“You don’t owe me anything, Sophia.”
“—Or I’ll feel like I'm using you.And I refuse to use people.”
“Because of your father.”
I nodded.
“You’re not your father, Sophia.You didn’t approach me with a hidden purpose.I approached you.I pushed to fill a vacant position I knew you were qualified for at Steele because I wanted you close to me.I’m the one who’s been asking Miranda for information about you behind your back.
“You’ve been honest with me from the start.Letting me do things for you isn’t using me; it’s giving me what I desperately want—a chance to be a part of your life within the boundaries you set.”
It didn’t sound so horrible when he said it like that.
He finished cutting his steak, and we both took our first bites.The food melted in my mouth, and I made an appreciative sound.
“If letting you cut up my food means I keep getting food like this, you have a deal,” I said.
He chuckled, and I could feel him watching me take my next bite.
“Which did you like better?The lasagna or this?”
“Mmm, I think this, but that lasagna was really good too.Where was it from?”
“Home.I asked someone to pack it up for us.”
I paused eating to look at him.“Do you seriously have a chef?”
“Would you like to see for yourself?”
“Are you asking me to come home with you?”
The gold, which had been fading, flared to life again.“Yes.”
Are you testing me, Sophia?
Possessed by some unnamed inner demon, I asked, “And would you feed me there?”
A soft rumble accompanied the next “yes.”
“Would you let me sleep there?”
The rumble and affirmation were louder.
“Would we share a bed?”
“Yes.”The S was drawn out on that one.
“Then, no thanks.”I went back to eating my steak, aware of his fixed focus.
“Sophia, I wouldn’t recommend teasing me too much.”
“Or what?”I asked between bites.
“Or you might find yourself bent over this couch for the spanking you seem to be silently asking for.”
I choked on my risotto and grabbed for my wine.It burned as I fought to catch my breath, and my face heated.
His hand settled on my back, rubbing it soothingly.It made my flush worse, though, when my mind suddenly painted a different picture.
