Empty Net (30 page)

He got out of the truck, grabbed his bags, and headed for the plane. Things were falling apart around him, but he still had a plane to catch and a game to play.

When Audrey’s phone rang for the tenth time, she decided she might want to make sure it wasn’t Fallon. Peeking out from under the sheets she and Tate had made love in, she saw that it wasn’t Fallon but Piper. Clicking Ignore, she saw that the other nine calls had been from Piper too. Hating that she was ignoring her best friend, Audrey shook her head and went back into hiding.

When her phone rang again and it was Piper, she decided she should answer. Piper could be dying or something.

“About time!” Piper yelled into the phone, making Audrey cringe. She didn’t feel like talking to anyone or joking or being happy. She wanted to drown in her sorrows, and hate herself for hurting Tate.

She was a stupid bitch.

“Hey, I was sleeping, are you alive?” Audrey asked, trying to rush off the phone.

“Yes, and boy am I glad I am. I’m sorry, buddy, but you’re gonna need to get up. I have amazing news.”

Audrey groaned, rolling over to cuddle against the pillow Tate had slept on, “What’s up?”

“I slept with Erik.”

“What?”

“Yeah, and Audrey, it was fantastic, amazing, oh my God! I can still feel him on top of me!” Piper was gushing, and Audrey could imagine her doing twirls around her living room like a child.

“You’re kidding,” Audrey said, shocked.

“Not at all. You would have been so proud. I told him I had been lusting over him for the past year, and he said he hadn’t noticed but he was glad he had now, and the next thing I know we were almost having sex in the taxi.”

“Wow.”

“I know, right! It was so freaking awesome, A, so good. I’ve never felt like that. He awakened all kinds of dirty things inside me, and Lord, I can’t wait for him to come home at the end of the week.”

“I’m so happy for you, Pipe,” Audrey said, tears gathering in her eyes.

“I just did it, you know? I gotta make myself happy, I can’t be scared. I have to try, right? He’s gorgeous and sweet, and Lord, he makes me feel good. He made me so happy last night, A. So freaking happy.” Audrey could only nod as she held in a sob while Piper went on. “I can’t
wait to see where this goes.”

Even though she would rather have hung up the phone and thrown it out the window, she knew she had to be there for her friend. She had to put on her big girl panties and be supportive. Even if she felt like her world was falling apart.

“It’s going to be great,” she said. “You’re amazing, Pipe. He’ll fall head over heels for you in a week.”

Piper giggled. “Man, a girl can dream, huh?”

“Sure can,” Audrey agreed.

“I just feel so good. I feel like I’m gonna cry, I’m so happy.”

Audrey smiled, wiping away a stray tear. She wanted to be happy like that, but like Tate said, she wouldn’t let herself be happy. “Then cry, girl. I’ll call you later and we can gush some more. I’m sorry but I am dead tired.”

After hanging up, Audrey let out a loud frustrated cry. What the hell had she done? She missed Tate so much, and it had only been a few hours since he left. She wanted to call him, tell him he was right and that she was sorry. But she knew in her heart that even though he said he didn’t care about her not being able to have children, he would. Maybe not right now, but later he would. When they had their house and white picket fence, with four dogs, he would look at her and decide that she wasn’t enough anymore. Maybe she was overreacting and putting herself through unnecessary pain, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was right.

Rubbing her nose against the pillow, she took a deep breath, taking in his scent just as her phone rang. She brought it up so she could see it, and a picture of her and Lucas stared back at her. Why was he calling her? Did something happen to Tate? Or Fallon? Aiden? Ignoring the fact that she thought of Tate before her sister and nephew, Audrey hit the Answer and said,
“Hello?” She hoped to God that Lucas couldn’t tell she had been crying. She didn’t want to explain that to him.

“Hey you,” he said in his low voice. “Just checking in on you.”

Oh, Thank God, she thought, letting out the whoosh of air she was holding.

“Oh, I’m good. Everything okay with you?”

“What’s going on with Tate and you?”

Audrey paused. “What do you mean?”

“Tate is a very close friend, so whatever is going on between you guys, I need you to make sure it’s worth it.”

Audrey didn’t know what to say, so she didn’t say anything. Lucas let out a long breath and then asked, “So what is the problem?”

Audrey shook her head even though he couldn’t see her. “I don’t want to get hurt or to hurt him.”

“Then don’t. Just do you, be happy. Live your life, Audrey. You’ve put yourself on hold for Fallon, and this is your chance. I know that I am being hard on you, but I believe that Tate is a good guy and I owe you for being there for Fallon when I wasn’t. You deserve to be happy, and we both know Levi wasn’t the person who could do that for you. But Tate could be.”

Audrey didn’t know what it was that Lucas said, but a light went on and she realized he was right. She had to stop this, stop her mind from trying to trick her, trying to keep her down. She had to do something for herself now, worry about the future later. This was her chance. Tate had told her the same thing. It was time to live life for Audrey and hope like hell that later it would work out. She had to put herself out there. She had to live in the now, just like Tate did.

“You’re right, Lucas.”

“I know I am. Now stop being difficult and call Tate.”

“I will,” she assured him.

“All right, so we are good?”

“We are great, Lucas, thank you.”

“All right. I do love you a lot, you know.”

Audrey’s grin grew as her heart expanded. Lucas really was the best brother-in-law in the world. “I love you more.”

Hanging up, she couldn’t help but think that Lucas knew what he was doing when he called. He was a very persistent man, and when he wanted something done, it usually happened. Thankfully, it hadn’t taken her long to see reason, or maybe it was bound to happen anyway.

