With one deep thrust, Sophie’s orgasm took hold as her body became tense, and her breath stilled. She clamped down around me, and I braced myself for the inevitable all-consuming wave that crashed through me as I followed right behind her and came. “Fuck.”
I held on to her hips, steadying her as I caught my breath. Sophie’s body trembled above, still shuddering from the explosion of pleasure. Seconds later, she collapsed on top of me, her head on my chest and her heart beating rapidly next to mine. Her breathing slowed and eventually returned to normal, but she didn’t move. I brought my hand up to her head and ran my fingers through her hair as I whispered, “I still can’t believe you left me at the fucking mall.”
“Yeah, that was pretty bad.”
“Pretty bad?” I fussed. “That place was a total nightmare. These two chicks got into a throwdown over a fucking pair of boots.”
“Really?” Sophie asked excitedly as she lifted her head and smiled. “The fights are the best part! I mean, as long as you aren’t actually in one and can just stand back and watch.”
“Are you being serious right now?”
She eased off me and onto the bed, then pulled the covers over herself as she admitted, “The fights are one of the things that make Black Friday so much fun.”
A smile crept across my face. “You do realize you’re an anger management specialist who’s getting kicks out of folks losing their shit over some damn sale, right?”
“I know it’s bad, but I just can’t help it.” Sophie’s voice was riddled with excitement. “Last year, this one girl was trying to get the last Keurig, and this other woman came up behind her and got hold of her hair. She pulled it so hard, there were strands of hair on the floor ... Fake fingernails, too. They started slapping and clawing at each other like wild animals. You should’ve seen it.”
“Sounds intense.”
“Oh, it was, but the fight didn’t last long. The cops came and carried them both off.” Her smile widened as she added, “And I got a really great deal on a Keurig.”
“You got the fucking Keurig?”
“I sure did,” she answered with a proud smile, but that smile quickly faded when she saw the disapproving look on my face. “What? It wasn’t like either of them could’ve bought it. They were headed to jail.”
“True, but that’s all kinds of fucked up.” I leaned over and kissed her on the temple. “Too bad you bolted on me tonight. You could’ve seen a fight or two, and we could’ve finished up things on that list of yours.”
“Yeah, I still have quite a few things to get, but there’s always Cyber Monday.”
“Cyber Monday?” I shook my head. “You know what? Never mind. I don’t wanna know.”
“Suit yourself, but I gotta warn ya. You’re missing out.”
Sophie settled back into the crook of my arm and rested her head on my shoulder. Damn. There was no way I could describe how good it felt to have her in my arms. It was almost scary—like it was too fucking good to be true.
SIX
SOPHIE
I was thrilled when Frankie, Remington, and Delilah asked me to go with them to do some last-minute Christmas shopping. Having been in their company only a couple of times, I was hoping it’d give me a chance to get to know them better. I also hoped I’d be able to find a special Christmas gift for Dalton, but after going through every store in the Opry Mills Mall, I hadn’t seen a thing. With an exasperated sigh, I turned to them and said, “I don’t have a clue what I’m going to get Dalton.”
“He hasn’t given you any hints?” Delilah asked.
“No, not a single one, and any time I ask him about it, he gives me some nonsense about already having everything he wants.”
“I hate it when Zander does that,” Delilah complained. “I can push and push, but he never tells me anything. Last Christmas, I got him a pair of sunglasses and some new boots, but he’s never worn either. Said he didn’t need the new ones and to save them until he did.”
“Noah does that, too!” Remington groaned. “It’s so frustrating.”
“I have to think of something,” I told them. “This is our first Christmas together.”
“I wish I could help, but I’m the world’s worst. Roman is always buying these incredibly perfect gifts for the boys and me, and I end up getting him something stupid like a keychain or a razor.” Frankie shook her head. “But he never gives me the slightest hint about what he really wants.”
We entered a small coffee shop and sat down at one of the back tables. After we placed our orders, I said, “Okay, give me some ideas for this gift. Any ideas. I’m a desperate woman over here.”