Paradise Found: Cain (Paradise #2)(53)

My palms sweated with uncustomary nerves. To my surprise, she hadn’t served me with divorce papers. With no response from my repeated attempts to communicate with her, all I had were assumptions. Assuming she hadn’t filed. Assuming she thought I finally did. I wanted to reach for her, pull her to me, and never let her go. The truth was, I didn’t want to let her go. I didn’t know how to make things right, but I didn’t want her to walk away from me forever. I didn’t know how to rectify the sins of my father.

It felt strange to offer her only my hand in greeting, after all that had passed. It wouldn’t have felt right to hold her hand, so I did nothing. I stood there, wiping my palms on my jeans, attempting to hold her eyes instead. She looked away almost instantly.

I stepped forward and shook the hand of my brother instead.

“So happy you could be here,” I said. “Thank you,” I exhaled, emphasizing that I owed him. Next, I opened my arms for Elma, who stepped into them for a brief hug. We’d come to an understanding long ago, and once Abel got his head out of his ass in regards to Elma and me, it became more comfortable to hug her. I stopped short again when it came to Sofie.

“I’m so happy you’re here,” I said, my voice cracking suddenly, and I coughed to cover the embarrassment of the sound. She smiled weakly at me, a smile I missed but wasn’t quite the smile I remembered from her.

“Let me show you around.” I motioned for them to exit my office. The party was in full swing with sponsors and some of my boys. I was selective about who I’d train specifically, but there was an open membership to the gym available. I wanted those boys who needed a new path. Foster kids; those with a past. My newest recruit was Malik Rutgers, a nineteen-year-old without a history, but definitely a past.

I guided Sofie through the crowd, surprised that she allowed my hand to rest on her lower back. It was a statement, warning those eager young eyes, who were checking her out, that she was with me. It was also a moment of relief when she didn’t flinch away from my touch. We’d had no contact for forty f*cking long days.

When she left me at my father’s home, she was gone almost instantly. That traitor, Kursch, wouldn’t let me near her and he helped her escape. He’d gotten to know her better, while she stayed in our home, each time I returned to Vegas. A friendship was formed that made him loyal to her as a protector, despite being my bodyguard and assistant. She didn’t return any of my calls and reached the point of disconnecting her phone. She’d returned to her apartment, albeit small and unsafe in my opinion. I took long rides on my bike, making certain to drive by her place, after putting in long days to finish the gym.

She remained silent toward me as I introduced her to people. As our marriage wasn’t officially leaked to the press, she was just some girl on my arm the few times we were spotted. I didn’t want to splash her all over the media. I wanted to keep her to myself, until we were better settled. Before I knew it, I’d lost her again. In many ways, I was surprised my father didn’t know of our relationship earlier, but then again, he knew enough to attempt to destroy us, by destroying her. Letting her know of his past connection with her parents was Sofie’s undoing, and an evil I never expected, even from my old man.

“The place is really impressive,” she said, interrupting my thoughts of placing my hands on other parts of her body. I led her over to a table filled with sports drinks and pasta dishes. My hands slipped into my jeans after releasing her, so as not to be tempted to press her to me. The attraction to her was so real, the need made me tremble, which was an unfamiliar sensation. It was more than desire that shook through me. Seeing her again confirmed what my heart already knew: I loved her.

“You look beautiful,” I blurted, staring at the way her dark hair hung over her shoulders and her blue eyes glistened.

“Cain,” she warned subtly. I wanted to argue, assure her I meant it, but I could tell by the way her eyes shifted away from me, that she didn’t trust me. Even with a compliment, she didn’t trust me. She brushed some loose curls back over an ear and eyed the gym.

“I like what you did. It seems your vision came to life,” she commented, looking over the open space.

The large warehouse had two practice rings. Behind it was a weight room filled with the latest equipment. As you entered the space, the office was to the left, where Sofie found me. Showers were immediately behind the office. A hallway led to a place I was most proud of making. Asking permission to show her somewhere special, she followed my lead again. We passed the locker rooms. The ones closest to the office were for men, the farthest was the women’s, and beyond that was a designated female workout space. This area was designed for some privacy beyond the chaotic energy of the outer room.

“What’s back there?” Sofie inquired at an additional door marked PRIVATE.

“I’ll show you, but it’s top secret,” I winked, holding my hand on the doorknob for a moment. I knocked once, to make certain any occupants were dressed, and then slipped the door open. Inside was a casual space with two double beds and a flat screen television on the opposite wall. A couch with a small kitchenette and a round café table completed the space. Clothes were spread everywhere, giving the place the look of a hurricane attack.

“What’s this?” she laughed, and I swear my heart punched through my chest. The sound was so lyrical, and I wanted to capture it again, holding it close to the beat beneath my pecs.