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And was Raymond pissed off over my ex showing up out of nowhere, making big claims of lasting devotion? That's how it felt he tried to play the whole thing. Eric is such a manipulative person. I don't think he really cared about me, maybe ever. I was just there and fun. Convenient, even. And I made it easy. Ugh, stupid. What a waste of time.
At least I can look back and savor the wisdom though. Plus now, I like who I am and where I'm at. Keep putting one foot in front of the other and it'll keep getting better.
I was still deliberating on what’s next when my doorbell rang.
For a spilt moment, I remembered when Raymond rang my doorbell for the first time, pissing me off by being intentionally rude. How far we’d come. The doorbell rang again, more insistently.
As I got to the front door and opened it, I was pleasantly surprised to find Raymond at the other end. He looked sheepish and his eyes were filled with some other emotion I couldn’t put my hands on.
“Is he gone?” He growled softly.
I nodded with a smile. “He’s just a sneak. Apparently, claiming ignorance of our breakup was not the only thing he lied about.”
“Son of a bitch,” He cursed softly. “If I could just get my hands on—”
“It’s alright, Raymond.”
“He’s gone already. For good.” I added with emphasis even though a niggling worry prickled the back of my neck. I ignored it, bestowing my brightest smile on him.
“Oops, forgive my manners. Come in.” Shooting me an easy grin, he walked in.
“I finally called Mom and Dad too, they were worried but they’re fine now. It was through them that I got to know that Eric was up to no good.”
“If he comes within three feet of you again, I will break his jaw,” he said resolutely with a quiet promise.
I could feel the strength of those words and a shiver ran through my body again, this time it was because I wanted him, this dark brooding man. “No one can hold a flame to you, you are as unpredictable as you are unbelievably sweet. What am I going to do with you?”
“You’d be wise to keep your distance.”
Instead of distance, I closed the minimal space between us and placed a hand on his chest. “One minute, you win the world contest for consistently getting on my nerves back to back… the next you’re defending me from an ex who saw me as a whore.”
“I’m not a hero, Sophie. Nowhere close.”
“No,” I agreed. “You’re not a saint. Your tactics are ruthless, tasteless, and seemingly without conscience. You’re impatient, cold and proud.” He frowned. “You’re cynical, downright nasty—”
He placed a hand to his chest. “You’re killing me.”
“I’m not done!” I batted his hand away from his chest and smiled. “You’re driven, which isn’t a bad thing. You’re influential and brilliant. I mean, c’mon… how many men at thirty-two make the Forbes most eligible bachelor list without family money?” Some of his frown lifted. “You fear vulnerability, but who doesn’t? It’s hard to reveal truths about yourself when you don’t know if the person you’re talking to is going to use it against you. It’s hard to trust when even your own family is screwing you over.”
He lifted a hand to my shoulder and held on. “I’m not—“
“I’m not finished.” I interrupted.
He sighed with a smile.
“You’re sexy, and the women in your life would have been fools to not try and capture whatever attention they could from you.”
Yeah, he was working out the muscles in his face with a grin.
“You’ve probably broken hearts from LA to New York to Malibu. It’s a wonder that more than one woman has not arrived at your doorstep with a child in their hands you can’t avoid.”
“I’ve always been safe.”He whispered.
I placed a finger over his lips, silencing him.
“And while you’re impatient with many mergers and acquisitions, you’ve shown amazing restraint with me and my project.” I paused, my smile faded. “And that… Raymond Tucker … is what is placing your feet on the road to hero.”
His hand gripped my shoulder. The trust in my eyes shaking him more profoundly than he had expected it to. “My restraint for you is a tightly strung string on a violin. One stroke and it’s going to snap.”
