into my office?” Max finally said, his request sounding less like a question than a command. “I'll fix you a drink and help you forget about Silas' disappearance.”
* * * *
Without a word, Audrey followed him into his private room. As he silently poured the whiskey into two fresh glasses, he watched her watching him. Despite trying to cover it up in front of him, she had such a look of vulnerability on her face, of sadness. Could she be this affected by his brother's absence? What had happened between them already?
He couldn't believe he had invited her into his private space on a night when he promised himself he would make progress on his work. But watching her at the stables with the horses, he couldn't help but feel drawn in by her carefree beauty. He loved watching the way she didn't hesitate to get close to the animals, unlatching and stepping just inside the doors as she let her hands gently stroke their sleek frames. She was both fearless and gentle, a rare and seductive combination of qualities to find in a woman.
The smile he witnessed on her face during her quiet solitude with Ace had regrettably disappeared, replaced with an expression difficult to dissect. One dash anger, with a tincture of anxiety and a generous helping of curiosity? Whatever it was, she looked alive and overflowing with emotions.
“Here's a bit of medicine, Miss…may I call you Audrey?” Max couldn't believe the tenderness this stranger had awoken inside of him. He handed her his favorite drink, a dry Manhattan, after dropping two maraschino cherries in the concoction with a bit of flair and a smile.
“Of course. I'm in far too deep to care for formalities at this point.” She flopped down in Max's favorite chair, one of his own designs, seemingly exhausted.
“I'm sorry for Silas' inconsiderate behavior. I can't explain it to you right now, but I promise it was for a good reason.”
“He left me there to flounder. I felt like a party crasher without an invitation,” she responded, the anger flashing in her eyes.
“I suppose you've always been the life of the fête . I bet you were the queen bee of every debutante ball in Paris.”
“Oh, how wrong you are, Mr. Abrams. I think the closest I came to a debutante ball as a girl was sewing their dresses late into the night at my first job. I knew nothing of that life.”
Max was taken off guard by the honesty and sincerity in her response and didn't know what to say. For once, he had no comeback, no sharp reply.
“Forgive me, Max. None of this is your fault. Although I'm admittedly still intrigued by your antisocial tendencies.” She took a long gulp of the cocktail and forced a smile onto her lips.
A stirring deep from within made him desperately want to hold her, to apologize for ignoring his brother's request for his assistance. Her awful evening could have been avoided if he hadn't insisted on remaining a recluse in his own damn house.
A long moment of silence passed between them as he sat beside her and looked into her emerald eyes.
“I should have come to find you, Audrey. Silas asked me to see to you, but I was too preoccupied with work and was annoyed by the interruption. Then I saw you with the horses and knew I had made a terrible mistake leaving you to the wolves out there. I’m glad I found you in here. I was just coming to look for you.”
“Are they that bad?” she responded quietly, her eyes widening as they stared at one another. He wondered if she, too, was struck by the chemistry between them.
“Well, they’re very different from you, that’s for sure. I doubt Silas has told you anything about Male Order, or Dallas for that matter. It’s a close-knit community, and everyone—especially the women—is surprised when an outsider arrives. They'll devour your designs, though, I'm sure of it. I can practically hear them talking about you from here. They're looking around at one another and realizing that something new and different has
* * * *
Without a word, Audrey followed him into his private room. As he silently poured the whiskey into two fresh glasses, he watched her watching him. Despite trying to cover it up in front of him, she had such a look of vulnerability on her face, of sadness. Could she be this affected by his brother's absence? What had happened between them already?
He couldn't believe he had invited her into his private space on a night when he promised himself he would make progress on his work. But watching her at the stables with the horses, he couldn't help but feel drawn in by her carefree beauty. He loved watching the way she didn't hesitate to get close to the animals, unlatching and stepping just inside the doors as she let her hands gently stroke their sleek frames. She was both fearless and gentle, a rare and seductive combination of qualities to find in a woman.
The smile he witnessed on her face during her quiet solitude with Ace had regrettably disappeared, replaced with an expression difficult to dissect. One dash anger, with a tincture of anxiety and a generous helping of curiosity? Whatever it was, she looked alive and overflowing with emotions.
“Here's a bit of medicine, Miss…may I call you Audrey?” Max couldn't believe the tenderness this stranger had awoken inside of him. He handed her his favorite drink, a dry Manhattan, after dropping two maraschino cherries in the concoction with a bit of flair and a smile.
“Of course. I'm in far too deep to care for formalities at this point.” She flopped down in Max's favorite chair, one of his own designs, seemingly exhausted.
“I'm sorry for Silas' inconsiderate behavior. I can't explain it to you right now, but I promise it was for a good reason.”
“He left me there to flounder. I felt like a party crasher without an invitation,” she responded, the anger flashing in her eyes.
“I suppose you've always been the life of the fête . I bet you were the queen bee of every debutante ball in Paris.”
“Oh, how wrong you are, Mr. Abrams. I think the closest I came to a debutante ball as a girl was sewing their dresses late into the night at my first job. I knew nothing of that life.”
Max was taken off guard by the honesty and sincerity in her response and didn't know what to say. For once, he had no comeback, no sharp reply.
“Forgive me, Max. None of this is your fault. Although I'm admittedly still intrigued by your antisocial tendencies.” She took a long gulp of the cocktail and forced a smile onto her lips.
A stirring deep from within made him desperately want to hold her, to apologize for ignoring his brother's request for his assistance. Her awful evening could have been avoided if he hadn't insisted on remaining a recluse in his own damn house.
A long moment of silence passed between them as he sat beside her and looked into her emerald eyes.
“I should have come to find you, Audrey. Silas asked me to see to you, but I was too preoccupied with work and was annoyed by the interruption. Then I saw you with the horses and knew I had made a terrible mistake leaving you to the wolves out there. I’m glad I found you in here. I was just coming to look for you.”
“Are they that bad?” she responded quietly, her eyes widening as they stared at one another. He wondered if she, too, was struck by the chemistry between them.
“Well, they’re very different from you, that’s for sure. I doubt Silas has told you anything about Male Order, or Dallas for that matter. It’s a close-knit community, and everyone—especially the women—is surprised when an outsider arrives. They'll devour your designs, though, I'm sure of it. I can practically hear them talking about you from here. They're looking around at one another and realizing that something new and different has
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