Chapter 9
“Are you sure you don’t want me to help with anything?” Sofie asked. She folded her arms in front of her and leaned back against the island in the Keiths’ kitchen.
“I’m sure. Everything has been taken care of,” London assured her. He sat a box of wine on the counter and grinned at her.
Here it was, the day of her best friend’s birthday party, and she felt useless. Apparently, London had taken care of all the details.
Their house was buzzing with decorators, caterers, bartenders, and waiters. There was literally nothing for her to do to help.
“I’ll take Chance home tonight—”
“Nope, my parents are here and have claimed their grandchild,” London said.
“How is there nothing for me to do?” She groaned.
She and Alana had gone for breakfast earlier that day and had got their hair done. Once they had returned home, she had scooped up baby Chance so she could feed him.
The chef who would be in charge of the food breezed into the kitchen and struck up a conversation with London.
She moved over to the windows that overlooked the backyard. She sighed, taking in the beautiful landscape. A large white tent had been constructed in the middle of the area.
“How about when guests arrive, you can just help with making sure everything goes over smoothly.” London’s voice snagged her attention.
She turned around and had to hold back a sigh. It was hard to look at her friend’s husband.
He looked just like him .
The last six weeks since she had returned from the tropics had been hard for her. She had gone from having a dick appointment every night to no action at home except for her battery-powered toys.
Jaxon had tried to imply that they should continue their relationship once they returned back home, but she’d killed that notion. He wasn’t being serious. There was no way a man who had women sniffing around him all the time would be serious about settling down with just one woman.
She’d saved both of them the heartache. What they had was a hot, steamy fling in one of the most beautiful places in the world. Things would have been different once they returned back to the States.
But she couldn’t get him out of her mind.
So she’d thrown herself into her work. She’d picked up more shifts each week. Not that her bank account was complaining with the extra money coming in. Her body, on the other hand, didn’t appreciate all the hours of sleep she lost.
“That’s fine. I can direct traffic and stuff when people start to arrive.” She sighed and left the kitchen through the patio doors. It was a gorgeous day outside. The sky was clear blue and looked as if it were painted by God himself. Not a single cloud was in the sky.
Inhaling the fresh air, she decided to do a walk around the property. With the way she had been working, she hadn’t really had a chance to go for her runs. She had been doing so good the last year, running a few miles three to four days a week. Glancing down at herself, she realized she’d gained some pounds. Her little pudge that she had gotten rid of years ago appeared as if it was trying to return.
Nope, not happening.
She’d done so good to lose the weight she had, she couldn’t afford to gain any of it back.
“Come Monday, it’s on. I will get back to running,” she vowed. She would find a way to break this hold that Jaxon had on her. She hadn’t even seen much of him since they’d left Bora Bora. From what she’d heard, he’d been spending most of his time recently in LA. She was sure he had probably moved past her by now.
A man like him, good-looking and rich, didn’t stay alone for long, and living in a city like Los Angeles gave him ample amount of women to choose from.
Sofie sighed again. Maybe she should start dating. There were plenty of decent men out there. She just had to find them. Some of the girls at work had been begging her to come out with them. Maybe next time she’d take them up on their offer. She wasn’t much of a party girl, but it would be hard for her to meet a man from the couch in her living room.
Well, that was, not using those dating websites. She’d heard of people having success using them. She pulled her phone out of her back jean shorts pocket and swiped the screen.
Could she seriously do online dating?
She opened up the app store and typed in a name for one of the popular dating sites. She downloaded the app.
“I must be really desperate,” she muttered. The program opened, and it required that she set up an account. She found herself on the side of the house where a small stone terrace was located. Sofie perched herself on the stairs and stared down at the screen.
What could it possibly hurt? She could just create the account and skim it to see what was out there.
Following the instructions, she filled out the questions that appeared. When it came to the part where it asked for a photo of herself, she paused. Her hand shook slightly at the thought of someone out there being able to read her profile and gaze upon her picture. Would someone find her appealing? Would there be any interest in her?
“What the hell is my problem?” she muttered. “I am one hell of a catch.”
She giggled and clicked on the blank photo space that opened up her photos on her phone. She scrolled them until she found one that she was happy with. Her breath caught in her throat when she realized it had been a selfie she had taken in Bora Bora. The crisp blue skies and ocean behind her were beautiful. The sun was shining down on her, giving her a natural glow.
