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The three men started to circle around us, their expressions menacing. I stood firm, fists still clenched. "I suggest you leave before things get worse for you," I warned in a deceptively soft voice.
The men cast frantic looks at us, possibly weighing the odds. Three of them against me, they probably thought it would be easy. They didn’t know me.
One of the men lunged, but I was quick to dodge the attack. Landing a solid punch on the man's face, then kneeing him hard in the back, I sent him sprawling to the ground. The other two men hesitated for a moment, sharing a quick glance, as if silently debating if they should attack or run away.
"Get the hell out of here," I growled, my voice low and menacing. "Before I make you regret ever laying a hand on her.”
The men quickly scattered, leaving me shaken and breathing fast. If they had stayed one minute more, I would have broken every bone in their body. I turned to look at Sophie, feeling a mix of emotions – shuddering relief, and something else I couldn't quite put my finger on.
"Are you alright?" I asked, my voice softening. She nodded, tears streaming down her face. I placed a hand on her shoulder, "Let's get you back to the house. You need to rest."
Sophie nodded again and followed me back to my car after we picked up her groceries, her body still shaking with fear.
As I drove her home, my mind was racing with confusion. I have never felt such an intense desire to protect someone I don’t even like. Sophie sat in the passenger seat, visibly.
I couldn't help but steal glances at her, taking in her disheveled appearance, her messy hair falling over her face, and the way her hands trembled. I was surprised at how much I cared about her safety, and the way my heart raced with adrenaline and murderous rage as I fought off her attackers. She was silent all through the trip home, the shock I suspected must be settling in.
As we approached her front door, I pulled up to the curb and put the car in park. Turning to Sophie, I scanned her face for any signs of injury.
"Are you sure you're okay?" I asked.
She nodded, her voice barely above a whisper. "Yes, thank you. I don't know what I would have done without you."
Warmth spread through me at her words, a feeling I have never experienced before. I wanted to stay with her, to make sure she was safe and protected from harm.
My eyes softened as I looked at her. "I'm sorry about this morning," he said. "I was in a bad mood, and I took it out on you. That was wrong of me."
"It's okay," she said. "Apology accepted."
We stayed there for a moment, looking at each other. I felt an electric current running between us, a chemistry that I couldn't deny. But as quickly as the feeling had come, it was gone, replaced by my usual animosity towards her. I couldn't understand why I felt this way, and I certainly wasn't going to let her know.
"You know," I said gruffly. "You should be more careful in the future."
She nodded, still a little shaken. "I know. Thank you," she whispered.
She got down from the car gingerly, carrying the rest of the groceries I’d helped her pick up from the road. I couldn’t help but gawk at her, feeling a strong sense of protectiveness and this left me confused and conflicted. I couldn’t deny the fact that I was drawn to Sophie in some inexplicable way, but I wasn’t about to let her know that. Not yet, anyway.
I didn't need any distractions right now. I had so much work to do, and the last thing I wanted to be doing was thinking about a woman. Albeit a very beautiful one.
But no matter how hard I tried to push her out of my mind, I just couldn’t. Sophie, whose last name I didn’t even know, had gotten under my skin and I couldn’t stop thinking about her.
* * *
I slowly opened my eyes,squinting at the sharp light of dawn which peeked through a single crack in my curtains as I took in my surroundings. I was lying sprawled on my bed where I passed out after a bottle of wine the night before.
It was still a bit dark outside. The empty bottle of wine and one of bourbon both lay on the nightstand as well as my wallet and phone. My laptop was half opened, and I groaned inwardly when I realized that I hadn’t completed the work on it the night before. Shit! As an unspoken rule, I never took alcohol when I was working. It messed up my concentration, but yesterday night things were different. It felt like I was trying to drown myself in it, evade my thoughts. It had to be the memories.
I carefully moved off the bed, stopping briefly by my wardrobe to pick out some clothes and headed for the bathroom. Under the sharp spray of the shower, my thoughts veered back to the events of yesterday. Sophie. How is she doing? She seemed pretty shaken when I dropped her off, but I doubted she was fragile. Most women would have broken down in a nervous and hysterical fit after going through what she had, but she’d held her own all through the trip home. Impressive.
The water pounding down my head relieved the pressure from the copious amount of liquor I managed to drink last night. Back inside my room, I called my assistant, Catherine. She answered almost immediately.
“Cat, what’s the weather report for Malibu today?”
“In a minute sir,” She stifled a yawn and I heard the sharp tap tap against her keyboard.
“There’s a tropical storm two hours ahead sir, the network and signal lines will not be accessible by then. Would you like me to reschedule your meetings for tomorrow instead?”
“A tropical storm,” I murmured. “Which meeting was scheduled earlier for today?”
