other, had to get married right away, had to have unprotected sex and of course Lisa had ended up pregnant-even though three or four nights a week, Riley would come home later and later to avoid the inevitable argument. Why couldn’t he work out at home? Why did he have to hang out with the guys after a game? They were all wrong for each other, he and Lisa. But they had done one thing right and that was his daughter.
He needed to make peace with Lizzie. She needed to accept that he was her parent as well as her friend. And he knew just how to make it happen and who could help him accomplish his goal. He rolled over and propped his head on his hand and continued to watch Sophie sleep.
Her hands were beneath her cheek as she breathed in and out evenly. Without makeup and with her hair tousled around her face, she looked softer and more vulnerable. The kind of woman who was capable of reaching out to Lizzie without earning her disdain and snotty attitude. Oh, she’d start off trying to control the situation but his badass daughter would quickly learn that Sophie Jordan couldn’t be manipulated.
He grinned, satisfied with his decision and looking forward to the fireworks. He’d never let Lizzie meet any woman he’d been involved with before. Never even considered it. But as he’d thought many times before, Sophie wasn’t just any woman.
Unable to fight the urge, he reached out and stroked her hair near her temple. She shifted slightly, sighed and settled back into deep slumber. Meanwhile he had a hard-on to match the Empire State Building, he thought, resigning himself to a long, sleepless night.
SOPHIE AWOKE at seven o’clock as always without the help of an alarm clock. She’d never had to use one, because she was always prompt-anal, as Uncle Yank liked to tease her. She immediately remembered that Riley hadn’t left her alone last night and she rolled over, already sensing he’d gone.
On the pillow where he’d slept was a handwritten note. “Went home to shower for an early-morning meeting. Car service will be downstairs at eight-thirty. Don’t make plans this weekend. You’re mine. R.”
Last night, she’d been so shaken up by the guy who’d harassed her, she hadn’t thought about anything beyond Riley and the security he represented. Now she realized she just might have given him the wrong message. Apparently he was back in her life.
How long would he stay this time? she wondered, and shivered.
She rose, showered and had a quick cup of coffee. She was grateful for the car waiting downstairs, which meant she didn’t have to stand in the street alone and hail a cab. She owed Riley a huge thanks for that and, she realized, so much more. He’d remained by her side all night, a complete gentleman in every way. She realized now what a great father he probably was. What a lucky girl Lizzie was to have him as her dad.
She was so preoccupied with her thoughts, she barely registered arriving at the office and stepping off the elevator. But as she did so, she stopped short. Uniformed police officers were swarming the hallway.
Her stomach clenched with fear. “What’s going on?” she asked.
“Are you Annabelle Jordan?” one of the men asked.
She shook her head. “I’m Sophie Jordan.”
He tipped his head. “Nice to meet you, ma’am. The alarm company already called Annabelle seeing as how she was first on their list. And of course they called us.”
In the back of her mind, Sophie noted that they’d never taken Annie off the top of the alarm company’s emergency list after she’d moved out of Manhattan. It would take her sister a while to drive into the city in an emergency.
“What happened?” she asked, barely able to take in the men measuring the break in the untempered glass.
One of the officers rose from a kneeling position and walked over. “We’re not one-hundred-percent certain, but it looks like someone broke in.” He gestured to what she hadn’t seen before. The hole in the glass was bigger than she’d realized.
“Could someone fit inside?” Sophie asked.
“Someone could, but not without great care and expertise or else they’d probably cut themselves. We’re dusting for prints and checking for bloodstains.”
Sophie gagged, a reflex she’d had since childhood. One that only showed up in situations that included bloodshed.
“Why don’t you have a seat?” The officer gestured to the window ledge. “We’ll let you know once you can go-”
“What in the dang hell is going on here?” Uncle Yank walked off the elevator, Spencer and Lola by his side, and Noodle in his arms. Not in front of him on a leash, the way a normal guide dog ought to be.
“We’ve had a break-in,” Sophie said, repeating the obvious.
Uncle Yank frowned. “I can see that.” He paused. “Well, I can’t exactly
Noodle barked and wiggled to go free, probably sensing her owner’s distress.
Lola patted Noodle’s head in an effort to calm the pooch. Sophie thought she ought to be patting Uncle Yank’s head instead.
“Officer, what happened, exactly?” Spencer asked, stepping up to take charge. “I’m Spencer Atkins.”
The officer with the notepad nodded. “Your reputation in the sports world precedes you, Mr. Atkins. My nephew’s a fine baseball player. He’s hoping you’ll get him a contract like A-Rod or Jeter one day. He’d take you, too, Mr. Morgan.”
Sophie swallowed a laugh, relieved her uncle merely muttered beneath his breath instead of giving the man a hard time about how much better an agent he was than his partner.
Spencer grinned, his mind off the robbery at least for the moment. “How old is the boy?”
“Ten,” the cop said, laughing.
“You tell him if he practices, anything is possible.” Spencer turned, taking in the mess once more. “I can’t believe this happened. And it’s all my fault.”
The police officer tapped his pen against his pad. “Why do you say that?”
“Because he’s one of those guilty types, that’s why.” Uncle Yank patted his friend on the shoulder. “He’s got no good reason to say a thing like that.”
Spencer cleared his throat, his eyes steady on the officer’s. “If you already know who I am, then you must know about the recent scandal.”
The other man nodded.
“I don’t see what that has to do with anything,” Sophie said, jumping in before the cop could answer.
There was no reason for Spencer to discuss his private life with a stranger, even if that stranger was a law- enforcement officer. Spencer’s homosexuality was irrelevant and would only embarrass him here and now.
“They’re just trying to protect me,” Spencer insisted.
The young cop scratched his head. “From what? You folks are confusing me.”
Spencer groaned. “I think it’s possible that someone targeted our offices because it was recently revealed that I’m gay. Maybe one of our clients is angry or feels betrayed. I’m fully aware there are homophobic people out there, especially in the sports world. Nobody wants their own masculinity questioned because they’re associated with someone whose sexual preferences don’t match their own.”
Sophie ran a hand over her burning eyes. She hated that he’d take something as random as a robbery and place the blame on himself. He had enough problems right now. She stood and placed her hand on his arm. “Spencer, we haven’t lost any clients. No matter how you’re feeling, this idea of yours doesn’t make any sense.”
In her heart, she believed her own words. She wasn’t a Pollyanna but she refused to think anyone she or Athletes Only associated with would do something like this.
“I agree with Sophie,” Lola said. “The motive could be something as simple as robbery. Was anything taken?”
“We’ll know more once the guys tell me what they’ve found inside,” the first cop who’d spoken with Sophie said. “While they’re doing their job, I need to ask you folks a couple of questions.”
Her uncle narrowed his gaze. “Oh, here we go. Focus on the good guys while the bad guys go free.” He raised his hand to poke the officer in the chest.
Good old Uncle Yank, doing his bit to divert attention from his best friend’s problems and creating more in the process, Sophie thought. Before she could dive between the older man and the cop, Lola stepped in.
She grabbed Yank’s offending finger. “Keep it up and I’ll break the other hip,” she said. Then she turned to the
