Page 64 of Just One Silver Fox

It might be a booty call, but it was going to be a good one.

In fact, it was going to be one to fill his dreams and fuel his fantasies for the rest of his life. She didn’t need to know that. He slung a backpack over his shoulder with his necessities for the morning, and told himself he’d be headed north again by ten.

Twelve hours of paradise. Period.

Nate rang the buzzer and Sonia let him in right away.

He took the stairs three at a time, not caring what the nosy neighbor thought. He waved for those two shadows, then tapped on Sonia’s door.

He was nervous, which was crazy, but just like the first time, he expected it all to go wrong at the last minute.

Once again, he was surprised when it didn’t. Sonia opened the door and smiled, pleasure lighting her eyes, then stepped back to let him in. It was like a date. He was relieved that they were on the same wavelength. She was wearing the dress she’d worn to the wedding, with those high heels. Her hair was all swingy and looked pink, and she was wearing lipstick. She smelled like that floral perfume, the one that kicked him right in the gut. The fairy lights were on and there were dozens of candles lit. He had time to think that it looked romantic and cozy, welcoming, then Sonia locked the door and backed him into it.

“Hi,” she whispered, then brushed her lips across his, setting his very soul on fire. Nate groaned and locked his arm around her waist, lifting her closer, then kissed her the way he’d been imagining he would ever since she’d called. Sonia leaned into it sooner and more deeply than she had before, opening her mouth to him and slipping her fingers into his hair. He was reminded of a flower opening to the sunlight and his chest tightened at the change in her. She was uninhibited and that was new. He almost dropped the wine when she tangled her tongue with his, but she abruptly stepped back and lifted the bottle from his hand.

Her eyes were sparkling and very blue, her cheeks flushed and her lips a little bit swollen. She surveyed him with admiration and her smile turned mysterious. “Thanks for this.”

“The wine?”

“Tonight.” Her eyes glowed as he presented the sweetheart roses and she took a deep breath of their scent. They were a deep pink and kind of matched her hair. She looked different, so radiant with happiness that it took him a minute to realize that her hair was shorter, too.

“You cut it,” he said when she spun around to put the flowers in a vase. She almost danced across the apartment and he watched hungrily. There was music playing softly, something light and instrumental that went perfectly with the fairy lights. It also disguised any sounds from the other apartments.

“Not me. Lauren.” Sonia tossed her head and her hair shimmered in the light. “And she colored it.”

“Is it pink?” It was hard to be sure in the light.

“A little.” Her smile was mischievous and her eyes danced. “What do you think? I wanted to change it up for the podcast.”

“It looks great. You look great.”

“So do you.”

He was just wearing jeans and a rugby shirt, but Sonia’s dress made him wish he’d worn the suit.

“Are you hungry?” she asked and he shook his head. The last thing he cared about was food. She opened the wine, then poured two glasses, making him think she wasn’t quite as confident as he might have believed. She brought him one glass, and stood in front of him as they toasted each other.

Nate watched her sip, noticing how her lashes swept down to hide her thoughts, how her hand shook just a little. “Are you sure?” he asked.

“You’ve come all this way…”

Nate was resolute. “And I’ll leave if you aren’t sure.”

She gave him an intent look. “I’m sure.” She sipped the wine again, as if uncertain how to proceed.

Maybe talking about what she was trying to hide would help. “Are you going to tell me what the scars are from or should I guess?”

That surprised her. “Don’t you know?”

Nate shook his head, still mystified by them. “You had a part-time job with an incompetent magician?” he suggested, trying for a smile. Sonia shook her head, obviously puzzled. “And he blew the trick of sawing the lady in half. Twice. You really do find the dopes, don’t you?”

She laughed, surprised into it, then sat down hard on a stool, still smiling. “You come up with the craziest stuff.”

He wagged a finger at her. “But you’re smiling.”

She exhaled and nodded. “Yes. Thanks.” She took a breath, then turned her back to him. “Help me with the zipper?”

Nate put down the wine and did as she requested, sliding the zipper down. This time, she showed no hesitation, but flicked her shoulders so the dress spilled to the floor. She turned to face him, holding his gaze. She was wearing the creamy satin bra and panties again, but raised a hand to the front clasp of the bra. She unhooked it and slipped it off, baring her breasts to him, her gaze unswerving. Then she wriggled out of her panties, and tossed them aside.

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