Page 38 of Unraveled

“It is.” He dipped his chin. “It’s over.”

She lifted a hand and tentatively touched it. “Thank you.”

“Of course.”

He gave her a couple moments to absorb the information, then— “You shouldn’t feel bad about what we did.”

He knew she did, though, and her cheeks blazed pink at his words.

He pushed his chair back and rounded the table. Audrey grasped the arms of the chair like she was about to leap forward and run out the door. He was quicker, though, and he knelt next to her. “Tell me something.”

“What?” She regarded him warily, and he gathered his thoughts.

“I’ve thought about our night together a thousand times.” He watched her swallow hard, her gaze dropping away from his and fixing on his chest instead. “Something’s been killing me, and I need to know—was I the only one who felt something?”

Her tongue darted out to wet her lips, and she took almost a full minute to respond. Her answer came on a breathy whisper as she shook her head jerkily. “It wasn’t just you.”

Thank God. “Audrey…” He reached out and gently took her hands in his. “I’ll take this as slowly as you want. Just let me in. Just give me a chance to prove this is right.”

“I… I don’t know…”

It wasn’t an outright refusal. “I know you’re still hurting. But we’re friends, right?”

Her brows drew together in confusion, and she finally met his eyes. “Yes?”

He bit back a smile. “Good.”

She looked baffled as he stood and pulled her to her feet. “Carter…?”

“I know you’re not ready for more—yet,” he said as he walked her to the door. “But I’m going to be here when you are. We’ll take it one step at a time, as slow as you need.”

She turned to face him just before they reached the door. “Why are you doing this?”

He brushed a thumb over her cheek. “You don’t know, red?” She shook her head, and he grinned. “Baby steps.”

A tiny sigh of protest fell from her lips as he opened the door and guided her out of the conference room. He had her exactly where he wanted her; slightly off-balance, yet curious. He wasn’t about to scare her off by telling her his plans. He had spent the last six months dreaming about her. When she was ready, she’d come to him.

He opened the door and held it wide, then stepped into the hallway behind her—and almost right into Kaylee.

“Oh! Sorry about that.” Kaylee put her hand on his arm. “I’ve been looking for you.”

He watched Audrey’s eyes drop to where Kaylee’s fingers curled into the fabric of his jacket, and she subtly stepped away. He shifted toward Audrey, effectively shrugging away from Kaylee’s touch. “As you can see, I was in a meeting with Dr. Stanton.”

Kaylee’s lips curled downward in a frown. “I thought everything for that case was taken care of.”

Who did she think she was? Partner’s daughter or not, he wouldn’t tolerate her insinuating herself in his business. He pinned her with a hard stare, and she cowered slightly under the scrutiny. He settled his hand on Audrey’s lower back. “You’re correct. Dr. Stanton isn’t a client anymore, but she is always welcome in my office.”

Kaylee’s cheeks blazed bright pink at the implication, and her chin dropped a fraction.

At that very moment, Edward stepped out of his office, a curious look on his face when he saw them congregated in the hallway. Jesus. What was this, a party? He wanted to get Audrey out of there before one of these idiots gave her a reason to never want to see him again.

Edward looked from Kaylee to him, his arm still around Audrey, whose entire body had gone rigid. His gaze lifted to her face, and he extended his hand, pasting on the smarmy lawyer smile he’d seen more than once. “Good afternoon.”

Audrey tipped her head and returned his handshake. “Hello.”

Edward passed the file in his hand to Kaylee. “Would you mind taking care of this for me?”

With a quick nod, she grabbed it from his hand and bolted. Thank God. One down. He turned his attention back to Edward, his fingers curling slightly into the soft flesh of Audrey’s back. “Well, we were just⁠—”