Leaning forward, I steepled my hands under my chin and took her in. She hadn’t changed out of the jeans and white shirt from earlier, but I liked her looking casual. I probably liked it more than seeing her in the sexiest of lingerie.
Not that it mattered what Sophia wore because she always looked beautiful.
But that didn’t mean I had to forgive her just like that. Not after what she had done.
“You’re apology isn’t accepted.” I went back to staring at the papers on my desk. Not actually reading them, just making myself look busy.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her start, her eyes widening. “You what?”
I darted a look at her, and she blushed.
“I mean, I beg your pardon.”
I nodded my head solemnly. At least she had remembered what I had said about her language. So she might actually be learning.
“I do not accept.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “But you said…”
“Yes, I did, but you don’t mean the words coming out of your mouth, Sophia. I know you well enough to know when you are lying.” I speared her with my eyes. “And you are lying right now.”
She fell silent. Which told me everything I needed to know.
“So I think it’s best if you…”
She took a step into the room and let the door slam shut behind her. My head snapped up.
What was she up to now? Because it was something. I could see that by the wicked glint in her eyes that it was something.
“What can I do to make you believe me, Matteo? I don’t want to fight anymore, and I am sorry,” she cooed.
I gave a small shake of my head. She was not sorry. She was playing some game and thinking she could get away with it.
But in a way, we were both playing games. Both of us were so desperate to make the other one hurt more. It was childish, and if I was honest with myself, hot as hell.
After all, there was a thin line between love and hate, and Sophia and I were constantly walking the line in between.
“What can I do to make you believe me, Matteo?” she asked again.
“Crawl.” I said the word without thinking and watched as shock and ultimately horror tinted her cheeks red.
“W-what?” She stuttered even though I knew she had heard me.
Pointing to the rug I grinned. “Crawl to me Sophia,”
Her eyes narrowed into slits.
“Beg me to forgive you on your knees and I might,” I stressed the word might, “think about forgiving you.”
She didn’t move. Her lips worked like she was trying to say something, but no sound came out, either. She had probably gone over several scenarios before coming in here, but she hadn’t expected this.
One point in the game to me.
Finally, she swallowed hard, so hard, in fact, that I heard her throat move. “You want me to…” her voice broke into a croak, “crawl to you?”
“Yes.” One simple word. Not barked or shouted, but said softly without any anger, and I watched fear flicker into her pretty brown eyes.
“Matteo…” she began to say before sighing. “Fine.”
