Bewitching You(16)

“No, I’m house and cat-sitting for her.” She set the glass in front of him and lifted her body up to sit on the butcher block next to the lamps. “Isn’t it strange that you came here tonight? I mean, I don’t live here. I live in Indianapolis with my mother. If you’d shown up here any other time, Nana would’ve opened the door.” She laughed softly and continued. “Not that she would’ve minded having a hunk show up at her house.”

“So you think I’m a hunk?”

Another laugh.

Gray liked the sound of it, a soft, sultry sound. Her laugh reminded him of a certain dream he’d had. Nothing was more exciting than playful sex. For the first time, he allowed himself to wonder if real sex with Sofia would be as thrilling as in his dreams. Now that Rachel was out of the picture, nothing and no one kept him from fantasizing, or acting out his fantasies.

He shot down the whiskey, keeping a keen eye on the fantasy in question. He was free to do whatever the hell he wanted and it felt great. He didn’t have a job or a definite future with a woman. His life plan was a complete joke. Wasn’t it amazing that the world wasn’t falling down around him?

“What are you smiling about?” she asked.

“Sorry. I didn’t realize I was.”

“You don’t have to apologize. I was just curious. It’s the first time I’ve seen you smile, is all. I mean, aside from the dreams.” She lifted her wine glass and sipped.

“I lost my job this morning,” he blurted out.

Again. What was it about this moment here in time with her that made him want to reveal his life story? The good, the bad, and the ugly.

She whistled. “You sure had a heck of a day.” Her body lengthened as she let her feet fall to the floor. She crossed the small distance separating them and poured him another round.

Gray let his gaze roam over her as she stood before him. Her rounded breasts stretched the cotton fabric of the pink top she wore. Her nipples were slightly erect. No apparent bra.

“The day’s getting much better.”

~ * ~

Sofia told herself it didn’t matter that his fiancée was out of the picture. It didn’t matter that he’d apologized and was being somewhat decent. It most definitely did not matter that he was sitting there, staring at her as if she were his last hope. Looking helpless with his tousled hair and the grease mark on his forehead he’d forgotten to wipe clean.

She ignored the desire to sit on his lap and make his bad day a whole lot better. She wasn’t responsible for his happiness and she wasn’t buying his sudden interest in her.

Determined to stay focused, she finished pouring the whiskey into his glass and retreated back to the butcher block, a safe distance away.

“Thanks for the refill.”

“You’re welcome.” Darn. She’d forgotten she’d only invited him in for one drink. How was she going to send a drunken man out into the dark night without a way home? Why should she care?

He didn’t care about her. He’d made it clear that morning in his office and at the restaurant when he’d gotten her fired.

He downed the drink and shoved his hand through his hair. “I really appreciate you letting me come in, Sofia. It says a lot about your character. You’re a kind person, aren’t you?”

Sofia shrugged. “Not everyone is a coldhearted jerk.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted them. The man had already been through enough today.

“Ouch.” He brought his hand up to his heart, covering the smeared handprint.

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be. I was a jerk to you. And I’m sorry. If I could take it all back, I would.”

She let his words soak in. They felt good to hear, she had to admit. But it didn’t change a thing.

With empty glass in hand, he stood to his full six-foot-plus height and stared down at her. Sofia scooted back farther on the block, unsure of his next move. If he wasn’t a man she’d gotten to know in her dreams, she might have been frightened of the lazy, sexual look in his eyes.

Instead, it ignited her. A surge of want dipped low inside, reminding her of what it felt like to make love with this man in her visions. To see him naked, running her fingers across his strong, lean muscles, sweating as he lay on top of her, driving his thick, hard erection inside of her until she—

Stop it, Sofe. She gulped and attempted to gain control. Stop. It. The only reason he was here was because he’d lost everything else. He hadn’t intended to come here. To him, Sofia Good was the last resort. A substitute. A replacement to buffer his hurt pride, his busted ego. The dreaded rebound girl.

Too bad. Because she refused to be anything but someone’s top choice.

To break his stare, she thrust the bottle of whiskey into his gut. “Here.”

He didn’t falter as he slowly took the bottle from her grasp, then finally poured himself another round. “Thanks.” His dimple showed. “You know, this stuff isn’t too bad.”

“Glad you approve.” She tried to avert her gaze but he was too close. And she just couldn’t bring herself to tell him to move away. Not yet. Not when he smelled like the man from her dreams.

She sniffed again, rubbing her nose to cover her actions. The faint hint of musk aftershave and the night air. Despite the grease on his shirt, he smelled clean and…manly. Strong and welcoming.

Damn. Too much like the dreams. Yet the man before her had yet to prove to be anything like her Gray.

He set the bottle on the table, then turned toward her again, not giving her enough space to breathe steadily. The look in his heavy-lidded eyes made her wonder if he might lean in and kiss her…or maybe do more than that. But instead of ravaging her, he simply swiveled and stood beside her, leaning against the butcher block.

He sighed softly and looked down at his glass, swirling the liquid around, thinking about something. Up close, Sofia was even more convinced the man was way too attractive for his own good. For her own good, actually. She wrapped her arms around her belly to keep from reaching out and touching him.

Although she knew exactly how she wanted to run her fingers over his jaw to his chin, up to his powerful lips. Into his hair, ruffling it a bit more to make him look less like an uptight businessman and more like her sexy, kind, happy-go-lucky fantasy man.

The two couldn’t be more opposite…which confused her on a number of levels.

“So,” he said, breaking the silence and startling her. He looked at her from the corner of his eye. “You said you dream of the future? What’s that about?”

Right. That. “Oh, well, yes. Sort of.” She wasn’t exactly prepared for that question. Having hidden that fact from most of the people who came into her life in the past for obvious reasons, she was used to avoiding the subject.

“Sort of?” He turned toward her with a look of interest. The hand that held his glass brushed against her thigh.

Focus, Sofe. Stay strong. “Not sort of. I do dream of the future, but I can change it. Prevent certain things from happening.”

“Things like me?”

“Like murders, accidents, and horrible attacks on innocent people. And yes, I can prevent you from happening.” She dared meet his gaze. His coffee-brown eyes were soft. The dimple on his cheek deepened as he grinned with apparent amusement.

“Have I been so awful that you’ve grouped me with your nightmares?”

“They’re not nightmares. They’re real, and they’re going to happen if I don’t stop them.”

His grin faded to a frown as he brought the glass up to his lips and drank. The remoteness in his eyes returned.

“It’s all right if you don’t believe me. It doesn’t matter what you think of me, now or ever, since I’m going to do you a huge favor and stop those dreams for you. All we need to do is say good-bye right here, right now.”

He set the glass down behind her. “Maybe I should go if you’re done with me, then,” he said, but didn’t budge. His dark gaze searched hers, waiting.

“Maybe you should.” Sofia shot back at him, feeling proud of herself. If only for a moment. “Isn’t that why you’re here? To get rid of me once and for all?”

He chuckled uneasily and shook his head.

“Is something funny?”

“Funny. Ironic. Insane. All of the above.” In a quick move, he was in front of her again, leaning forward and bracing a hand on each side of her.

“What are…” She couldn’t finish the question. His face was so close to hers…his lips just a tongue-lick away. If she were a bolder woman, she’d do just that—stick her tongue out and outline the ridge of his sexy, fierce lips. Yep, a bolder woman might want to do that.

She swallowed. Time literally ticked by as the grandfather clock tick-tocked in the corner. The sound was usually soothing. Now it only emphasized the rapid beating of her heart.