Page 63 of Spiritwarrior

“I will.”

Sophie placed her other hand on his shoulder before pressing her lips to his. If he thought he would be able to remain unmoved while proving that she was attracted to him, he failed.

When her lips met his, he felt as if he had done a backflip off a diving board and didn’t know which way was up when he’d hit the water. He might have let his cock overrule him into losing judgment a time or two, but he had never felt as if he had his legs swept out from under him.

Keeping his hands on her waist, Jody kept the kiss gentle, exploratory, holding the desire he was experiencing back. Her lips trembled under his yet yielded to the soft pressure, parting to allow his tongue entrance into her mouth.

Sophie might have allowed her mouth to part, yet she stood as still as a statue, her arms remaining on his shoulders. She wasn’t into him.

Pulling his mouth away, he stared down at her.

“See? What did I tell you? Zip, zilch, nada. Friends now?” she asked him casually.

“You win, Sophie. Friends.”

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Jody walked away from Sophie numbly. Instead of heading to Jacob’s trailer, he walked toward Silas’ house.

He didn’t go inside; he went to the rise providing a clear view of the sky. Sinking down to the grass, he turned off the flashlight to stare up at the sky. Pinpointing the star he was searching for, he read the surrounding stars.

“I didn’t see you here.” Silas sat down next to him.

“Where did you expect me to be?”

“With Sophie.”

“She wants to be friends and sent me on my way.”

Silas’ lips twitched in amusement. “I’m not used to you sounding so discouraged. She only met you a week ago.”

“She’s not attracted to me. I kissed her tonight, and she acted as if she would rather be doing her laundry.”

“Ow, and you looked so nice tonight.”

Jody turned his head to stare at his brother. “You can be a real dick when you want to be.”

Silas’ chuckle eased the hurt knot in his chest. “Jody, you were overconfident, and Sophie handed your ego back on a plate. I would have been disappointed in her if she had droppedto your feet and let you walk all over her like you have other women.”

“I do not walk on women.”

“Not literally, but you have become very spoiled. You’re used to having it easy. Sophie isn’t easy.”

“No, she isn’t. Sophie is nothing like I expected her to be.”

“Don’t lie to me, and stop lying to yourself.”

“How am I lying to myself?”

Silas sighed, looking toward the sky. “Jody, we all loved Dad and Leah.”

Grief welled inside of him.

“We all, in our own way, blame ourselves. Me for leaving to get the helmets, Ginny because it was her turn to ride the ATV, and you blame yourself for pestering Dad not to wait until I got back. Jody, you were just a kid, and kids pester their parents. It’s the parents’ job not to give in.”

“Dad was a big kid himself. I had more sense than him,” he said gruffly. “I’ll never forgive myself.”

“Ginny had to lay that blame to rest, and you have to, too. I’m not saying don’t grieve them, but you can’t keep self-sabotaging your life to pay them back for them losing theirs.”

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