Free Audrey's Promise by Susan Sheehey

female figure, his imagination on what Audrey hid underneath those political suits and oversized sweaters dripped with anticipation.
    It took a moment for him to realize the store went quiet; no beeping registers, no chatting customers. Dead quiet.
    Everyone’s eyes followed Audrey to the baking aisle, and no one smiled. It was as if the world had stopped to let Audrey shop.
    Had they never seen a candidate before? Ethan followed her, smiling at everyone and amused by the stunned faces, waiting for a punch line from someone.
    Audrey surveyed the limited selection of flour. The way she stood with her arm on one curvy hip accentuated her slender waist. She looked great in a business skirt, but those legs were made for skinny jeans. Or nothing at all. Her dark hair cascaded down her back in wavy curls. An inkling of warmth spread through his veins at the thought of her curling her hair just for him. Who else did she need to impress?
    “I’m impressed. Your entrances keep getting more entertaining.” Ethan grabbed a bag of marshmallows from the shelf. “They only sell one brand? How did you survive out here?”
    “Simplicity has its advantages. Easier to keep the annoying press away.”
    Ooh, touched a nerve there. What else can I touch?
    “What’s wrong with the press? Am I too sweet for you?” He waited for her eyes to meet his and gave a devilish smile. He opened the bag of marshmallows and popped a few in his mouth.
    Audrey rolled her eyes and grabbed a bag of flour. “You haven’t paid for those yet.” She turned around to swipe sugar from the shelf behind her. “And you’re more sour than sweet.”
    “You think this whole bag would make me sweeter?”
    Her mouth twitched as if she wanted to smile, but didn’t. Does she allow herself any fun? A light glimmered in one eye, proving she was capable of it, if she really wanted it.
    “This entire aisle of sugar isn’t enough.”
    A marshmallow sailed into the air and he caught it between his teeth. He tilted the opened bag toward her. She didn’t move. Just continued to watch him with those sapphire gems.
    He grabbed another one and raised it to her mouth, a hair’s width from those moist lips. Not that this woman needed any more sweetness, but there was something about hand-feeding a woman. The anticipation. The trust. Foreplay.
    Would she take the bait?
    When he cocked an eyebrow at her, she tilted her head, never once taking her eyes off of him.
    Those delectable lips never parted. She took the marshmallow between two fingers and tossed it back in the bag. “Let’s just get out of here,” she murmured.
    “Aud.” Adelaide strolled down the aisle, holding two lip glosses in her hands, oblivious to everything else around her. “What shade do you like best, strawberry diamonds or plum paradise?” She held them out and pressed her lips together. Audrey barely gave them a glance.
    “Either one, Addy. Let’s go.”
    “But…you didn’t even look.”
    “Plum paradise, definitely,” Ethan broke in. Adelaide’s eyes widened the exact way as her sister’s. He picked the plum paradise shade out of Adelaide’s hand and pretended to study it. “Strawberries are for little girls. Plums are more exotic.”
    Adelaide’s blush matched her sister’s, too. It went straight up her cheekbones into her hairline. But Audrey was quicker at hiding hers.
    “Look what the coyote dragged home,” a high-pitched voice drawled from the other side of the aisle.
    Ethan and Adelaide turned simultaneously and focused on the short, skinny woman, clearly infatuated with dark make-up and cheap hair extensions. As if the longer the hair extensions the more it would make up for her short height, only accomplishing the opposite effect. With a small basket of groceries in one hand and a fake Louis Vuitton in the other, her sneer reminded him of a few nasty ex-girlfriends.
    Sauntering down the aisle, her gaze moved from Audrey to Ethan and back again.
    “Hi, Maria,” Audrey said