by Unknown
Audra frowned, her eyes popping open as her imaginary pickup started to look a lot like Scott. It was his face she saw in the dark of the car, his broad thighs she was poised over.
Because he was here now. He was her only frame of reference, really. It was natural that he’d be the one she’d picture being with. It didn’t mean anything.
“Ready for some show and tell?”
His voice as he walked back into the bedroom made her sit up straight, startling her out of her fantasy thoughts. She watched as he stood by the bed with a medium-sized leather box in his hands. He smiled at her, obviously eager to share his treasures. His hair was a mess, tousled everywhere by her hands. His eyes were warm as he sat on the bed next to her, plopping the box in front of them.
Suddenly Audra was apprehensive. It had seemed innocent enough, but this was sharing. These things meant something to him. Like the story of his injury, and telling him about her parents and the store—not everything, not the worst of it, but did people share like this during one-night stands?
She suspected not, but it was too late now.
“Maybe you can even tell me more about some of this stuff.”
“I’m not very knowledgeable about sports items, but I know some people who are, if you need appraisals or that kind of thing.”
“Not really. These are personal, mostly. Things I found, bought or that I was given. I wouldn’t sell any of them. They’re worth more to me than I could get for them.”
She smiled, unable to fight the sense of connection his words fostered.
“I know what you mean. I have some things, not terribly valuable, but they have history and meaning that’s more important than their monetary value.”
“Like what?”
She thought for a second. “Like my grandmother’s silver. It’s Sterling, which is very valuable now, depending on how you think about it, whether you want to melt it or not.”
“Melt it?”
“Yes, people will buy old silver to take to metal plants, trade it in to be melted down. There are a lot of folks who actually make their living, or a lot of it, that way. With all kinds of metals.”
Scott blinked. “Huh. Sounds enterprising.”
“It can be. They can make thousands from things other people throw away.”
“Damn. You know, I think now that you bring it up, I remember one of my kids talking about that.”
Audra did a double take. “What?”
His kids?
“I mean, one of the kids I coach. His father was unemployed, and I think Luke said something about him getting money from trading in wire. I didn’t know what that meant at the time, and I didn’t want to pry, but there’s copper in wire, right?”
“Wire can be very profitable, yes, though you need a lot of it. But it can also add up pretty quickly. There’s a market for almost all metals, but obviously silver and gold have the highest values. I could never imagine my grandmother’s beautiful silver being melted down. Some is kept for its design and its historic value or beauty, but much is lost to melt.”
“I guess I never really thought about that. It’s a shame to lose old treasures, though. All the stories they bring with them, all the places they’ve been.”
“Yes, exactly. I love knowing where things came from, how they were made, and if I don’t know for sure, it’s still fun to imagine.”
And there it was again, Audra thought, that silken weave of connection, a thread between them that made this more than what she’d set out to make it.
“You may not be very impressed with my collection, but I think you’ll get why these things are special.”
She knew exactly what he meant. Many times even her friends didn’t get it. They didn’t understand what she loved about older items, especially when they had wear or use—why didn’t she like new rugs from Ikea rather than old Persian ones that horses or camels might have slept on? Why didn’t she like new furniture or dishes, rather than ones that came from other people’s houses and kitchens?
Scott opened the box, and Audra had to admit she was more interested than she wanted to be. A person’s things, the kinds of items they collected or loved, said something about them. She wondered what she would find out about Scott from what was in his treasure box.
The first thing he pulled out was a framed photo, black and white, and very old.
“I keep meaning to get this framed. In fact, I’d like to display a lot of these things, but I never quite get around to it.”
“Portage Lake?” Audra asked. “Are any of these players your ancestors?”
Scott’s face lit up with pride. “As a matter of fact, my great uncle is right there, on the left. And believe it or not, I found this picture on an online auction. I knew he played for the team—the States’ first professional hockey team—but we never had anything but stories, and one day I tripped across this. I bought it for less than ten dollars. They were world champions in 1903, but he wasn’t with the team until 1907.”
“It’s very special. You should definitely have it framed to protect the image and the integrity of the photo.”
“I’ve meant to and never did. I think I’ll do that this week.”
He went on to show her several other items, including a pair of tickets from the first NHL game he ever played in. Scott was sentimental. Audra never would have guessed that.
Audra saw a small velvet box in the bottom of the box and pointed. “What’s that?”
“Oh, that’s not a sports thing. A family heirloom, actually.”
He grabbed the box and handed it to her, and when Audra opened it, she nearly fell back to the bed in awe.
“Oh, Scott…this is gorgeous. Where did you find this?”
The antique Bulova watch with an Art Deco style and sapphire diamonds shone up at her. She knew it had a fifteen-jewel movement and was made from platinum and fourteen-carat gold. She’d sold one like it years ago, though not this pretty. It broke her heart, because she’d thought about keeping it for herself, but a sale was sale and she’d needed every one she could get.
