He couldn’t meet my gaze, the shame too much. “You didn’t have to make the trade…”
I turned back to look out the window. “Now I wish I hadn’t.”
I entered our bedroom, finding her sitting in the armchair by the window. She was in one of my t-shirts, her long legs crossed and one of her bare feet on the rug. Her dark hair was slightly messy like she’d been fingering it, pulling it over her shoulder because she needed to fidget. It was three in the morning, so the lights were off. She sat in the glow from the streetlight, the pale glow making her look like a black-and-white picture.
I stripped off my jacket and tossed it on the floor.
She rose to her feet. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” I kicked off my shoes then poured myself a drink, letting the booze soothe all the sore muscles in my core. It was always a kick on the way down, but a bigger kick once it was in my bloodstream.
She came up behind me, her hands touching my triceps, while she rested her forehead against my back. “You don’t seem okay…”
I was still so angry at the turn of events, that my best friend ruined everything with his stupidity. But I remembered all that I would have sacrificed to garner this kind of attention from her, to see her vulnerable as she showed her concern. She held on to me like she didn’t want to watch me slip away, like she wanted to be a crutch just as I’d been for her.
It somehow sheathed my anger… that simple gesture.
I abandoned my drink and turned around, letting my chin fall so I could look down at her. Her makeup was faded and smeared like she had been too anxious to notice her appearance in the mirror. But that kind of genuine devotion was so sexy…to know she’d been waiting all night for me to walk through that door…that she’d called to make sure I’d survived.
I’d wanted this for so long—and now I finally had it.
My hand moved to her neck then slowly migrated up to her hair. I brushed the strands away, showing the beautiful contours of her face. My eyes memorized the fullness of her lips, the sparkle of her eyes. Even on my darkest night, she could somehow make it day. “Damien is in bad shape, but he’ll live.”
“Good…I’m glad he’s okay. Where is he?”
“Dropped him off at home.”
“Who’s going to take care of him?”
I shrugged. “Not my problem.”
“You really think he should be alone right now? In that condition? He’s probably traumatized. It’s not like he had a woman to go home to.”
True. There was nothing better than walking in the door to see this woman waiting for me. “What’s he going to do here? I’m not helping him.”
“I could help him.” Her eyes shifted back and forth as she looked into mine. “That man is like your brother… Why does it seem like you hate him?”
“Because I do hate him.” My hand slid out of her hair and back to her neck. “This is all his fault. If he’d just listened to me, none of this would have happened. That little asshole fucked up everything.”
“I’m sure he didn’t mean it.”
“Doesn’t matter. This is the real world. There are shitty consequences for shitty actions.”
“It seems like he’s the only one who was punished.”
Not even close. “I had to make a trade to save his life.”
“Oh…”
“I had to give up my company…and that’s exactly what I did.”
Her eyes softened as her hand slowly dragged down my chest.
“I built that organization all on my own. Now it’s gone—because of him. I could have let him die instead. That’s what most men would have done. But…” I shook my head. “I couldn’t do it. I’m pissed at him. Want nothing to do with him. But I can’t live without him, so I did what I had to do.”
Her hands slowly moved back up my chest, her eyes still glued to mine. “You love him.”
I refused to acknowledge it. That was pussy shit.
“That’s sweet.”
I dropped my gaze. Most people would find me weak, find me pathetic. But Sofia was different from all those people. She’d never been impressed by my power or my money. Only wanted it when she needed it. She valued the qualities underneath my suit—and that gave me hope for something more.
Her arms hooked around my neck, and she moved close to me, our faces almost touching. “I’m glad you’re home…I was worried the entire time. I wanted to call so many times, but I knew I shouldn’t. Then I got impatient.”
I closed my eyes and felt my dick get hard. That was such a turn-on, to imagine her expecting me, checking the time as she anxiously waited for me to come home. She cared about me, needed me. “You can call me whenever you want. You’re my wife—that’s your right.”