“What do you mean, ‘advanced’? It hasn’t gone anywhere. We are getting to know each other. I’m trying to figure out if I should … you know, advance it.”
“Audrey Jane, you slept with him after knowing him for what … a few minutes? Then you proceed to get to know him afterward. If you were really worried about him wanting more sex, then you wouldn’t be getting to know him. I don’t believe this ‘I’m too old and he only wants sex’ crap, so tell me, what is keeping you from moving forward with someone I think is a great guy?”
Audrey didn’t even think, she just said, “My insecurities.”
“Audrey Jane, really? You are fantastic, you are—”
“Fallon, stop,” Audrey said, interrupting her. “I don’t need your ‘Audrey, you are fantastic’ speech. I know I am awesome, but there are things about me I’m not ready to tell you.”
Fallon surprised Audrey by laughing. “Then why did you just say that? You know I’m gonna bug you till you tell me.”
Audrey rolled her eyes. “ ’Bye, Fallon.”
Hanging up the phone, Audrey knew she had messed up, but maybe it was her subconscious. Maybe she really did need to tell someone. Maybe then she would know if it was worth the shot with Tate.
Or maybe she was just an idiot.
A couple of hours later Audrey was standing on her porch, knocking on Tate’s door. She was nervous. She had spent an hour trying to cover up the horrible bruise on her head and hoped she still looked good. Or was it because she had flirted with Tate earlier that day and really didn’t mean to? She didn’t want to lead him on, she wanted to be honest, but it was just so damn hard to do the right thing. When the door opened, she blinked a few times to make sure her eyes were still in her head. Breathing wasn’t optional. She felt like she had just run twenty miles. Her legs were numb and she had to brace her hand against the door frame to keep from falling to the ground before the gorgeous man in front of her.
Tate stood tall, his jeans hanging low and unbuttoned. Oh, and, he had no shirt on.
“Hey, come on in,” he said with no care in the world.
Still standing in the doorway, she watched as he quickly picked up some random items from around the living room. His pants kept slipping down, giving her a peek of white skin above the jeans. He would pull his jeans up and then continue whatever he was doing, like it didn’t matter that his ass was almost on display for her.
“Your pants are undone,” she said when her mouth finally started to move.
Tate looked down, then looked up at her, smiling sheepishly. “Yeah, these pants are a little tight.”
Audrey blinked twice as he continued to move through the living room, picking up odds and ends. Her eyes did a trail down his beautifully sculpted back before stopping on a great ass. When he turned, reaching up to put a book on a shelf, her head tilted to the side and her mouth fell open as she took in the beautiful view. Not only did Tate have mouthwatering abs, along with a V cut pointing to his groin, but that damn vein that drove her mad was there, pulsating, calling her name, begging to her to lick it.
Ahh! Look away, Audrey!
Looking up at the ceiling, she groaned, and said, “Isn’t there a shirt you can put on?”
Tate looked up at his guest and smiled. He had gotten back from the Sportsplex later than he would have liked. It was a long, grueling practice—Coach Bacter wasn’t holding back—and his body was aching, but it was a necessary practice. The Assassins were about to face some tough competition in the Southeast. The guys needed the points from a win, or at worst a tie. After taking a quick shower and finding the nearest jeans, he began to pick up just enough to make his condo presentable for Audrey.