“Yeah, he asked me to help him. I guess you really do have a lot of shoes.”

Audrey shrugged her shoulders, embarrassed, “I guess.”

“So, Tate, are you dating anyone?”

Both Tate and Audrey whipped their heads to stare at Piper in response to her question. She, of course, was grinning her cute little gappy smile.

“Hey, you have a gap too.”

Audrey whipped her head back to Tate to see that he was grinning as wide as Piper was, and that they were giving each other googly eyes!

What the hell!!

“I do and I love it. We gap folks, need to stick together,” Piper flirted.

Tate smiled and by the grace of God, before Tate could say anything, Aiden asked, “Hey Tate, wanna help me and Will get a soda?”

“Aiden, I can get you a water,” Audrey said.

“I want Tate to,” Aiden giggled.

Before she could get up, Tate was already standing with a laughing Aiden over his shoulders.

“Is it okay?” he asked.

Audrey nodded, “Sure, but a water please.”

“Will do.”

Audrey and Piper watched as Tate carried Aiden into the house. Once they were out of earshot, Audrey reached over, smacking Piper on the arm.

“Ow!”

“What the hell! I slept with him!” Audrey stressed.

“So? He’s hot, and you said you didn’t want him. I’m not on a Guy Break, but I would love to go on a break with Tate. He has a gap, Audrey, I love gaps.”

“You don’t love gaps! I love gaps! Back off!”

Piper’s face twisted in a grin. She reminded Audrey of a cat that just ate the canary. She actually scared Audrey a bit. “Why would I back off, Audrey?”

When Audrey didn’t answer, Piper’s grin grew, “The only reason I could think of would be if my BFF was trying to holler at the gorgeous Tate? Are you?”

Thankfully, Tate and Aiden chose that moment to come back outside. Audrey looked down at her sticky fingers and couldn’t help but wonder why she was telling Piper to back off. She didn’t want to date Tate, so why did it matter if Piper did? It wouldn’t last if they did hook up. Tate was too tall, and Piper was too petite. Audrey knew for a fact that Piper wouldn’t last two minutes in bed with Tate.

He liked it a little rough.

Piper was so short and so sweet. She may act like a horndog, but Audrey knew that she really wasn’t. All and all, Audrey knew they wouldn’t last, so why not let them date? Let them try it out and watch it blow up in flames. Tate didn’t want the things Piper wanted, and Piper was too hung up on Erik. It was a train wreck waiting to happen.

Audrey looked up, catching Tate staring at her. Her eyes drifted shut a little as his mouth curved in a naughty little grin. When his tongue pressed the back of his gap, she knew the reason why she couldn’t let Piper and Tate hook up.

She wanted him.

Well, f**k.

***

Tate wanted her.

He wanted her so badly that he swore he could taste her.

Audrey moved her finger along a stray piece of her hair, twirling it slowly, while her eyes never left his. Her face was illuminated by the fire and her eyes were half lidded. Her lips were parted a little while her other hand moved up and down her leg in a way that made Tate want to grab a hold of her. She had been nervous, or embarrassed, this whole evening and Tate assumed it was Piper who was making Audrey feel that way.

When Piper set her eyes on Tate, he knew he was in trouble. He knew with just a glance that Piper was feisty and sweet, all in one little itty bitty package. But, every time she opened her mouth, Audrey would tense up, sending a quick look to her before looking back down at her legs. Tate didn’t understand what was going on, but Piper was up to something.

He prayed it wasn’t to pick him up.

For the first time, Tate didn’t want a girl to want him. Piper was a beautiful girl, sweet, but he wasn’t attracted to her at all. She wasn’t thick and delectable like Audrey. She didn’t have the mouth that Audrey had.

She wasn’t Audrey.

“So, Tate, you never answered me.”

When Piper spoke, Audrey broke their eye contact. She turned her attention towards the fire. Tate glanced over at Piper to see her looking at him with a little delighted grin on her face. He wanted to be locked in Audrey’s gaze, not talk about whatever Piper was curious about.

“What’s that?”

Her smile remained as she asked, “Are you dating anyone right now?”

Out the corner of his eye, he saw Audrey look towards him. Before he could capture her gaze, she looked back down at the fire. Tate took in a deep breath, moving Aiden to his other knee since the one he was on had fallen asleep. Aiden ate his s’more, happily, not paying any attention to them.

“I am not,” Tate finally answered.

He swore that Piper’s grin grew, “Are you afraid of commitment?”

Audrey took in a sharp breath before saying, “Jeez, Pipe! Personal much?”

But Piper didn’t care. Her grin remained as she waited for Tate’s answer.

“No, I’m not afraid,” he answered, “I was engaged for almost a year before I came over here.”

Audrey’s head whipped quickly towards him, her face full of shock as she said, “Engaged?”

Piper chuckled beside her as Tate shrugged his shoulders, “Yeah.”

“How old were you?” Audrey asked, her mouth slightly parted, her eyes still wide.