At the door, Gabriel stiffened once more, hackles rising, looking like a wolf being goaded into a tussle. Sophia saw the reaction, knew what he would do if he wasn’t calmed, and then had an idea.
“Wait…” She eased him, flashing a smile so he could see it. “I have a better idea.”
Beside the doorway was an ornate vase sitting atop a display stool. It was made of porcelain, its design was intricate, and Sophia knew it must have been worth a fortune. For that reason, she took little pleasure in what she did next… well, she took some.
She stepped forward, reached out, and knocked the vase to the floor.
It shattered across the wooden paneling and Mr. Jones screamed as if in pain.
“That’s more like it,” Gabriel laughed. “Very well done.”
Sophia beamed and her heart soared. She felt free like she never had before. She felt like there was nothing she could not do – she felt like she wanted to be told that there were things she could not do so she could prove them wrong!
This is how it feels to be unchained. This is how it feels to live without consequences. This is how it feels to be happy.
Finally, she understood what Gabriel wanted from her, and finally she understood what she had been missing this whole time.
CHAPTER 16
Despite his best efforts, Gabriel could not stop staring at his wife.
She was sitting across from him on the couch. Still dressed in the same magenta and green gown that she had worn to Mr. Jones’ party, it was ruffled now, and the left side had slipped down her shoulder. She was leaning back, one arm draped over the back of the couch, while in the other hand she held a glass of brandy that she was drinking freely.
Most of all, it was her smile that he could not break from. Her full lips peeled back, the way her hazel eyes sparkled with humor and just a hint of mockery, and her teeth shining beneath her lips the wider her smile stretched.
She was beautiful, and there was no other way to say it.
Gabriel had always found her attractive, of course, but he had been able to resist those feelings because he had felt little for her.She was boring. She was reserved. She was the exact opposite of him in every way. Yes, he had known of that hidden side, and he had wanted to see it, but without considering the danger of what would happen when he did.
It was free now, Sophia was living in this newfound freedom, and Gabriel was beginning to see the problem. One that he walked right into.
“I feel that I should apologize,” she laughed as she took a sip of brandy.
“For?” he asked her.
“Mr. Jones,” she said. “I can’t help but feel that I ruined any chance you have of doing business with him.”
“Oh…” He rolled his eyes. “There are plenty more where he came from.”
“Do you think that vase was expensive?” she snorted. “I sure hope it was.”
He laughed. “Careful, Sophia, keep acting this way and I might have to ask who you are and what you have done with my wife.”
“Is that not the point…” She flashed her eyes suggestively. “I thought you wanted to see this side of me.”
“I wanted to see the fun side,” he corrected. “This right here…” He flicked his wrist dismissively. “It is rather unappealing and brash.”
“What!”
“Joking,” he chuckled. “Just a joke.”
“Good.” She narrowed her eyes at him, but the smile stayed on her lips. “To be honest, I did not think I had it in me.” She had another deep sip. “Or maybe I didn’t want to think that I did? I guess that I was scared of what might happen.”
“And what did you think might happen?”
“I don’t know…” She had another sip of her drink, eyeing him above the lip in a way that made his pulse quicken. “Nothing good, I was sure.”
“I wouldn’t get too excited,” he said. “All you did was knock a vase off its shelf. Let us not act as if you stripped down into your shift and sprinted through the back yard crying out like a hawk.”
