Waiting for You (6 page)

She turned to Adam, his hands in his pockets, his muscles bunched up in his black T-Shirt. “This place is perfect,” she gushed but he merely shrugged his shoulders and gave her a small smile.

“Happy to oblige.” He didn’t make any move to leave her alone.

Audrey chose not to poke the bear by asking him to leave so she gathered her equipment and moved ahead to capture the views. She peered through her lens and adjusted the aperture and metering to suit the lighting in the large expanse and when she started clicking away, the rest of the world slipped off. She was only what she could see through her lens. She captured everything from the bustle of the water along the large rocks in the creek to the gushing waterfall up ahead. The sky was changing hue and she managed to capture all the shifting shades too.

She was so engrossed in the moment that she slipped at the edge of the overhang and would have fallen and hit her face against the rocks had it not been for the big strong hand encircling her arm and holding her up.

Her heart leapt in her chest. “Oh my God, I was so lost in the lens.” She looked down at jagged edge and the distance she could have fallen had Adam not been thinking fast. “Thank you. If you weren’t here…”

She was aware that he still had is hand wrapped around her upper arm, a gesture that in her past would have had her panicking to get free but with Adam the warmth radiated off his hand and into her body. Her eyes met his and something shifted in her. She wasn’t supposed to be amiable with Adam. No, she needed to keep a distance.

He removed his hand then and she felt a small loss, instantly missing the warmth.

“We should get back,” he stated. “We are losing daylight.”

“Oh, of course.” She tucked her equipment under her arm and followed him up the path back to where their cars were parked.

She suddenly was at a loss with Adam, not knowing who he was or what he had done the past few years. It surprised her more that she was curious.

“So….” she started. “When did you get into the Navy?”

Adam turned and regarded her, amusement playing in his eyes. “Small talk? Is it that awkward?”

She shrugged, guiltily.

“When I was twenty.”

“Wow, just a kid.”

A muscle in his jaw ticked and she couldn’t figure him out.

****

Adam was feeling worse for wear. The day had started out headed downhill. He had tried to get in some physical labor on Naylor’s order but it didn’t keep his mind occupied. So he had done the one thing he knew he needed to do, he’d visited the site where his father’s last remains were buried. He’d been at a loss for words when he’d gotten there and had just sat there for an hour, lost in thought. The last person he had expected to see was Audrey.

He had been distant and maybe a little standoffish to her and at first he had rationalized that she deserved it after the ice princess act she pulled when she waltzed back into town. Then, his human side had kicked in and he had felt bad. It wasn’t her fault that his father had died and it wasn’t her fault that he was having a piss poor day because of the reminder.

He hadn’t meant to offer to bring her here and he certainly hadn’t intended to stay. This had been a quiet spot that he often came to fish and clear his head and somehow watching her busy with her fancy camera, it calmed him and lifted the bad attitude he had been carrying around like an odor all day. It was also the first time in a long time that he watched Audrey lose the diva shell and just be the girl he remembered.

Now she was making small talk, like they were two awkward teenagers and that bothered him. They weren’t exactly friends as kids but they had known each other to some extent. Hell, the night she had come into his room, they’d talked about a lot of things, his mom leaving, him feeling angry so much, things he hadn’t shared with anyone else to this day. And she had shared things, too. About how lonely she was and how she was going to make a big name for herself someday. And yet now they stood making small talk.

He surprised himself by saying, “You do what you gotta do for the sake of your family.”

She scrunched up her eyebrows and tilted her head to acknowledge him, “What do you mean?”

Adam walked to the water’s edge and sat down on the large rock, overlooking it all. A minute later he felt Audrey’s warmth as she sat on the rock, a little apart from him.

“My dad got sick and I had to find a way to make a living. I knew money would eventually be tight with his medical bills so finishing college wasn’t a viable option and instead I enlisted. I excelled and made sure I had something to give back to my dad when he needed me.”

“That’s when you came back to Crystal Valley?”

He nodded, feeling the now familiar ache in his chest at the memories. And yet he didn’t know why he was opening up to Audrey. He hadn’t talked to anyone about his father’s death. He barely even told Oliver.

“When did you move out of the house next door to Grandpas?”

Adam turned to gaze into her chocolate eyes, kicking himself that he still found her ridiculously attractive. “The year I got back for my dad. He needed more space and a place where nobody was going to be popping by to inspect his health. He wanted to die with dignity. So I bought the house up on the top of the hill.”

“You did a good thing,” she whispered and when he regarded her, instead of seeing the pity, the admiration was evident in her gaze. “I’m sure your dad was real proud of what you did for him.”

“Only a fraction of what he had done for me all the years.”

