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“So, you thought you’d try to do the same thing?”
She didn’t add that it had been at Salvatore’s insistence.
“I was joking, Sofia.” His voice was a little sharp and then he swore softly, looking away from her. Why was he so annoyed? Hadn’t her reasoning been obvious?
Unless…
Unless…
Was it possible he was offended because he thought the only reason she’d come out here was because she was attracted to him? And that he was attracted to her? Was it possible that he’d thought being here, alone, sharing a tent, meant they’d…
It wasn’t just her cheeks that felt warm now, but her whole entire body. Warm and gooey and weak in vital places like at her knees and between her shoulder blades, so her head rolled forward a little and she was staring at the ground.
“What…did you think?” she asked softly, and when he didn’t answer, she reached up and put her hand on his shoulder, simply to draw his attention back to her.
Simply? Oh, there was nothing simple about it.
His hand moved lightning fast, closing over hers and drawing it down between them, so the same deluge of heat and spark that had ignited in her bloodstream exploded now. All the more so, because they were completely alone.
“I thought it might have had a little something to do with this. I suppose I should be relieved that’s not the case. My life is complicated enough right now.”
It was a moment of truth. A moment to be honest and face the consequences of that honesty, or to run and hide because how he made her feel was utterly terrifying. In every single circumstance that bore any resemblance to this, she would have chosen the latter.
She hated being overwhelmed by emotion, she hated the thought of being controlled by need and desire.
But whether it was the man before her or the surroundings they found themselves in, honesty seemed to force its way through her veins. She made herself meet his gaze, and held it, and slowly, she nodded. “I wish that were true,” she said, quietly. Because this was complicated like he’d said, and she didn’t do complicated. And even though it hurt, she pulled at her hand, freeing it from his grip. She was instantly cold. “It’s just…easier to focus on the business side of things, don’t you think?”
His Adam’s apple shifted as he swallowed, and then, he was nodding, but it was a gruff, uncertain movement. “Yeah,” he said after a beat. “Sure. It’s much easier.”
Sofia was pretty sure they both knew they were lying.
CHAPTER THREE
HE WAS GOING TO KILL Salvatore. Not slowly, either. He was going to strangle the other man of his last breath, Ares reassured himself, as he lay on his back staring up at the tent’s top, doing absolutely everything he could not to think about the woman in the sleeping bag beside him.
The whole evening had been an exercise in restraint.
In determination.
In knowing his boundaries.
In acknowledging that he was most definitely still in a place in his life where the only woman he’d be with would be a rebound thing, akin to using her because the stuff with Louisa had all happened about three seconds ago. And while he knew their relationship was over, that didn’t mean he was ready to start thinking about anyone else.
But the physical aspect of a relationship was something else entirely. At least, it was to Ares, and he could definitely imagine losing himself in Sofia for a while. In letting himself feel…good. Just simple, uncomplicated good.
Only, it wouldn’t last for long.
He wasn’t a man who was comfortable with that kind of situation, generally. It seemed disrespectful and tawdry. Besides, there was always the risk of press exposure, and that was the last thing he needed right now. For some woman to sell her story to the papers, to make a quick buck.
At least Sofia wasn’t likely to do that. Not only was she wealthy, she was a part of the Santoros. Not biologically, but in all the ways that mattered. He knew, at least, that she was trustworthy.
But that was a greater obstacle anyway. She was part of the Santoros, a family he respected and loved. A family he’d welcomed to the palace, over the years, like his own family.
There was no way they’d forgive him for stuffing Sofia around.
Given that he wasn’t in a place to offer more than a few nights in a makeshift camp bed, then to hell with it. He had no choice but to put her out of his mind. Which might have been easier to accomplish if it weren’t for the fact that he could turn his head the smallest amount and watch her sleep. Watch the steady rise and fall of her breasts as she breathed, listen to the sound of her soft exhalations. Imagine the way her breath would feel on his neck, if she were to kiss him there.
He swore quietly.
