When did she get here? Why is she at the bar with them? Were either of them going to tell me? The jealousy that creeps up on me, making my hands tingle when they form white-knuckled fists as Ryan clinks his glass with Sophie’s, is unreasonable. He’d never go for her.
I know Ryan, and I know Sophie. He’d never do that shit to me and neither would Sophie. But maybe he knew she’d be here? If any of us would have known, it would be Brett. His sister tells him everything, but he would have told me. The anger rises as I question why no one told me. How fucking long has she been in New York?
It doesn’t matter; none of the questions barreling through my mind matter either. I’m already striding toward them, hearing her sweet laugh ring in my ears before I can even think straight.
I’ve built this bar from scratch and been in here a million times, but it’s never felt so small, so tight, so damn suffocating.
A new song with a slow beat starts up, and it makes the sound of my shoes thudding on the floor seem that much louder. That much more foreboding.
Brett spots me first of the three of them. The second his eyes reach mine, he grabs his drink and leaves, nodding at me with a knowing grin.
My pulse quickens, but I control it all, forcing myself to calm down as I move to her left, since Ryan’s on her right. She looks so damn small between the two of us. She’s always been a short little thing.
With a soft smile still flirting on her lips, she peeks over her shoulder to see who’s invading her space just as I’m dragging the stool back, getting it the hell away from me. Everything needs to get the fuck back.
She’s here. The whole goddamn world needs to pause until I know why, how long she’s staying, and how I can keep her this time. I’m not letting her go.
Her gaze catches mine and her breathing noticeably hitches. I see it. I see her chest rise, and I can hear her swallow.
Her lips part, and the glass in her hand nearly falls as she tries to set it back on the bar. Her eyes and both of her hands move to the drink and as her attention shifts to it, I give Ryan a nod. A nod that says, get the fuck away, I’ve got her now.
His asymmetric smile and the way he slaps the bar and barely gives Sophie a goodbye before taking off behind us tells me everything I need to know.
“Glad you’re back, Soph,” Ryan says evenly and keeps my gaze, letting his smile grow as he heads back to the pool room to join Brett and Cody.
He always said she would come back, that eventually she’d return. He kept me from chasing her all the way across the country. They all did. Any other time, they would have told me to go to her.
The last time was different, though. I didn’t know what happened. I had no fucking clue until it was too late. They told me to give her time, and I did.
The pang in my chest doesn’t go unnoticed, but I can’t focus on it. All I can do is watch Sophie, observe her and figure out what her next move is.
I’m not letting her run this time. So she’d better think of something else.
Sophie spins all the way around on her seat, her eyes going wide as she watches Ryan’s back and realizes she’s all alone with me. Her throat tightens as she swallows and the color drains from her face.
Good.
She licks her bottom lip, keeping her gaze down before she peeks back up at me.
Her lips part, but no words come.
It takes a beat, a tick of a clock, a crackle of the fire before she relaxes even the slightest.
A nervous laugh escapes from her lips and she slowly takes her seat again, slipping her slender fingers around the thin stem of her glass.
Instantly the air turns easier, hotter.
For a moment, a short moment while Ryan was here, it felt easy. It felt like I had her back already. But in this second, it all slips away.
Shifting my weight to my left and then right, getting comfortable where I am and giving her a moment, I lean forward on the bar. My chin rests on my knuckles, my thumb brushing against my bottom lip as I stare her down. Her blue eyes are deep enough to get lost in, but she’s the one who looks like she’s drowning. It only lasts for a moment until her confidence comes back. But I saw it. I know I did.
“You’re back?” I question her.
The roaring fire behind her highlights every inch of her expression when she nods, not saying a word, not even looking at me and instead lifting the pink drink to her lips.