Page 3 of Marrying a Spy

She winced at the bite to her tone. Wow. She really needed to get a grip on her feelings, or Noah would see just how much he’d hurt her.

He straightened, pulling the blue bib from his neck. He crumpled it up and sent it sailing into the trashcan that sat in the corner. When he swung his legs around, he glanced over at her.

“So, that’s it, huh? No ‘I missed you.’ No ‘good to see you’?” He brought his gaze up to meet hers.

Sophia hated that her heart picked up speed—and that her breathing had grown shallow from the depth of his gaze. She may have forced herself to get over him, but her body had not.

She sighed and stood, taking a few steps away from him. “What do you want from me, Noah?” She crossed her arms. It was the only way she could protect herself from whatever he was about to say.

A look passed over his face as he kept his gaze on her. His eyebrows furrowed as if he were trying to figure out just what to say. Then he sighed. “I guess I just wanted to come see you. See what you’ve been up to.” He stood and closed the distance between them.

She could feel his warmth wash over her, and the smell of his cologne filled her senses. Her resolve to hate him for the rest of existence was slowly wavering. Warning bells sounded in her mind, telling her to get away.

But, there was nowhere for her to go. There was a counter and cupboards behind her, blocking her retreat. And ducking down and running from the cubicle would tell him that his sexy, hovering stance had an effect on her. And showing that card was the last thing she wanted to do.

So, she gathered her wits about her and tipped her face up to meet his gaze. Even though it turned her knees to Jell-O. “Well, I’m a dentist. The rest of my life isn’t that glamorous.”

And she tried to keep it that way. After she’d run her father off, she’d made a point to enjoy her simple, non-complicated life.

He reached out his hand as if he wanted to touch her, but he hesitated. He sucked in his breath, but no words followed. After what felt like a thousand seconds, he dropped his hand and shoved both hands into his front pockets.

“It was good to see you, Soph,” he said, glancing up and smiling at her.

She wanted to say “you too” but couldn’t get the words out. She wanted to hate him. Hating the people who hurt her was the only way to keep herself sane, to keep herself safe.

“Good bye, Noah,” she said, sidestepping him and waving toward the lobby door. “I hope you have a good life.”

Noah glanced over at the door and then back to her. He hesitated but then nodded. “Got it,” he said.

Sophia was grateful that he wasn’t going to push her to explain herself.

Noah walked passed her and disappeared into the lobby. Once the door shut behind him, she leaned against the wall and let out the breath she’d been holding.

She needed a moment alone. She hurried down the hall to the last door on the left and ducked into the bathroom, locking the door behind her.

At the sink, she flipped on the faucet and watched as the water rushed into the drain.

She was going to stay here until she cooled down. Here, she was safe. Here, no one could hurt her. And right now, her fragile, stitched-together heart was in danger of hemorrhaging.

---