Empty Net (21 page)

Audrey rocked out to her new Karmin CD the whole way home. It cheered her up. When she came inside with bags from the grocery store, she was still enjoying the music, so much so that she didn’t even notice the two large hockey players standing at her kitchen island. Seeing them, she let out a girlie scream and jumped almost six feet in the air.

“Sheesh, guys!”

Lucas looked unaffected as he munched on a sandwich, sweat drenching his white tee, a tool belt hung low on his waist. Tate grinned as he made his way toward her, leaving his—no surprise—cupcake on the counter. He reached for the bags, and she rewarded him with a bright smile as she took in his hotness. He wore low-riding jeans with a fitted blue tee. His hair was in a
mess, drenched in sweat, and she could see sweat glistening in his beard. Within seconds she was back in her dream, feeling his beard and hands all over her body.

Mmmm, she wanted so bad to reach out and touch him.

“Hey, Audrey,” he said, looking deep into her eyes.

Why was it even hot when he said hi to her?

“Hey, Tate,” she said breathlessly as he turned to take her groceries to the island. “What are you doing? Other than eating my food?”

Tate smiled sheepishly as Lucas shrugged his shoulders. “Getting the closet done. We leave this weekend for a week-long trip, back for three days, then back out for another week, so I wanted to get it done today since I’m about to be really busy. Tate wasn’t doing anything so I made him help me.”

Audrey doubted Lucas had to make Tate do anything. He was still grinning at her, and she couldn’t help but smile back as she unloaded groceries.

“Well that blows. What will I do without my favorite brother-in-law, and my cupcake monster over there?” Audrey joked.

Tate laughed as Lucas bumped shoulders with her. “Help Fallon out with Aiden, please, and who’s a cupcake monster?”

Audrey nodded toward Tate. “Him.”

“Tate?” Lucas looked over at him, then back at Audrey. “He eats your cupcakes?”

Audrey laughed. “Yes, he does.”

Lucas eyed Tate for a moment before saying, “Okay.”

She could tell by the tone of his voice that nothing was okay, but she ignored it, continuing to put away groceries.

“Oh, Tate!” she gushed, turning from the refrigerator. “I thought of something that only a few people know.”

He smiled, leaning against the island. “What’s that?”

“I am an intense club dancer. I be breaking it down, son,” she said, before doing her rendition of the robot.

Tate laughed, shaking his head. “I don’t believe it.”

“Oh, I’ll show you. We’ll have to go dancing.”

Tate nodded, his eyes piercing hers. “I look forward to it.”

Audrey grinned widely at him before skipping to the sink to clean off her chicken. When she turned and saw Lucas staring at her, she said, “What?”

“Nothing, I didn’t know you guys were hanging out.”

Audrey nodded. “He’s my neighbor.”

“Well, yeah,” Lucas agreed, before looking over at Tate. “Is that all?”

Tate put his hands up and said, “We’re friends, apparently.”

“Apparently?” Lucas asked as Audrey shook her head.

“Yes, we are just friends, no worries, Lucas,” Audrey said, patting him on the back.

Tate knew he should have been worried about the way Lucas was eyeing him, but he was too busy taking in the beauty that was Audrey. Even wearing a dress that resembled a big brown bag, she looked gorgeous. When she came in singing—yeah, she sounded terrible—it was nice to see her so carefree and happy. He liked that little peek into her private life, and he wanted more than anything to be a part of it.

After finishing their lunch, he and Lucas went upstairs. It had been a long day after a sleepless night, but there was no way he could sleep last night when he still could feel Audrey’s lips on his. He’d spent most of the night playing his piano. When he had to wake up early for practice, he was hoping to take a nap. But Lucas needed his help, so here he was, banging a piece of wood with a hammer.

For a monstrosity of a closet.

“Does she really have this many shoes?” Tate asked, glancing over at his friend.

Lucas looked up and shrugged. “She’s your friend, apparently, shouldn’t you know that?”

Tate chuckled. “Let me have it, man, don’t hold back.”

Lucas shook his head. “I have nothing to say. Should I?”

Tate picked up another board. “What can I say, Luc? I’m attracted to her.”

“Of course you are; she’s gorgeous. But didn’t you think you should have told me?” Lucas asked, one hand on his chest. “I’m your best friend and that’s my sister we’re talking about—the sister I never had.”

“I’ve been planning to tell you. How did you even know?” They had hardly spoken for five minutes downstairs.

Lucas scoffed. “The sparks were flying, dude! She would smile and you would go all starry-eyed while she batted her eyes at you. Honestly, it was disgusting.”

Tate laughed. “Whatever, it wasn’t like that at all.”

“Yes it was. It makes me wonder why you never even mention her—Hold the fuck up!” Lucas yelled, causing Tate to drop his board, thankfully not on his foot. “Is she the runaway lay?”

Tate froze.

He always told Lucas everything, but if he told him yes now, that would be putting Audrey’s business out there. If he said no, then Lucas would think he was trying to two-time Audrey.

Shit
.

“No comment.”

“Odder, fess up, dude, before I knock you in the back of the head with a board,” Lucas warned.

Tate laughed, turning to see Lucas holding a bottle of water, not a board. “What board?” he teased.

“Whichever one I decide to pick up. Now answer me.”

Tate shrugged a shoulder, looking up at the ceiling, hoping what he was about to say wouldn’t backfire on him. “Yeah, she is, but don’t tell Fallon.”

Lucas’s mouth dropped as he shook his head. “I won’t, but shit, dude.”