She uploaded the photo and laughed again. She was going to have fun with this. Even if she didn’t find anyone, she would have a blast browsing. Maybe even a couple of bad dates could be entertaining for her.
“What are you over here for? And laughing by yourself?”
Sofie jumped at the sound of Alana’s voice. She glanced over to find her friend staring at her with her hands resting on her waist.
“I don’t even know if I want to tell you.” Sofie chuckled, holding her phone to her chest.
Her friend narrowed her eyes on her suspiciously. Alana would not understand the idea of online dating.
“Oh boy.” Alana strolled over to her and took a seat by her on the steps. “I’m starting to feel some kind of way. You are keeping more secrets from me?”
“I am not. I explained to you about Bora Bora.” She sighed.
Alana had questioned her unmercifully about the guy in Bora Bora, but Sofie had held strong and kept her mouth shut on the details. Sofie leaned into Alana and showed her the screen of her phone. Alana pushed her glasses up on the bridge of her nose and squinted.
“Is that…” She threw her head back and howled with laughter. She snatched Sofie’s phone out of her hand and stood with tears streaming down her face. She turned around and faced Sofie. Her smile faded as she took in Sofie’s expression. “Oh, you’re serious.”
Sofie didn’t know what came over her. She had been giggling herself about filling out the form, but now that it was someone else laughing at her, she didn’t find it so funny. She was actually hurt by the way Alana found the fact that she’d joined a dating website so hilarious.
“I am,” she said softly. Sofie pushed her long thick hair behind her ear. She glanced down at her hands, unsure of herself. Maybe the dating website wasn’t the best idea. “I think I’m ready to find someone. It’s lonely out here, and I figured I’d try online dating.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to laugh at you. I thought you were being silly and I…” Alana flew to her side and sat back down next to her. She handed Sofie her phone. Her large eyes were magnified by her glasses. “Please don’t be mad at me.”
How could she stay mad at her friend? Alana wouldn’t even harm a fly. She had been by Sofie’s side through all her failed relationships. Sofie softened at Alana’s expression.
“It’s okay,” Sofie said. She rested a hand on Alana’s thigh. She gave it a squeeze then let her go. “I never thought I would be on one of those sites, but here I am.”
“What happened with the guy you were hooking up with in Bora Bora?” Alana asked. She turned to Sofie with hope in her eyes. “I may not have gotten the chance to meet him, but you certainly had a glow to you that I haven’t seen in a long time.”
“Yeah, because I was getting my back blown out nightly.” Sofie snorted. She had to make a joke of the situation. “Me and him agreed to end everything when we left.”
There was a certain pain in her heart that appeared which she tried to ignore. She had her doubts on whether or not she had made the right decision. Those nights she’d had with Jaxon would forever be burned in her memory.
“Tell me about him,” Alana asked softly.
“Well, he was very handsome and so sexy. We met at one of the bars one night when I had decided to go out for a drink. All the women were eying him, but he kept staring at me.” She embellished the story of the night Jaxon was at the bar smoking a cigar and the three women trying to get his attention.
Alana’s eyes grew even wider while she listened to Sofie’s story.
“You skank!” Alana gasped. She shoved Sofie with her elbow. “So you slept with him the first night y’all met?”
“It was so worth it,” Sofie murmured, remembering their first time as if it were yesterday. She had never been one for public sexual display, but there was something about Jaxon that had her falling to her knees. “That man had me begging for him to touch me.”
“And you’re sure it’s over between the two of you?” Alana asked.
“Yeah. It is.” Sofie blew out a deep breath. She offered a smile and motioned to her phone. “But I’ll be okay as soon as I find another Mr. Right. Maybe it’s time for me to have a ho phase.”
“Speaking of ho, my brother-in-law arrived while we were gone, and he’s three sheets to the wind drunk.” Alana shook her head.
“What?” She hadn’t realized that Jaxon was in the house when she had walked through it. The place had been quiet aside from the workers trying to get the house ready for the party. London hadn’t looked as if he was pissed off when she’d spoken with him.
“London laid into him for showing up still hungover from whatever party he was at last night.” Alana swiped her finger on her screen. She shook her head and sighed. “I told London I didn’t think they should put things like this on social media.”
She held up her phone for Sofie to review it. Sofie took it from her. The pounding in her heart echoed in her ears. She bit her lip and stared at the pictures of Jaxon and guys from the office out at some club. She hadn’t seen Jaxon in a few weeks and had even blocked him from hers so she wouldn’t be tempted to stalk from afar.
