by Reese Ryan
Strands of her wavy hair clung to her forehead, wet with perspiration. She tucked a few loose strands behind her ear and glanced down at her clothing. Her cheeks turned bright red.
Her light blue shirt was smudged with dirt and there was a smidgen of it on one cheek. Dust and streaks of dirt were on her cropped cargo pants, too. She folded her arms over her chest.
“I’m here to meet my...” His words trailed off quickly and he tugged at the collar of his shirt, allowing cool air inside. “Sophie invited me to go riding. As a way to spark creativity. I’ve got a problem I’ve been trying to figure out.”
He hated keeping something from Audra again. He kept his words as close to the truth as possible without revealing the nature of his relationship with the Blackwoods.
“That’s why she invited me here.” Audra narrowed her gaze at him, closing the space between them. “What kind of game are the two of you running?”
Darius folded his arms and studied Audra, who was clearly agitated. “You think I had something to do with this?”
“You keep showing up everywhere I am.” She gestured wildly. “How do you explain that?”
“I can’t.” He shrugged. “But I had no idea you’d be here in Royal. I had no clue you were renting the house next door to the one Miranda provided. I didn’t expect to see you at the Texas Cattleman’s Club on Saturday, and believe me, I sure as hell didn’t expect to see you here.” He kept his voice calm.
Audra was a little firecracker who wore her emotions on her sleeve. The most passionate person he’d ever known.
He’d never had a more ardent lover than Audra. She’d ruined him for any woman after her.
“Why should I believe you?” She was asking, her button nose scrunched and her brows furrowed.
“Why would I lie to you about this?”
“Why should you lie to me about anything, Darius?” There was hurt in her tone and expression.
“Audra, I’m not lying to you. I really had no idea you’d be here. Trust me, if—”
“How could I possibly trust a man who’d lie about his own parents being dead? Who would do something like that?”
Shit.
His heart thumped in his chest and his pulse raced. “How long have you known?”
“Three years. I read that—”
“Rock magazine article,” he finished her statement with a heavy sigh. He wished he could take back that interview. He’d won an award that night, had drunk far too much premium vodka—something he’d stayed away from ever since—and had granted a magazine reporter an impromptu interview.
Darius had said a lot of things he shouldn’t have. He’d come off as arrogant and resentful. And he’d talked too honestly about his estranged relationship with his mother and stepfather.
He’d felt awful when he’d read the magazine article. Though he hadn’t spoken with his parents much prior to the publication of the article, he’d called to apologize. The upside was that he’d done a better job of staying in contact with them ever since.
He’d call. Briefly inquire after their health. Ask if either of them needed anything. Then he’d tell them that he would get out to see them whenever he could.
Only he never did.
As long as his parents weren’t willing to reveal the name of his biological father, he hadn’t been able to get over his resentment.
“Audra, I’m sorry. I didn’t try to deceive you. I just—”
“You just what, Darius? Explain why’d you’d lie to me about something like that. What kind of sick person—”
“I didn’t intend to lie to you, Audra. You asked about my parents, and I told you they were no longer in my life.” He shrugged. “A week later I heard you telling a friend my parents were dead. I was going to correct you, but then... I didn’t. Because at that time, they were as good as dead to me. I was bitter and angry, and I didn’t want anything to do with them.” He shrugged. “So rather than creating an embarrassing situation for both of us, I allowed the misunderstanding to stand. It was wrong of me. I realized that rather quickly. But I didn’t know how to fix it. If I told you the truth—”
“I’d think you were an ass. Which you are. What could your parents have possibly done to make you so angry with them?”
He opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off with the wave of her hand.
“Never mind. It doesn’t even matter. Anyone who could lie to the person they claimed to love about something like that...” Her voice broke. “I was foolish to believe you ever loved me.”
“No, that isn’t true.” His heart thumped and his pulse raced. He didn’t blame Audra for thinking badly of him. He’d been a jerk for the way he’d ended things between them and a liar for allowing her to believe his parents were dead. Still, he couldn’t abide her doubting he’d ever really loved her.
“How could you possibly think that I didn’t love you?” Darius stepped closer and lightly gripped her shoulders. His eyes searched hers. “You meant everything to me, Audra. Walking away from you was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”
“Then why’d you do it? If you loved me so much, why’d you walk away?” Her voice trembled and the corners of her eyes were wet with tears.
He dropped his gaze from hers momentarily before forcing his eyes to meet hers again.
“Is it really that hard for you to understand why, Audra?” He dropped his hands from her shoulders. “You’re a diamond heiress. The princess of a political dynasty. Your family has more money than God. And I was this poor, scholarship student whose mother tanked her acting career with booze and pills. Not the kind of thing a conservative senator who runs on a family values platform wants for his daughter.”
Darius ran a hand over his head, the skin damp with sweat, despite the cool temperature. Revealing the ugly truth that he’d been a coward left him drained.
