Page 12 of Marrying a Spy

Chapter Four

This was a mistake. A big, huge, colossal mistake. Why had he agreed to this? Why did he tell Scott he’d do this?

Noah sat on a couch in Sophia’s tiny, one-bedroom bungalow, watching as she emerged from what he could only assume was the bedroom. She had an armful of blankets and pillows and blew a strand of hair off her face.

Darn it. She was beautiful.

She slammed her leg into an armchair, and she cursed under her breath. Before Noah knew what he was doing, he stood and crossed the room to take the load from her arms. In the process, his hands brushed her skin, and heat raced across his body.

She was just as soft and gentle as he remembered. The memories of holding her in his arms on those cool summer nights came slamming back, and his heart picked up speed.

Get your mind straight,he scolded himself.

“Thanks,” Sophia whispered. She was rubbing her arms in the exact spot that he’d just touched. He tried not to read into it. For all he knew, he might have scratched her accidently.

“Yep,” he said, turning to drop the items on the couch.

She followed him, taking the fitted sheet from the top and shaking it out. He tried not to watch as she moved around the couch, tucking the sheet into the cushions. She was curvier now, filling out her jeans quite well. He couldn’t help but appreciate that.

She was no longer the thin, lanky girl he remembered, but a full-blown woman.

“Noah,” she said.

He snapped his gaze up to find her staring at him with an incredulous look.

“What?”

She rolled her eyes. “You were staring.” She grabbed a flat sheet and began tucking it in.

Not sure what to say, he just shrugged. “Sorry.”

She snorted. “Well, just remember that this is all fake—the marriage, everything. And there isn’t any way you are going to get anything from me in that department.” She straightened and waved toward her body. “This merchandise is off the market.”

A feeling brewed in Noah’s gut that he had to muscle down. Sophia extending a challenge was the last thing he needed right now. She knew how competitive he was, so why was she dangling this in front of him?

She must have read his mind because she rolled her eyes. “Seriously, Noah?”

He wasn’t sure how to respond to that. Removing himself from the room seemed like the best idea. “Bathroom?”

She nodded toward the small hallway she’d just come down. “Only door on the left.”

He stood, grabbed his duffle bag, and headed down the hall. When he got into the bathroom, he shut the door, set his bag on the floor, and looked around.

It was tiny. A small tub with a shower took up the far wall. The toilet was sandwiched next to the single vanity. He walked over to the faucet and turned it on. Water trickled out. He ran his hands under it, the cool sensation sending jolts throughout his body.

He splashed his face a few times to help clear his mind. There were too many memories forcing their way to the surface.

He brushed his teeth and changed into a t-shirt and pajama bottoms. After tucking his dirty clothes in a laundry bag he’d brought, he grabbed his stuff and opened the door.

Sophia was standing on the other side, looking as if she didn’t know what to say.

He studied her. “Why are you waiting out here?”

She raised her eyebrows and took a step back. “I wanted to ask you what time you were planning on getting up tomorrow. I was thinking I’d call into work, tell them I need some personal time. They should be okay with that since my partner, Pat, has been telling me that I need to take a vacation. Something about worker’s health.”

Noah nodded. “Yeah. We have a lot of things to get ready. I was thinking we should start with pictures and an announcement in the paper. Really draw some attention to it. That’s the best way to get your dad to take notice.”

She chewed her lip as she nodded. Sophia’s classic nervous about something move.

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