Page 56 of Audra: The Prequel

“You want to check and make sure everything is in there? I can help you take it down when you’re done,” he said.

“Sure, thanks.” The box was large and probably heavy, so she wouldn’t mind the help.

Audra crouched in front of it and did a cursory inspection of the contents, unconcerned if everything was in there. Nothing she had left at his place was irreplaceable.

Standing, she rested her hands on her hips. “That looks like everything.”

“Good.” His gaze flicked over her.

She had taken extra care with her appearance. Fall had ushered in cooler weather, so she wore a cropped jacket over a plum-colored blouse and tight jeans that showed off her ass. She had also made sure her hair looked fabulous—fixing it into voluminous curls that cascaded around her face and onto her shoulders.

“You been okay?” he asked.

She nodded, his considerable attention leaving her tongue-tied.

A wary pause bloomed between them.

Damon cleared his throat. “How’s Little Bit doing?”

Audra smiled at the nickname he had given Kerilyn. “She’s fine, keeping me on my toes, as usual. She’s doing well in school.”

“That’s nothing new,” Damon said.

“No, it’s not,” Audra admitted proudly. “She asks about you.”

A pained expression crossed his face. “What do you tell her?”

“That you have to travel a lot, and…” Her breath hitched as her chest burned with emotion. “The last time I told her that, she looked sad, and I know she was feeling the same disappointment she experiences when her dad doesn’t have time for her—and it’s my fault. Maybe I shouldn’t have introduced you. Maybe I shouldn’t have ended things between us. I… I thought a clean break was best, but now I’m…” Her voice broke, and a runaway tear streamed down her cheek.

Damon quickly closed the small space between them and clasped her face in his big hands. “Do you want to take the box, leave, and we never see each other again? Or do you want to try again? Because that’s what I want. I want you.”

Audra took a quivering breath. “I want you too,” she said in a trembling whisper. “Everything I did—the lack of trust, cutting you off, was because I didn’t want to be what I had been with my ex.Weak. Giving in. I made a fool of myself over him. The harder I tried, the less he wanted me, and looking back, I behaved like such an idiot. He didn’t want the life I wanted—or at least, he didn’t want it with me. So I needed to be tough this time—to protect my sanity. That’s why I had to cut you off, Damon, because I was worried I’d give in and make a fool of myself again.” Her lower lip trembled. “I’m sorry.”

She saw nothing but empathy in his face. “I’m sorry too. I should have told you about the damn party with Nami right away.”

“It doesn’t matter anymore. I don’t care. I miss you.”

They moved at the same time, and their mouths connected in a searing, sensual kiss. Audra sighed happily as their tongues touched, reigniting the flame that had extinguished inside her.

Straining onto her toes, she let her fingers climb into his hair so she could caress the curly strands and smooth her hand down the back of his strong neck. She had missed touching him, loving on him, feeling every inch of his tall frame pressed against her.

They stumbled toward the bedroom, hastily stripping away their clothes and shoes along the way. Standing beside the bed, Audra flattened against Damon and lost herself in the erotic sensation of skin on skin.

“I love you,” Damon said in a taut whisper against her neck, his hands moving lower to cup her bottom.

Audra jerked back and stared at him. “Wh-what did you say?”

His slumberous eyes gazed down at her. Whenever he looked at her like that, it made the blood in her veins pump hotter. “I’m in love with you, Audra.”

She swallowed the lump in her throat. “I love you so much,” she admitted in a whisper.

A faint smile tucked into the corners of his lips. Then he kissed her hard, and they fell onto the bed as they devoured each other with feverish kisses and roaming hands.

Audra wrapped her legs around his backside and clenched her arms around his neck. His growl of satisfaction filled her ears as he sank his teeth into her soft earlobe and sucked.

She was overheating, dying from the exquisite pleasure of his amorous kisses and touches. She had missed the sensation of his weight on her and his warm breath on her skin. Reaching between them, she took him in her hand and stroked his rigid flesh. Damon shivered above her and buried his face in her neck, his butt tightening beneath the heel of her foot.

“Now. I need you now, baby.” His voice was a guttural plea.

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