He’d ended it because he’d known it would only be a matter of time before Audra would move on. She’d eventually find someone who fit into her world and could give her the life she deserved.
He’d wanted to spare them both the pain of getting in any deeper. And he’d thought it would hurt less if he’d ended things on his terms, rather than waiting for the other shoe to fall. That it would lessen the inevitable sting of rejection he knew all too well.
He’d been wrong.
“I never treated you differently, Darius. The money never mattered to me.”
“It did matter,” he countered. “After I insisted on paying for our dates, you didn’t want to go to your favorite restaurants anymore. You’d pass on trips with your friends.”
“I was being considerate. If you hadn’t been so bullheaded, I could’ve just paid for both of us. I had plenty, and I didn’t mind sharing.”
“I didn’t want you to feel like I was using you.”
“Nobody thought that.”
“Your friends certainly did.”
Her eyes widened, as if she was mortified by his statement, but she didn’t deny it. “They told you that?”
“Not in those exact words. But I got the point, just the same.” The muscles in his shoulders tensed as he’d recalled the painful memories. “Jessica told me about all of the trips and events you’d skipped because of me. The ones I didn’t know about. And your friend Jason wondered aloud how long you planned to ‘slum it.’” Darius leaned against one of the empty stalls. “He said it was practically a rich kid rite of passage and that you had a thing for lost causes.”
“And you took their word for it? Without even asking me?” she demanded, her voice trembling.
“Not at first. But then I realized that they were right. Eventually, you’d want a man with wealth, power and an upstanding family name. I had none of those, and nothing to give you except for what felt, at the time, like one hell of a long shot. You deserved better than that.”
“So i
s that when you first appointed yourself arbiter of What Audra Deserves?” Her expression was a mixture of sadness, anger and disappointment. “Who your parents are and the number of zeroes in your bank account was never an issue for me, Darius.”
“No?” He folded his arms, peering at her intensely.
“How could you even ask me that?”
“Because you never introduced me to your parents when they came to visit you on campus. You never so much as hinted that you wanted me to meet them.”
The pain of that long-ago realization still hurt.
“I never... I mean, I didn’t...” she stammered.
“You wanted to have this conversation, Audra. So let’s have it. You were embarrassed to introduce me to your parents because you knew they’d never approve of you dating me.”
“That isn’t true. I...” Audra suddenly looked deflated. “I mean...yes, I knew they would think I wasn’t being sensible about my future and what was best for the family.” She sighed. “I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve heard that line.”
“It’s okay, babe.” He didn’t want to hurt her more than he already had. “I understand. Family is a complicated thing. No one knows that more than me. But that’s why I walked away. In the end, it was inevitable.”
“No, you’re wrong.” She met his gaze. “I might’ve been hesitant to tell my parents that I was head over heels for someone they wouldn’t have chosen for me. But I was going to tell them. I loved you, Darius. I would’ve done anything for you. I thought you felt the same.”
“I did. Audra, I’ve never loved anyone as much as I loved you.”
“But not enough to share your reservations with me. Or enough to tell me the truth about your parents. Not enough to—”
Darius cradled her face and lowered his mouth to hers, silencing her with a kiss. He savored the lips he’d been longing to kiss since he’d set eyes on them in that diner. They were as soft and sweet as he remembered. Flavored by the lip gloss she wore.
Audra tensed in his arms initially, surprised by his sudden action. Though she couldn’t have been much more surprised than he was.
He honestly hadn’t intended to kiss her. He’d just needed to convince her that what he’d felt for her was real, regardless of what else she might think of him.
Audra tipped her head back, her mouth parting as she wrapped her arms around him.
Darius pressed a hand to her back as his tongue glided against hers and the smooth, round, steel barbell that pierced it. A jolt of desire ran through his body at the sensation. She clutched at the back of his shirt, erasing the sliver of space between their bodies. And he soon lost himself in the warmth of her embrace, the hunger in her kiss.
He’d missed everything about this woman.
The feel of her. The taste of her. The way she’d made him feel.
Darius was relieved by her reaction. If she’d given the slightest indication the kiss was unwanted, he would’ve apologized for reading her wrong and never laid a hand on her again. But instead of withdrawing, Audra curled deeper into him. She welcomed his kiss with a sweet little murmur, as if she couldn’t get enough. The vibration of that carnal sound sent a shiver down his spine, his body responding to hers.
He teetered backward, his back pressed against the post behind him. She moved closer, eliminating the space created by the shift in his position.
Darius glided a hand beneath her shirt. His fingertips caressed the soft, smooth skin on her back. His other hand inched downward, resting just short of the curvy ass that left him mesmerized every time she walked away from him. Her figure was a little fuller now than it had been five years ago. But the additional weight suited her, having settled in all the right places.
He kissed her harder. Deeper. Both of them were breathing heavily, but too consumed with the passion rising between them to stop.
Audra’s hands glided up his chest and she fumbled with the buttons on his shirt. She slipped one button through its snug hole. Then another. And another.
