As Sophie continued to distance herself from the bar, the tension from her encounter clung to her like a skunk fart. Shecould still feel the chill from his threat and the seriousness of the situation.
How had his name been allowed to stay on her list of men to interview? Someone atNaked Runwaymust have messed up. Must have thought he was attached to someone reliable, but he obviously was not.
Her phone vibrated with an incoming call. For a terrifying moment, she thought it might be Jenks. When she saw it was Stone, a wave of relief washed over her, almost bringing tears to her eyes. “Stone.” Her voice sounded more unsteady than she intended, betraying the fear still coursing through her veins.
“Tell me you’re not doing what I think you’re doing,” Stone replied bluntly, his voice a lifeline she desperately clung to.
“I wasn’t expecting you back this early,” she said, sounding guilty as charged, her heart pounding.
“What have you done?” The weight of his disappointment was palpable, cutting through her like a knife.
“I decided to cross off a few of the interviews I needed to do. And before you say anything, I chose the ones I knew wouldn’t put me in harm’s way.” Her voice wavered, the memory of Jenks’s threat still fresh.
Silence, the kind that nobody likes, greeted her. The kind that makes you glad you’re not enduring it in person, but it still felt suffocating.
“I never promised I wouldn’t,” she blurted, when she couldn’t stand it any longer, desperation creeping into her tone.
“I’m sending you an address. Meet me there.” His tone held no room for argument, his concern wrapping around her like a protective shield.
She glanced at her watch. “When?”
“Now.”
Chapter 27
The elevator door slid open, and Sophie spotted Stone standing by the railing, his posture rigid and radiating tension. Sensing the storm of emotions brewing within him, she hesitated before clearing her throat to get his attention. Perhaps, taking the time to go home, shower, and change before coming hadn’t been one of her best ever decisions.
He remained still, his gaze fixed on the horizon. Was he doing this on purpose? Making her feel anxious as a way of punishing her for not following his rules? If that was the problem, he was just going to have to get over it.
Glancing around, she realized he’d had her meet him in a secluded rooftop garden. Interesting choice. Surely, he wasn’t so furious that he would contemplate something drastic. The thought settled for a second before being discarded as silly. She blamed it on the thriller she was reading, where that was exactly the kind of thing the villain would have done.
In the real world, it was much too pretty of a night to be murdered, especially by one’s security detail.
Deciding she’d had enough of the silent treatment, she spoke. “This place is lovely.”
Stone turned, his gaze dipping to the wordDreamerprinted across her chest, his brows furrowing as if the simple, optimistic word somehow read as a provocation rather than an aspiration.
Choosing not to ignite the argument he seemed poised to begin, Sophie opted for neutral ground. “Is this place open to everyone, or do you know someone who lives here?” Pulling up her I’m-not-scared-of-the-big-bad-wolf panties, she stepped fully through the doorway.
The building was nestled in a swanky part of Manhattan, where affluence and prestige were prerequisites for residency. It was the kind of place where deep pockets met influential connections, each apartment a testament to both wealth and well-curated social references.
“You went on another interview,” Stone said by way of greeting, his voice matching the icy sharpness in his eyes. “Even though I expressly told you to wait.”
Sophie took a breath. She was her own person. He wasn’t her boss. In fact, he sort of worked for her, not the other way around. “I did,” she said unapologetically. “I thought—”
“What?” Stone snapped, cutting her off, his frustration palpable in the thick air between them. “You thought it was okay to just ignore the danger?”
She stuck her chin in the air. “Obviously, I was right since I’m here, unharmed.”
“And you think that makes you right?” Stone’s voice was incredulous. “At best, it makes you lucky. Do you realize how reckless your decision was?”
Sophie’s patience unraveled. Exasperated, she gestured toward him. “This—this right here is why I prefer guys like Miles. Sweet guys. Guys who don’t try to bully everyone around them.” She regretted the words the moment she spouted them. She’dnever convince Stone he was her type if she kept saying the opposite, even if saying the opposite helped save her pride.
“I’m not trying to intimidate—I’m trying to educate.” His voice dripped with a tone that sounded uncomfortably pompous.
“I am not a child,” Sophie snapped, no longer regretting her earlier word choice. “I’m perfectly capable of handling interviews with individuals who have been thoroughly vetted byNaked Runway. Just because you’ve built a career around dealing with dangerous people doesn’t mean everyone in the world poses a threat. This project was meant to be enjoyable, and it is—when you’re not looming over it, casting a shadow over everything I do.”
“What if we hadn’t captured the douchebag? What if he’d slipped through our perimeters and come after you while you were out there in the city without your damn security detail?”
