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“Hold on. Please sit down.”
She sank back into her seat––not wanting to make a scene. “Fine. I just want to go home. Alone.”
“Let me settle the check, and we’ll go. Seriously, Sophie, I misread your signals and was out of line. I’m sorry.” He rubbed one hand along the back of his neck.
“Fine.” She clasped her hands in her lap and maintained her distance while he paid the bill, and they exited the restaurant.
So much for a casual dinner. She’d be avoiding her landlord from now on. Tonight had been a mistake. Just like she knew it would be. So much for trusting her intuition.
Silence weighed heavy on the ride back to the cottage. When he attempted to speak to her, she held up her hand. “No.”
He focused on the road for the remainder of what now seemed like an interminable distance. The car pulled up to her doorway, where she exited without a word or a backward glance.
She commended herself for not slamming the door.
CHAPTER4
Nick raked his fingers through his hair, tossed his pencil down on his architect’s desk, and stalked to the window. How had last night gone so wrong? Maybe he’d pressured Sophie into having dinner, but he hadn’t imagined the flare of attraction in her big sapphire eyes when they’d met.
From the moment he’d picked her up last night, his awareness had deepened. From the quick stop on the drive down when he’d reached out to protect her and her tight nipples had drilled into his arm. Hell, he’d almost pulled over right then and kissed her. Then during dinner she’d let her guard down, and her wit and her easy laughter mesmerized him. He couldn’t remember when he’d laughed so much on a date.
He admired her choice to go for her dreams and take risks. Her genuine interest in architecture and his ambitions had warmed him. Her inner beauty shone through her external appeal, and he’d been unable to resist the impulse to kiss her.
Idiot.Because he’d obviously misinterpreted her signals––she’d been livid after he kissed her. Although her plump parted lips, wide eyes, and flushed cheeks seemed to signal anger wasn’t her initial reaction.
He stared out at the brilliant blue sky––until he figured out what to do about her, drafting the new wing of the Memorial Hospital wasn’t going to happen.
“Knock, knock, anyone there?”
He turned and Alyssa stood framed in the doorway. His stunning younger sister was tall, lean, and built like a gazelle. Just like their mother. He loved Alyssa more than anyone on earth and respected her opinions. Maybe she could help him figure it out?
She crossed her arms across her chest. “Why the long face? You look like you’re trying to unlock the solution to world peace or something. What’s going on?”
“Sorry, just running through some numbers on the latest project. Nothing serious.”Liar.
“Well, I just had lunch at Marino’s and heard some fascinating news…Isabella mentioned you had a romantic date last night. Who’s the flavor of the week?”
“I don’t have flavors of the week.” He pointed at her. “You know I’m not like that.”
Accustomed to her busting his balls, he usually took her teasing in stride. Because she was his only living relative, his devotion necessitated he tolerate her sarcasm and her seemingly boundless capacity to give him crap.
This time, he swallowed his customary acerbic reply. Sophie was different. Perhaps his sister could go over and assess the situation. Maybe she could shed some light on the mystery that was Sophie Barnes. Because he’d sure as hell never had to pursue a woman before.
“Hmmm…Anyway, rumor is you staked out a secluded table in the corner, with a special vintage decanting prior to arriving. Not your usual MO. And something about a sultry little brunette?” Her enormous eyes glowed with mischief.
Nick cursed his sister’s tenacity and kept his expression impassive. She’d been trying to marry him off for the last few years. If his younger sister suspected he was hooked on Sophie, he’d never hear the end of it.
“Isabella needs to mind her own business. It was just a casual dinner.”
“If it was so casual, why aren’t you telling me who it is? That new girl at Steve’s office? A little surf bunny from the beach?” Alyssa wrinkled her nose. “Just please don’t tell me you took Heather to dinner. Anyone but her.”
“Heather’s in her office. Stop.”
His office manager, Heather, was an attractive brunette with a Harvard MBA and killer instincts. She worked her ass off, and in the last year, her connections played an instrumental role in setting him up as a contender for architecture’s coveted Pritzker Prize. He couldn’t afford to piss her off. For the last fifteen years, his sole focus, besides raising his baby sister, was to become one of the top architects in the country, just like his father.
“Look, you can bury your head in the sand all you want, but it’s clear she wants to jump your bones. That woman looks at you like you’re a forbidden devil’s food cupcake, and she’s on day five of a juice cleanse.”
“You missed your calling in Hollywood. No more drama, please? Heather’s help creating my submission package and her ties to the Pritzker committee are huge. You know I’ve been passed over for the last few years, and she’s making a difference for me. Can we drop it?”