Somehow, talking about his dad lifted the crushing pain in Adam’s chest. Who knew that the ice princess would be the one to help thaw the hurt?

“Your grandparents must be proud of what you have done, too, though. I hear you’re a big success up in the city.” The light that dulled in her bright eyes was a clear indication that Adam had said the wrong thing.

Audrey focused her attention to the setting sun and Adam was sure that that would be the end of their conversation.

“It’s not what everyone thinks,” she said simply, so soft he had to strain to hear her.

He didn’t want to push her so he remained silent, giving her the out if she wanted it but instead she continued, a little braver, “I married rich and forgot my roots. It bit me in the ass. My family doesn’t even know I’m divorced.”

Whoa, that was not what he was expecting to hear. She didn’t elaborate any more. “You will tell them when you’re ready Audrey. Being divorced is not an indication of failure. You are here now and you have a chance to change whatever you want to, take your life down a different path.”

“Is that what you are trying to do?”

He smiled, “I haven’t decided what I’m doing yet but I know that it’s my choice to choose. Every day I don’t live fully is a failure. Having one bad circumstance is not.”

Their eyes connected again and the familiar sizzle was tangible. How did this woman still get under his skin after all these years? And why did she have to peel back her hard exterior to make him go soft again?

He knew better. Audrey thought her divorce was a failure; she certainly didn’t need a broken man like Adam to love and leave her to make it worse. He had nothing to offer her. He wasn’t the happily-ever-after-guy. Nope, he was the right-now-guy.

He pulled his gaze away and got up off the rock, holding his hand out to help her up. The touch sizzled again, forcing Adam to pull his hand away and lead them back to their cars.

“Adam?” Audrey called out over her open door.

He turned and took her in, her long hair cascading over her slender shoulder.

“Thank you for today. For all of it.”

She got into the car and Adam knew she was talking about more than bringing her up to the panorama views.

Chapter 6

F
riday rolled around in no time. It helped that Audrey had kept herself busy transforming the old attic into her dark room for her photographs. She was old school and already she could see the efforts paying off in the beauty of the nature shots she had taken.

Tonight was her first book club session with Emma and the girls, and Audrey wasn’t sure what to expect. She hadn’t been briefed on any reading material, that was for sure. Emma was picking her up in a few, with a cryptic message of “Keep your night open to party.” As anxious as she was about seeing some of her old friends again and the possibility of judgment, the excitement was overpowering, too. She hadn’t had a good night out in…. years.

An hour later, she was seated with a group of girls, some she knew others she didn’t, in the back room of the local bar, Skinny Pete’s, which was aptly named after the owner Pete, who was anything but skinny. The room was private, away from the rest of the patrons and served as proof that this was a night that was about to get out of hand. Way out of hand.

The ladies all ordered a round of fruity cocktails with brightly colored umbrellas and swizzlers. For a second Audrey hesitated, Michael had frowned upon her drinking anything more than one glass of the best wine but between her and Emma, this was secretly her night of emancipation. So she rebelled and ordered a Mojito-extra lime.

She was listening to Marge, a short dark blonde haired girl, have an animated conversation with Emma about the new diet she was currently on. Marge was about thirty five and twelve pounds overweight. Nothing to call the diet police about but a woman’s weight was her prerogative.

“So it’s that time of the month for me,” Marge was saying, “And all I have been eating is lettuce and fricken soup. I feel like a god damn tortoise. And then before the bitch hormones started to rage on, I figured I’d have some chocolate because chocolate is a vegetable.”

“Oh yeah?” an amused Emma asked, sipping her martini. “How do you figure that?”

“It’s made from cocoa which is a plant so it should count as a salad, right?”

Audrey and Emma cracked up laughing.

“You will never catch me running,” Emma remarked. “If you do then you should run too because there is definitely something chasing me.”

“I was thinking of naming my dog five miles just so I could take him out for a walk and tell people I walk five miles every day.”

Audrey laughed as another girl, Jess joined their discussion.

“Why can’t you be normal Marge,” she joked.

“Tried that once honey, worst three minutes of my life. Besides I’m just optimistic. All short people are. We are always looking up.” Marge grinned, infecting all the ladies with her humor.

At that moment a middle aged woman with a short frilly dress walked in and introduced herself to the group. “Hello all you sex kittens,” she smiled broadly, her entire face lighting up. “I’m Maggie and I’m your entertainment for tonight.”

The group applauded and cat-called. For a split second Audrey thought Maggie was going to do some sort of strip dance for them all. She sat gob smacked, stuck to her seat. The panic rose when Maggie whipped out a big fat orange dildo. What the hell had she gotten herself into? Instead of being a sex fiend, the older woman started talking about her love-making toys, including a garden variety of vibrators, dildos, lubes and you name it.

