Page 42 of Recklessly You
I made a left at a hole-in-the-wall burger place that Dominic and I discovered years ago. Sophie’s been awfully quiet since my jealous rampage. Maybe I had no right to claim her as mine when, in reality, she isn’t. But seeing another man want her…an unexpected surge of jealousy ripped through me. I’m possessive of her, wanting her to myself. When I asked her if she wanted to end this, I swallowed the fear that crept up the back of my throat.
The night at her place plays on repeat in my head. Sophie warming dinner for me, Sophie’s attentiveness as she massaged my sore muscles, her soft hand caressing my hair with affection as if we’ve done this a million times, her body tangled in mine all night, the warmth of her body seeping into my flesh. As she lay on my chest, her blonde hair cascading around me. Unfamiliar sensations coursed through my body as I awoke to the warm embrace of another person in my arms. Never before had I awakened with someone snuggled so close. Anxiety raced through my veins.
Deep down, I liked it, which scares the shit out of me. But I know she is never mine to keep, so selfishly, I’ll take what I can—what she will give me. I know I’ll never experience this again, and when we go our separate ways, I’ll have something to remember her by. The ghost of my past will always anchor me down like the abyss of the dark sea. I have no right to give away my cold, dark heart, let alone to fall in love, so I shackled it down years ago, carrying the weight as a reminder of the night part of me died.
Parking the SUV, I glance at Sophie. She’s staring out the front window, chewing on her perfect red lips.
“Are you pissed at me?” I ask.
She turns to look at me, her eyes sparkling in the sunlight. “No. Why?”
“You’ve been quiet the whole time.”
Her lips curve into a smile. “I was just giving you time to cool down. You scared the shit out of Mufasa. And all the other guys.” She shakes her head and laughs. “First it was mothballs, followed by Chad-der cheese, and now my clients.” She reels off, as she shimmies her black leather skirt down from riding up her toned legs.
I shrug. “I go for what I want, and what I want is you.”
Sophie’s head jolts up to look at me with a wandering gaze. She sighs. “Liam, you’re impossible to understand.”
Our shared stare feels like it lasts a lifetime, even though it’s only for a few moments. Sophie scrutinizes me like she can tell what I’m thinking, like she can see right through me. She’s the first to break our stare. Before I can ask who mothball guy was, she nods, maybe to herself, before getting out of the SUV.
While in line, I gently tuck a strand of hair from her ponytail that has fallen to the side of her face behind her ear. She glances away from the menu to meet my gaze with an expression full of joy. Sophie’s smile is like a ray of light in the middle of a dark cloud. The way her tight skirt emphasizes her curves, and the sky-blue off-the-shoulder blouse makes her look stunning.
Maybe we should take the food to-go, head to my place. That way, I could trace my tongue along her soft, ivory-skinned shoulders, connecting the dots of her light brown freckles. My cock hardens at the thought. I haven’t seen her in three days, and it feels like a lifetime.
She reaches for my hand, intertwining our fingers as if we’re lovers. She does it mindlessly. Staring at our intertwined hands, I relish how she molds into one. An unfamiliar feeling rattles my chest. I said I’d take anything she gives, but Sophiewillbe the death of me.
Those lips curve ever so slightly as she goes up on tiptoes to reach my height. She brings her free hand up to my jaw then whispers, “You look so damn hot in your uniform.” She steps back, tilting her head back to look at my ass, our hands still intact and bites her lip. She lowers her heels to the floor, but her hot breath still rushes across my neck. “Uh-huh, just like I expected, your ass makes those uniform bottoms look hot. I had a fantasy of you fucking me in your uniform,” she says in a sultry voice.
My eyebrows jog up, and I choke on my spit while laughing. “Good to know,” I manage to say in between each choked laugh. I squeeze her hand.
I take in the bustling crowd in the tiny restaurant. The owners painted the place in a variety of hues and provided bumper stickers so patrons could paste them on the walls, giving it a distinctive appearance.
Once they call our order, I walk toward Sophie, who is waiting at a table tucked in a corner. I lean in and whisper in her ear, “Maybe we should take this back to my place or yours so I can make your fantasy a reality.”
The air and the surrounding noise evaporate as if we’re alone in the room. My heart gallops in my chest as her lust-filled gaze rakes over me. Sophie inhales deeply, allowing her lungs to fill with air before she exhales, the breath leaving her body. The pulsing vein on her neck manifests how much she wants me. I now realize I’m obsessed with her, with anything Sophie. Her eyelashes flutter, but she doesn’t break her gaze. My cock swells. She bites her lip, something I’ve noticed she does when she’s nervous or turned on.
“As much as I would like to say, ‘Hell, yeah,’ I have to get back to work. I’m booked with clients. Mila left to go home early. She wasn’t feeling well. Can I get a rain check?” she pouts.
I give her a charming grin as I pull our food out of the bags. “Sure, how about tonight?” I ask, sounding desperate to be close to her.
Fuck me.
I pop a fry in my mouth and pass Sophie her burger and fries.
“Sounds good to me, Officer,” she says flirtatiously, just before her eyes widen at the sight of the amount of food.
It’s really not much. I can see the gears grinding in her head, just like they did that night at the coffee shop.
“This is a lot of food. The burgers are huge.”
I grab her burger, unwrap it for her, and pass her a side of pickles. “They’re not that big, baby, and I got you extra pickles. I even got two burgers for myself. This is how small they are.” I mean, they’re not small or too big, just in between.
Her head tilts and her eyes soften. “You…you got me extra pickles. How did you know?” she croaks, as if the gesture is too much for her. It makes me wonder if her asshole ex treated her like shit. Maybe he never did anything kind for her.
“Yeah, the day I saw you at the restaurant, I noticed you had extra pickles.” I shrug it off as if it’s no big deal and unwrap my first burger. The hot steam of the burger wafts in the air, making my mouth water. The juices from the burger run down with two thick beef patties settled onto the hot bun, topped by a layer of oozing melted cheese, thick strips of bacon, and a pile of shredded lettuce, tomato slices, and jalapeños. I like my food to be extra spicy. When I was a kid, my dad once told me chile would put extra hair on my chest, adding that we all need some spice in our life.
Well, I have a spicy woman right in front of me who is looking at me like I hung the moon by giving her a side of pickles. Taking a bite, I then groan. Damn, it’s good. I don’t know what they put into seasoning the meat, but it’s good.
