“We always do that. You and the guys always focus on me.” She sighs. “I feel spoiled rotten.”
“Is that how your mouth got so dirty?”
She giggles and kisses me softly. “You all are bad influences.”
Sophie lingers a while longer, kissing me and stroking me, making me feel wanted and right and secure. She tells me how amazing my dedication and morals are. How much she loves me for everything we’ve shared, everything we’ve done together, and everything I am.
It goes right to my heart.
The next day, I take her to an art market uptown that’s better than any gallery. There are sculptures, jewelry, people painting and sketching. Sophie clings to me, a huge smile on her face. She sees a vase and her eyes light up. It looks like it has psychedelic mushrooms growing from it and there are brightly colored frogs as well as snails. She calls it magical and I buy it, not even questioning the price.
Sophie rewards me with a kiss. Of course, as our luck would have it, Neal is at one of the booths, flirting with the hippie girl selling skirts she’s sewn. Sophie doesn’t notice him but does notice a skirt.
She tugs me towards it. “Can you believe she made this? It’s beautiful.”
“It is.” I agree.
She bites her lip as she looks it over, then Neal jumps in. “Sophie?”
Turning, she takes him in, still hugging the vase to her chest. “Oh. Hi. Neal. How have you been?”
“Okay.” His eyes flick to me and quickly away with slight frustration. “I miss you at the office.”
“I’m working from home now. It makes more sense, especially with a stockholder visiting, so my old office can be used for group meetings.”
Of course, she has a perfect reason at the drop of a hat. He nods as if it makes perfect sense. “Still, you were the best part of my day. So levelheaded and smart. Plus beautiful.” He smiles wide.
Oh, he’s fishing. I’m tempted to drag Sophie into a make-out session right here and now. To mark my territory properly. But Sophie just shrugs and turns in my arms. “I’m sure that you have plenty to do. Sounds like I was more of a distraction. Now you can set new records.”
He steps forward. “Sophie … can I borrow you for one minute?”
“Actually, I’m on a date.” She looks up at me and smiles brightly. “A wonderful one.”
I rub down her back and kiss her forehead. She turns to show off the vase and turns away every comment and compliment Neal throws at her. Then she points at another stand and off we go. I arch an eyebrow at him and he withers.
“I hate his flirting.” Sophie snorts. “Just a generic compliment here, self-insert there, none of it subtle or charming.”
I smile slightly. “No, you preferred Italian poured against your skin while you’re being tossed around.”
She blushes fiercely. “Only you guys got away with it. And it was different with each of you. You know that.”
“Oh, I know,” I promise against her neck before pressing a soft kiss. “What about a necklace?”
She looks at a few, then reaches out towards one before drawing her hand back. I roll my eyes. “That necklace and the matching earrings.”
“Roman!” She shakes her head at me. “And you guys wonder why I’m greedy.”
“Bambina, I love supporting artists.”
She insists on us getting something for Nick, and when she sees some ‘fluid’ art, she insists on paying for it herself. We leave with wide smiles and stop by the house to drop everything off. She puts everything in her room, other than the necklace and earrings that she put on immediately.
We go to dinner, come home and make each other dessert.
We get through until Friday when Sophie goes out with some of the girls from work. They invited her to a club and I encouraged her to go. I need to talk with the guys. We sit in the living room and Gunner has already finished a half glass of brandy.
“I’d like to talk about something openly,” I say.
“The shit you been hiding?” Gunner asks, leveling me with a look.