“No, you didn’t. . . . I’m attracted to you. Very attracted. We have to keep this professional, Sophie. There’s too much at stake.” His deep voice was exceptionally low in the quiet room.
So he wanted her and she wanted him. She’d known it, but hearing him say it sent tingles racing along her nerve endings. Unwanted heat pooled between her legs as she imagined all the things he could do with those big hands. At that moment she was very thankful he couldn’t see her expression.
With her back still facing him, she spoke again. “Where are you from?”
“What?”
“You have a file on me, right?”
“You know I do.”
“So you know things about me you have no right to know. I just want to know where you’re from.” It was a fair request.
He was silent for so long she wasn’t sure he’d answer. “I’m from Miami too.”
His pause made her think he was actually telling the truth. Or maybe that was just some spy trick to make her believe him. “Really?” It wasn’t actually that surprising, considering the way he’d maneuvered around the city, as though he was extremely familiar with the area in a way only locals were.
“Yes, really. Will you please try to get some sleep?” He yawned and she knew it wasn’t real.
“That fake yawn is pathetic and just so you know, the attraction isn’t one-sided. If you change your mind I’m right here.” Sophie’s chest tightened as she said the words she’d never have been able to say if she’d been facing him. It was out of character for her to be this bold, but with people trying to kill her, she was going to do exactly what she wanted.
From the moment they’d been introduced, she’d been more than aware that Jack was a good-looking man. Even when she hadn’t trusted him and had thought he was a potential criminal, her body had flared to life with something raw and unexplainable. Something that had only happened to her in Sam’s presence. In her experience, outward appearance didn’t mean anything. Looks would fade and good-looking, charming people could be angry and cruel underneath the surface.
Truth be told, despite her original primal draw to him, it was seeing him in action and a strange familiar quality about him that triggered real awareness on her part. When he’d kissed her back in Miami, she’d felt it all the way to her pinky toes. It was as if she’d been hit with a live wire and it had woken up some long-dormant part of her. None of the men she’d ever dated after Sam had been able to affect her with just a kiss. Until Jack. Mr. Tall, Sexy, and Inappropriate Timing.
The sound of Jack moving against the sheets interrupted the quiet of the dark room and silenced her thoughts. For the first time in as long as she could remember, she actually felt safe in a bone-deep sort of way. Ironic, considering the circumstances. Tomorrow she’d have a billion things to worry about. For now, her body and mind needed time to recover. Or at least rest. Closing her eyes, she let the blackness of sleep overtake her.
• • •
Sophie flopped down on the towel next to Sam, stretching out on her stomach. “It’s getting so hot,” she complained. “Come in the water with me.”
He hated the fucking beach with all the sand and nothing to do, but with Sophie, he had plenty to do. Namely, watch her. Well, and watch out for her. It pissed him off how many guys checked her out. It was so blatant. She didn’t seem to notice, though. That was the only thing that made the constant tension humming through him ease.
They’d been coming to the beach the past two months every weekend. She loved it and it was free entertainment. And it kept them out of Ms. Bigsby’s hair, which was a big plus. He’d learned long ago not to piss off decent foster parents. Ms. Bigsby wouldn’t win any parenting awards, but she didn’t beat them and she kept them fed and clothed. Both he and Sophie tried to be as trouble free as possible, and the lady liked them well enough. Being away from the house gave the old woman her space and she got a paycheck for letting them live there. They were all happy. And safe.
He started to roll over onto his stomach to talk to her, but stood when he saw Marco, a guy from his baseball team, walking toward them. “Hey, man.” He nodded at the guy. They weren’t tight, but they were close enough.
“Hey, Sam. Some of the guys are grilling and playing volleyball. Bring your girl and join us if you want.” He nodded politely at Sophie, who had turned over and smiled at him.
Sam forced himself not to stare at her. When she was wearing a bikini that covered practically nothing, it was damn hard not to. She was so tan and lean, and all he wanted to do was feel her body against his. He kept his gaze off her, though. He’d just gotten his body back under control and he refused to embarrass himself in front of her and his teammate.
“We were just about to hit the water, but we’ll come over later?” he asked.
Marco nodded, then gave Sophie’s body a lingering look that Sam recognized all too well before heading back to the group of six guys and three girls about twenty yards from them.
“We can go over now if you want.” Sophie stood, brushing sand off her slender legs.
His gaze strayed down the length of her lean body and he abruptly turned away from her, facing the direction of the water. “We’ll go later,” he said curtly.
“Jeez, what’s wrong with you? I thought you liked Marco.” She nudged him with her hip as they headed to the glistening Atlantic.
She’d left her dark brown hair down so that it fell in soft waves down her back, and the plain black bikini she wore barely covered her breasts. Probably because it was a couple of years old. The little triangles should be illegal; they barely covered her nipples. So what was wrong with him? He was starting to get a hard-on at the beach and they were surrounded by hundreds of people—some of them his friends.
As soon as they reached the water, relief coursed through him. When he was waist deep, he breathed out a sigh—until Sophie jumped on his back and wrapped her legs around him. She was so much shorter than him and she always did this so he could carry her out deeper. He loved the feel of her almost naked body on his, but today he was edgy. It was getting harder and harder not to make a move on her.
“You want to see a movie later tonight?” she asked, her mouth right next to his ear.
The feel of her warm breath made goose bumps break out across his skin. “Sure, what do you want to see?” He couldn’t tell if his voice sounded strangled or not.
She didn’t seem to notice. “I don’t care. Anything that keeps us out of the house is fine.”
When they reached a short sandbar, she jumped off his back and dove underwater. As she came back up, she slicked her hair back and grinned at him before splashing him. She was the combination of every fantasy and wet dream he’d ever had. Water rolled down her tan body and he could see the outline of her nipples—which had been taunting him for months. He was dying to see what they looked like, to taste them. To know what color they were. He couldn’t even smile at her when she splashed him again. He felt like such an asshole, but he couldn’t force the muscles to work. Sitting on the sandbar, he rubbed a wet, salt-tinged hand over his face.
“What’s wrong? Are you mad at me?” She sidled up next to him, hesitation in her voice.
He hated that he’d put it there. She was so damn sensitive and sweet. She’d been dealt a shitty hand in life and she always kept up walls. It was why she never even noticed when the guys at school checked her out. Either she didn’t want to notice or she didn’t care. But with him she was different and he knew he had to be careful with her. He could never hurt her. It would kill him inside if he did.
“I could never be mad at you, Soph. I just . . .” He trailed off, not wanting to say something stupid that would hurt their friendship. He felt so much for her. So much that it scared him, but he wouldn’t risk accidentally pushing her away if she didn’t feel the same. Some days he really thought she might want him, especially when she looked at him as if she wanted to kiss him. But she was so guarded it was too hard to tell.
“What? Tell me now,” she demanded in that haughty voice she only used with him. The girl had such a temper sometimes. It was buried deep, but when she let it out, it stunned him—and turned him
