Chapter 6
Lucas
Sophia shifted in her seat, her leg bumping into mine. I resisted the urge to slide my hand between her thighs. Her friend Megan was chatting about a legal case she was working on. I could hardly focus on anything Megan was saying and was relieved Sophia was there to hold up the other half of the conversation. Having Sophia beside me was beyond distracting. She seemed slightly nervous and was halfway through her second glass of wine. Meanwhile, my cock was hard and had been since I’d sat down beside her.
I was coming to learn this was a common state when I was near her. Kissing her last week hadn’t helped at all. Somehow, she’d managed to avoid being alone with me since that afternoon. I'd been quite busy and traveling, so I could chalk it up to that, but I sensed she was trying to avoid being alone with me. Even though I considered myself a rational man, that made me want her even more. Intellectually, I knew it probably wasn't wise to start up anything with her. Yet, all I wanted was her—naked with me buried inside of her. She was too tempting for me to think past my desire.
Dinner carried on. After we had finished our food and ordered more wine, Megan announced she needed to go and left in a rush after receiving a text. Her departure left me alone with Sophia. Precisely what I wanted. I supposed I should shift over to the other side of the booth. I didn’t. I was enjoying Sophia's nearness too much. She glanced up at me, her cheeks flushed and her eyes wide. Damn, I almost lost myself in those eyes. They were like rich chocolate.
“I should probably go,” she said.
As I glanced down at her, I had an excellent view of the curves of her breasts where her blouse dipped down in a V. I could even see a teasing edge of white lace. Blood shot straight to my groin, and I had to mentally order my eyes back up to her face. That didn't exactly help matters. Her tongue darted out to lick her lips, and I instantly remembered how they felt under mine. I stared at her and managed to take a breath.
“You should?” I asked.
She nodded quickly. Her scent drifted up to me, honey with a hint of musk. I knew exactly how she tasted, and I wanted to taste her again.
I finally nodded. “I'll walk you out. Let me take care the bill first.” I lifted a hand, gesturing for the waiter to come over.
Sophia shook her head quickly. “You don't have to take care of our bill. I'll get it.”
I looked to her and arched brow, shaking my head. “I’ll take care of it,” I replied simply.
She huffed, actually huffed. I bit back the urge to laugh. “Is it a problem for me to get the bill?” I asked.
She sighed, tucking her hair behind her ear, that gorgeous auburn hair that I wanted to see rumpled after I kissed her.
“It’s not a problem, but I can take care of it.”
I stared at her for a beat and then shrugged. “Fine. If you insist.”
Her eyes widened, as if she hadn't expected me to say that. I didn't mind her covering the check. I was a calculating man. If it made her feel better to take care of it this time, so be it. I would cover dinner another time. When the waiter came over to our booth, I glanced to Sophia and back to him. “Ms. Dawson would like to pay for dinner.”
The waiter, Anthony, knew me well. He arched a brow. “Are you sure, sir?”
“Absolutely. Whatever she wants,” I replied.
Sophia rolled her eyes at me and then looked to Anthony. “I was having dinner with my friend. We didn't expect Mr. Chandler to join us, and I was already planning to cover the check.”
Anthony inclined his head with a polite nod. “Of course.”
She handed over her credit card, and he spun away. Within moments, he returned to the table. She started to sign the slip, and I added, “I'll cover the tip.”
She glanced at me sideways and then laughed softly. “You just have to pay for something, don't you?”
I grinned. “It's only the polite thing to do.”
In short order, we were leaving the restaurant. As we were threading through the tables, I caught sight of various pairs of male eyes landing on Sophia. She was gorgeous. Of course men would notice her.
I didn't like it. Not one bit.
A wave of possessiveness rolled through me. This was odd. I didn't get possessive about women. Even when I’d been engaged to Kayla, I hadn't felt that way about her. Kayla had been beautiful and smart. I’d made the erroneous assumption her intellect meant she wasn't solely hunting for a wealthy man to marry. I’d later learned, quite bluntly, the faultiness of my assumptions. I'd been accustomed to men appreciating her whenever we were together. It had never bothered me in the slightest, not the way it bothered me to have men noticing Sophia. As we walked past one table of men, all of them I knew in some distant capacity, too many eyes landed on the swing of her hips and her lush bottom.
I felt like a damn caveman inside. I wanted to lift her into my arms and brand her with a kiss. I shackled the urge and satisfied myself with sliding my hand onto her low back, just above the delectable curve of her bottom. The walk through the restaurant felt endless. It wasn't particularly large, yet it was mostly populated with men. This building was high-end living for the wealthy and for those who wanted their privacy to be lock tight. CEO’s abounded here. I shackled my urge to behave like a possessive fool and escorted her through the door and into the hallway. Unbeknownst to me, a function was being held in one of the suites above. There was a line for the elevator to the parking garage. I gritted my teeth. I didn't want to take her through the now crowded hallway.
Sophia started walking in that direction, and I nudged her, steering her with my hand.
“I'll take you out the back way.”
She glanced up. One look into her liquid brown eyes, and lust bolted through me. Not to say I had my body under control to begin with, but hell, her mere existence was like a shot of lust in my veins. I led her down the hallway, away from the crowded entrance through another door into another hallway, this one blessedly empty. I walked swiftly to the private elevator in the back and entered the code. This was a resident’s only access elevator. Inside of a moment, it whispered to our floor. I contemplated what I wanted to do. If I had my way, I’d take her straight to my place, yet I doubted she’d go along with it. We stepped inside, the doors humming closed behind us, and I tapped the hold button.
Sophia glanced up at me as if she meant to ask me a question. I didn't care to talk. Not now. I slid my hand down over the curve of her bottom and spun her, bringing her fast against me, and taking a few steps until her back was against the wall.
Her gorgeous brown eyes widened. “Lucas, what are you doing?”
I stared down at her. Her pulse was fluttering wildly and her nipples were tight little points against my chest. “I’m about to kiss you,” I said.
“I thought we agreed that wasn't a good idea,” she countered.
Her breath was coming in short pants.
“We didn't agree on anything. Tell me you don't want me to kiss you, and I won't.”
I knew I was pushing the limits here, but I didn't give a damn. I wanted Sophia too much. Her breath hitched, her eyes darkened, and her tongue darted out to lick her lips again. Fuck me. She needed to answer fast. When she didn't say anything, I spoke again.
“Well?”
Her eyes narrowed. “I'm not going to lie. I’m just not so sure it's a good idea.”
“Why don't we see if it's a good idea?”
A little laugh escaped, her breasts pressing against my chest with it.
“All you have to do is tell me no,” I said.
Sophia stared back at me, the air around us weighted with desire. When she didn't say anything, I flattened my palm against the wall behind her and slid my other hand through her hair, brushing it away from her face. Then, I finally gave into what I’d wanted for an entire fucking week. I fit my mouth over hers, pouring a week’s worth of desire into our kiss.