Author: Bella Andre

It was his own fault. He should have known better than to bring her here. All it did was show her exactly how poorly he fit into her world.

* * *

Sophie supposed she should have been mortified that Jake had kissed her like that in front of everyone, but even if she had been, she couldn’t have missed the envious glances from the other diners. Especially the women, who clearly all wished they had a hunk who couldn’t keep his hands off them. Even the fact that she was wearing a totally inappropriate cotton skirt and sweater hardly bothered her anymore.

She looked up to see him coming back with a plate of food, and her heart swelled with love. They’d had such a perfect day together so far.

But when he sat down he seemed a bit crankier than he had a few minutes earlier. She was getting used to his often gruff manner, the way he liked to be in control all the time. Something had obviously happened when he’d been back in the kitchen with his friend.

Ignoring the food, she said, “What’s wrong, Jake?”

He didn’t answer, just held out the plate and said, “You need to eat.”

The easiest thing would be to get angry at him again for pushing her away. But she was tired of that pattern. It was time for a change.

“Today has been great,” she said softly, “but it’s got to be about more than cable cars and flying kites.”

Sophie waited for him to say something, but his face remained carved in granite. She sighed. It seemed like they’d come so far today, but had they really?

But then, he finally said, “Everyone is wondering what the hell a guy like me is doing in a place like this with a girl like you. I should be washing your dishes, not sharing them.”

She’d never seen his vulnerability so clearly before. Had never actually believed that he had any vulnerable spots at all. She’d thought she knew him so well, after all these years of having a crush on him.

But maybe she hadn’t really known him at all, hadn’t known that he’d be a man who would claim an unplanned child with such enthusiasm...or appreciate a simple girl like her who didn’t shine and shimmer like the rest of her siblings.

“I’ve spent so much of my life feeling like I didn’t fit in. My brothers and Lori were so much bigger, so much brighter than I could ever be. But now,” she paused, met his dark gaze, “I feel better.”

He couldn’t have looked more surprised. “You do?”

She nodded. “It’s nice to know that you feel like just as much of a misfit as I do.”

“Misfit is one word for it,” he said, but there was a darkness to his words he couldn’t disguise.

It was the in she’d been looking for and she couldn’t let the opportunity pass. Not when she felt so close to him...and wanted to be so much closer still.

“I know we practically grew up together, but I don’t really know much about your childhood.”

“Trust me, it’s not interesting.” He shoved the appetizer at her. “Seriously, Sophie, you need to eat.”

“You know everything about my childhood. It’s not fair that I hardly know anything about yours.” She realized she needed to play her trump card. “I’ll eat if you’ll talk.”

“When was I ever stupid enough to think you were a pushover?” He nodded to the food. “Fine. Start eating and I’ll talk.”

She worked to hide her smile as she bit into the red and yellow beet salad, knowing Jake would be shocked to realize just how cute he was when he was being tough and irritated with her.

“My mom left when I was a baby, found some guy who could give her more than a cheap apartment and a lifetime of waitressing. She didn’t want anything to do with us. The next time she showed up, I was six. She needed money. Turned out her meal ticket was a loser, after all.”

Sophie couldn’t hide her shock. “What happened?”

“My dad kicked her back out. I was at school when it happened. Never even saw her. She was better off away from him. He was a drunk. Died when I was eighteen from liver damage.”

He was rattling off the facts like they were from someone else’s life, like they didn’t matter, like they didn’t hurt him. But she knew they did, that they had to have wounded him. Deeply.

How could it not hurt to have been raised with such neglect? Sophie had tried so many times in the past two and a half months to guard her heart against him. It was smarter. Safer.

But how could she be on guard against a boy who’d had a terrible childhood, but had turned into a wonderful man despite it all?

Somehow she managed to hold in her emotions, knowing he’d mistake sadness over how awful his childhood had been for pity. More food came just then, and after the waiter walked away, she reached for her fork as though everything were perfectly fine, while forcing a small smile onto her lips.

“And here I thought losing my kite made for a rough childhood.”

She nearly cheered when her comment surprised a laugh out of Jake and he began to eat as well. “Having all those brothers giving you anything you wanted must have been pretty tough, too.”

“Do you have any idea what it’s like to be guarded by six older brothers?” She made a face. “All the boys at school were too scared of them to come near me. I didn’t have my first kiss until I went away to college, if you can believe it.”

“If anything ever happened to you, they would never have forgiven themselves for not protecting you better.”

“I hate being treated like I’m breakable. I’m sick of everyone thinking all I am is some nice girl who can’t take care of herself.” She was on a roll now and couldn’t seem to stop herself. “I’m so much more than that, but no one ever wants to see it.”

“I see it, Sophie.”

Surprise had her fork clattering to the plate. “You do?”

