Chapter Thirty-Eight

At last, Cole was fed and in bed, and Dennis was alone with Audrey again. He waved at the sofa, intent on a good long cuddle with her there. But instead of sitting, she lifted her thumb to her mouth and chewed on the nail. A frown puckered the skin between her eyebrows. He’d never seen her do anything like this before. Rather than being disgusted by her nail biting, Dennis felt utterly disarmed. He reached for her hand and pulled it from her mouth.

“Surely you can stop worrying now.” He lifted her hand to his mouth and nuzzled her thumb, reaching for her waist with his free hand.

“I know, but—”

He nipped at her fingertips. “Cole apologized. And he seems fine now. Please don’t worry.”

“But we need to talk.”

“And we will. Later.”

She pulled back from him. “What was that?”

“What?”

“That noise. Was that Cole?”

“I didn’t hear anything.” He reached for her again with a gentle smile. She was coiled tight as a spring, but he knew how to help her relax. He pulled her trim body flat against his and rubbed her back with long, soft strokes. He loved the flare of her hips under his palms, the fullness of her curves. He rocked her in his arms, willing her to relax, and bent his head to breathe in the clean scent of her hair.

She started to melt against him but then pulled away. “I can’t seem to think.”

“I know what we need.” He picked up the bottle of wine she’d brought. “Let’s get the corkscrew.”

He led her through the door into the kitchen and fished a corkscrew out of a drawer. She still had that little worried pucker in her forehead. His beautiful Audrey. He couldn’t let her worry one moment longer.

“But Dennis, really, I’m missing something. I just can’t think of what.”

“Hush, sweetheart.” He set the wine and corkscrew on the counter and cupped her face between his palms. “Audrey, you must stop this worrying. We’ll be fine. Where there is love, nothing can stand in our way. And Audrey, I do love you.”

All traces of her frown evaporated. She gazed tenderly at him, her pink lips half-parted and so, so tempting. Before she could respond, he bent his head and claimed her lips with a tender fierceness that he hoped would remove any lingering trace of doubt.

He loved her, this practical, cheerful, tiny creature. He loved every facet of her personality. He kissed her once for every little thing about her that made him love her. Her braid, her smile, her clear blue eyes. Her pink and black vixen outfit, her subtle way of communicating her desires to him without words. He kissed her long and deep, his tongue darting and teasing hers. He loved her playful jokes, the way her nude flesh trembled under his touch, the way her thighs parted to welcome him. He sucked her bottom lip and made her gasp.

Dinner was forgotten. Candles, wine, flowers, all were forgotten. Dennis claimed Audrey with kisses until she sagged helplessly in his arms, completely relaxed at last.

The sound of Cole’s voice carried to them, but Dennis didn’t immediately respond to it. Her mouth was too luscious, her curves intoxicating under his touch.

“Daddy’s kissing Miss Turner!”

That got his attention. Dennis pulled away from Audrey and turned his head. Cole’s voice was clear, as if he was in the room with them, but he wasn’t there. He must be in the office.

“Miss Turner kept our secret. She didn’t tell Daddy that you and Papa took me to the zoo.”

What? Dennis felt every muscle in his body go rigid. Audrey reached for him with both hands, but he jumped back out of her reach.

“Dennis, what’s wrong? Dennis?”

Her words were drowned by the rage pounding in his ears. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He knew he should get control of his anger before confronting Cole, but he couldn’t. The swinging door banged into the wall from the force of his hands.

Cole sat at the office desk. The phone looked huge in his small hands. When Cole looked up and saw Dennis, his eyes grew round with shock and fear.

“Give me that phone,” Dennis said. His voice sounded foreign to his own ears.

“No!” Cole slammed the receiver down in the cradle.

Dennis felt something hot and painful in his chest. He stared at Cole and knew his rage must be showing on his face, and he didn’t care. Cole started to cry, real tears. His face contorted with deep sobs.

Dennis tried to take a step forward, but Audrey jumped in front of him and blocked his way. She held up both her hands like a shield. Her face was as pale as a blank sheet of paper.

“Dennis, it’s not his fault.” Her voice was low and stern with authority.

She was in on it. On his parents’ side.

“You betrayed me,” he said. “I gave you simple instructions. You didn’t follow them.”

Her eyes widened at his bitter words, but he was too angry to care.

The phone rang, and Cole shrieked. Before Cole could grab the receiver, Dennis brushed past Audrey as if she were no more substantial than a housefly. He knew before he answered who would be on the other end.

“How dare you,” he said into the receiver.

“How nice to hear your voice,” his mother responded sarcastically. “Once again, I’ve had to call you for that pleasure.” And then, before he could say another word, she launched into a litany of complaints.

He’d heard it all before. It wasn’t worth hearing again. He was disrespectful, cold-hearted, and cruel. He didn’t honor his parents, and all they’d ever done was love him. He was a danger to his son, a real threat, hurting the boy every day with his bull-headed, foolish decisions. His mother was on the offensive, and Dennis held the phone so tightly he thought he would snap the receiver in half. He couldn’t decide if he should wait for her to pause for breath and try to respond, or just hang up.

And through it all, one thought pounded against the back of his skull.

Audrey was in league with his parents.