“Good. I don’t want anything to come between us. She has already friend-zoned me,” he complained.

“Dude, that sucks,” Lucas said simply, before picking up a board.

Tate stood there stunned. Lucas always had the answer. “No help, huh?”

Lucas laughed. “Hell no, if you think I’m going to give you tips on picking up my little sister, you’ve obviously been hit too many times in the head with the puck.”

Tate couldn’t help but laugh. “So much for loyalty, or friendship, or teammates, or—”

“Oh, I have loyalty, but it stops when it comes to Aiden, Fallon, and Audrey. Sorry, bud, you’re on your own.” Then Lucas started to bang a nail into the board, before turning back to Tate, a wicked grin on his face. “But you hurt her, you die. You know that, right?”

“Very much so.”

He should have known that
Swamp People
was going to be bad-ass just by the Viewer Discretion warning.

Audrey had the best taste in TV shows, and he was grateful for the chance to watch them with her. Her commentary was so funny; it made the show ten times better. When she started impersonating the people on the show in their thick Louisiana accents, he almost fell off the couch laughing. She was crazy funny. She even made Alligator cupcakes to go with the show. Tate inhaled half of them before he enjoyed the amazing chicken dumplings she prepared.

She was one hell of a cook.

“Best show ever,” he said, licking frosting off his fingers.

“Uh, duh! Told ya!” She giggled, leaning against the back of her couch, a cupcake in her hand. She had changed from earlier that day. Now she was wearing a yellow jumpsuit. She had a lazy cute look going, which did it for him. His hands itched to pull that zipper down and find out what she had underneath. Her hair was down in a mess of curls, and he wanted to tangle his fingers in it while kissing her senseless.

“You did,” he agreed.

She tucked her legs behind her and said, “Tomorrow is
Survivor
, we should watch that. You’ll love it.”

“Sounds good, but this time, my house. I’ll get food for us.”

Audrey laughed. “Can’t cook?”

He laughed along with her. “Nope, but I am good at picking up something.”

“It works,” she said with a grin, leaning her head against the back of the couch, yawning.

He smiled over at her and asked, “Are you tired, want me to leave?”

“No, not at all. Well, I am tired, but I don’t want you to leave.”

Good
.

“I’m surprised you’re up. I heard you playing at two in the morning,” she said.

Tate nodded. “Yeah. Remember, I have problems sleeping at night?”

“You really should get that checked out,” she suggested, taking a sip of her sweet tea.

“I know, I should,” he agreed.

It had gotten out of hand lately. But no remedy seemed to work. Every time he was deep in sleep, he would see his parents’ and Matilda’s bodies on the slabs in the morgue back home. It had been a year and a half since the car crash, but the image was still burned in his mind. He hadn’t had a full night’s sleep in months. In a way, he was sort of used to it. He usually slept during the day. It didn’t make sense to him why sleeping then was easier, but it was. The only reason he could come up with was that he had identified the bodies at 11:26
P.M
. It was a hot, musty night when he escaped the walls of the morgue to promptly puke his brains out on the sidewalk outside.

It was the worst night of his life.

Not wanting to think of that, he glanced over at Audrey. “I thought of something no one knows.”

She sat up quickly, joy on her face as she bounced. “Oh do tell, good sir!”

Tate laughed, leaning back against the couch, “I have to sing ‘We Are the Champions’ every time I get in goal before the puck drops.”

“The whole song?”

“Yup. I time it perfectly to make sure I get it all in. No one knows that I do it, and they probably think I’m an ass when they tell me good luck and I don’t say anything back because I’m singing in my head.”

Audrey was in a fit of laughter. “That is epic!”

Tate nodded. “It helps. I get in this mind-set that no one can beat me.”

“And they can’t, not the amazing, highest-ranked rookie goalie in the history of professional hockey! You are amazing, from what I have heard and seen,” she gushed, smacking his arm.

Even though he knew it was wrong, he couldn’t help himself. He put on his killer smile, showing all his teeth, even his gap, and asked, “Been doing research on me?”

“Oh hush, and stop flirting with me!” Audrey said, red as a tomato, then looked away and drank her tea.

“Can’t help it. You are gorgeous, baby.”

Still red as ever, she shook her head, looking away. “You really know how to make a girl blush, huh?”

Tate smiled, shifting position to hide his hard-on. When she had that color on her, looking so bashful and playful, he was sure the temperature in the room was a thousand degrees.

“So anyways!” she yelled, laughing while still not making eye contact. “Change the subject, please.”

Tate laughed. “I don’t know if I should. I like this red color on you.”

“Tate! Quit!” Audrey giggled as she got up and cleaned up their mess. “I’m gonna kick you out of here if you don’t quit.”

“Liar,” Tate accused, before helping her. “I think you like it.”

Audrey laughed. “You caught me. Damn!”

He handed her the plates he had picked up. “I knew it.”

“Ha ha,” Audrey said with a cheeky smile. “So, anyways, again.” Tate continued to laugh as she washed dishes, before she went on, saying, “Question.”

They had been doing that all night. She would ask a question and then he would. He had learned that she didn’t like avocados or tomatoes, when that was his favorite thing on a salad. She hated going to the hardware store and could have killed Lucas for making her go. He also hated going, but that was because Lucas looked at everything in the store. She loved cake stands, glitter, and anything pink. They loved the same kind of music, and enjoyed almost all the same movies, except he thought horror movies were stupid while she thought they were amazing.

“Shoot,” he said with a grin, leaning against the island.

Audrey turned from the sink and smiled. “Where do you see yourself in a year?”