Dane's Storm(12)

He turned his car off and pulled her to him, kissing her slowly and deeply again, their breath mingling and his excitement spiraling until he felt half out of his head. He pulled away, groaning and leaning back in his seat, trying to catch his breath and get hold of his body. He was eighteen years old, had had plenty of girlfriends, lost his virginity at sixteen, but he’d never experienced this level of out-of-control lust for a girl. She inspired something in him—not just sexual attraction, but a protectiveness that seemed to tap into some vital part of him. And he liked her. He liked to hear her thoughts on anything and everything, the way she seemed to consider each answer so carefully before she gave it. She was serious and thoughtful, kind and shy, but she also laughed easily, and seemed to notice the world around her in ways other girls their age did not. And Audra’s talent, God, she was talented beyond words and he loved to watch her talk about her dream of becoming an artist. He was completely and utterly fascinated by her. And when she looked at him with that same spark of interest in her eyes, it filled him with happiness and pride that she—this girl—would look at him that way.

“I should get inside,” Audra said. “My dad will need dinner . . .” He didn’t like that when she looked at her house, shadows moved across her face, dimming the light in her beautiful eyes.

He frowned. “Does anyone help you out? You must have a family member—”

She shook her head and smiled, but it didn’t quite meet her eyes. “No. It’s okay, though. We manage.” She tilted her head. “I’ve told you enough about myself these past weeks. Tell me something about you. About your family.” She looked unsure suddenly, as if she was overstepping her bounds by inquiring about his life, even though they’d shared the most intense kiss he’d ever experienced—and her very first one if he wasn’t mistaken—just twenty minutes before. His ass was still drenched, and it’d been completely worth it.

She shook her head. “I mean, I know who your family is of course.” She glanced out the window. “They’re very important in Laurelton.”

He regarded her, the way her eyes skittered away when she mentioned his family.

He sighed, rubbing his finger along his bottom lip. Important? Well, they were rich anyway. And though he’d never talked about the difference between having money and using it to do something meaningful with anyone except his father, he wanted her to know he trusted her with his deepest thoughts because he wanted to hear more of hers.

“My dad passed away from a heart attack when I was fifteen. We were really close. He was a good man who died way too early.” Audra reached over and took his hand in hers and the simple comfort of laced fingers made him smile. He turned toward her. “My great-great something grandfather”—he let out a soft chuckle—“made a fortune in the railroad industry like a lot of the other wealthy men of the nineteen hundreds. But so many of their descendants did nothing more than live off the fortunes of their fathers. They didn’t build the business, or create something new, they just . . . reaped the rewards of those who came before them. And as a result, their fortunes dwindled and dried up completely over the course of a hundred years.” He shook his head. “My father taught me the value of hard work, just like his father before him. He taught me that having money in your family doesn’t give you an excuse to live the high life, contributing nothing to the world. In fact, there’s no excuse for someone born into so much privilege to live that way. If anyone should strive to do something good, it’s the person who can step right into the job rather than having to pull themselves up by their bootstraps.” Audra listened to him intently, her eyes trained on his face. “My father never got to . . .” Dane shook his head, searching for the right words.

“Make his contribution?” Audra supplied softly.

He nodded, relieved she understood perfectly what he was saying. “Yes. My father never had the chance to make his contribution. So I’m going to do it for the both of us. I’m going to step into the family business, and I’m going to do something that would have made him proud.”

She squeezed his hand. Her gaze held so much respect that for a moment, he felt he could do anything on earth—anything at all—if she kept looking at him that way. Believing in him. “Be mine, Audra,” he whispered, moving closer, taking her face in his hands again and kissing her lips softly.

He felt her smile against his mouth as she breathed, “Yes.”





CHAPTER SIX


Audra





Now . . .




The rain beat against my windows and for a moment I didn’t realize there was a separate banging sound coming from the front door. I got up from the couch, throwing the blanket I’d been under aside and walking quickly to answer the door. Who the hell would be visiting me?

I pulled the door open to see Jay, standing on the porch, his blond hair slicked back as if he’d pushed his hand through the rain-drenched strands. For a moment my brain couldn’t compute the sight of him here, as if it wasn’t possible for him to belong anywhere other than my studio.

My studio. My gut clenched.

“What are you doing here?”

“I was worried about you.”

“Because I called in sick?”

“Well, that—you’ve never called in sick once in three years. But also because you sounded dead inside, even over voicemail. I figured either things didn’t go well with the evil grandmother you ran out to confront yesterday, or someone might have a knife to your throat. “