Duh, A.A., she’s number one!”

Audrey laughed. “Dad said that?”

“Yup! Mommy will always be his number one, that’s what he always says.”

Audrey shook her head while she placed each cupcake in a tin. For the past couple of
days she had been working on the perfect cupcake to give Tate as a thank-you. When she found a recipe for the orange cream ones online, she was quick to make them. They tasted divine, and she hoped Tate would think so too.

With a shake of her head, as if trying to get rid of the thought of him, she placed the cupcakes in the center of the island. She had promised herself that she was done thinking about Levi and Tate, but she hadn’t had much luck with that. She needed to give up guys completely for a while. It would be for the best.

What she needed was a break. A Guy Break. Maybe having a partner would help. Piper might want to go in on it with her. It wasn’t like Piper had had much luck with guys either lately. She had dated just about the same number of idiots. Plus, she was apparently in love with a guy who didn’t want her. More of a reason to go on a Guy Break.

As Audrey cleaned up her mess, Aiden ran around the house playing with his imaginary friend, Will. It creeped her out a little, but Aiden reassured her that Will was a good guy.

“A.A., can I go outside?”

She turned from the sink, wiping her hands on her apron. “Yeah, but be careful. Stay in the front yard and put a jacket on. It’s getting colder out.”

Finally! It had been in the low seventies for the past month, and it was November! How did that make sense? But that was Tennessee weather for you! She wasn’t worried about it, though; once December came, it would be so cold that she would be wearing thick tights every day under her dresses. She loved when the different seasons changed, so she could go shopping for new outfits to buy. Some people had husbands and boyfriends, she thought, while she had shoes and dresses.