Wrapping the towel around her taller-than-average frame, she noted it barely covered her nether bits. At five-feet-nine-inches, she was a giant compared to the females in her family. Heck, compared to some of the men, too.
With another grin on her lips, she opened the door and headed into the bedroom to get dressed. She was halfway to the closet where she’d unpacked her clothes last night, when a man walked into the bedroom.
Gasping, she stopped dead as her heart leapt into her throat.
“Oh…sorry,” he stammered, halting near the door, brows lifted in shock. “Ethan didn’t tell me someone was in here.”
Ethan was Phoebe’s husband. Sophia relaxed, not because the man knew Ethan, but because the initial shock had worn off and she recognized the intruder.
Ryder…
Damn. The years had been kind.
Still tall and lean, he seemed broader, with muscles that stretched his shirt to its limits. Memories of licking a younger version of all that lay underneath flashed through her mind, sending a flutter of heat through her belly. She took in the way his well-worn jeans creased in the best places. And be still her heart…a tool belt hugged his trim hips. The men she worked with wore them, but none ever made her want to strip them naked.
Good Lord, he was hot.
Brown hair, worn a little longer on top and lightened by the sun, emphasized those mesmerizing, sky blue eyes she swore could see straight into her soul. He must’ve left the Guard, because his hair was a bit too long to be military. Without the haircut restrictions, he had a little sideburn thing going on that accentuated his perfect features and strong jaw.
The man was sexy before…now he was freaking sexy-as-hell. She knew he had a supermodel sister, but wow, he could easily grace the cover of men’s magazines.
“Hello, Ryder,” she finally said, realizing he was waiting for her to reply.
His head jerked back and he narrowed his gaze. “Do I know you?”
Ouch.
Disappointment rocked her heart.
“Only in the biblical sense.” Shoot. When was she going to learn not to speak before running it through her brain first? But since it slipped out, she might as well own it, and squash down the disillusionment and pain ripping through her chest at the knowledge their incredible time together had only been memorable on her end. She tipped her head and held his gaze. “I’m Sophia. Brandi’s friend.”
Dawning straightened his brow and cleared the confusion from his eyes. “New Year’s Eve.” He smiled, and dammit, the transformation to friendly stole her breath. “Sorry I didn’t recognize you, Sophia. You look a lot different than I remember.”
True. Since their long ago…tryst, she’d gone up a cup size, pants size, and her hair was no longer short and choppy with blue streaks. Her rebellious period had long passed. Now, her hair was her natural mocha brown, one length, and fell well past her shoulders.
“Are you wearing contacts?” he asked, stepping closer.
That was her biggest difference. “Yeah.” She nodded.
“Why? Your eyes were amazing.”
A wave of warmth rushed through her at the compliment. “Thanks, but not so much for a freakishly tall Italian.”
As if her height wasn’t a tough enough cross to bear, she’d been born with heterochromia—a difference in the color of the iris. She had one brown and one blue, but with the wonderful invention of colored contacts, she now preferred to go all brown. Just like her family.
Although, surprisingly, they were always trying to get her to stop wearing them.
“Well, I thought your eyes were perfect the way they were.” A smile tugged his mouth, and as his gaze dropped to her feet and slowly rose back up, she remembered the only thing covering her freshly showered body was a towel.
A too-small towel.
Heat rushed into her face, and she barely refrained from crossing her arms over her chest. Why bother? He’d seen her naked—and then some—once upon a time.
His gaze returned to hers a second before the phone in his pocket started to ring. The appreciation in his eyes disappeared as he straightened his shoulders. “Sorry for the intrusion, Sophia. I’ll give you your privacy now and come back later,” he said, fishing the cell from his pocket.
Nodding, she stood there, watching him leave, noting the width of his shoulders and how his torso tapered into a vee above his exceptional butt. Heat skittered through her belly. It was official. His back view was nearly as gorgeous as his front.
“Seriously? They out-bid us again?” He closed the door behind him, and it muffled the rest of his conversation.
