Page 27 of Sophia & Cameron

Placing her head against his chest so he couldn’t see her face, she muttered under her breath.

“Hey,” Cameron’s soft voice broke the silence, and he shifted back so he could tilt her chin up to meet her eyes.

She closed them and shook her head.

“Red,” he murmured more firmly this time, causing her to finally look at him. “What’s going on?”

An embarrassed laugh escaped her lips, and she shook her head. “I’m such an idiot.”

One side of his mouth quirked upward, but he shook his head, too. Cameron traced the line of her jaw with his knuckle as his eyes took her in. “You’re not an idiot, Red.”

“You don’t have to be nice. I was being an idiot. I was hotheaded, and I didn’t stick around to find out what was really happening. I just…” She pulled back from him. There were a million reasons why she couldn’t stand here and pretend that she wasn’t broken. And she wasn’t about to give him the reason she’d jumped so quickly to assuming he was the villain.

Cameron’s hands remained at her waist even though they weren’t pressed together anymore. His eyes searched hers, and he tilted his head. “Does this mean you’ll give me another chance?”

She cut him a wary look, tempted but knowing it would be a bad idea. She wasn’t in the right headspace, even knowing the truth. This time she took a big enough step away from him to force him to release her. “I don’t date, Cameron. You know that.”

His brows creased. “Why? I told you what happened?—”

Sophia placed a hand on his chest, the temptation to tell him everything hovering just below the surface. She forced a smile and shrugged, deciding it was best to keep everything to herself. “I’m just not interested in something long-term. Don’t think I’m built for it.”

“I don’t believe that.”

Her eyes grew wide at his husky tone. “What?”

“You heard me. If you want me to believe that you’re not craving that sort of connection, you’re going to have to do a lot better than some flippant excuse like that.”

She glowered at him. “You might think you know me, but you have no idea.” Sophia shoved past him, and just as she pushed the front door open, she heard him call out to her.

“I’m going to change your mind, Red.”

Sophia didn’t bother turning back at his words. She simply shut the door behind her and escaped into the safety of her home.

12

Cameron

Why didn’t Sophia want Cameron to know that she’d been betrayed by her boyfriend? It didn’t make sense.

Unless she blamed herself.

But that was ridiculous. She had to know that the jerk’s choices were his own. Sophia was smarter than that.

It had been another week since that conversation had taken place. Sophia wasn’t exactly avoiding him anymore, and if he were honest, he’d admit she was actually opening up to him now—in some ways, at least. Topics that were off-limits related to relationships and dating. When she even sensed that he might bring it up, she walked away.

While he didn’t relish the fact that she opted to ignore what was right in front of her, it wasn’t as bad as it had been when she’d straight-up avoided him. She’d let him in again. He just had to bide his time.

His hands roamed over the horse in front of him as he checked over her body. The animal was in perfect condition. Today he’d be putting her in a pasture with the stallion to gauge her receptiveness. The teasing process shouldn’t take long, and since the male that Mateo had chosen would be breeding with three of the brood mares on this property, the horses were familiar enough with him.

Cameron felt her gaze on him before he even realized she was within his vicinity. He glanced up to find Sophia watching him from where she leaned in the barn doorway. Immediately she looked away and pushed her body from that position before turning and leaving his sight.

A smile tugged at his lips. This was also something that had happened frequently enough to make him believe that she wanted more. She hadn’t taken back her statement regarding her stance on dating, but the way she watched him made it clear she might have jumped the gun on her decision.

It would be so much easier if she’d just let go and let him get close to her again.

He chuckled with a shake of his head.

Sophia returned shortly after, hands in her back pockets. “She ready to go to the pasture with our stallion?”

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