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“I don’t know, but it was wiped clean,” I said. “Factory reset. It’ll take me a bit to recover the data and it probably won’t be all of it but I’ll see what I can do.”
“Well, we should probably let you work,” Victor said. “I can take Sofia back to HQ and...”
I held my hand up. “I need a break from looking at this screen,” I said. “Let me get us some coffee and then you can go back?”
Sofia smiled. “Sure,” she said. “That sounds good.”
Then she bit down on her lower lip and looked right into my eyes.
“You know,” she said. “I could certainly use a distraction.”
Chapter Eight: Victor
The rain tapped incessantly against the windowpanes of Jace’s studio apartment, drums echoing in the night. Shadows danced on the walls. The three of us sat on Jace’s bed, making small talk – anything to avoid discussing the Everglades Viper, Sofia and Sam’s father, who loomed over us like an ominous storm cloud.
Anything to avoid discussing Sam himself.
“I should’ve offered to get food,” Jace said, putting down his cup of coffee. “I thought I had something I could whip up at home but I’m pretty sure my fridge is empty.”
“You don’t have to feed us,” Sofia said. “I know I’m being an imposition.”
I shook my head, which hurt. I stopped myself from grimacing. My body ached from the recent surgery and the car accident–hah,accident–that had caused it, but I kept my pain hiddenbehind a mask of indifference. I didn’t want their pity or concern. We had enough on our plates without adding my injuries into the mix. “I think I can speak for Jace when I say he likes having you here.”
“I do,” he said.
“And I do like your cooking,” Sofia replied. “So I wouldn’t hate it if you did make something for us.
“Thanks!” Jace said. “Honestly, it was a process. Did I ever tell you guys about the time I tried to cook an omelet and accidentally set off the smoke alarm? Like, how hard is it to cook an egg?”
Sofia laughed, her musical voice rising above the sound of the rain. “I can’t imagine that.”
“You’re going to have to,” Jace said. “It’ll never happen again.”
She turned to look at him and their gazes held each other for a long second. I wasn’t sure who initiated the kiss, but soon her lips were locked to his and they were kissing each other with an intensity that felt like it radiated heat.
I considered leaving the room, giving them privacy, but something held me back. The way they seemed so eager to share this intimate moment with me intrigued me. As if sensing my thoughts, Jace glanced at me while still locked in his passionate embrace with Sofia, a silent invitation lingering in his gaze.
I wrestled with my thoughts. My heart raced, and my skin felt like it was burning, alive with electricity.
The mattress dipped beneath our combined weight as Jace’s hands moved restlessly across Sofia’s body, his fingers finding the soft valleys and curves hidden beneath her thin tank top.
Sofia turned to look at me, just for a second, her brown eyes seeking my gaze. “You don’t have to leave,” she said softly. “He can stay, right, Jace?”
“Anything you want,” Jace said. He was raking his teeth along her pulse on her neck, his thumb playing under the strap of her top as he slowly slid it down her shoulder.
She gasped at his touch, the sound echoing loudly in the silent confines of the room.
“Do you want to stay?” Sofia asked me.
She didn’t have to ask. My jeans felt too tight as heat pooled low in my belly. “Yes,” I said. “I want to stay.”
Quietly, I reached out my hand, hesitantly touching Sofia’s shoulder. She gasped at the contact, her eyes fluttering open to meet mine.
Jace slid his palm up Sofia’s stomach with his free hand, sparking an orchestra of moans in response.
“Do you like this?” I whispered as my fingers trailed down the curve of her shoulder, my voice barely audible above the sound of the rain outside. “Does it excite you?”
She nodded, her chest heaving with deep breaths.
