Read Online Hard Charger: Jake & Sophia: A Hot Contemporary Romance by Tracy Fobes - Free Book Online Page A

wasn’t a bit sorry.
    “No problem.  Do you mind going outside?”
    “Sure.”
    Sophia led the way as they walked through the dining room and outside.  Several chairs and a small gazebo sat on the perfectly cut grass outside the inn, and a few of the inn’s guests were enjoying a glass of wine in the gazebo.  Above, a stunning combination of pink, orange, gray and purple clouds hung near the western horizon, courtesy of the setting sun.
    She walked toward a bench situated beneath an arching lilac tree, and they both sat down.  Then she crossed those long, lithe legs of hers and eyed him expectantly.  “So?”
    He sighed and looked down at his hands.  “As I said...I know I didn’t do right by you.”
    “Please,” she muttered.  “Stop saying that.  That night on the beach was all me, and I wasn’t expecting a marriage proposal afterward.”
    He shook his head.  “I betrayed Alex’s trust.  I shouldn’t have let things go so far between us.  You’re his little sister.  I’m his best friend.”
    “Do you regret it?”
    “Actually, no,” he replied, remembering how she’d clasped her thighs around his hips and rode him lustily, there in the sand. The fact that she’d been off-limits had only seemed to entice him more.  “Not one damned bit.”
    She smiled.  “Me neither.  I still don’t understand why you never called, though.  You never emailed or texted.  You didn’t even send a postcard.”
    “I know.”  He fought the urge to grab her hand, and settled instead for looking deeply into her eyes.  “The night before I’d left for boot camp, I hadn’t been sure if I’d ever be coming back home.  Once I was gone, I felt certain I’d die overseas.  I didn’t contact you because I wanted you to move on.  It would have been selfish for me to ask you to wait.”
    Her smile faded.  “You made a lot of decisions for both of us.  But who am I to complain?  I was just another one of your one night stands.”
    “You were more than that,” he insisted.
    “Really?  What was I, then?”
    “I don’t know.”  Frustrated, he shook his head.  “I just don’t know!  You were different back then, from all the other girls I’d known.  You’re different now.”
    “How?”
    “You affect me in a way no one else ever has.”
    “How?” she asked again.  “Do I make your dick harder than anyone else?”  Before he could reply, she nodded knowingly.  “I see it in your eyes.  It’s all about getting laid, isn’t it?”
    “No—”
    “Spare me,” she said bitterly.  “I’m just forbidden fruit to you.  That’s all it is.”
    He opened his mouth to insist that she was special to him, but then he shut it again.  What reason did she have to trust him?  Instead, he sat back heavily against the bench.  “I know you’re not going to believe anything I say.  I haven’t given you a reason to.  But I still care about you, Sophia.  A lot. I want, I need to know that you’re doing well.”  He paused and thought of her ‘new man,’ the one Alex had mentioned, and his gut twisted.  “Your brother told me you’re with someone new.  I want you to know you have my best wishes.”
    Her eyebrows drew together.  “With someone?” 
    “Yeah, someone who’s steady, smart, and good for you.”
    All at once, her expression cleared.  “Oh, right.  You mean Steve.”
    His mood sunk.  For a moment, he’d thought she was going to deny that she had a boyfriend, but apparently he wasn’t going to get that lucky.  “Alex didn’t mention his name.”
    “Steve,” she said, and her lips curled in a little smile.  He thought he noticed a teasing glint in her eyes, and it puzzled him.
    “How did you meet Steve?”
    She shrugged.  “He’s my Twelve Step sponsor.”
    “Your Twelve Step sponsor...” he repeated slowly.
    “Yeah, that’s right.” 
    He put his hand on hers, then.  “Alex told me you’ve had some hard times over the years.  I’m sorry,