Trouble was right. Ryder’s heart rocked in his chest. That was the first time it had moved for a woman in a long time.

Since Jinan. No…since Sophia.

She followed Phoebe inside, wearing a big smile on her face that outshined the sun and matched the yellow of her strapless sundress. Just like that, he remembered the silky feel of her supple skin and the taste of her sighs as he moved inside her.

Shit.

He stiffened and eyed the door. He needed to leave.

When he’d first walked in on her at Keiffer’s that morning, he’d been in shock at finding the place occupied, and it hadn’t worn off by the time he’d realized the woman he’d walked in on was Sophia.

But now, the shock was gone, and as she approached the table and her gaze found his, waves of awareness began to blast his body. It was like thawing out in front of a fire after coming in from a snow storm.

Dammit.

His buddy had gotten it wrong. It wasn’t women he froze out, it was his heart, or at least what was left of the battered organ in his chest.

“Phoebe. Sophia,” the Wyne brothers said in unison, as they shot to their feet.

Ryder followed suit, and as much as he longed to escape out the door, the good manners his mother had managed to instill in him kept him from fleeing. But when they moved to a big table, and he found himself seated across from trouble, he was sorry he hadn’t bolted when he’d had the chance.

Elle came over and took the newcomer’s orders, giving him a chance to regroup.

“She’s in town doing research for a book,” Ben informed the women.

Phoebe’s face lit up. “You’re an author?”

“Yes, I write romance novels.”

Sophia sat up. “I love them. What’s your pen name?”

“Elena Pratt.”

Phoebe sucked in a breath. “Oh my God.”

“No way.” Sophia smiled. “That’s freaking awesome. I have all your books.”

“So do I, and Lea and Jill do, too.” Phoebe pointed to Ben.

His buddy squirmed and held up his hands. “I don’t have any of your books.”

Phoebe laughed. “I was going to tell Elena that Lea is your wife, and Jill is my sister-in-law.”

“Please, call me Elle. And thank you.” A blush rose into her cheeks. “I’m so glad you like my work.”

“We love your work.” Phoebe smiled. “You have to come to our weekly Thursday night chocolate fest.” She turned to Sophia. “You, too.”

“You had me at chocolate fest.” Sophia chuckled, and the sound did strange things to Ryder’s chest.

Refocusing on his food, he tried to ignore the odd current emanating from the woman. How the hell could he feel that? They weren’t even touching.

Christ. He was acting like a damn teenager.

“Thank you,” Elle said. “I’d love to come. No way would I pass up the opportunity to pick your brains.” She winked. “Besides, you said the magic word―chocolate. It’s an author’s necessity. Well, one of two. Coffee is the other. We mainline that sucker.” She pulled her phone from her apron pocket. “Just tell me where and what time?”

Phoebe rocked in her seat. “That’s great. We meet at the Confection Connection right down the block, just after it closes. Jill’s the owner. She and her husband are in California on business, but she left me her keys. She didn’t want us to cancel our get-togethers.”

“Remind me to thank her,” Sophia said.

“Me, too.” Elle nodded, holding up her pad. “I’ll go put in your orders and come back with your drinks.”

As she left, he reached for his iced tea, happy to stay out of the conversation.

“Sophia.” Ben frowned at her. “What’s up with your eyes?”

Ethan nodded. “Yeah. Didn’t you have one brown and one blue?”

A small smile tugged her lips. “Still do, underneath brown contacts.”

“You do?” Phoebe asked. “I never knew that. I bet they’re amazing.”

“They are,” he said, without realizing it…until everyone stopped to stare at him.  He shrugged and refocused on his food.

“I just prefer to see the same color when I look in the mirror,” she said.

“Nothing wrong with that,” Phoebe proclaimed, and he silently agreed.

Growing up, kids had probably done a number on her. He knew how cruel they could be. He’d found out the hard way, after his mother’s death.

“So, Sophia,” Ben began, and Ryder stiffened at the teasing tone, knowing he was not going to like the next words to come out of his friend’s mouth. “My buddy, here, was just about to tell us where the two of you bumped into each other this morning. Care to enlighten us?”

Color rising into her cheeks, she met his gaze and smiled. Unwanted warmth spread through his chest.

“We met in Keiffer’s bedroom.”

Ah, hell. Here we go.

Ben’s attention snapped to him. “That’s probably why he didn’t tell me.”

“I’d just gotten out of the shower and walked into the bedroom a second before he entered,” she continued, still holding his gaze.

Ryder’s heart rocked against his ribs, because her confession was the last thing his buddy needed to hear. It had nothing to do with the memory of her mile-long legs and the wet towel clinging to her lush curves.

The woman had been sexy as hell before…now she was fucking hot.

And he had a hard-on to prove it. Second one that day, thanks to her.

Son-of-a-bitch.

He shifted in his seat to relieve the pressure from his zipper, and bided his time to leave.

“That’s definitely why he didn’t’ tell me.”

Ben’s chuckle drifted over him, and it affectively helped to cool his stupid libido.

“I’m really sorry,” Ethan said. “I was the one who asked him to fix a few things before you arrived. I hadn’t realized you were already there.”

She leaned forward to glance around Phoebe, at Ethan. “It’s alright. And all my fault. Phoebe told me the key was at the desk, so I drove in late last night. I couldn’t wait to get out of the city.”

Surprise rippled through him. He thought she loved the city.

“It’s a good thing you knew Ryder, then,” Ben said, smile twitching his lips.

Jackass.

He refrained from elbowing the bastard. Barely. “I’m sure I startled you all the same,” he said. “I’m sorry.”

“There’s no need to apologize.” She smiled that thousand-watt smile again, and all sorts of needs rushed through him.

Dammit.

Latching onto the need to flee, he rose to his feet. “I have to get back to work.” He tossed money on the table to cover his food and tip. “Catch you guys later.”

Nodding to them, he noted disappointment flashed through her eyes, and a knowing smirk spread across his buddy’s face.

Yeah, definitely time to cut and run.

Over the last few years, he’d worked hard to try to leave the past behind, and Sophia was technically part of his past. Last thing he needed was to revisit something that could topple his house of cards. Even if she wasn’t the one who’d hurt him.

But given his crazy reactions to her today, he recognized she had the ability to get to him.

That wasn’t gonna happen.