Audrey was wildly fascinated. She had always had relatively tame intimacy, not by choice. She had just never wanted to do anything outside of what Michael had wanted but this, this really piqued her interest. And Maggie was not your skinny, hot woman either. She was a regular woman, wife, and mother yet she talked like she had wildly exciting sexual relations. Interesting indeed.

The drinks kept coming and the group got louder and more excitable as Maggie continued.

The woman held up a bright blue contraption with two large balls, ridges all along its surfaces, “Now this ladies, is a kegel orgasm ball.” She went into detail on how it worked and Audrey sat raptured.

She laid out all her bag of products around the room and the group erupted in conversation as they went around exploring the sex toys.

“Hey Aud,” Emma got her attention, picking up a double sided dildo. “What you say we get this and get our groove on, to the hell with men.”

Audrey grinned, “Oh yeah baby, get some lube and the Kegel balls and we are good to go.”

“It’s all the balls we will need.”

Audrey threw her head back and laughed. Every new piece she investigated both shocked and intrigued her more. Dildos of every shape, size and color. Some that circulated, others vibrated, and others glowed in the dark. Some even had balls! It looked like actual male testes.

“So, what you going to get?” Emma asked.

“I don’t think I’m—”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” the blonde interrupted. “We are women and right now we are single woman and what better way to get our rocks off than with good old Gunther here.” She waved around a fat pink dildo.

Emma picked out a few items and went ahead to pay. Audrey was feeling empowered, maybe from the coitus education class she had just had or from the three mojitos she had downed in quick succession but she ended up taking a flesh colored vibrator. Glow in the dark too!

By the time they were done with their purchases, some of the other girls had headed into the main bar with their drinks.

Audrey tucked her new companion in her purse and joined them at the table as Sarah and another girl, whose name Audrey could not recall, jumped up on the small makeshift stage to sing karaoke. The beat of Beyoncé’s,
All you Single Ladies
started up and Audrey’s night kicked into gear. She was having a great time. These women were a hoot and so far, nobody had asked about her sudden reappearance in Crystal Valley.

“So,” Emma began as she took the seat beside Audrey. “When I have a problem I sing. And then I realize that my voice is a whole hell of a lot worse than my problem.” She smiled broadly, lighting up her entire face. “What say we sing off our baggage?”

Audrey returned the grin and raised her glass in a toast, “Here’s to the single ladies. It’s better to have loved and lost than to live with a psycho for the rest of your life.”

Emma’s glass joined Audrey’s, “Pain makes you stronger, tears make you braver and alcohol makes you forget all of that crap. Cheers.”

“Cheers.” She might just have a go at karaoke.

****

Adam had finally finished with old lady Naylor’s cabinets when Oliver showed up at his door that evening.

“Hey bud, what’s up?” he asked as he packed away the heavy wood work.

“Been a damn long week, I need a night out. You game for a few rounds of pool and some beers?”

“Sounds good. Let me have a quick shower and we can head out.”

An hour later, Adam was two games in at Skinny Pete’s when he heard a raucous group of women come out of the private function back room. Women of all shapes and sizes. Some older, some young. One woman in particular caught his eye. One very striking brunette in a white dress and tan cowboy boots, her wavy hair cascading down around her bare shoulders. The broad smile on her face was the cherry on top. It was the one thing that tied all her singular beautiful parts into one outstanding entity. Nothing more beautiful than a woman’s smile.

She didn’t see him but he watched as she threw her head back and laughed at something Emma was saying. The image had him staring like a deer in headlights.

“Hey,” Oliver snapped his fingers in front of Adam’s face, pulling him out of his lustful haze. “You listening? It’s your shot.”

Adam turned back to focus on the game as a woman at Centre stage dominated the music selection with her mediocre karaoke. Adam didn’t care much for it himself but it was entertaining as hell to watch, the drunker the better.

He lined up his shot and hit the white ball which bounced off the mat and dropped the black, winning the game.

“I set you up for that one,” Oliver protested, downing his beer.

“Sure you did bud,” Adam grinned at his friend, competitive as hell but a poor sport.

Adam ordered them another round of beers and sat at the bar when the strings to Bruno Mars’
Locked out of Heaven
began.

He was surprised to find himself staring at Audrey on stage. Adam didn’t figure her for the up front and Centre type, she’d always been more bashful.

Emma started singing, “
Oh yeah yeah, oh yeah yeah yeah yeah.”

Audrey chimed,
“Hoo!”

Adam laughed to himself as the duo repeated the stance, really getting in to the beat. They actually sounded half decent, doing a little two step with their tune. Every time Emma sang her bit, Audrey came up to the microphone to add in her
Hoo!
Audrey was like a completely different person. Young and carefree.