“It was my paternal grandmother’s. My mom gave it to me when Dad passed. His father had given it to his mother, and he gave it to Mom. It was something she only wore when she went out with him, formal, and that would never happen again, so she wanted me to have it.”
“That’s sweet. It’s a beautiful piece.”
“Thanks.”
Scott closed the box and bent to put it down beside the bed, the mood between them having changed, soft around the edges, like a blurred photo. Maybe she was tired, or still wrapped up in the sentiment of the treasure box, but Audra liked the way she felt connected to Scott at the moment and laid her head against his shoulder, her hand rubbing his back.
It was a tender gesture, but it felt right.
Neither one of them said another word as lips met and heartbeats quickened. Scott’s arms were closing around her, pulling her in close for a kiss so sweetly romantic that it would have made her tear up except that heat simmered underneath, starting to take over as he laid her back on the mattress, covering her with his body.
“Scott.” She whispered his name as he pressed his warmth into hers and she wrapped her legs around him, bringing them even closer. The kiss deepened, their bodies entwined.
Audra didn’t simply want him, she craved him. Needed him. She was desperate to be as close to him as she could be and arched her back, pushing him into the cradle of her thighs.
“Hold on, baby,” he whispered, pulling away.
She groaned in objection, but he still had his boxers on and stood to shuck them, grabbing a condom from the bed stand and returning to her. Prepared, he covered her fully, entering her body in one sure thrust.
Audra didn’t need any more foreplay, she was hot and wet, and her body encompassed his like he was a part of her.
The thought should have scared her, but it didn’t.
Rocking his hips into her, he took his time, drawing it out in a lazy rhythm
that had her nerve endings sizzling, her body tight and needing release, but Scott was holding her at bay, making her wait.
That was fine by her; she wanted every delicious second of this to last. His kiss was deep as he moved within her body, all-encompassing. Scott was her universe at that moment, and she was his.
Rock-hard legs pushed him forward in powerful thrusts that were picking up a faster pace as they both turned somewhat frantic, hurtling toward the pleasure they’d been holding at bay, but which wasn’t going to be stopped any longer.
Scott’s hands framed her face, holding her in place as he kissed her. He watched her and made her watch him as they both shattered, everything coming apart and falling together at once, and she couldn’t hide anything from him.
She saw his raw need, the tenderness and passion in his eyes as he let go, following her down the spiral to the bottom of a very deep well of pleasure. When the heat finally receded, she was cocooned in the warmth of his body, still close.
Audra also saw that he felt something for her that went beyond a one-night stand, and she worried that he saw too much. That she felt too much—too soon, too risky.
Yet she didn’t want to pull away.
They stayed wrapped together, and as the wind howled outside, Audra did another thing she didn’t plan on. She fell sound asleep in Scott’s arms.
Scott rolled over into the warm pillow of Audra’s body and smiled. Peering up over her shoulder at the clock, he saw it was just before six in the morning, and he fell back to the bed, not wanting to leave the comfort of the bed or the woman beside him.
This had been perfect. Definitely worth the wait. He’d always known it would be, but the question was, once the sun came up, how to convince Audra to open herself to more than a one-night hook-up? He’d seen her excitement about his collection, but also her reservations when they connected on a deeper level. It was everything Scott wanted, but he knew she was afraid, still.
He wanted to know why. What had happened in her past to put her solidly off of another relationship? There had been a moment when he asked her about kids. It was the only time he’d ever seen her completely shut down.
Scott had suffered physical wounds, which healed easily in comparison, he supposed. The emotional ones took longer. Sometimes they never really healed, but you learned to live with them and to be happy anyway.
Audra had managed that, but only by closing herself off. Scott wondered if he could open her up again.
She mumbled something in her sleep and turned over, curling into him, still asleep. As he gathered her up close, a variety of emotions he’d never really experienced before swamped him, and he kissed her hair. He’d take his time, but he was going to find a way to make this work. Maybe Audra was comfortable with sharing her body, but he wanted more.
He drew his tongue along the shell of her ear and smiled when she sighed, scooting her butt back against him.
“Hey, sleeping beauty,” he whispered in her ear, semihard and nudging her back.
“Mmmmm.”
As he leaned in to kiss the back of her neck, a sudden crash shook the room. Audra lurched up, looking at him in dazed panic, and Scott froze, unsure what could have caused the noise. A crash outside? Had a snowplow hit something?
Crash.
Again, and this time he could tell the direction, behind them. Audra looked to that side of the room, her eyes widening in panic.
“Oh no. The store.” She breathed the words, turning white as she scrambled for clothes but couldn’t find any.
Scott crossed over to her, taking her arms to slow her down. “Audra, stop. Focus. Our clothes are in the bathroom. Breathe. We don’t know what it is, yet. Let’s just go check, okay?”
Her breath was coming too quickly, and Scott knew some of her panic came from being yanked from a sound sleep, though his heart was slamming into his ribs as well. It couldn’t be good—whatever had crashed had been big enough to shake the building. Not once, but twice, and that meant it wasn’t a car or a plow that had hit, like he thought the first time.
