Page 39 of Captured Pawn
The realization was only made worse as I acknowledged how perfect she felt lying in my lap, her head on my shoulder. I recognized the signs… she was in something close to sub-drop. Only instead of an intense sexual session, she’d faced an intense and stressful experience in her first break-in. Now that the mission was over and the adrenaline had left her body, she’d dropped.
Luckily, I had just the thing to help. Reaching to the front pocket of my backpack, I pulled out a protein bar. When she didn’t take it from me, I unwrapped it and broke off a bite-sized piece.
“Open.” I ordered, holding the bite to her mouth.
“Not hungry,” she mumbled.
“I didn’t ask if you were hungry. I said open and eat.”
“I see bossy Nick is back,” she said softly. I couldn’t see her features in the dark of the van, but I could hear the smile I knew I’d find on her beautiful face if I could see.
“Bossy Nick never left. He’s just smart enough to defer to an expert when he needs to.”
I could have stopped there, but since I wasn’t sure how much more time I might get before she left my life for good, I didn’t hold back. After she took the bite, I added, “You were absolutely remarkable tonight, Sophie. Truly, I’m positive no one else could have done what you did in that panic room, and I can’t thank you enough. I know you’re still struggling with your decision but know this… you have real skills.”
“Yeah, some skills. Breaking and entering.”
I hated the self-loathing I heard in her voice.
“Hey, don’t you dare put yourself down. That might be one description for what happened tonight, but it’s not as cut and dry as that. And anyway, there are tons of things you can do with those skills that don’t involve breaking the law.”
“I have a job—the security shop—at least I did. If I don’t get back and reopen soon, I may lose that too.”
“I’m not gonna let that happen. Now that I have what I need, I only need a day or two more and you’ll be able to go home.”
I’d thought that news would make her happy, but instead she remained silent.
We’d spent almost every minute of the last two days together, working closely, talking nonstop about the details of the mission. Along the way, we’d shared some of our favorite stories of our time with Matt. We’d laughed. She’d cried. We’d bonded.
Now that the mission was over, it felt like we had nothing else left to talk about and I hated it. Under normal circumstances, I didn’t really care to have deep conversations with women anyway, but there was nothing normal about my relationship with Sophie Locke.
By the time Stevie pulled up to the gate of the Knight estate, Sophie had fallen asleep in my arms, her head on my shoulder. Neither of us had gotten much sleep the night before so I was sure she was exhausted.
When Pops opened the back doors for us to exit, I had to push down the temptation to stay where we were, with her in my arms. Everything about the idea was irrational.
I gently shook her while whispering, “Hey, wake up, sleepyhead. We’re home.”
Only after the words left my mouth did I realize how much I hated that this wasn’t her home. I reminded myself she was a visitor. Hell, an unwilling one at that.
Sophie unwrapped herself from my lap, stretching as she climbed out the back of the van before me. Pops and Stevie had taken the spoils of our mission inside to the security office, leaving us alone, awkwardly milling about in the driveway.
The old Nick would have been barking orders at the old Sophie, but something had changed between us tonight. I had a newfound admiration for her strength and talents that prevented me from treating her like the kid sister Matt had tried to make her out to be.
“Matt was wrong about you,” I finally offered.
“Oh? In what way?”
“He thought you were still just his kid sister.”
“But wasn’t I?”
“There’s nothing childish about you, Sophie.” My hardening cock agreed wholeheartedly.
I knew I should go before I said something stupid.
“I guess I’ll go up to bed then,” she finally offered.
“Good… I’m sure you’re tired.” I paused before adding, “Night then.” With nothing left to say, I turned in the direction of the walkway that would lead to my beach house, proud of my self-restraint.
