When she grabbed her purse and turned toward the door, he blurted, “Can we at least talk?” He had to try one more time to make her see sense. To make her understand he was right.
She stilled. “About what?”
The question hung in the air, while he waited for her to turn. He wanted to see her face during this conversation. And give himself time to think of the right words. Somehow, he didn’t think she’d respond well to, ‘You’re wrong, you know.’
Only she didn’t make eye contact. Instead, her gaze swept over the sleek, modern décor. “I take it we’re at your place?”
“Of course,” he said in frustration.
“There must be more money in security than I’d imagined,” she commented. “No wonder you didn’t blink twice before ditching me as a client.”
Stone suppressed a sigh. If only he could tell her about the real perks of being a fairy godfather. His home, much like many other aspects of his life, was a reward for his unseen duties—duties that required him to keep secrets even from those he completely trusted. Like Sophie.
In the past twenty-four hours, he’d done a lot of wistful thinking about things he wished could be but couldn’t. And he had drilled down on the why behind the desires. During that introspection, he had concluded several things, he did trust Sophie on the big stuff. She might be a little flaky on how she approached her day-to-day life. But under that was someone solid. Someone he wanted to give his heart to but couldn’t. For her sake.
“So, what did you want to talk about?” She spoke in a nonchalant tone, her expression guarded.
“About your perception of me,” he said honestly.
She studied him. “I thought I made that pretty clear.”
“If love was in the cards for me, I’d choose you. I hope you know that.”
“Right, and I have an ocean-side property in Arizona,” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
“You don’t believe me?” How could he prove to her he would? Wasn’t that just something you had to take at a person’s word?
She wrapped her arms around her middle. “Stone, how could you choose a future with someone whose middle name you don’t even know?”
She was right. He had no idea what the E. stood for. Why hadn’t he asked? “I know your message. That has to count for something.”
“My message?” Sophie asked, looking confused, which was much better than disinterest or disdain.
He walked over to her and tugged at her arms until she loosened the hold she had on herself, allowing him to grasp her hands. “Yes, the billboard that is Sophie E. Clark.”
She furrowed her brows. “What exactly does my billboard say?”
“Professional Daydreamer at Work.”
“Oh. That.” She stepped back, slipping her hands from his, and headed to the door.
“What do you mean?”
She stood with her hand on the knob. “It’s just… I’ve found it’s not a trait that inspires a lover to want more. It’s a trait that inspires him to want something temporary.”
“Then you’ve been with the wrong men.”
“Are you saying you want more from me than date, sex, rinse, repeat, until you tire of me and fade away?”
“You’ve stirred me to want more,” Stone countered, only realizing the mistake of his words when he saw hope flitter across her face, brightening her eyes. Sure, he knew she could handle his secret, but that didn’t remove his dangerous lifestyle. Didn’t remove the fact that someone who hated him had gone after her. He’d be a fucking asshole to entice her to love him. “Sophie—”
“Then you’ve decided to chase the fairytale,” she said, all smiles. “To forget all your fears?” She took a step toward him.
He held out a hand, not to stop her from coming to him, but to stop her from getting her hopes up. “I said I want the more… I just can’t see how to get thatmoregiven my career constraints.”
“So, what you’re really saying is you’d like to enjoynowwith me but notlater?” Her gaze was sharp, seeking truth.
“It’s the best I have to offer.” Hell. He was going to lose her, but that was a price he was willing to pay if it meant her heart never broke as a result of emotional choices he made now.
