AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Soph.” I rush to her, pulling her into my arms. She only relaxes a little before pulling away to kiss me on the cheek.
All of a sudden, the rest of the world fades. The only thing I care about is getting Sophia upstairs and reminding her that she’s mine—forever.
I tangle my fingers through her blonde strands and keep her tucked under my arm. She’s been staying with Dominic ever since my mother’s birthday party, and I’ve hated every second apart from her.
“Don’t worry about Tristan and David. We’ll handle them. You two just stay safe,” Felix says, his eyes on me.
“What about this murder charge?” Sophia asks, her voice small. She glances between the three of us, her eyes wide.
An uncomfortable silence fills the room. We’ve managed to keep this truth from Sophia for long enough. Too long, if you ask Dominic. But I’m just not ready to break it to her yet.
“I’m working on it.” Felix’s voice is gentle. “The photo wasn’t taken the day of Francis’s accident. I know because I took it, a few weeks beforehand. We’d all been together at a family gathering on the beach.”
“So you—you can prove that the timestamp was edited?” The hope in Sophia’s voice almost breaks me. She’s been through so much the past couple weeks. Too much.
Once again, my argument with Dominic weeks earlier comes back to haunt me. I should’ve waited to bring Sophia back into this. If I lose her—if anything happens to her—I’ll never forgive myself. Never.
“I can,” Felix says with a grin. “Put a computer under my hands, and I can make her do anything I please.”
Dominic snorts. “Notice how he said her. He’s so touch-starved that he’s turning to technology for love.”
With a playful show of his middle finger, Felix says, “Here’s the thing. Women can play you—computers can’t. Maybe you should give them a try.”
That shuts Dominic up. His face darkens, and he clenches his jaw. Felix may be close with Dominic, but that was still a low blow.
Not too long ago, Dom had walked in on his girlfriend fucking another man. He’d been head over heels. About to propose, even. Just to find out that the supposed love of his life was only using him to get to a colleague. A few months have passed, but it’s pretty obvious that Dominic isn’t over it yet.
“Shit, man. I’m sorry. It was too soon.”
Dominic shakes his head, waving off Felix’s apology. “Forget about it. Have you set a date with Willow? We need more intel.”
“This weekend. Supposedly David is leaving town for a few days. It gives me the best chance to hack into his security system and snoop around without getting caught.”
Dominic frowns. It’s a long time to wait, considering David attacked Brooke, and Tristan is trying to get me in prison. Who knows what else they have up their sleeves? But Felix getting caught—that’s a risk none of us are willing to take.
“Fill me in on the details later,” I say, slipping my hand into Sophia’s. I tug, and she follows me out of the room with only a moment of hesitation.
Once we’re in my bedroom, I lock the door. “Felix swept the house and found a couple bugs. We can speak freely now. And you can move back in.”
She looks at me silently, still tense. Understandably. Stepping toward me, her fingers twist into my hoodie. “Are you okay? Can Felix really fix this?”
I place my hands on her shoulders, gazing down at her. Worry has her brows furrowed, her lips pressed together tightly. I can’t have that. “I told you, little bird. We’ll be okay. Just trust me.”
She lets out a small sigh, slipping her arms around my waist. Electricity shoots through me as she rests her forehead against my chest. One touch from this woman, no matter how small, sends me reeling.
Even though I know Tristan forced her into that kiss, I still hated watching it. Yet I did—I watched it over and over again, each time my fury rising a little bit more.
That man is disgusting, and he had his hands all over Sophia. His lips had touched hers, in what had been way too long of a kiss. The bastard had enjoyed it. Enjoyed her.
He’s going to pay. But right now, I have Sophia pressed against me. Clinging to me. And what I need—what we both need—is us.
So I lift her chin with two fingers and press my lips against hers. The involuntary moan that sounds in her throat sends another jolt of electricity through me. I deepen our kiss, capturing all of her attention, all of her desires.
She’s mine, and I need to prove it. To her. To myself.
“Xander,” she whispers, so softly it makes me lose every ounce of self control.
One moment, my lips are moving against hers, tasting as much of her as I can. The next, she’s on the bed, under me, while I tear off her clothes.
