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1
SOPHIE
“She’sold enough to stay at home by herself.” Dad’s voice booms from his office where he and his business partner, Leo, have been speaking since dinner.
I know I shouldn’t eavesdrop but it’s one of my favorite past times, listening to the deep timber of Leo’s rough but cultured voice even when he’s talking about me. Makes it feel less like eavesdropping…
I creep from the dining room down the hall before standing off to the side of the office.Listening. This crush I’ve been harboring on Leo has only grown stronger since my eighteenth birthday. When he’s near, I’m powerless to stay away.
“No,” Leo growls. “She needs someone to keep an eye on her, dammit. To keep her safe and that’s final.” His deep voice is rough and sexy, sending a bolt of desire down my spine in a direct line to my pussy.Oh god.
I roll my eyes but quickly even out my breathing in hopes I don’t give myself away.
“She’s old enough to care for herself, man.”
Leo sighs, and I wish I could see inside the office to catch his handsome face. “She’s not even eighteen yet. She’s too naïve to stay here alone for two weeks.”
Dad barks out a laugh. “Don’t you remember she turned eighteen two months ago? I suppose you were on business in Bulgaria at the time.”
I swallow the lump in my throat. Leo doesn’t remember my birthday?
I guess he’s a busy man, important enough to run a multi-billion dollar business with my father every day of the week. Sure, it’s not exactlylegal…but it keeps the lights on and that’s mainly all thanks to Leo. He’s always been overprotective, and until a few years ago I appreciated having someone else to care about me since my mom split and dad has basically checked out.
But Leo is the number one reason I’m so…innocent. He’s overprotective to a fault, refusing to let me go anywhere or do anything without one of his heavily muscledgoonstrailing behind me. Never giving me the chance to make mistakes and learn from them, not once.
“It’s not up for debate,” Leo deadpans to my dad, effectively ending their talk.
“Well I’m going. I need to at the end of the day. And if you care so much then why don’t you stay back and babysit Sophie?”
I can’t help but gulp at the thought of having two weeks alone with my father’s business partner—and more importantly, hisfriend. But it’s not like the man has ever looked at me as anything more than a step-daughter or misbehaving niece.
But maybe two weeks without my dad around can change all that.
“Don’t fuck it up,” Leo instructs my father in a not-so-nice voice. “The deal is done. They just need one of us to show up, to prove this is as important to us as it is to them.”
Over the years I’ve realized Leo is the brains and muscles of their operation. The truth is, he doesn’t need my father at all. But that only makes me love himmore. There’s just something about a man with that kind of loyalty that warms my heart…among other parts.
I find my dad nodding through the small crack in the door. “Don’t worry, man. That’s my job. I’ll be sure to let them know you’re on babysitting duty,” he chuckles and shakes his head.
I smile at my dad’s playful tone but then my breath hitches at the sight of Leo with a wide grin on his face, one that shows off his perfect teeth.Ugh. Given the fact he’s not a man who typically shows much emotion, when he unleashes that smile it’s utterly mesmerizing. His green eyes glitter like forbidden gems, somehow making his salt-and-pepper hair turn inky black in my eyes. Or maybe it’s the rose-colored glass I’m staring through…
“Sophie?” Leo’s voice is like a flick of the tongue over my flesh.Shit.So much for staying hidden.“Sophie, don’t make me call you again.”
My shoulders fall forward and I march inside the office, annoyance written all over my face I imagine. “Yes?”
“Come here,” he demands and crooks a finger that sends sharp tingles to my clit.Pull it together, Soph.His one hand is holding onto a crystal tumbler of his favorite Irish whiskey while his other hand grips the arm of the brown leather club chair.
I walk slowly, the friction of my thighs increasing my longing for him with every step I take closer to the man of my dreams. I stop short of his chair by a few inches and clasp my hands together. “Well, what is it, Leo?”
“You were eavesdropping,” he accuses with the barest hint of a smile. I open my mouth to deny it but he leans forward and presses a finger to my lips, stopping the lie before it forms. “Don’t lie to me now.”
I slowly shake my head. “I-I wasn’t eavesdropping. I was merely getting a heads up on the plans you two were making for me—and without my input, which isn’t appreciated.”
A low sarcastic laugh escapes Leo and I fist my hands at my hip, notching my chin high in the air with defiance. He leans back and those dangerous eyes stare at me so intensely I swear he can see into my soul. “Sophie,” he begins, but I’ve had enough.
“No, just listen. I’m old enough to take care of myself, alright?”
“Old enough, perhaps,” he agrees. “Though wise enough? Not quite.”