But the photos she gazed upon revealed that he had indeed moved on from her. There was a beautiful woman attached to his side who barely had clothes on. His arm was around her, and they looked as if they were real cozy.
“Is that his girlfriend?” she asked. Her throat tightened as the question spilled from her lips. His crooked grin, mussed hair that looked as if someone had run their fingers through it, and familiar cigar in his hand, brought about a pain in her chest that she was unfamiliar with.
“Girlfriend? Probably some chick he hooked up with last night.” Alana snickered. She took her phone back and closed the app. She pushed off the stairs and stood. “Come on. You can help me pick out which dress I’m going to wear. I have two that I couldn’t decide on, and I need your expertise.”
Sofie stood and followed her friend around the house. If she had her doubts on whether or not she had made a mistake in shutting things down with Jaxon, she’d got her answer.
L ondon had gone all out for Alana’s birthday party. Her friend deserved to have someone so devoted to her. Sofie hadn’t seen her so happy. She couldn’t wait for the day she found a man who loved her just as much as London loved Alana.
Sofie grabbed her champagne glass and stood from her table. The party was in full swing, and the dance floor was packed with people line dancing to a classic song.
“You’re not going to go out there and cut a rug?” Larry Keith asked.
She had the pleasure of sitting at the table with the Keith brothers’ parents and her family. Alana had practically been adopted by Sofie’s family.
Sofie glanced back at the crowd and saw her parents in the middle of everyone having fun. Her brother, Joey, had disappeared a while ago with a few of Alana’s cousins. Tonight’s soiree was like a mini family reunion. The record changed to an upbeat country song, and people paired off, enjoying themselves.
“I don’t know this song.” She chuckled. She drained her glass and placed it on the table.
“This is a goody,” Larry said. He pushed back from the table leaned over and dropped a kiss to his wife’s forehead. “Be back, honey. I’m going to show Sofie here how we do it down South.”
“You can’t run from him, my dear. He loves to dance.” Donna Keith laughed. She had Chance resting on her shoulder, patting him on his back. The couple was wonderful and kept everyone laughing with stories of London’s and Jaxon’s younger days. Apparently, the boys kept them busy. “Go have fun, my dear.”
“I’m not the best dancer,” Sofie lied.
Larry snorted and took Sofie by the hand and led her to the designated dance floor. The elder Keith certainly had moves. Sofie was impressed with him. Larry kept her laughing. He twirled her around, and Sofie barked a hefty laugh. She soon found herself clapping along with everyone as the DJ spun another upbeat party country song. Larry guided her by hand in turns and shuffling to go along with everyone else who seemed to know the dance that went with the song.
“See, there’s nothing to it,” Larry said.
There was a twinkle in his gray eyes that were so similar to his sons’. His charm rivaled the twins’, and Sofie now knew where they got their swag and personality from.
“You’re a good teacher.” She giggled. She felt as if someone were watching her. She glanced over at Donna who was standing, dancing in place with Chance. She scanned the area and didn’t see anyone staring at them.
Sofie’s gaze landed on the person standing behind Larry. Her smile slowly faded as she met his heated gray eyes.
Jaxon.
He had cleaned up. She had heard he had crashed in one of the guest rooms, sleeping off his stupor. His hair was combed back away from his freshly shaven face. He was dressed in a black button-down shirt and jeans. Sofie’s heart rate skyrocketed with just a look from him.
“May I cut in?” Jaxon tapped his father on the shoulder. His dark smoldering eyes held Sofie’s.
Larry spun around, holding Sofie’s hand. “I see you decided to join us in the land of the living,” he said. He placed Sofie’s hand in Jaxon’s. He offered Sofie a wink and a crooked grin. “A few dances was enough for me. I’m not as young as I once was.”
“Thank you, Larry. It was fun.” She sent him a wink of her own.
He gave her a nod and disappeared into the crowd.
Jaxon brought her flush to him, the song streaming through the speakers now a slow one. The sun was beginning to go down, the sky littered with impatient stars showcasing their bright lights. Strings of small electric lights were lined underneath the tent ceiling, casting a soft glow around them.
“Don’t be flirting with my father,” Jaxon murmured. He pressed his lips to her temple.