“Of course I do. How could I not see how strong you are? How resilient. The way you adjust to changing circumstances that would give anyone else whiplash. You’re so much tougher than anyone would ever guess.” His mouth curved into a smile that stole what was left of her breath away. “And, on top of all of that, you just happen to be the sexiest woman I’ve ever known.”

She rolled her eyes. “You almost had me going up until that last part.”

“I almost ruined your brother’s wedding, you know.”

She couldn’t follow his train of thought, how they’d jumped from whether or not she was sexy to Chase’s wedding. “Ruined it? How?”

“I wanted to kill every man who looked at you in that pink dress. And there wasn’t a guy there who didn’t look, princess. All that blood in the middle of their party...” He shook his head. “It wouldn’t have been pretty.”

“But you never noticed me, not until the wedding when I wore that dress and had the makeup artist make me up.”

His eyes were dark, his face as serious as she’d ever seen it. “Trust me, I noticed you before that. Way before that.”

* * *

“Are you up for one more destination?” Sophie asked a little while later, when they were leaving the restaurant.

Attraction had buzzed between them as they ate the rest of their meal, and all he could think of was taking her to bed. Come midnight, when the day was officially over and he’d made good on his promise, he could finally touch her again. And oh, the ways he was going to touch her...

But when she gave him one of those beautiful smiles that had always made his heart beat faster and said, “There’s something I want to show you. It’s not far from here,” how could he not agree to whatever she wanted?

Hand in hand, he let her lead them down the waterfront toward a large gray building. She reached into her bag and pulled out a key card, holding it in front of the electronic lock. It clicked open and she pulled on the door.

“You’re showing me a swimming pool?”

She grinned again, saying, “Among other things,” as she pulled him toward the next set of doors, which led to the locker rooms and then, finally, the pool.

She kicked off her shoes and dropped his hand to reach for the hem of her sweater.

“Sophie? What are you doing?” It was a stupid question. He knew exactly what she was doing. He just couldn’t believe it.

“Getting undressed.”

Hallelujah!

She pulled her sweater off over her head, then quickly took off the top she’d been wearing beneath it. Her skirt came off next, until she was standing in front of Jake in only her bra and panties.

“Do you need help taking off your clothes?”

Didn’t she know he could hardly put together a coherent thought when she was standing in front of him looking that good?

“We’re not supposed to be here after hours, are we?”

She cheerfully shook her head as she reached for his T-shirt and started to pull it up. “Nope.”

She deftly pulled his shirt off, but when she put her hands at the top of his jeans, he had to know, “Have you done this before? With anyone else?” If she had, he’d hunt the guy down and beat him to a pulp. Sophie was his, damn it. She’d always been his, even if he’d never let himself get close enough to claim her until she’d shown up at his doorstep in Napa and seduced him.

Just as she was seducing him now.

“I’ve always wanted to,” she said as she worked his zipper down and shoved his pants off. “But you’re my first.”

And your last, he thought as he tore off the rest of his clothes, shoes, and socks.

He’d promised her a full day with no sex and he’d made it this far. Skinny-dipping was going to kill him, but hell, even if he couldn’t touch her, he could still look.

“It’s not skinny-dipping if you’ve clothes on, princess. Turn around.” When she did as he asked, he brushed aside her long hair to unclasp her bra, then pushed it from her shoulders so that it fell to the ground. Moving to one knee, he hooked his thumbs into the sides of her panties next, sliding them all the way down her legs.

“Sophie,” he said in a raw voice, his mouth barely an inch from her luscious rear end, “you’d better jump in before I break my promise.”

“Not without you.” As she pulled him up to stand beside her, her eyes fixated on his erection. “I’m glad you like my skinny-dipping idea so much.”

Jesus, it was going to break him, getting in the water with a naked Sophie and not touching her. Not kissing her. Not making love to her.

But he’d do it, damn it, because he’d given her his word...and because he needed her to know how much he cared about her. Not just as a sexy woman, but also as the person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

On three, they jumped in together and Sophie’s laughter was the best sound in the world as she splashed up from beneath the water. The next thing he knew, she had wrapped her arms and legs around him and he was holding her up in the water.

Oh man, was she soft. And wet.

He wanted to run his hands over every inch of her skin.

The way his erection was throbbing against her belly, it wouldn’t take more than the slightest shift of her in his arms to be inside all that heat. If this was her way of testing him, he would dig deep to prove to her that he was up to the challenge.

Even if it killed him.

“It’s been a perfect day so far,” she whispered into his ear just as her tongue licked out against his earlobe, “except for one thing.”

He could barely get out the words, “What would make it perfect?” when he wanted her so bad he was about to lose it with nothing but the feel of her naked curves bobbing slightly in the water against him.

“This.”

Sophie bit down on his earlobe just as she impaled herself on him.

“Now,” she said on a gasp, “it’s perfect.”