Sophia’s Point of View
I stared at the menu.
“I find you inordinately attractive, Miss Evergreen.”
Those words didn’t want to leave my head. Forget about leaving, they were going to be staying rent free there for a long, long time.
But they also made it impossibly hard to look at Mr Prescott who was sitting right next to me.
The way the diner was structured was such that there were private sections of sorts which had direct views of the empty beach. So Mr Prescott and I were seated next to each other facing the beach and our wonderful dinner set up.
It was open and refreshing but at the same time so private.
I couldn’t remember what I ordered. How could I when I could feel Mr Prescott’s gaze on my skin?
“You look stunning.” Mr Prescott said breaking the silence.
My cheeks burned and my heart seemed eager to leave my chest.
“You chose the dress.” I said softly unable to meet Mr Prescott’s gaze.
Then he touched me.
The pads of his fingers slightly grazed the side of my cheeks travelling down to my neck where my pulse raced beneath his fingertips.
I looked at him. How could I not?
Mr Prescott’s eyes were as dark as night when he spoke.
“Do you know your neck turns this exquisite light pink when you blush?”
I lost the ability to think.
“Reid-” I breathed but before I could voice out whatever I’d intended to say, Mr Prescott removed his hand from my neck.
“I’ll be straightforward,” Mr Prescott said looking me dead in the eye. “I’m attracted to you, Sophia.”
That moment didn’t feel real. It felt like I would blink and we would be back at home sleeping on separate beds, living separate lives together under one roof.
I swallowed hard around the sudden lump in my throat but Mr Prescott wasn’t done yet.
“And I know you are also attracted to me.” He said with so much certainty that for a moment I just stared at him facilitating between surprise and slight irritation at Mr Prescott’s arrogance.
“How are you so sure?” I asked, lifting a questioning eyebrow as though I had no idea what he was talking about.
A slight smile tugged on Mr Prescott’s lips and my eyes followed the movement for far too long.
“You shouldn’t stare at me so much if you don’t want it to be obvious.” He said and I blinked, startled out of my short reverie.
Good gracious, just bury me now. How embarrassing could I be? Was I really such an open book to Mr Prescott?
I looked at him again but this time I didn’t look away. It was time to woman up and name this thing between us.
“So what happens now?” I asked Mr Prescott.
For a moment he stared at me, not hesitating but just staring. That look in his eyes was so distracting that I didn’t know what to do.
Then he spoke and the spell broke.
“We continue to be business partners while exploring this attraction we share.”
“Business partners?” I echoed unable to understand what Mr Prescott meant until I did.
He wanted us to remain partners while ‘exploring the attraction we shared’. He wanted a casual relationship. At that thought, something broke inside me.
I sat straighter in my seat fighting back whatever source of emotion this was that suddenly threatened to bury me.
“I’m not the kind of person who does things like that.” I told him, my voice a level facade hiding my emotions.
Mr Prescott watched me, his expression unchanging.
“Things like what?” He asked
“A no strings attached relationship,” I said, my fingers forming a fist beneath the table, my voice rising steadily. “I can’t do it.”
Mr Prescott tilted his head to the side as though considering my words then he laughed. Freaking laughed. Not sarcastically or derisively, no that might have been easier to stomach, Mr Prescott was genuinely amused.
“You want to be bound to me, Sophia?” He asked, his tone full of incredulousity.
That was the final straw that broke the camel’s back. I was angry, in pain and most of all I was ashamed that I had let myself hope for whatever it was that I had.
“I shouldn’t have come here.” I said standing up to leave before I began to cry in front of Mr Prescott.
But he didn’t let me leave. Mr Prescott caught my wrist using it as leverage to pull me back such that I fell right on top of his lap.
My lips parted in shock, my hand finding purchase on his shoulder. What on earth was he doing?
Mr Prescott met my gaze, any amusement that had been in his gaze far gone.
“We have insane chemistry, Sophia. You don’t love me. There’s a difference.”
His words left his lips gently but they hit me with all the force of a missile because what if he was right?
I had never been in love. Not truly. What I had with Jerry had been a stupid mistake and that was the only experience I had.
What if I was mistaking my attraction to Mr Prescott for love?
“Let me go.” I told Mr Prescott. The sooner I left this place, the sooner I could avoid this new troubling thought.
Mr Prescott smiled and it seemed almost sad.
“But I’m not holding you, Sophia.”
I opened my mouth to protest but he was right. Save from pulling me into his lap, Mr Prescott had not touched me.
It was me with one of my hands on his shoulder, and the other on his hand. It was me fighting back tears at his words while being unable to move away from him.
I felt Mr Prescott tense beneath me, a harsh wince escaping his lips, his eyes momentarily falling shut.
“You shouldn’t look at me like that, Sophia.” He very nearly growled.
Naturally, I kept staring at him.
“Like what?” I asked, my tears finally falling.
“Like you want what I’m offering.” With that, Mr Prescott’s gaze met mine once more before dipping from the tears on my cheeks to my lips.
I could have moved away. I should have. But I didn’t.
Mr Prescott leaned in, his fingers brushing away the tears on one of my cheeks, his lips kissing away the tears on the other.
I sighed or was it a moan? I didn’t know for sure.
Mr Prescott’s hand drifted to the back of my neck, to my ponytail angling me towards him all the while giving me enough time to pull away. To end this.
I didn’t stop him.
Then finally, finally, Mr Prescott’s lips brushed mine and my lips parted eagerly beneath his.
“I hope I’m not intruding.” A masculine voice said shattering that beautifully terrifying moment of surrender and my blood ran cold immediately.
That voice.
Dad?