Page 17 of Unraveled

“I’m planning on staying through…” Audrey’s words trailed off as Hannah let out a squeal of glee and practically skipped across the tile floor to where Luke reclined in one of the visitor’s chairs. Audrey watched with mild envy as he stood and opened his arms to her, accepting the box of memorabilia in one arm and his girlfriend in the other, pulling her tightly against him.

Audrey approached the duo, and Luke met her gaze over Hannah’s small frame, sending her a small nod. She never would have paired her petite friend with this giant of a man, but they were just so freaking cute together that she couldn’t help but smile.

Hannah stepped away, her hands on Luke’s chest. “I completely forgot my purse in my office. Can you please carry that out to Audrey’s car for her? I’ll meet you out there.”

“You sure?” Luke’s eyes clouded with concern.

Normally, walking to the parking garage next door wouldn’t have been a big deal, but with everything Hannah had been through in the past few weeks, Audrey doubted he wanted to let her out of his sight for even a second. How she had managed to convince him to let her go to work without him watching over her was beyond her. He took his duties very seriously and would do everything in his power to keep Hannah safe. For that, Audrey was extremely grateful.

“It’s no problem,” she cut in. “I’ll just carry this one out and come back for that one.”

“No, no. Luke can take care of it. I’ll only be a minute anyway.” Hannah stretched up on her toes and planted a soft kiss on Luke’s mouth. “Everything will be fine, I promise.”

“If you’re sure.” He still looked uncertain, but he let her go, and together they watched Hannah stride back toward the elevators.

Audrey turned to Luke. “She’s happy. Thank you for taking care of her.”

Luke watched the elevator door close behind Hannah before turning to Audrey, his voice low and sincere when he spoke. “Thank you for bringing her back to me.”

Audrey waved it away, just as she had when Hannah had thanked her earlier. They deserved to be together, and she was just happy that everything had worked out. “I didn’t do anything.”

He shook his head. “I thought I’d lost her. I don’t know what you said to her, but… I owe you. Anything you need, it’s yours.”

Audrey studied him for a minute. “You saved my life, Luke. I would say we’re more than even.”

Her gaze was drawn toward the glass front doors, to a dark figure striding purposefully toward the building. Her heart slammed against her ribcage and her breath seemed to freeze in her lungs at the sight of Carter Cross, the one man she couldn’t seem to forget.

CHAPTER

NINE

Luke went rigid at her side, and Audrey realized she hadn’t been so quiet after all.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing. Just a guy.” She kept one eye on the door as it was yanked open, and Carter strode across the brightly lit lobby.

His gaze seemed to zero in on her, and he immediately amended his stride, steadily closing the distance between them. The faint fluttering of butterfly wings battered her ribs as she watched him approach. The man looked good—even with his battle scar.

The dark bruise stood out along the line of his jaw, and she guiltily bit down on her lip. She was a doctor, for God’s sake—she’d taken an oath to help people, and never in her life had she harmed another person. But the man was so aggravating and conceited that she hadn’t been able to control her reaction when she had popped him in the jaw.

“Looks like he pissed someone off pretty good.”

A small smile curved Audrey’s mouth before she could stop it. Don’t get her wrong—she felt bad for busting up his jaw, but the jerk had definitely deserved it. “That was me.”

Luke snorted a laugh from where he stood next to her, and she shifted the box in her arms just as Carter stopped in front of them.

“Audrey.”

The butterflies inside her stomach broke into full flight as the smooth honeyed sound of his voice wrapped around her like the sweetest caress. Steeling her spine, she lifted a brow at him, forcing herself to maintain his intense stare instead of allowing her gaze to stray lower, over the sculpted muscles she had perused at length just days ago. Heat flared within her, but she tamped it down, focusing instead on the ire she was trying so desperately to hold on to. “Carter.”

He studied her for a moment. “You haven’t answered any of my calls.”

“I didn’t know I was required to.”

His eyes narrowed, and his tone took on the slightest hint of aggravation. “I’ve been trying to get a hold of you.”

“Why? Did you need a recommendation for that?” She tipped her chin toward his jaw and pointed over her shoulder to the elevator bank behind her. “Dr. Harbaugh’s on the third floor.”