She looked over at the clock on her bedside table and hated that she had waited so long to realize her mistake. She wanted to call Tate but knew he was training with the goalie coaches. He had told her his whole schedule for the day when they were in each other’s arms the night before. God, she missed his big strong arms, and even though she knew he had a big day, she couldn’t let him go through it thinking she didn’t want what he wanted. Finding the phone number she needed, she pressed Send and waited until someone answered.

When they did, she said, “Yes, I need a ticket for the first flight out to Anaheim.”

Audrey had no time to pack since her plane took off in an hour. She threw a few necessities in her big Coach bag and ran out the door.

After a long, anxiety-filled four-hour flight and another twenty-minute ride to the hotel where the Assassins were staying, she finally stood in front of Tate’s door. She had been standing there for what seemed like hours but was sure it was only a couple of minutes. When she left Nashville, she was confident that coming to Tate had been the right choice, but now she was nervous and scared.

Her body was shaking with fear and her brain was telling her to run, and that it was okay to live in her condo with just her shoes and cupcakes. Who needed a man who made her toes curl and who got her to laugh out loud for no reason? Not her, no. She only needed Fallon and Aiden, and now she had Lucas and Piper. Yes, they were all living life and being happy, but they would have time for her. They loved her.

As soon as she thought it, she knew that wasn’t right. She wanted her own life with someone important to her.

With Tate.

Reaching out, she knocked on the door. When he didn’t answer, she did it again, and again. Until finally she realized that he wasn’t there.

Shit.

Letting her forehead fall against the door, Audrey pulled her phone out and checked the time. He had said he would be there by now. Where was he? She was about to click on his
number when a text suddenly popped up.

I would ask if it would creep you out if I were standing behind you watching you stand outside my door but the real question is why are you here?

As the air rushed from her lungs, Audrey turned quickly to find him watching her. He was leaning against the hall wall, his phone in one hand and a bag of food in the other. He was wearing his warm-up gear: a pair of shorts and a thin tee. His hair was slicked back like he had just taken a shower. His eyes were sad. But they still electrified her and stirred all kinds of emotions deep inside her. She needed him. No more games, no more doubt, this was it. This was who she had been searching for. She was jumping in and not looking back. She was going to put her heart out there for him to take, and she was going to trust him with it.

She wasn’t going to fight it anymore.

Dropping her purse to the floor, she made her way to him. His eyes never left hers. Without uttering a word, she wrapped her arms around his waist and snuggled her nose into his chest. She heard his bag of food fall to the floor before his arms came around her, holding her tight, causing her heart to skip a beat.

He still wanted her.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered into his chest. “I was an idiot.”

Tate let out a long breath. “Look at me, Audrey,” he whispered back.

She looked up, his face only inches away as his eyes locked with hers.

His hands came up to cup her face as he shook her head. “Is this real?”

She nodded quickly. “Yes.”

“I have been a wreck. Please don’t do this to me again.”

“I won’t,” she gasped, her hands coming up over his.

He nodded. “You know, I was just fine before you came along,” he said, a small smile tugging at his lips.

Audrey nodded in agreement. “I could say the same about you.”

When his eyes dropped to her lips, he said, “Kiss me, love.”

Audrey wanted to cry out in relief. Closing her eyes, she went up on her tippy toes, pressing her lips to his. Like always, her heart felt like it was about to burst from her chest. There was no way her breathing was normal, and she wanted nothing more than to devour this man. Parting, they stared into each other’s eyes before she closed the gap once more, taking his mouth with hers. She voraciously ate at it, biting, teasing with her teeth as his fingers bit into her hips.

Audrey’s hands left his, slowly going up his biceps before she wrapped them around his neck. Tate stood to his full height, lifting her off the ground as his arms held her tight to his body. She could feel every single inch of him, and she couldn’t wait to feel him inside her. Wanting to be closer, she wrapped her legs around his middle, her hotness pressing hard against his. Tate let out a low, masculine hiss, biting down on her bottom lip as he carried her to his room.

Grabbing her purse off the ground, he maneuvered them into the room before kicking the door shut, turning Audrey and pressing her back against the closed door as he fiercely took over the kiss. His tongue explored her mouth, playing with hers as his fingers tangled in her hair, bringing him closer to her. He couldn’t be close enough, though. She wanted to climb the height of him and live around his neck. She never wanted him to stop. As his hands explored her thighs and ass, hers went to his neck. Her thumbs moved along the coarse hair of his jaw as her lips did numbers against his. Pulling away, he looked deep into her eyes, his lip between his teeth as he rubbed himself against her.

“Well, I need you naked now,” she said, then pulled his shirt up and over his head. He did the same to her, cupping her breast in his hands, tweaking her nipples before letting her down so they could both pull off the rest of their clothes. When Tate reached for her, she shook her head, running her hands down his chest as she gave him a sneaky little grin. “I want you,” she whispered while looking deep in his eyes. “In my mouth,” she finished before he could say anything.

Tate took in a choppy breath as she kissed her way down his chest and over his belly before bending to take his hard, engorged flesh in her hand. He was long and hard, bigger than anyone she had been with, but what did she expect from such a large, gorgeous man? Bringing her lips to him, her tongue curved around the head of his magnificent shaft. She was rewarded with a deep, sensational moan that curled her toes and made her drip with want. She did it again, and this time his fingers tangling in her hair as he whispered her name. Flicking the tip of her tongue along his straining cock was turning her on more than she expected. It was new and she couldn’t wait for more. Moving her hands up his thighs, she took the base of his long, thick cock in her grip, squeezing him before she brought him into the back of her throat and back out, repeating it as his grunts turned to pants. Tate let out a deep throaty sound of release as he exploded in her mouth. He rocked against her mouth, his fingers pulling her hair as she continued to take him deep inside, wanting him to have the ultimate release.