Page 6 of Just One Promise (The Carter Brothers 3)
“Yeah, I just need to slide my shoes on,” Audrey replies, she puts them on. Her height barely coming up to my chin, even with her heels on.
Once she’s done, we make our way to my truck, I help her up, staying behind her the whole time. When her dress hikes up, once she’s seated, my tongue skates along my lip.
“Heath!” she admonishes. Audrey caught me red handed. I just shake my head, kiss her lips, and trail my fingertips towards the inside of her thigh. Yeah, I’d love to be in between her legs all day, but I’m also man enough to understand she needs to know this isn’t just about sex.
Fuck, it’s more than that, it’s more than anything else I’ve ever had in this world.
With one last tease of my lips along hers, I move around to the driver’s side. My thoughts go to a blast from the past, finding my family on the verge of my teen years was the best thing that could ever happen to me. Sure, we aren’t blood, but the blood that runs through my veins from those that are supposed to love, protect, and cherish you, yeah, well mine did none of that. I was starving half the time, wearing clothes two sizes too small, and we were lucky to have electricity some months. My parents were too busy searching for their next high. My womb donor bringing in johns left and right at the sperm donors request. If she didn’t, he’d smack her around. Half the time if I didn’t get out of the way fast enough, a fist would hit me.
I shake my head, to clear the thoughts running through my mind before we head towards Audrey’s hotel.
She navigates me to where she’s staying. It’s one of the nicer ones we have on the beach side.
“I’ll just be a few minutes, promise,” she says as I open the door for her.
“Babe, not letting you go at it alone. I’m especially not letting you carry your own bags,” I grouse. She’s out of her mind. Audrey may not know me all that much right now, but in the next few days she’ll know a real man, her man, won’t let her go at it alone.
10
Audrey
Heath walks me to my hotel room, I’m ashamed to say that I left it a mess. Clothes are everywhere, toiletries laying around, and shoes are scattered throughout the small room.
I immediately start picking things up to pack, when I realize most of my clothes are dirty, being on vacation the last thing you really think about is doing laundry. And well, I was going to use the laundromat here. My dirty pile seems to be bigger than what I have to put in my suitcase.
“Shit,” I whisper out. I leave my clothes in piles on the bed and make my way to the bathroom to collect all of my toiletries. Once I gather all of them in a smaller bag, I go back out to the main room.
“Do you, uh, mind if I use your washer? I mean I can go to the laundromat if you’d rather.”
“Audrey, I want you to feel at home with me. Do laundry, leave your clothes laying around. Fuck, baby, make the house look lived in,” his hands find the nape of my neck, arching up to look into his eyes and if my hands weren’t full, I’d be pinching myself to see if I was asleep and this was a dream.
“As long as you’re sure,” I respond.
“Positive, now tell me what I can help you with and we’ll get this show on the road,” Heath says.
He helps me pack my clean clothes in my suitcase, while I put my dirty clothes in a plastic bag. It doesn’t take us long. Once everything is ready, Heath does one last sweep of my room, ensuring I haven’t missed anything.
I grab my purse, something I left here last night along with my phone. I wanted to just be left alone, no phone calls, no texts, and no social media knocking on my door.
Heath takes my two bags, not even allowing me the chance to grab one, and we make our way to the front desk to check out.
A lady with what looks like a permanent smile on her face is working the front desk. I walk up to her and say, “Hi, I’d like to check out early, is that okay?”
“Sure, let me see if there will be any fees, sometimes with spring break right around the corner they like to tack them on,” she replies.
If I’m out money, I guess I’m out money. I’m not extremely well off, but my job as a publicist to a recluse isn’t too shabby in the money department. He wanted his identity to stay completely off the grid. He’s so well known a non-disclosure agreement had to be signed.