His mind raced, and his heart thumped wildly. The sound of his own heartbeat filled his ears.
He wanted her. Desperately.
Darius ached to examine every inch of her fuller frame. To feel her body beneath his. To relive the indescribable pleasure of being inside her. But he’d imagined it too long to settle for a quick roll in the literal hay with Mr. Ed and his friends watching.
“Audra, I—” He stopped suddenly.
Was that the sound of tires on gravel?
“What is it?” Audra frowned, her breathing ragged.
“I think someone is coming.” He loosened his grip on her.
“Oh.” She stepped beyond his reach, smoothing her hair back and rubbing at the stray gloss around her lips.
Lip gloss. Shit.
He rubbed at his mouth with the back of his hand as Sophie and Nigel strode into the stables hand in hand.
“There you two are. I thought you might’ve started down the trail without us, since neither of you responded to my text message that we were running late.” Sophie’s gaze went from Darius to Audra and back again.
He’d left his phone in the truck, not wanting it to get jostled as he rode a horse. And he hadn’t felt Audra’s phone in any of her pockets as she’d pressed against him.
“Nigel had to handle some last-minute business with the show,” Sophie continued, when neither of them spoke. “I hope we haven’t inconvenienced either of you too much.”
“Actually...” Audra said, “I’m beat. I’ve been out here most of the day. I just want to take a long bath. Maybe turn in early tonight.”
“Of course. I’m sorry we kept you waiting.” Sophie’s brows furrowed and she glanced between them again, as if trying to determine if something had gone wrong. “Rain check?”
“Absolutely.” Audra smiled at Sophie. The two women hugged. “Goodbye, Nigel.” She nodded at the man, but then barely cast a glance in Darius’s direction as she called out, “Goodbye, Darius.”
Audra was gone before he could blink.
“Sorry we interrupted,” Sophie said, breaking into his thoughts.
“Interrupted?” It was best to plead ignorance.
Sophie exchanged a knowing look with her fiancé, then gestured to her face. “You have her lip gloss all over your mouth.”
Darius scrubbed at his mouth and the area surrounding it with the back of his hand again. This time harder.
He was glad Sophie didn’t ask what had happened between him and Audra. Though his lip gloss–stained lips told the story well enough.
“Now it’s time for your first riding lesson.” His sister grinned. “I’ll show you how to strap on a saddle.”
Darius followed Sophie to one of the stalls, which housed a majestic horse with a shiny black coat. He listened as Sophie schooled him on the horse he’d be riding and gave him pointers on warming up to the animal.
But he was only thinking of Audra and the bitter words she’d flung at him prior to their kiss.
If you loved me so much, why’d you walk away?
I loved you, Darius. I would’ve done anything for you. I thought you felt the same.
The heat and passion between them were as intense as ever. But he’d wounded Audra, and she no longer trusted him. He’d wrecked their relationship, and there was no one but himself to blame.
Eleven
Audra paced just inside the front door of her rental home. She’d kissed Darius in the stables three days ago, and she hadn’t seen him since. In fact, she’d gone out of her way to avoid him. That included not swimming for the past three days.
Now she was restless. Partly because her routine had been disrupted. Partly because her daily swims helped her to blow off steam. And partly because she hadn’t been able to stop thinking of that kiss.
Darius was such an amazing kisser.
Audra dragged a hand through her hair and sighed.
She was being ridiculous. There was no need for her to avoid Darius. They were two reasonable adults whose relationship didn’t work out.
Shit happened.
But they could still be cordial. They could see each other around town and maybe even laugh off the kiss.
Audra checked the clock. Sophie was expecting her at the TCC clubhouse in half an hour for more restoration work. She didn’t know whether Darius intended to be there, but she wouldn’t tiptoe around on eggshells trying to avoid him anymore. So they might as well get the awkward conversation over.
She made her way to his place. Eyes closed briefly, she sucked in a deep breath and rang the bell.
Audra knew he was there, but part of her hoped he wouldn’t answer the door. She heard movement inside.
No such luck.
She could see him through the glass pane. He paused momentarily, his eyes widening.
“Audra, hey.” He leaned against the doorframe. “What can I do for you?”
“Can we talk?”
“Sure.” He gestured for her to come inside. “I’m heading out in a few minutes.”
“Going to the TCC clubhouse for volunteer duty? Me, too,” she said when he’d nodded in response. “That’s why I thought we should talk. If we get paired together again, I don’t want things to be weird between us.”
He rubbed the sexy scruff on his chin, and she instantly recalled the scrape of his stubbly beard against her skin when they’d kissed.
“I’m glad you came by, Audra. I wanted to apologize. I shouldn’t have kissed you. I made an awkward situation unbearable.”
“I appreciate the apology, but it isn’t necessary. After all, I kissed you back.” She shrugged as if it were no big deal, refusing to acknowledge the racing of her pulse. “We got caught up in the moment.”