“Our little secret,” he grinned and tapped a finger under her chin. “We won’t tell a soul.”
She laughed gratefully, and then a movement behind him caught her gaze.
Alex. Dark. Menacing. And watchful. A shiver ran down her spine as, for the first time since meeting him, she felt a coldness in him that was capable of freezing her core.
It was covered over almost instantly, smoothed away into a façade of bland disinterest, so that she presumed she’d imagined it.
“Alex. You off, mate?”
He looked at Eric for a long, cold moment, waiting for the urge to punch his friend’s handsome face to subside. And then, behind him was Sophie. Beautiful, treacherous Sophie who controlled his dreams and waking thoughts. Sophie whom he had intended to seduce and pull away from his sister’s home and then discard, who had worked her way into his being and become a necessary component to his existence. She was a drug and yet he was no better nor happier than a heroine addict.
“Soon. I came to say goodnight to Sophie.”
“Right-o. I’ll see you tomorrow. Night, Soph.”
Eric walked down the stairs, whistling a tune, his manner happy. Satisfied?
Possessive fury burned through Alex.
His eyes raked over Sophie from head to toe, pausing on the swell of her breasts that was obvious beneath the flimsy night gown. Had Eric … had he … had they?
Alex banked down on the horrible imagery. He had come to London with the intention of investigating matters, and now he couldn’t bear thinking about Sophie with another man.
It couldn’t be true, because he couldn’t bear it to be.
“Alex? Are you okay?”
“No,” he said honestly. His dark eyes were glowing in his chiselled face, putting Sophie in mind of the darkest night skies.
“What is it?” She moved to him instinctively and lifted a hand to his broad chest. She could feel his heart pounding beneath her touch.
“I need to know.”
Sophie nodded slowly, though she couldn’t fathom what he was talking about. “Need to know what?”
Her face was beautiful; there was no denying it. But it wasn’t just a physical attractiveness that made him stare. It was her manner. So open and genuine, he found it almost impossible to believe that she was undermining his sister. Was it possible Helena and he had erred?
But why had Eric been visiting her so late in the evening? In her bedroom, while she was wearing practically nothing. He swallowed away the bitterness and forced a smile to his face.
“I just met you.”
“Yes,” she agreed, her expression quizzical.
“But I’ve bought companies in the space of hours. I’ve always listened to my instincts.”
Though she had no idea where he was going, Sophie’s heart began to race in her chest. “Yes?”
“And every fibre of my being is telling me that I’ll regret it for the rest of my life if I don’t ask you to marry me.”
The silence pulsed between them, heavy with shock and surprise. “Marry you?” Sophie finally broke it, her voice squeaky in the night air.
“Yes. Marry me.”
Her mouth gaped. She looked down the hallway, as if just remembering where they were. She pulled him into her bedroom and quietly clicked the door closed behind them.
“I’m sorry,” she spoke quietly, and Alex had a surge of panic. She was going to say no, and it would all be over.
He waited silently for her to finish her sentence, but he was far from patient. Inside, he was a ticking bomb.