When the bridge came, they both sang in unison and jumped together to the beat, their faces dramatically depicting the emotions of the song.

“Cause your sex takes me to paradise, yeah your sex takes me to paradise. And it sho
wwwwwws
, yeah yeah yeah yeah.”

Adam was captivated with Audrey, not just because hearing the word sex from her mouth brought vivid images of smooth skin and scintillating touches. She was so sensual; her curvy hips swaying to the beat, her arms up in the air, really getting into the song. Her group of friends made lots of noise to encourage them and waved glow sticks in the air.

Wait a second.

Adam peered closer. Those weren’t glow sticks. Those were dildos!
What the fuck! What kind of party was this?

The song ended and the bar applauded as the next girl took the stage.

Adam watched Audrey, mesmerized.

“You’re drooling dude,” Oliver commented, clearly amused.

Adam pulled himself together. “Shut up.”

Oliver laughed and turned to hit up the chick to his left, leaving Adam to watch as Audrey approached the bar.

“Quite the set of vocals,” he commented as she stood beside him.

Audrey turned, startled. “Oh Adam.” The name from her lips sent electricity up his spine. “I didn’t see you there.” She blinked a little unfocused and her smile was too easy. She was definitely hammered.

“Girls night?”

“Book club,” she smiled sheepishly. “If you can believe that.”

“I didn’t see any of you carrying books.”

“It’s Crystal Valley’s version of book club.” She grinned broadly, her eyes dancing with humor.

A song he vaguely recalled as an Avicii hit started up and Audrey grabbed his hand and pulled him to the dance floor.

“What are you doing?” he asked, fighting his brain to resist being pulled to the dance floor.

“We’re dancing.”

“I don’t remember being asked.”

She smiled a naughty grin which went straight to his groin. Fuck. “Will you dance with me Adam?” she started shaking her hips, raising her arms and touching her body so sinfully sweet and sensual, Adam nearly lost it right then and there. She danced around him, teasing him with her light touches and shimmying against him. He had definitely never seen this raw, uninhibited side of Audrey before.

He gulped, reaching out to touch her curvy hips. “I don’t dance.”

She regarded him with that ridiculously suggestive smoldering gaze, beneath thick dark lashes, one side of her mouth quirked up. “Then just stand there and I’ll dance.”

And that’s exactly what she did, having the time of her life in the dimly lit bar while he just stood there, touching the few parts of her body he could without seeming like a total asshole.

When the song ended, he followed her back to their table, only to find the rest of her group gone. Only Emma remained. Looking equally as smashed.

“Come on ladies,” he piped. “I will take you two home.”

They groaned in unison, like two spoiled teenagers being told it was past their bed time.

Adam couldn’t suppress his grin.

He led them out, grabbing two bottles of water on the way to his truck. He signaled to Oliver that he was taking the women home and he didn’t miss the lewd hand gesture and chuckle.
Good luck.

He opened the passenger door and Audrey crawled in, giggling quietly with Emma as she followed. The drive to Emma’s house was eventful. He’d known Emma casually in town. She owned the only bakery in Crystal Valley so it was hard not to know her when the decadent treats always lured you in with their amazing aromas. He had never seen this side of her, so young and silly. Audrey too.

They both had their heads huddled together, giggling amongst themselves, as though sharing a private joke. He heard a deep vibrating sound and when Audrey moved back, he nearly veered the truck off the road.

“What the hell is that?” he demanded.

“It’s a dildo,” Emma stated innocently, her eyes wide.

“Why is it in my truck?”

“Aw come on, Adam,” Audrey taunted. “That’s Gustaf and he’s one of our new friends.” She grabbed the neon yellow dildo from Emma and held it out to Adam who recoiled like it was a snake when it bounced back and forth.

“Get the dick away from me!” he was horrified.

Thankfully, he had arrived at Emma’s house and she would take Gustaf with her. She hopped out and shouted back, “Thanks for the ride Adam! Gustaf says thank you, too!” she waved the massive dildo in the air and it boinked her on the head before she entered her home.

He shook his head and laughed to himself. What a strange night. He put the truck back into drive and took in the warm female snuggled up beside him. She hadn’t moved across to the space Emma had occupied and he wasn’t going to point that out to her either. Nope. He didn’t know why but he liked the heat of her right up against him, thigh to thigh, knee to knee.

She reached up and grabbed his upper arm, running her fingers over his biceps. She gazed up at him, adoringly, “When did you get so strong Adam? You are so big and solid.”

The way she said big and solid made other parts of him grow big and solid. He looked down into the dark pools of her eyes, so innocent and trusting, yet deep down he could see a resistance to something. “When did you get so beautiful, Audrey?” he whispered. Where the fuck did that come from?