Sofie tried not to melt against him. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, Jaxon felt so good. His hardened muscles were a deep contrast to her soft frame. He was tall enough where he could rest his chin on top of her head if he so desired.
“He is a happily married man,” he said.
“His wife gave her blessing,” Sofie taunted softly. She tilted her head back, a small smile finding its way to her lips. She was supposed to be angry and upset with him, but one look and feel of him, and all of that vanished. “Your mother was occupied by a very handsome young man who had all of her attention.”
They swayed to the music, falling into a strained silence. There were so many questions that sat on the edge of her tongue, but she didn’t ask any of them. She dropped her gaze to the top button of Jaxon’s shirt. His large hands rested on the small curve of her back while the other one held hers, lightly resting on his chest.
“How have you been?” Jaxon’s voice rumbled deep in his chest.
Sofie inhaled sharply, breathing in his cologne. She fought the urge to nuzzle her nose into the crook of his neck and breathe in more of the scent. In Bora Bora, she had gotten so used to the smell of him. In the few moments since being back in his arms, she was immediately transported back to those nights being wrapped up in them.
She wouldn’t admit out loud that she missed it and she missed Jaxon.
“I’m good. Working a lot of shifts at the hospital,” she replied. She would keep it short and sweet. That was a safe answer. She was having a hard time concentrating with the feeling of his hard erection resting against her stomach. Her core clenched with need, but it was going to have to wait until she got home to pull out her handy-dandy battery-operated friend.
Her dry spell had started again. Six weeks since she had felt the touch of a man. Sofie decided she would begin her search through the app. If she played her cards right, it might take her a couple of weeks to find someone who may not be a serial killer, maybe four to six weeks’ worth of dating before sex.
Great.
One to two months before she could possibly have sex again.
And to think it may not even be decent sex.
Sofie stumbled, tripping over Jaxon’s feet at the realization that she might as well invest in a lot of batteries.
“Sorry about that,” she gasped.
Jaxon’s hands tightened on her. She glanced up and found his heated gaze on her. Sofie’s breath caught in her throat. She had forgotten how captivating his gray eyes were. Her nipples grew into taut little buds. She bit back a groan and resisted the urge to rub herself against him.
“How about you?” Her voice sounded breathless. Sofie found herself trying to pull away slightly from Jaxon. The last thing she wanted to do was embarrass herself here with tons of friends and family surrounding them.
“Working a ton also,” he murmured.
A frown formed on his face. He drew her back to him possessively. A small noise escaped her at the hold he held on her. There was no space between them. She whimpered, her arousal growing. Moisture collected at the apex of her thighs. She didn’t even have to check to see if her panties were damp.
“Where are you going?” he asked.
The DJ transitioned to another slow song. Sofie glanced over at the DJ booth. She had hoped he would put on a fast song that would give her an excuse to escape the intimate hold that Jaxon had on her. Being this close to him had her body going haywire.
“It wouldn’t be appropriate for us—”
Jaxon’s snort interrupted what she had been about to say.
“What would be inappropriate would be sliding my hands underneath this dress of yours.” His lips brushed her ear.
She squeezed her eyes shut, remembering the last time he had done that. Her breaths increased heavily, almost to a pant.
“We shouldn’t, Jaxon,” she breathed. She tried to pull away again, but he held her firmly to him.
“You say we shouldn’t, but I know that you feel me and how much I want you.” He nipped her earlobe and moved his hips forward, ensuring she felt the bulge in his pants.
“Do you want me? Or just what I have?” she asked. She tilted her head back to look him in the eye. The images of him on Alana’s phone came racing back.
“What is that supposed to mean?” His grip on her hand tightened. He narrowed his gaze on her, studying her face.
“Look, Jaxon. I know what type of man you are. Yeah, you have needs, but that doesn’t mean that it’s just for me.”
“Sofie, what the hell are you talking about?”
“Did you want that chick who was hanging on you at that bar? Did you fuck her?” She broke free of his hold and hated how she sounded. But she couldn’t help it. If he truly wanted her, why had he stayed away from her? Why hadn’t he pursued her?
“Sofie.” He ran a hand over his face and took a step toward her. “Let’s go somewhere and talk.”
“No, Jaxon.” She shook her head then spun on her heels, dashing through the crowd. She tried to breathe in but found she was having a hard time pulling in air.
She needed to leave.
Sofie ignored the sound of her name being called and kept going.