Page 32 of Mr. Arrogant

“I’m seeing that now.” He moved over to her and took her by the shoulders. He laid a kiss on her forehead. “Love you, Mom. I got to go.”

“Love you, too, babe.”

He ruffled the hair on Chance’s head before dashing out of the kitchen. He had to find Sofie. He was sure she was somewhere on the property. She wouldn’t have had much time to get in her car and leave.

Now, he just had to find her.

It didn’t take Jaxon long to find Sofie. She was sitting on the swings of the playground that London had built for Chance. It was on the opposite side of the house to where the party was being held. It was positioned near a patch of woods that ran along the side of his brother’s home.

He approached quietly, slowing down as he got near. Sofie sat in the swing, slowly rocking back and forth, looking down at her hand. From the light emanating from her hand, he assumed she was scrolling on her cellphone.

He paused and inhaled softly, trying to gather his thoughts. He wasn’t sure how she knew about last night or what female she was speaking of. There was no way she would know about the chick from the bar. He vaguely remembered someone taking pictures. He cursed himself for getting so sloppy drunk. There was no excuse for it.

“Sofie,” he said quietly.

She cried out, startled. Her phone went flying through the air. She stood and spun around to face him. They stared at each other for a moment. A gentle breeze blew by, sending her hair into her face. The only sound aside from the distant musicfloating through the air was the screech of metal from the swing moving back and forth on its own.

“Um, Jaxon,” Sofie said.

He walked over to her and reached down, picking up her cellphone. He glanced down at the screen and frowned.

“What is this?” he asked.

She stiffened slightly. She snagged her bottom lip with her teeth and shrugged.

“What do you think it is?” She stood to her full height and squared her shoulders.

He glanced back down at the phone and saw a profile of a man. He moved the screen down, taking in the guy’s stated interests, hobbies, and career.

“Is this a dating app?” he asked. His heart pounded at the thought of her searching through one of these online companies to find a man.

Someone who wasn’t him.

Had she already found someone? Did she like what she saw in this guy’s description? Something he was unfamiliar with reared its ugly green head in his chest.

Was this jealousy?

Fuck, yeah, it was.

Sofie was his.

He blinked. This was the first time he’d actually claimed her. He thought about it for a moment and knew that he meant it. She had filled his thoughts for so long, and he loved getting her riled up. The culmination of their arguments since they’d met had been a form of foreplay. When they had come together, it had been explosive.

“Yeah, and?” Her chin rose defiantly.

Something in him snapped.

He strode toward her and grabbed her by the back of her neck. His head lowered, and he swooped down and took herlips in a brutal kiss. His tongue swept inside the moment she parted them. Sofie’s muscles tightened under his hold for a brief moment before melting against him. Her hands slid up his chest and locked together at the base of his neck.

Jaxon eased back slightly. The sound of Sofie’s whimper excited him. She wanted this as much as he did. He lifted a finger and tilted her chin up to force her to meet his gaze.

“Is this what you want?” he asked, bringing her phone up so they both could see the screen.

She rolled her eyes and tried to pull back from him, but he held on to her.

“Jaxon, it’s none of your business,” she murmured.

He ignored her, reading the potential candidate’s profile out loud. “Chad Martin. Thirty-five years old from Akron, Ohio, who loves dining at fine restaurants, jogging along Lake Erie, and traveling around the world.”

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