Paradise Found: Cain (Paradise #2)(35)

Hiding out from Sophie, I’d been gone for nearly a week. I was afraid to continue to let her get too close to me, and yet yearned for the nearness of her body. I didn’t trust myself around her. The phone had been in my hand several times, tempting me to contact her, but I didn’t know what to say. I’d never been in this position before, feeling like I wanted to talk with someone, feeling like I wanted to return to one woman. But it wasn’t just one woman; it was Sofie. She was the calm for me, and I craved her like no other. Kursch informed her I went to Vegas; the fight wasn’t a secret. As I knew women loved to argue about a lack of communication, I braced myself for her upset when I returned.

I found Sofie was in her room. Kursch had stayed behind to keep an eye on her. He’d also done my dirty work by telling her where I had gone. I wasn’t convinced she was safe without me, but I had to get away from her. Hope was rising and it was a dangerous prospect. I was getting too close. Not to mention, she had pushed me away the week before. I’d fought hard, winning my fight, expelling my anger at her rejection. My fist rose to knock on her door, when I heard her soft voice talking to someone. The door was slightly ajar, so I pushed it gently forward. I stilled at the tenderness in her voice.

“No, no, I’m fine. Honest, Jacob.” Pause.

Who the f*ck was Jacob?

She was facing toward the window. One arm wrapped around her middle while the other balanced upward to cradle her phone. Her chestnut colored hair was swept up in a familiar messy twist.

“Don’t be silly. You don’t need to do that. I’ll be alright.” Pause.

Her forehead pressed against the cool glass before her.

“No, you don’t need to send me money. I’m good.” Pause.

Her body straightened.

“No, don’t come out here. I’ll be seeing you soon anyway.”

Her shoulders slumped as if she was sad she wasn’t seeing this Jacob sooner.

“I promise. I’m good. I’ll be fine.”

He must have said something to lighten her mood because she chuckled softly. My heart pinched that someone else had calmed her fears. I didn’t like that someone else was soothing her burden.

“God, I love you, Jacob,” she laughed softly.

The punch to my stomach was so sudden the wind knocked out of me, even though I stood upright. Attempting to suck in air, the sound was audible enough that Sofie spun to face me. She caught me in her doorway with a glare. Wide-eyed, I returned her stare.

She loved him? She loved Jacob.

“I need to go,” she said quietly into the phone. “I’ll call you when I get there.”

She clicked off the phone and we glowered at one another.

“Where are you going?” I demanded.

“I have to work,” she huffed.

“I didn’t realize you still had a job,” I answered, irritated.

“I work at the vineyard. Remember?” she mocked. She stepped toward her bed, which I noticed was covered with clothing, as if she was sorting items, as if she were packing.

“What are you doing?” I tried to hold at bay the panic in my heart.

“I’m packing. For work. At the vineyard.” She emphasized each phrase patronizingly.

“Oh, will Jacob be there?” I snapped. If it weren’t for the roughness of my tone, I sounded like a petulant teenager. Her eyes narrowed as she glared at me.

“Are you …” Her mouth fell open in surprise. “Don’t you even dare go there with me,” she added, as her teeth clenched in disgust with her final word.

“Don’t go where with you?” I said, stepping forward into the room. Her hands busied as she hastily folded clothes and threw them into a bag.

“I’m not doing this with you,” she said, focusing on the suitcase before her, not even bothering to fold items, but rapidly rolling clothing, then shoving it into the case.

“Doing what? I’ve been gone a week and I come home to find my…to find you telling another man you love him,” I growled.

“Another …” Her face turned so pink she didn’t finish the sentence. “How dare you? I’m not the one who slunk out of my bed, then ran off to Vegas to be with his whatever you call her!” she yelled in my direction, waving her arms upward for emphasis.

“My whatever?” I shouted in return.

“Your Malinda,” she snapped.

“My … She’s no one.”

“You’re lying,” she stammered.

“She’s …” I began but she interrupted me.

“Oh, wait, I forgot. You’re the illustrious Cobra. No single mate for you. No commitment or attachments for Cain Callahan. Oh, no, you’re free to snake around where you please!” She huffed, tossing a final item into the bag and angrily zipping it up, struggling as she yanked on the tab.

“No single mate. What the f*ck are you taking about? I’m not single.”

Her hand stilled.

“What?” she growled.

“I’m…” Shit. I ran a hand over my hair, then scrubbed it down my face.

She stepped around the bed into my space, coming so close; it could have been intimate, if she wished to kiss me. However, the look on her face was anything but intimate.

“You’re what?” she growled again, her hands clenching at her sides.