“In that case,” Cade said, pulling out Audrey’s chair for her. She sat and gave him a radiant smile. He was such a wonderful man.
Daphne snorted and picked up one of the wedges of dry toast, nibbling on the corner and giving Reese a hateful look as he sat down next to her.
And that was how their first meal together at the cabin proceeded. Daphne picking at her food, Cade seated next to Audrey and keeping up the bulk of the conversation, expertly involving all parties so no one would feel left out, and Reese sitting across from her and giving her smug smiles as she ate the delicious breakfast he’d cooked and claimed she was responsible for.
It was a rather messy dynamic, Audrey thought to herself. And she imagined it was only going to get messier.
***
Out of guilt, Audrey stuck close to Daphne’s side all day. She helped her twin take a shower since Daphne felt too weak to stand up on her own, and when Daphne took a nap and then threw up on their shared blankets, Audrey immediately changed the bed and did the laundry without a word of protest. Daphne, on the other hand, was surly and unpleasant to Audrey at all times, which only made Audrey want to try harder to please Daphne. She knew this was hard on Daphne, and she was there to help her get through it.
So she picked up after Daphne, and made her twin toast when she needed it, and read a book in the room while Daphne was sleeping. When Daphne was awake and throwing up, Audrey changed out her bucket, wiped her brow, and unpacked their things, keeping busy.
In a word, she hovered.
It wasn’t that she thought Daphne would appreciate it. She didn’t. It wasn’t that Daphne needed her. She didn’t, really. It was guilt, pure and simple, that kept her glued to Daphne’s side.
She felt guilty about a lot of things. She felt guilty that Daphne was so sick and she’d pawned her off on Cade last night. She felt guilty that Daphne resented her. She felt guilty that she should have been concentrating on getting her twin better instead of her crush on Cade.
And she really, really felt guilty about last night’s kiss with Reese. Or this morning, when he’d lifted her onto the counter and then licked her finger. She felt horribly guilty about how turned on those two simple things had made her.
She was in love with Cade. She was here for Daphne.
So why was she so utterly focused on Reese Durham? She didn’t even like the man. He was a jerk and a player—two things that she despised. He was her opposite in every way. He’d blackmailed her into kissing him, for pete’s sake.
But . . . when he was around, she felt alive. And a bit wild and carefree. And incredibly, incredibly aroused.
And all of that was bad. She was the good twin. She was here for her sister. She was here because Daphne needed her, and Audrey was here because she wanted time with Cade.
Reese did not play into any of that.
So she hovered and mothered Daphne until her twin was slapping her hand away every time Audrey tried to put a damp towel on her forehead. And she continued to try to be helpful until Daphne screamed for her to f**k off. Cade arrived a moment later, pill and glass of water in hand, and Daphne had melted like putty in his hands.
And that just made Audrey feel worse. So she’d gone downstairs with her book, intending to spend a little time away from her twin. She’d automatically looked around the lodge to talk to Reese, but he’d been out taking a walk, and she told herself that the disappointment she felt was stupid.
She’d laid down on the couch in front of the fireplace and started to read, but had quickly drifted off to sleep. When she woke up later, it was dark, the fire out, and someone had put her book on the ground and covered her with a blanket. Tucking the blanket around her, Audrey headed back up the stairs and into the room she shared with Daphne. Her twin was huddled under the blankets, her barf bucket close at hand, and sweat covered her brow. The sheets were soaked with it.
Maybe the couch hadn’t been such a bad idea after all. She returned to it and curled up with the blanket, imagining that Cade had seen her sleeping and lovingly tucked it around her. But for some reason, she kept seeing Cade’s face with a smirky, un-Cade-like smile framed by a wicked goatee, and in her mind, the blanket smelled like Reese.
***
The next morning, she woke up to the quiet clank of pots and pans in the kitchen. Audrey yawned and rubbed her eyes, then crawled out from under the blankets and headed for the kitchen.
Sure enough, there was Reese, stirring a large pot on the stove, the smell of fresh-brewed coffee in the air. She appreciated the sight of his tight buns for a moment, then cleared her throat to announce her presence.
He turned and gave her a lazy smile. “Morning, sunshine.”
For some reason, that look of frank appreciation in his eyes made her feel warm and fuzzy. Ugh. Hormones, nothing more. She was just thrilled someone had said something to her that didn’t involve cursing and begging for pills. She leaned over the stove and peered into the pot. “What am I cooking for breakfast this morning?”
“You decided to make a big batch of oatmeal since it’ll be easy on your sister’s stomach,” he said easily, sprinkling some brown sugar on top of the thick mix. “Good call.”
“I’m an amazing cook,” she said dryly. “Care to tell why you told everyone it was me?”
“You’re trying to snag yourself a man,” he said easily. “Wouldn’t hurt to let Cade think you’re a domestic goddess. He likes traditional women.”
“Does he?” She filed that bit of information away. “Thanks, I guess.”
He shrugged and glanced at her hair. “Rough night?”
Her brows drew together. “What makes you say that?”
“Your bun is askew.”
Audrey’s fingers flew to her hair. Sure enough, it was lopsided and puffy on one side. “Damn it.”
Reese set down the spoon and turned to her, reaching for her hair. “Here, I’ll fix it for you.”
She frowned but stood still, dropping her hands. “That’s very domestic of you.”
“Nah. I mostly wanted to see what this looks like when it’s not in a grandma style.” And he reached forward and snipped the band with a pair of scissors.
She yelped, pulling away even as he ran his fingers through her hair, making it puff out into a halo around her head. “You ass**le!”
“Look at that! All that loose, untamed hair!” He teased, even as he tried to run his fingers through it again. “It’s like you’re a wild woman. What will people think?”