She let him direct her to the bath where they found articles of clothes scattered everywhere. Evidence of last night’s passion come to a sudden halt.
She was dressed in seconds, and Scott barely caught up with her at the door, holding her back by the elbow. He flicked the lights, finding them unresponsive.
“No power. Wait and let me grab some flashlights. We don’t know what happened. Step carefully.”
More awake now, she took a deep breath and nodded in agreement.
“Okay. But that was a big crash…can’t be good.”
“All the more reason to proceed carefully.”
They walked down to the first floor together. Scott didn’t see any apparent damage there, and nothing seemed out of place. It made him more fearful for Audra as they walked to the front to check out Lost Treasures.
He unlocked the door and took the sign down that he’d posted the night before. The early morning was dark gray, brightened by the mountains of snow that surrounded them—he couldn’t even see the street at the moment, as plows had made the banks on the walks even higher. He could hear them groaning and scraping the roads.
They’d be in later with heavy machinery to cart the piles of snow away in dump trucks. There was no place to put this much snow along the narrow Old Port streets. But it did turn everything a light, sparkling silver-gray that would have been pretty if they weren’t so worried. The worst of the blizzard had passed though, only a few scattered flurries dancing around them as they walked outside.
They stepped down to the walk—into a thigh-deep snow—and turned toward the shop. Audra’s soft cry as she grasped his hand had him cursing under his breath as he saw the damage at the same moment she did.
The window on the front of the shop was intact, but most of what was inside was wrecked—buried under snow.
“The roof collapsed. Oh my God…everything is wrecked.” Audra was hyperventilating again, crying as she plastered herself against the window of the front door.
Scott urged her away from the spot. “It’s not safe, Audra, come here.”
He took her by the hand and pulled her back to the walk, up close against him.
“Thank God you were with me and not in there,” he said more to himself than to her.
The thought chilled him more than the cold as he slid another look at the destroyed interior of the store. He’d known the roof needed repair, but no one had told him it was this unsafe. Anger welled and he knew that he’d be having some harsh words with the inspector who had filed the first report on the building, and who had said it was fine to wait another year to fix it. He refocused on Audra, who was still shivering in his arms.
She’d left her snow gear by the door, and her teeth were chattering, either from the shock or the cold, probably both.
They went back inside the bar, and he led her to a table, sitting her down.
“I’m going to go put on some coffee. You sit and get your bearings, and I’ll be right back.”
The power was still out but he had a small backup generator in the kitchen to provide some power to the main floor in case something happened during business hours. He put on some coffee, making it strong, then cracked a half-dozen eggs into a pan, focused on the chore of getting breakfast. It was something he could do, something normal, but distracting thoughts crept in as he made toast and poured some orange juice.
Would the insurance pay out when he’d failed to make repairs that they’d known about? Audra had her own insurance on the shop, of course, for liability, but did it cover her inventory, that was certainly wrecked by the snow?
What did this mean for her business? Would she have to leave now? Leave here, and leave him?
Scott didn’t intend to let that happen.
Finishing up the breakfast and filling two huge coffee mugs, he put it all on a tray and carried it back out. She was sitting in the same spot but leaning on the table, head in her hands. Hearing him approa
ch, she looked up, face streaked with tears.
“What am I going to do?” she said, her voice harsh, and Scott’s heart broke.
He put the tray down and met her gaze. “You’re going to eat, and we’ll talk. It’s all going to work out, one way or another.”
“I can’t eat.”
“Eat, Audra. It will help.”
She sighed and picked up her fork, toying with her food, then digging in. Coffee gone, Scott refilled them both.
“I could kick myself for not insisting that we make those repairs last year. They said the roof needed some work, but they didn’t specify how dangerous it actually was. I guess they didn’t anticipate a one-hundred-year snowstorm in the analysis. I never should have agreed to let it go. It’s my responsibility now to make it right. I don’t want you worrying about this. I’ll take care of it. I promise.”
“No. It’s not your responsibility to make up for my bad decisions. I never should have asked you to put off the repairs. At least this time, I only have myself to blame,” she said, making Scott wonder for a moment what she meant.
“We can figure out something. I’ll help. It seems bad now but—”
“There’s nothing you can do to help. I should have known better than to mix business and pleasure. Just because we had sex doesn’t mean you have to take care of me. I can take care of myself. I have been for a long time.”
She turned away and started tugging on her snow pants and big, blue puffy coat, her movements jerky and frantic. Scott was stymied at her reaction, her absolute refusal to accept his help, and he reached out to touch her arm, to stop her.
“Audra, I know you’re in shock, and I don’t blame you for being upset, but we—”
“I’m sorry, Scott, but there is no ‘we’. Thank you for a wonderful night, but I have to go now.”
“Audra. You can’t even get your car out yet. Don’t leave. We can work this out.”