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11
Sophia
Put Some Pants On
“Sophia Solomon, you come out here right fucking now!”
So dramatic. So fucking loud.
I pull on my shortest skirt, fasten the zipper, and tug it all down again when it feels like my ass is hanging out. A seven-inch band of leather is the only thing standing between me and a charge for public indecency. But this is my sacrifice for the cause.
Theo Griffin set off all of my alarms when his finger touched my skin today. He went from handsome stranger to public enemy number one with a mere touch, with a caressing gaze, a gaze I know was as fake as Dolly’s lashes and hot pink hair extensions.
There’s something there, something heavy playing just below the surface, and though he claims business, I feel there’s more. It’s the same kind ofmoreI felt years ago when I was studying Kane and Jay Bishop, hoping to recruit one of them to my cause.
I sat and studied them, too. I watched their behavior for months. Years, even. I watched everything they did on a day-to-day basis, only to finally settle on Jay. He would be my ally, and all these years later, I know I chose right.
But now this man walks into Checkmate and my stomach jolts. It’s like electricity in my blood, like cocaine in my brain. And considering he was trying so damn hard to get me on my own, I’ll happily oblige… just as soon as Jay stops screaming.
“Sophia!” He stomps through Jess and Kane’s home in search of me as I stand in Jess’ room and she does my hair with fast movements. Her belly touches my back, her breath on the back of my neck.
She feels what I feel. She thought I was insane earlier, but it took all of three seconds for her to jump on board, but now I’m about to be found out.
Being in someone else’s bedroom isn’t going to stop Jay from thundering through. It’s what he does; he thunders, he overwhelms. He takes over, because it’s the only way he can ensure his loved ones will be okay.
“Sophia!” The bedroom door slams open at my back and makes us swing around. We knew he was coming, but that doesn’t stop us from worrying for our lives. “You are absolutely fucking insane if you think you’re leaving this house in that skirt.” He steamrolls across the room and grabs my shoulders. “You’re not leaving the house at all, but you’re absolutelynotleaving wearing your stripper getup.”
“You need to relax.” I’m wearing my highest high heels, the kind that hail from back when I danced for men, seduced them, extracted information, then had them executed. Those days were, of course, before I officially met and fell in love with Jay and decided maybe I’d like to keep him around, but the fact remains this ain’t my first rodeo. “I’m going to dinner, and I’m gonna need you to sit down and eat some candy.” Jess continues working on my hair in silence. For the first time in her damn life, the loud twin is silent. “I’m safe, I have a panic button, I have a way out. Cruz is gonna be on the door, and I know your ass is gonna follow, even if I tell you to stay home. I just want to know what his game is.”
“His game?” Jay’s eyes glitter with rage… but deep below the rage is something else. Pure, childlike, heartbreaking insecurity. “His game is he thinks you’re fucking beautiful. He considers you a puppy in the window, and now he’s looking for his latest acquisition. He wants you to dance for him, Sophia. And after you do that, he’s going to keep you.” He pulls me closer so my ear rests against his thundering heart. “You’re walking straight into this meet like you forget that the world is dangerous.”
“I don’t forget.” I push him back and reach beneath my skirt for the knife he normally carries. “I’m going to be okay. If he wanted to hurt me, he wouldn’t have come into the office and announced his shit. If he wants to fuck me and doesn’t understand the word no, then his run ends when I chop his dick off. Everything’s gonna be okay, I promise.” I cup his face in the way I know calms him. Pulling him down, I press a kiss to the corner of his lips. “I love you. You need to trust me on this.”
“Marry me, Sugar Plum.” He has no clue the way my heart races for him when he mutters those words. But of course he ruins it before I can give him my answer. “Marry me now. Tonight. We can run away for a while, maybe I can put a couple babies in your belly.” He nods to Jess. “She doesn’t seem to mind.”
My laughter comes out on a soft snicker, then like Snow White kisses Dopey, I pull Jay’s ears until he lowers and I can press a kiss to his forehead. “I’m not marrying you today, and you can’t put babies in my belly for at least another year or ten. Let’s see how this shit works out for Jess first.”
“I can hear you guys.” Jess tugs on my hair and makes me hiss. “If you’d keep still, it wouldn’t hurt.”
“Jerk.” When she’s done with the fancy braid she’s been working on, she pats my ass and emphasizes the sound of leather under a smacking hand.
“Let’s go,” I twine my fingers with Jay’s. “This isn’t like before you came back to Kane, okay? This isn’t one of those missions. This is a desk jockey that thinks money can buy people.”
“He has Griffin fucking Industries, Soph. He’s richer than anything you could ever steal, he has penthouses and high-rises. He has all of those tech toys for you to play with, and we both know your brain would love nothing more than to hang out with his on a daily basis. I’m not smart like that, Soph. I can’t compete with what he’s offering.”
I turn and meet Jess’ eyes until, taking a hint, she gives a small nod and walks away to give us privacy. As soon as the door closes, I come back to Jay and slide my fingers through his short hair. “I’m a little offended you think I can be bought.”
“He has alotof money, babe. Like, more than we can ever dream of.”
“Would you leave me for the right price?” I pull him back when he tries to evade my eyes. “Jay? If the price was right, would you walk?”
“Never.” He slides his hands around my neck and holds me close. “No point being rich if I lost my queen. No point being royalty if you’re gone.”
“Right.” I press a gentle kiss to his lips. “You need to trust me to feel the same way. We’ve been through the fire. What we have has been tested, and we came out stronger than ever.” I accent each sentence with a gentle kiss along his jaw. “I mean, how many girls would date a man whose father was Colum Bishop? He hurt me, Jay. He hurt my family. My baby sister is gone because of him, but here I am. Still right in front of you, still trying to convince you I’ll be back.”
His eyes soften.
“So maybe I’m really, truly in love with you.”
