Page 16 of Tinder Embrace
I shrugged, reluctant to give her more ammo to tease me with. "Lewis and I are friends from way back."
"He's such a nice guy. You're lucky I'm allergic to horses, or I would have snapped up his auction package in a heartbeat."
"Sure.Lucky," I mumbled.
She'd have to bust out the pliers and car battery with nipple clamps to get me to admit that my words were a thousand percent true. I was lucky she'd bid on me in the town's bachelor auction. Spending an afternoon with Sophie and my kitten crew had been no hardship. I still hadn't quite forgiven Jo for putting me in the bachelor auction to begin with. Only Sophie bidding and winning had made it bearable.
"So, your dad decided to retire, and that's what brought you back into the brewery fold?" Sophie probed.
"Yes."
"Hm… you've made me curious. What about working as a vet tech gave a big, strong man like you the Sunday Scaries?"
I sighed, taking another bite and chewing slowly before I answered, "Anger, sadness, depression. They used to be my norm on Sundays. Some of my medical cases were rough." I shook my head, trying to dispel the memories. "People can be cruel. I had one kitten who had been deliberately dunked in scalding water with second-degree burns over much of her body." I unclenched my jaw. "Monsters."
Sophie extended a hand, her pinky nudging mine. "I hate it when the helpless are abused. I've had more than one CPS referral in my career, and I agonize over each one, wondering if I’m doing the right thing or not."
An aura of gloom settled over the table. I regretted sharing so much. I doubted I'd made Sophie feel any better about going to work tomorrow. Instead, I'd dredged up bad memories for both of us. We finished dinner in silence.
"Go relax," I urged. "I'll clean up in here. You cooked."
"If you insist," Sophie said with a grin.
When I'd finished putting our dishes in the dishwasher and wiping down the counters, I grabbed a fresh ice pack from the freezer. "Here," I said as I dropped down on the couch.
She smiled her thanks, and the impact of that simple twist of her lips nearly sent me scurrying from the room like a coward.
Because I was.
Every minute I spent with Sophie drew me in deeper. She could easily reach inside me and rip my heart out. Probably with her trademark grin intact.
She looked pleased that I’d joined her, and I tried not to let that matter. I should have escaped to my room, or maybe back to my office. ButSophie was impossible to ignore. Keeping my distance grew harder and harder every minute, even if it seemed essential to my survival.
She'd ditched her sweatshirt and jeans, changing into soft sweatpants and a flannel open over one of those camisole-top things Jo liked. She looked both cuddly and comfortable.
"We can watch something else if you want," Sophie offered, gesturing to her show, which seemed to feature a good-looking couple in intense conversation.
I grunted. No way I was going to be able to focus with her so close anyway.
She wrinkled her nose. "Is it a good or bad thing that I think I'm learning to decipher your grunts? Use your words, Davis."
"This is fine."
Her brows arched. "Are you sure you don’t want me to change it? It's about to get interesting…"
"How?"
She shimmied her shoulders. "They're going to do the hippity-dippity."
I shifted on the couch, instantly regretting the move when Sophie sank further into the cushions. