Page 5 of Sophia, Property of Tracker

Feeling a little more confident, I inhale and open the door. He smiles, and I can’t help but smile back. He’s breathtaking. Green eyes with dark eyelashes stare back at me, and I take a minute to take him in. He must have showered because his hair is still a little wet, and he’s wearing a fresh shirt. He’s wearing dark denim jeans with a crisp white shirt and a leather jacket that look newer than what he was wearing earlier. He still has scruff on his face, and I like that he didn’t shave it. It looks so damn hot on him.

Coming back to my senses, I open the door a little wider, saying, “Hey, I see you found me.”

Flashing his white teeth, he replies, “Hey there, yourself.” His eyes take me in, all of me, as they travel from mine to the length of my body, then back up again. I can’t help but shiver as the hunger and approval in his stare makes me feel all warm and tingly.

“You look beautiful, Sophia.” I’m mesmerized by his gaze when he says, “Can I come in?”

“Oh shit! Sorry. Where are my manners?” I step back, allowing him room to enter, and he strolls into my apartment. I shut the door behind him, turning around to watch him and, of course, check out his butt.

He turns and holds the flowers out to me. “These are for you. I hope you like roses.” Looking down at his outstretched hand, I accept the pink and white arrangement and blush, thinking about the last time a man bought me flowers. My last boyfriend, Domenic, never bought me flowers, and the two guys I dated here and there were not with me for romance. It seemed once they had gotten into my pants, I never heard from them again.

“They’re beautiful, thank you.”

He smiles, then glances around my place, turning and heading toward the living area. He stops now and then, picking up photographs and then placing them back down to continue. Stopping at my cabinet, he steps closer to inspect my book collection. I love to read and have a bad habit of spending my savings on paperbacks.

“I’ll be right back. Please make yourself at home,” I say before I head to the kitchen to check on dinner.

I glance back at him quickly and smile when I see him continuing to glance around the room. Grabbing a vase from under the sink, I rush to pour some water into it and then drop the flowers in the vase. Before I place them down, I inhale their beautiful scent and sit them next to my coffee machine, where I know I will see them each morning.

“Fuck!” I curse when I turn around and bump into an incredibly hard body.

“Sorry, did I scare you?”

Ryan wraps his hands around my waist to keep me from falling back. My cheeks heat at the intimate touch, and he tilts my head up to look up at him.

“Yeah, a little. What were you thinking sneaking up on me like that.

“Sorry, Sophia, I didn’t know I was quiet.”

“No. It’s okay. I just didn’t expect you to be in the kitchen.”

My eyes slowly move from his chest to his eyes, and when I see the desire in them, my legs turn to jelly, so I hold onto his arms. Time stands still as Ryan leans forward inch by inch and places his warm lips over mine. His kiss is slow and sensual at first, and I open up to him, allowing him access to my mouth. He licks and sucks, his tongue exploring mine, and I moan when he sucks my tongue into his mouth.

Sliding my hands up his torso, I take in every hard ridge and muscle I can feel beneath his T-shirt. Just as I had expected, this man has a hot body tucked away under his clothes, and I thank my lucky stars that I chose to work in the café this morning.

My hands have a mind of their own as they travel to his back and run up his smooth skin. His breathing picks up, and we both get lost in each other.

Ryan’s hands travel from my waist to the curve of my lower back, then slide over my butt, where he squeezes my cheeks. I moan deeply when I feel the first sign of excitement on my panties. I want him, and if I haven’t muttered the words, my body is surely telling him in every other way. I don’t care that I hardly know him. I’ve never craved a man like I do Ryan. It’s as if I’ve been waiting for him all my life.

His left-hand wraps around the length of my blonde hair, and he pulls, causing our lips to part and my eyes to look up at his, the sting of the pull only adding to my excitement.

“If we don’t stop now, I’m not sure I’m going to be able to.”

His green eyes show so much intensity, and I know he means it. His lips glisten with the moisture from our kiss, which only makes me want to kiss him more. Before I can reply, a hissing noise sounds behind me. Spinning, I notice that the pot that’s cooking the pasta is boiling over, and the pot next to that which is cooking the sauce is burning.

“Shit, the sauce. I forgot I had it simmering…” I rush over to it. “Oh no, I’ve ruined it,” I cry out, pulling the lid off the pot and taking a look to see that it has burned all around the edges.

I feel him behind me, looking over my shoulder at the disaster that is now my bolognese sauce.

Feeling a rumble, I turn around and notice Ryan’s laughing.

“Are you laughing at me?” I turn my body fully to face him and lean back against the bench.

“No, of course not,” he replies, trying to cover his smirk with his hand.

“You think this is funny? I rushed to try and make this meal perfect, and now it’s ruined.” I take a minute to think about what other options we could have for dinner. Do I try and salvage what I can of the sauce or do I order takeout? I look over my shoulder at the burned sauce and decide there’s no way in hell I can salvage what sauce I have left.

Ryan’s fingers pinch my chin, forcing me to look at him. “I’m sure it would have been perfect, but right now, I’m hungry for something else.” His eyes leave my face and then to the open neckline of my top. “Something that I’m sure will taste delicious,” he adds

---