Page 14 of On My Side
“I don’t want to charge you.” She turns to me and opens her mouth to argue. I’m filled with the urge to kiss her to keep her from doing that, but speak over her instead.
“I wasn’t going to teach classes this summer. I used to love it, but parents kind of suck, and they took the enjoyment I used to get from teaching kids one-on-one. But I really like Piper and want to work with her, and I don’t think you’ll make my existence miserable. If you promise to not tell anyone we’re doing this so no one else asks me to do it, that’s worth more than any payment.”
“Are you sure?” she asks, voice barely louder than a whisper. “I don’t want us to be a charity case.”
“You wouldn’t be. You’d be helping me more than I’d be helping you.”
I can’t help it. I watch her neck as she swallows. Fuck. It’s a great neck. The perfect size to cup with my hand and…
“Thank you.” I’m forced out of my horny stupor by her quiet thanks. “This is kind of you, much kinder than I deserve.”
My stomach twists at her self-deprecating comment. Instead of arguing, I lift the mug to my lips again. Her eyes follow the movement, and it makes my cock twitch.
I need tochill.
“Is the coffee okay?”
It’s gone cold. It’s fine, but she doesn’t need to know. “It’s perfect,” I assure her. “Thank you for making it.”
She beams, her entire face brightening and back straightening. “It was the least I could do since I was interrupting your run.”
“Can I have your number? So you don’t have to go through the trouble of waking up early and bringing me coffee when we need to talk?” I’m damn anxious asking her this. We have a professional relationship, so it makes sense we’d have each other’s numbers. But I still feel like a stuttering highschooler asking his crush to prom.
“Oh!” Audrey stops walking and pulls her phone out, holding it in front of her face to unlock it. “Why don’t you send yourself a text?” she suggests, holding her phone out to me.
I freeze as our fingers brush, feeling like I touched a live wire instead of another human’s hand.
Her breath hitches and eyes widen, and I want to ask if she felt it, too.
Instead, I type my number into her phone and text myself before handing it back. I avert my eyes as she puts it back, hoping to hide my feelings.
“I, um, I think I’m going to finish my cooldown,” I say, staring over her shoulder.
“Ren.” My head snaps up, and our eyes meet.
“Yeah?” I breathe, heart pounding harder in my chest than when I had been running.
“Thank you,” she says. It feels like my soul is visible through my eyes, and she’s searching it to see if I’m safe, if she can trust me.
“You’re welcome,” I say earnestly. “I’m happy to do it. And here, I can’t steal your favorite mug.”
She smiles softly, taking the mug from me before walking towards the inn.
My heart is caught in my throat, like it’s blocking breath and intelligent words. I don’t experience this heavy lust often, if ever. I felt it for Taylor after we were together for a while and for a few friends turned friends with benefits. But there’s something about Audrey’s softness, her vulnerability, that has me wanting to chase after her and ask her to stay and continue walking with me.
But she still sees me as Kat’s little brother, and I don’t want to ever get close to a parent. So, I turn around and finish my cooldown. I don’t turn my music back on, as my mind is occupied with soft smiles and auburn waves, stormy gray eyes and fidgeting hands.
Chapter 6
Audrey
Playlist: The Prophecy | Taylor Swift
July
Ren’s been giving Piper piano lessons for three weeks. I know he told me to stop by, and he wouldn’t ever ask me not to, but there was something about the way he looked at me when he gave me my mug back on the beach that made me hesitant to attend. Maybe it was the unexpected aching between my thighs.
I don’t want to acknowledge the reality that making eye contact with my ex-best friend’s younger brother makes me desperate for a touch I haven’t received in over a decade. Desperate for a touch I’ve closed myself off from experiencing again.
