Page 24 of Meet Me in the Vines
“Why are you following me? I need you to leave. Now!” she shouts angrily.
The swell of her breasts moves up and down with her erratic breathing, and I can see her nipples pebbled beneath her skin-tight, olive green tank top. Her leggings cling to every curve as if sculpted out of marble. Her pink lips part in a tantalizing pout, instantly making my mouth dry. My dick twitches at the sight of her, and I shake away the thought, realizing it’s not the time to fantasize about her.
She takes the cardigan she’s wearing and wraps it across her chest, her arms crossing over her breasts like an extra layer of protection from me. I roll the window down and put my hands up in surrender. She glares at me with daggers, ready to puncture any hope I have of explaining myself.
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to follow you,” I say softly.
She scoffs and tears her gaze away from me, looking towards her house.
“Donovan, I don’t want you here. Turn around and get the fuck off my driveway,” she demands, her words frothing with hate and frustration. I take it all because I fucking deserve it.
But god, hearing her say my name, even in spite, restarts my heart.
I grab her coffee from the cupholder and hang it out of the window, gesturing for her to take it. “You left this. Take it.” I say, arching my eyebrows.
She crosses her arms. Her stare is cold like stone. I give her a playful grin and swirl her coffee in her view, trying to ease the tension. Does she know how incredibly sorry I am for fucking up and that if I could go back and change it all, I would? No, she doesn’t know. I’ve never told her—and that’s my fault.
She rolls her eyes and yanks the coffee out of my hand, spilling some right at the tops of her breasts. I bite my lip and try to stifle a laugh.
“Fucking great,” she groans with a frustrated sigh, wiping away the errant coffee with her free hand.
Damn, I wish those were my hands instead.
“Oh shit, I’m sorry. Here, let me get you a napkin,” I say apologetically.
Her scowl burns a hole through my soul, but it won’t stop me from trying. Before I can grab a napkin from my truck, she’s stomping back to her SUV.
Nuh-uh, get back here.
I jump out of my truck so fast that she can’t even process I’m closing in on her. She hears me gaining on her heels and angrily turns to face me after placing her coffee on the roof of her car. Our noses are just a few inches from each other. Memories of her flood my senses.
She still smells like strawberries and fresh-cut flowers. Her skin looks soft and supple, her dainty fingers so delicate I want to kiss each one. Her hands suddenly reach up and touch my chest, like she is holding me back from coming closer.
Boom. Lightning strikes. Does she feel the electricity between us when her hands are on me? I hope she can feel my heart thumping through my shirt, beating only for her.
Her eyes dart quickly back and forth on her hands, and she shoves me away with force, causing me to step back as my heel drags on the path below.
“No! Don’t come any closer to me,” she cries out. Her brow furrows and her lip quivers. Frustration vibrates her body, showing me every ounce of her anger. I did this to her.
My hands open at my sides and I shrug my shoulders up, then down. “Audrey, please let me explain. I?—”
Another shove to my chest. I stumble back, surprised at her reaction.
“You don’t need to explain anything to me. I want yougone. Why are you even here, Donovan? Just leave!” she screams. Her voice is shrill and tears fill her eyes. If she’d let me, I’d wipe every single one away.
“Okay, you want me gone? Fine. I deserve that. I just…you’re here. In the flesh. I thought I’d never see you again,” I sigh out, my heart sinking deeper with every tear slipping down her face.
My feet stride towards her, and I’m powerless to stop them. If I were a better man, I’d do what she asks and leave. But I know if let her out of my sight this time, there won’t be a next time. I’m powered by a single thought:
Get. Closer. To. Audrey.
Surprisingly, she doesn’t retreat. I move closer, inch by inch, drawn by those rings of emerald green. I know these eyes, but there’s a brokenness in them I don’t recognize. The protector in me wants to kill anyone who had a part in breaking her.
Is that someone me?
A tear falls, running down her cheekbone. I reach up and catch it, wiping it away with my thumb. She closes her eyes as another tear falls from the opposite eye. I catch it with my other thumb, my hands now cupping her face.
I’m searching for Audrey in there, but I can’t find her. I’m desperate to see a glimmer of her spirit, the one that captivated my heart that unforgettable night.
