Page 26 of Chilled and Thrilled

BRAM

Before I’ve even opened my eyes, I sense something has changed. It’s not the warm, naked woman curled into my side, her breath ghosting over my chest. Nor is it the ache of my muscles from fucking her senseless last night.

No, the thing that strikes me as most significant, is my sense of resolve.

From the day Sophie started at E&V, I’ve been tormented by my attraction to her, and there was nothing to be done about it. I didn’t realize how heavy the guilt and shame weighed on me until now, when they’re gone.

It won’t be smooth sailing. God knows pursuing this relationship will come with complications, but for the first time in over a year, my problems will be external rather than internal. More often than not, external problems can be handled. Or, at least, they can be set aside to deal with later.

Now, with resolution and hope taking up space inside me that was once filled with miserable self-loathing, I can breathe.

So, as I open my eyes and stare up at the ceiling, savoringthe feeling of Sophie’s skin against mine, and the way she’s wrapped herself around me in her sleep… I’m fucking happy.

“Hmmm,” comes the sleepy mumble from the naked woman in my arms, and I grin, turning to brush my lips over her forehead.

“How do you feel?” I murmur, searching her face for signs of discomfort.

Sophie yawns, the arm banded around my waist tightening. “Hmm, sore, but good. Totally worth it.”

The bedroom is illuminated by the storm’s grayish morning light, and I can tell without checking that a good deal of snow has built up overnight. Getting up to confirm isn’t high on my priority list, however.

A low chuckle shakes my chest, and Sophie opens one eye. “What?”

“I was referring to your head, not your pussy, sweetheart.”

“I totally knew that.”

She didn’t, but I’ll let her get away with it. The newfound urge to give this woman everything and anything she could ever want means Sophie will be getting away with a lot from now on. My heart, which has remained separate from my intimate relationships for a very long time, tugs as my new lover nestles closer to my chest with a sleepy sigh.

What I said to her yesterday, about marrying her, was one hundred percent genuine. In that moment, everything seemed so clear. Feelings this big don’t happen every day. For God’s sake, I’m forty-four years old and this is my first time experiencing them.

I have no intention of letting her go.

Sophie’s fingers trail down to rest on my stomach, making the muscles contract, and my cock—which has been hard since I woke to find my daughter’s best friend naked in my bed—throb.

“Let me feed you,” I murmur, because if I let this go anyfurther, we’ll be lost in each other for hours. Regardless of these new feelings and desires, I haven’t forgotten that only yesterday, she was in the emergency room bleeding from the head. I need to take care of her.

Rolling to the side, I ease my arm out from under her, but all thoughts of leaving this bed are forgotten when I meet a pair of bright green eyes. My heart stalls. “What?” Sophie asks with a nervous giggle, a hand flying to her hair, as if I’m going to be put off by the wildness of her brunette waves.

Blowing out an unsteady laugh, I shake my head. “It just occurred to me that I’ve never been more attracted to someone than I am to you. Not even close.” It’s the truth, and I’m not the least bit hesitant to say it, but if anything, my words make Sophie’s obvious apprehension deepen. “Tell me what you’re thinking?” I ask her quietly, heart in my throat.

One corner of her mouth lifts in a pained half-smile. “You don’t have to say stuff like that. Or the… what you said yesterday. I know I’m not exactly ideal girlfriend material.”

Her words send a hot jolt of anger into my throat. “Who said that to you?” I demand, searching her face as if I’ll find the answer written there.

Sophie stares back at me, bemused. “I—Does it matter?” My look of outrage must answer this, because she sighs. “Nobody said it to me, Bram. But I’m twenty-four and Honor is the only person who hasn’t gotten sick of me in, like, a few months, tops. I’m used to it.”

It’s an effort to loosen the muscles in my jaw enough to speak. “We’ve been working together for over a year now, and while I’m so attracted to you I routinely have to jerk off just to make it through the day, it’s not why we’re in this bed together.”

A little line appears between her eyebrows. “It’s not?”

“No,” I growl, pissed that this needs to be said at all. “Sophie, talking to you is the reason you have this effect on me. I like you. As a person.”

The bedroom is quiet as this sinks in. Then, with a watery little laugh, Sophie shakes her head. “Are you sure?”

Yes. I’m sure.

With a hiss of impatience, I sit up, and Sophie barely has time to squeak in surprise before I’m pulling her over my lap, face down.

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