Read Online Hard Charger: Jake & Sophia: A Hot Contemporary Romance by Tracy Fobes - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Tracy Fobes
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Sophia.”
“There’s nothing for you to be sorry about.” She pulled her hand gently from his. “They were my choices. I’m in a different place now.”
He wanted to hold her hand again, but held himself back. “What happened?”
“It took me a little longer to finish high school than most,” she revealed slowly, her eyes dark.
“You were ill?” he guessed.
She frowned. “In a way.”
He considered asking for more detail, but something in her face suggested that she’d told him all she planned to. Rather, he simply waited for her to go on.
“Once I graduated, I went to Rowan,” she continued.
“I remember you saying you wanted to go there. Criminal justice, right?”
She nodded. “I worked as a law clerk too, to help pay the bills.”
“Sounds like a heavy schedule.”
“It was.” She looked away then, and her voice became more hesitant. “Eventually I became addicted, Jake, to prescription pain medication. I’m not sure how it even happened. At first I was able to manage everything, but eventually, it all caught up with me. I crashed and burned. Spent three months at a rehab facility.”
Jake kept his expression neutral, but inside he tightened up. He felt nearly sick with regret for her. “Oh, Sophia. I am so very sorry.”
She turned to look at him again, her lips tight, her face all planes and angles in the fading light. “I almost died, Jake. Somehow, though, I managed to get clean. Steve helped.”
He nodded in sudden understanding. So that’s who Steve was—her knight in shining armor, come to save her from the dark pit of addiction. All at once he felt jealous of Steve, and abruptly realized that even if he wanted to, he’d never win her back. The sense of loss was like a knife to his heart.
“I just want to put my life back together,” she continued. “For now, I’m waiting tables at the Mermaid. At some point, though, I want to go back to school.”
He stared at her, at the way the evening light gave her skin a soft, golden glow; at the determination in her gaze and the upright way in which she held herself, and at that moment he knew she’d make it. “I’m impressed, Sophia,” he said gently. “I’m impressed with your strength in beating your addiction, and your courage in admitting to me what happened to you. I especially appreciate your willingness to share this with me. It makes me feel optimistic.”
The smile that she gave him trembled, and he saw the warmth in it. And yet, he still saw a shadow in her eyes, in the way she quickly looked away from him, and he knew she had more secrets she wasn’t telling him. “Let me walk you to your bike,” she said.
They stood, and faced each other awkwardly for a moment, and he felt himself drawn to her, like iron to a magnet. His focus dropped to her pink lips, to the silky curl of her hair that rested on the soft swell of her breast. He wanted take her in his arms then, and kiss her as a man, where once he’d kissed her as a boy. But he knew he couldn’t—she was forbidden. Off-limits now more than ever. So he settled for walking next to her, and breathing her sweet scent in.
They stopped by his bike. She looked at its clean, spare lines and ran one finger over the handlebars. “Forward seating position. Bump seat. Ace bars, swept-back pipes, rear-set foot rest. A small fairing. You’ve got a café racer.” She twitched her eyebrows with appreciation. “A nice one.”
He stared at her with almost comical surprise. “I had no idea you knew anything about bikes.”
“My brother runs the only bike shop in Rockport Grove,” she reminded him, her attention still on the motorcycle. “How could I not know about bikes?”
His appreciation for her growing even more, he smiled. “I converted a 1973 Honda CB450. It took me about a week of working nonstop. Alex supplied me with most of the parts.”
“The Honda
“There’s nothing for you to be sorry about.” She pulled her hand gently from his. “They were my choices. I’m in a different place now.”
He wanted to hold her hand again, but held himself back. “What happened?”
“It took me a little longer to finish high school than most,” she revealed slowly, her eyes dark.
“You were ill?” he guessed.
She frowned. “In a way.”
He considered asking for more detail, but something in her face suggested that she’d told him all she planned to. Rather, he simply waited for her to go on.
“Once I graduated, I went to Rowan,” she continued.
“I remember you saying you wanted to go there. Criminal justice, right?”
She nodded. “I worked as a law clerk too, to help pay the bills.”
“Sounds like a heavy schedule.”
“It was.” She looked away then, and her voice became more hesitant. “Eventually I became addicted, Jake, to prescription pain medication. I’m not sure how it even happened. At first I was able to manage everything, but eventually, it all caught up with me. I crashed and burned. Spent three months at a rehab facility.”
Jake kept his expression neutral, but inside he tightened up. He felt nearly sick with regret for her. “Oh, Sophia. I am so very sorry.”
She turned to look at him again, her lips tight, her face all planes and angles in the fading light. “I almost died, Jake. Somehow, though, I managed to get clean. Steve helped.”
He nodded in sudden understanding. So that’s who Steve was—her knight in shining armor, come to save her from the dark pit of addiction. All at once he felt jealous of Steve, and abruptly realized that even if he wanted to, he’d never win her back. The sense of loss was like a knife to his heart.
“I just want to put my life back together,” she continued. “For now, I’m waiting tables at the Mermaid. At some point, though, I want to go back to school.”
He stared at her, at the way the evening light gave her skin a soft, golden glow; at the determination in her gaze and the upright way in which she held herself, and at that moment he knew she’d make it. “I’m impressed, Sophia,” he said gently. “I’m impressed with your strength in beating your addiction, and your courage in admitting to me what happened to you. I especially appreciate your willingness to share this with me. It makes me feel optimistic.”
The smile that she gave him trembled, and he saw the warmth in it. And yet, he still saw a shadow in her eyes, in the way she quickly looked away from him, and he knew she had more secrets she wasn’t telling him. “Let me walk you to your bike,” she said.
They stood, and faced each other awkwardly for a moment, and he felt himself drawn to her, like iron to a magnet. His focus dropped to her pink lips, to the silky curl of her hair that rested on the soft swell of her breast. He wanted take her in his arms then, and kiss her as a man, where once he’d kissed her as a boy. But he knew he couldn’t—she was forbidden. Off-limits now more than ever. So he settled for walking next to her, and breathing her sweet scent in.
They stopped by his bike. She looked at its clean, spare lines and ran one finger over the handlebars. “Forward seating position. Bump seat. Ace bars, swept-back pipes, rear-set foot rest. A small fairing. You’ve got a café racer.” She twitched her eyebrows with appreciation. “A nice one.”
He stared at her with almost comical surprise. “I had no idea you knew anything about bikes.”
“My brother runs the only bike shop in Rockport Grove,” she reminded him, her attention still on the motorcycle. “How could I not know about bikes?”
His appreciation for her growing even more, he smiled. “I converted a 1973 Honda CB450. It took me about a week of working nonstop. Alex supplied me with most of the parts.”
“The Honda
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