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“Go ahead,” I encouraged. “Tell me what’s on your mind.”
“Why join a motorcycle club?” she blurted out. “Why be their leader? Did you take over for someone?”
“No. I started it, Sophie.”
She tilted her head, scrutinizing me. “But why? What are you getting out of it?”
“It’s not about what I’m getting out of it but what I’m providing.” At her baffled look, I continued. “When you think of MCs, you probably associate them with violence. Big, bad bikers with leather jackets and tattoos, riding in groups and terrorizing everyone they encounter. But that’s not what we’re about. We came together from different aspects of life. Some are professionals and others just need somewhere to stay, to belong. It doesn’t mean that we don’t have our tough moments, but we’re not as violent as you think. They became my family when I was alone in the city, and I don’t regret forming the club with them.”
“When you put it that way, it sounds lovely.”
But I could still see remnants of doubt in her expression. Instinctively, I laid out my hand in front of me and waited for her to take it. Electricity and warmth swirled between us to form a bond when she did.
“You should come back.”
“Come back?”
“To our headquarters. Come back under different circumstances. Get to know them. I want you to meet the people I care about.” I smirked. “And Marianne’s going to want to know what you think of her chicken soup recipe.”
That made her smile and erased some of her worry lines. I noticed the bags under her eyes, though, stark against her smooth skin. It wouldn’t take much to move my hand to her face and caress it, but I knew I wouldn’t be satisfied with just her face.
And that was why I dropped her hand first and cleared my throat.
“You really need to go to sleep, Sophie.”
“Hmm.” As if my words were a trigger, she yawned. She stretched her arms up in the air, giving me a view of ample breasts stretching the front of her shirt. I tried to look away, but there was no looking away, especially when she lifted her legs instead of standing up. Then she crawled to one side of the mattress, curled in a cozy position while she looked up at me. “Bedtime.”
“Sophie?”
“Your bed’s cozy,” she reasoned out. “It’s huge and cozy. I’d rather stay here tonight.”
And thinking about her in my bed was going to keep me up all night. I resigned myself to it, not having the heart to drive her away when she yawned again.
“Fine. You can sleep here. Goodnight.”
I turned. A hand caught my wrist before I could take a step. It tugged me back. Her voice was soft and sleepy when she spoke.
“Come sleep with me.”
My hand fisted. “Sophie—”
“Please. I don’t want to be alone.”
There was so much vulnerability in her tone, and it called out to me. I could refuse her and not entertain this. I could keep her at arm’s length and widen the distance between us further. But my heart just wasn’t in it anymore, either because weariness was taking its toll on me or she was. For a second, her father crossed my mind. But it faded just as quickly.
Without a word, I nodded and entered the bathroom first to change my clothes. When I got out, she was still dutifully waiting for me, though her eyes were already half-closed. Not wanting to make her wait anymore, I slid into the space she left for me, careful to keep our bodies from touching.
“Come here, Matthew,” she murmured, destroying any hope that it would stay that way.
Reluctantly, I let her pull me toward her until she could wrap her hands around my waist. I gritted my teeth at how her scent drifted into play, driving me crazy with want. My hand reached out to tuck her under my chin, where she buried her head with a sigh. She didn’t say anything, but she didn’t need to. The want for her just increased no matter how hard I tried to fight it, and I knew there would come a time when I no longer could. But tonight wasn’t that time.
I got lost in my restless thoughts. Then I fell asleep to the sound of Sophie’s deep, even breathing.
CHAPTER 10
SOPHIE
Waking up in the middle of the night wrapped in Matthew’s large, warm arms wasn’t something I’d ever dreamed of happening, but it was a good place to be. I didn’t want to be anywhere else, not even to sneak back to my room before sunrise and pretend like I hadn’t come in here willingly just to be held by him. The coziness of it all would have lulled me back to sleep—until I discovered something at my back.
