Chapter Six #2
“So, Sophia…if it’s not a date-date, then what exactly are you doing with my brother tomorrow morning?” Lea asked, curiosity sparking in eyes the same blue shade as Ryder’s.
“It’s a work thing,” she replied, frustrated to have the subject resurrected. “He’s taking me to the local college so I can see about getting some students to help with the sets.”
“Do your bodies know it’s not a date-date?” Elle asked, lazy smile on her lips. “I’m a people watcher. It’s great research for my books. So I’m pretty good at reading people, and, well, your bodies were definitely speaking an intimate language.”
“It’s because they have a history,” Lea said.
Interest sparked in the author’s eyes. “Oh, really?”
Phoebe nodded. “I believe it was a New Year’s Eve, several years ago.”
Elle pushed an auburn strand of hair behind her ear, and cocked her head. “No, what I was reading was something a lot more recent.”
All three women stared at her now. Great.
She sighed. “What?”
“You tell us?” Lea narrowed her gaze. “Did something happen recently?”
“And did it have anything to do with his weird departure from the restaurant the other day?” Elle asked.
Phoebe reeled back. “You saw that too?”
“Yep.” The redhead winked. “People watcher.”
“Well? Go on…tell me, what did you see? I wasn’t there.” Lea huffed.
Stuffing more cake in her mouth, Sophia continued to eat while the others filled the anxious woman in on her brother’s strange behavior.”
“He’s definitely still feeling you.” Lea grinned. “I was beginning to think he’d never feel anything for a woman again.”
Her heart squeezed. “What do you mean?”
A deep sigh filled the air. “Several months before that New Year’s Eve, Ryder came home from deployment a different man. A broken one,” Lea added, sadness deepening her tone.
“Did he lose someone over there?” Elle’s question echoed the one in Sophia’s mind.
Lea nodded. “I believe so. But, it wasn’t anyone from his unit. They all came back, thank God.”
“What made you think Ryder suffered a loss?” she asked, her chest tight at the thought of him going through that type of pain.
“He returned home with the same dark, devastated, guilt ridden look in his eyes that he’d had after our mother died,” Lea replied. “I asked him what happened, but he just shook his head and said he didn’t want to talk about it.”
The tightness in Sophia’s chest increased. She’d felt that way when her Nona had passed.
“I don’t know. I think it had something to do with a woman. But six months later, you came in with Brandi for the holiday, and bam.” Smiling, Lea slapped the table. “There was life behind his eyes again. Although, the past few years it’s been gone.”
“Not anymore.” Phoebe winked. “There’s definitely a spark.”
Elle pointed her fork at her. “Like I said, something has happened recently.”
“Oh my God.” Lea blinked. “Did you two go up in flames again?”
Sophia made the mistake of sucking in a breath while she still had a mouth full of cake. She began to cough, and tried not to think about going up in flames with Ryder.
That would be a mistake. A big mistake. Like sucking in a breath with a mouth full of cake.
“Was that shock? Or confirmation?” Lea studied her through narrowed eyes.
“Shock,” Phoebe said, pushing a glass of water her way.
Elle nodded. “Yeah. Shock.”
“Because you want to go up in flames.” Lea grinned. “I’m an expert on that. Lord knows I pined after Ben most of my life, longing for that to happen.” The astute woman tipped her head. “So, if not flames, then what? A kiss?”
A snort rippled up her throat.
“I think we have a winner.” Elle smiled.
“You and Ryder kissed already?” Phoebe asked. “Is that why he left the restaurant the other day?”
This was getting out of hand.
She pushed her plate away. “No. We kissed after that. And I have no idea why he keeps throwing up this wall. One minute he’s friendly, the next minute he’s rude, then walks away.”
“Wait.” Lea blinked. “Did he also walk away after he kissed you?”
Now she sighed. “After the second kiss.”
“There were two?” Phoebe’s eyes widened.
Knowing the women were not going to let it rest, Sophia filled them in briefly on everything that happened that week. “I kind of feel like a yo-yo.”
“He definitely has feelings for you,” Elle said, sitting back.
“Yeah. He’s in denial.” Lea nodded. “Ben was like that with me. He was afraid to open up, and it caused him to do some stupid stuff, but it worked out in the end.”
She held her friend’s gaze. “I’m glad. But…I didn’t come back here to reconnect with your brother. I’m here to help Phoebe. I’m here to work.”
Sophia was getting tired of having to explain that to people. Just last night, she had to remind her mother of it again during their phone conversation.
“But you did reconnect, didn’t you?” Phoebe asked.
She shrugged, not wanting to get into it.
“Well, then, ask yourself this.” Lea leaned closer. “Do you like Ryder?”
“I…” She blew out a breath and recalled the laughter and heat they shared years ago, and how she’d returned to the city empowered.
Her attitude had changed. Her outlook had changed.
And because of that, her life had changed for the better.
Ryder never pressured her, or complained.
He seemed to like her for who she was, and it had been refreshing.
She straightened her shoulders and nodded.
“Yeah. I do like him. But, I wish he’d stop walking away. ”
“Then give him a reason to stay,” Elle said, placing another plate of cake onto her empty one.
“What?” She blinked.
“Make him not want to leave.” Lea set a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to talk sex, because this is my brother and…you know…eww. But, from what I just witnessed, and what you’ve just told us, he is fighting his attraction to you.”
“Even if that were true, why bother? I’m only here for the summer,” she said. “My life is in New York. His is here.”
Laughing, Lea shrugged. “So? That’s exactly how it is for me and Ben. But we’re making it work. Quite well, actually.”
“There’s a difference though,” she felt obliged to point out.
“You and Ben love each other. Ryder and I, well, it’s more of a physical type attraction.
” The kind where she wanted to rip his clothes off and lick every ridge, every muscle.
Every inch. Twice. But, she couldn’t tell his sister that, although, she was pretty sure, by the smirk on the woman’s face, she knew.
“All the more reason for you to confront him the next time he tries to kiss and run.” Lea grinned. “Pin his ass down.”
A small flicker of disappointment fluttered through her belly. “I doubt there’ll be a next time.”
After the three women exchanged an amused look, they burst out laughing.
Why was that funny?
“Trust me,” Lea said when she sobered. “There will definitely be a next time.”
“Count on it.”
“Definitely.”
The other two said at once.
Sophia had no idea what made her friends so sure, and she couldn’t help but wonder if perhaps they were right. Just the thought of locking lips with the guy again sent a delicious shiver down her spine.
Maybe she should consider their advice. After all, what harm could it do to go up in flames again?
Perhaps tomorrow, she’d test that theory.