Page 66 of The Proposal Pact
“Did you just scare him away with one of your glares?”
“How did you know?”
“People don’t run so fast otherwise.”
“And yet, here you are, still a thorn in my side.”
“That’s because you’re a masochist. You chose this life, now you get to enjoy all the benefits.” She waggles her naked ring finger, and the sight bothers me a whole lot more than it should.
I’m not getting us any rings, so that sight can fuck right off.
“Does your humor get progressively worse the hungrier you get?” I ask.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I wasn’t joking in the slightest—” Her words get cut off when I slide her food in front of her. “Is that a grilled cheese?” Sophie asks, eyeing the wrapped gooey goodness in front of her. “You got me a grilled cheese sandwich?”
“Mm-hmm. You wanted to find one that’s better than your brother’s,” I tell her, unwrapping my own Reuben sandwich.
“Yeah…but…but…you remembered?” She looks at me, stupefied that I did, in fact, remember that little piece of information she shared with me when she was in the station.
“Hard to forget a night like that.” Or any other encounters I’ve had with the woman, but I’ll keep that thought to myself, deciding to just stuff my mouth with food so I’m no longer forced to socialize.
“Thank you,” she says quietly, her grin and sass long forgotten as she sits completely unmovable for a long moment staring at the food, until her delicate fingers unwrap the brown paper and bring the sandwich to her mouth.
Everything inside me relaxes at the sound of her appreciative moan. And then it quickly tightens again…due to that same fucking moan.
“Good?” I ask, my voice a touch too gruff as I chance a glance her way.
Fuck my life…who looks that sexy while eating a damn grilled cheese?
“Theè mou! This is so much better than good!” I can’t take my eyes off her when Sophie takes another large bite of her sandwich and mumbles, “Oh, I’m so going to rub it in Vassar’s face.”
“Glad to hear it.” I go back to my food to pull my stray thoughts into a right direction.
“I think I’m going to have a food orgasm right now,” Sophie announces with another moan.
The bite I just took lodges in my throat, and I nearly choke, coughing. She didnotjust say that.
“You okay, Clover?” Her small hand smacks my back, but there’s no mistaking the tease in her voice. This little menace knew exactly what she was doing.
“How about we eat in peace and quiet from now on?” I ask, still coughing.
“Not a chance.” Sophie grins.
I groan, and so the torturous lunch time continues with her moans and praises for Peace Out diner.
Once we’re done eating, we move together to clean up afterward until we settle back on the couch. There’s no awkwardness, no hesitation. We move around her apartment as if we’ve done it a million times before and it’s quiet unnerving how easy it all seems. And howfar off this already is from what I imagined when I came up with this brilliant plan.
Despite her chaotic personality, she’s quite put-together. And she’s smart. Like brilliant, actually. It comes across in everything she does. From the way she talks to the way she organizes everything.
What seemed like a mess to me in her kitchen before now makes perfect sense with how she’s set it all up. It’s practical and easy and your hands just reach for the right thing without thinking.
The only thing we seem to be polar opposites on so far is the fact that Sophie’s mouth doesn’t seem to shut. Not for a minute, while I’d die a happy man if I never had to talk again in my life, but do you think she’d let me?
Of course not.
Sophie fires question after question at me. And they all start innocently enough. For example, do I prefer dogs or cats, but those questions veer off-course real quick, because she has a million follow up questions, some being rhetorical—but she justneedsto know my take on the matter.
I don’t think I’ve talked this much in all of my years in the Navy combined! Which, funny enough, she never asks about. I’ve mentioned that I served while answering other questions, but Sophie never looked further into it, somehow sensing once again that it's not my favorite topic.
