I grinned, recalling her indignation that I’d followed her even there to make out with her. She hadn’t pushed me away. Instead, she’d moaned against my lips and even lifted her leg to wrap it around my waist.
My cock woke up at the memory of her rubbing against me.
“You still seem tired.” I turned to admire her profile instead of pretending to look out at the city.
“Thanks,” she quipped wryly.
That had been my excuse to follow her into the pantry. I’d asked why she looked tired and she sassed back that it wasn’t polite to tell a woman she looked tired. That led to my asking her if it was polite for me to kiss her like I wanted to, right before I did. And she’d given me a sultry reply that it wasn’t polite but exactly what she wanted—until common sense returned and she escaped.
“Or are you stressed?” I asked.
She furrowed her brow. “Who isn’t stressed at some time or another?”
Aha.I had my answer. Somethingwasbothering her, giving her that pinched look of worry.
But what?
The drive to fix her problems burned hot inside me.
Even though she was maintaining distance from me, we’d talked over the last two weeks. It didn’t take much for me to be able to understand that she was likely struggling financially and she hadn’t come from a stable family. She’d mentioned a desire to go back to school for nursing. She’d caught herself from rambling about how much she loved being able to help people.
“I’ve been thinking,” I told her, rubbing my thumb over the curve of her shoulder as we sat together. Not touching her in some capacity was just impossible.
“I won’t be seduced,” she stated flatly, anticipating that I was about to proposition her.
“Why deny this?” I asked.
Before she could have her turn in this predictable game we played, where she’d pin it on me to define whatthiswas, I gripped her chin and turned her for a hot kiss.
This.
This fucking need we can’t stop.
This insane pull to each other.
This goddamn perfection that makes me feel like a god when you surrender and kiss me back.
She let out a shuddery breath when she parted from me. Her eyes were still closed, but as she opened them slowly and seared me with her mesmerizing caramel gaze, I felt like I’d been punched in the gut.
Roman could laugh about us all having messed around with staff before. It was no different from the attitude that we could have any dancer, stripper, escort, or whore we wanted.
One deep look from Sofia was so powerful, I felt like I would do anything for her.
Anything to get her to choose me.
To want me.
Because winning her over was my mission in life. I was sure of it.
“Let me help you.”
She furrowed her brow, looking so defiant and worried.
“I can give you the means to go back to nursing school.” I brushed her long, rich, chestnut hair back from her expressive face. “Freedom from having to work at all. Earn a paycheck working as you want to. I can start you as a trainee under my stepmother, who has a clinic?—”
“No.”
She shot to her feet, ready to flee.
