Page 24 of Audiophile

“Again?” she asks, but I’m not paying attention. Petra’s curls are natural—tight coils in some places and loose in others—causing her hair to ripple in the light. I reach out, unthinking, and tuck a spiral behind her ear before her hypnosis lets me go. She looks up at me, eyes wide. She’s so close that the sweetness of her skin is heady. I retreat, clearing my throat and the curious knot suddenly stuck there.

“I can work remotely when I want to, though it’s harder without a sound booth,” I say, rapping my knuckles on the conveyor belt—an anxious tick that gets away from me. “Turns out, I’m too interested to leave just yet.”

She snorts in disbelief. “I think Swift River is one of the least interesting places in America.”

I smirk as I lean against the register. “Me too.”

A deep blush creeps up her cheeks. “You need to go home, Reed. Wherever that is.”

I don’t have a good answer for that.

“Let me take you out.” It’s a bad idea, a terrible idea, but I don’t take it back. On my last dinner out with a woman everything went to hell. But I’m committed to not letting our exes get the best of us. They don’t get to wreck us until we merelyexist. “One date to show you that nunnery isn’t the way. That you still have power over your future.”

“My head still hurts from a conversation with you,” she admits with a wry smile. “I wouldn’t survive a date.”

“I won’t attempt to drink as much wine as you this time. C’mon, you can’t stay tucked away. You’re depriving some lonely guy out there from the girl of his dreams.”

She hesitates, and her keen eyes search my face. “Why do you care?”

My fingers tap at my thigh in an effort to stop myself from reaching for her. “You’re a genuinely kind person, and those often get taken advantage of and beaten down. They forget how to be compassionate. But you haven’t.”

“You’re kind, too.”

I shift under her attention. “Withhold judgment until you’ve known me longer.”

She sighs. “I’ve been wined and dined. I’m not missing out on anything.”

She’s a terrible liar. “You know that’s not true—I can see it in your face. A night of free food with no expectations. Where’s the downside?”

“You definitely have expectations.”

“I don’t,” I reassure her, ducking my head until she has no choice but to meet my gaze. “I enjoy teasing you—I love howeasyit is to be around you—and I want to explore what you’re searching for in my scenes. But I don’t expect a damn thing from your body tonight.”

She swallows hard but doesn’t look away. “Okay. But if we go to a restaurant everyone and their mom will know I’m on a date.”

I grin. Now that Petra’s agreed to the teasing, I don’t have to stop. “Cat’s out of the bag. I got your manager’s help yesterday, Chelsea’s at the flower shop, and that other clerk, Becca? She pried it out of me when she saw me hanging around outside with flowers last night.”

“Tina, too.” Petra huffs. “Fine. The whole town knows already. But I’m not off until eight.”

I chuckle as I pay for the drinks. My total could be a thousand dollars and I wouldn’t care. “Then I’ll pick you up at eight.”

“I won’t be dressed nicely. I only have my work clothes. Again.”

I shrug, but only take one of the bottles Petra holds out to me. “That one is for you. And you’re beautiful no matter what you wear.”

“Thank you.” She frowns at me. “Is the whole night going to be full of this fake charm?”

I throw her a DK worthy wink and walk backward toward the exit. “Wait until you see some real charm.”

Her little sigh is the best thing I’ve heard all day. “Somehow that’s even more terrifying.”

Chapter ten

Petra

The news of my“date” takes less than an hour to reach Livi. Tina calls Becca’s older sister, who confirms it with Becca, who calls her cousin, and theneveryoneknows. Groaning, I take my break to return her message.

“Calling a million times doesn’t make me want to call you back any faster,” I say when she picks up the phone.

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