Page 59 of Sophia, Property of Tracker

“Wow! This car is beautiful,” Sophia says as she opens the passenger’s side.

“She certainly is, isn’t she?”

Sliding into the driver’s seat, I lean over and buckle Sophia up.

“I can do that myself, you know?”

“Yeah, I know, but I like doing it,” I reply, kissing her on her cheek.

She giggles then I place the key in the ignition and hear it roar to life.

“Where are we going again?”

“I never told you where. Now behave, we have a bit of a drive.”

“I don’t mind drives.”

“Me either,” I reply, placing her hand in mine as we drive out of the compound.

SOPHIA

Present

“Wow, Ryan, this is absolutely beautiful.”

Standing at the front of a beach house, I take it in. It’s stunning. From out front, it has palm trees surrounding it with a long driveway. The house is white weatherboard and is the perfect home for the beach. Behind it, I can see the ocean and boats sailing past.

“Do you like it?” Ryan takes my hand and walks me to the front door.

“Do I like it? This is heaven.”

Ryan bends down and moves a potted plant. “The owner left it here.”

“Who owns this house?” I ask in awe of its beauty.

“It’s my friend Sam’s from back in LA. I talked to him a month ago, telling him how I wanted to surprise you, and he offered me his home. He said I can use it anytime.” Ryan’s eyebrows dance, and I can’t help but laugh.

“Unlocking the door, he opens it wide, and I step into an incredibly long hallway. The floors are a beautiful light shade of wood. The ceilings are high, and there’s a gorgeous light hanging in the entryway. The walls are covered in ocean pictures with lights on the floors that switch on with every step.

We make our way into the kitchen, and I feel like I’ve died and gone to heaven. A large marble countertop overlooks the backyard with a pool and a short path leading out onto the beach. It has a comfy-looking white sofa and a round kitchen table.

The appliances look brand new and are immaculate. Unable to help myself, I walk toward the sliding doors and open them, feeling the sea breeze instantly on my face and the scent of the ocean reaching my senses.

Turning around, I find Ryan standing there with folded arms and a look on his face that I can’t grasp. Is it happiness? Is it regret? I can’t tell.

“Baby, I’m gonna get our bags and take them to the main room.”

“Okay,” I reply. “Need some help?”

“No thanks,” he says, walking toward me and lifting me in his arms. I lean down and kiss him with everything I’ve got. Our kiss becomes all hot and heavy, and I feel his arousal on my abdomen.

“Later,” is all he says. He lets me down and turns toward the front door. My eyes follow him down the hall until he vanishes from my sight.

I take it upon myself to have a look around the house. It’s a Hamptons-style home, one I would like to own one day. I head into the living room and love the fireplace that sits in front of a tiled wall. I’ll have to ask Ryan to turn it on in the evenings while we sip on a glass of wine. The room is filled with floor-to-ceiling windows, letting beautiful light into the home.

Turning down a hallway, I find double doors to the left, and when I open them, I find an office with books covering most of the walls. “Wow,” I say out loud while walking inside and running my fingers across the spines of the books. There’s a huge collection from history to romance and so much more. I decide right away that this would be my favorite room.

A mahogany desk sits in the center with a lamp, some pens, and paper. A leather couch is in the corner, and a daybed is under the window overlooking the spectacular view. I could imagine myself living here, laying on that chair with a book in hand and admiring the view.

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