“I didn’t say that,” Sofia protested.
“You didn’t have to.You’d have denied it outright if I was wrong.This is your sis, remember?So, when do I get to meet him?”
“It’s not like that.”
“Fine.Keep him all to yourself.”
“I don’t have him all to myself,” she protested.And that fit her worry-profile.What the helldidshe have?“We’ll talk about it later.”
After a few more pointed questions, Zoe gave an exaggerated sigh and hung up.
The closer it got to four o’clock, the slower time seemed to move.When she left, she had even more energy than when she’d arrived.
She reached the ranch and Cade texted to let her know it’d be an hour before he got back to the house, and asked if she’d like him to take her to dinner in Waltham.She replied that she’d rather stay in.
After grabbing her bag from the vehicle, she went inside.The big house was ridiculously large and quiet without Cade and Loopy.Ignoring the silence, she checked the pantry for food options and found alfredo sauce and pasta.Fortunately there was a bag of broccoli and another of peeled shrimp in the freezer.If there was a simpler dinner, she couldn’t imagine.
Decision made, she carried her bag upstairs to change.
She traded long pants for shorts, and a long-sleeved shirt for a spaghetti-strap tank top.
On the way out of his bedroom, she paused.
She noticed a snapshot, old and yellowed, lying face down near the back of the shelf.Intrigued, and realizing she might be overstepping a boundary, she picked it up.The picture was well-worn, torn at the upper right corner, as if from repeated handling.
Even though the colors were faded, there was no doubt it was of Cade and his father.They stood side by side with a sleek-looking car behind them.They had helmets tucked beneath their arms and they were grinning widely.Their black race suits had Donovan Worldwide logos on them, as well as a couple belonging to a car manufacturer.
It was almost difficult to believe he’d ever been that carefree.
Her heart heavy once again, she put the picture back.
She returned to the kitchen to open a bottle of white wine and start dinner.A large pan of water was on the back burner, almost ready to boil, when Loopy careened across the floor and jumped up on her.
The oversized mop, tail thwacking the oven, licked Sofia’s face.
Looking damp and horny, Cade walked in.“Down, dog.”
Loopy ignored him.
It wasn’t until Sofia gave the animal a big hug that Loopy settled down.
“I’d be less patient if I didn’t understand how she feels,” he admitted.
Taking his words as an invitation, she went to him.
He took hold of her hair and pulled back her head.His kiss seared.It was gratitude and promise with an undercurrent of threat that made electricity zing through her body.
“How close is dinner to being ready?”
“Twenty minutes, thirty at the most,” she said.“But I’m ready now.”
His eyes darkened.He slid his hands down her body to cup her buttocks and press her close against him so she could feel his erection.
The knowledge thrilled her.
Eventually, he released her.“Give me a few minutes to wash the day off me,” he said.
He was on his way out of the kitchen when she looked over her shoulder and said, “Aren’t you forgetting something?”
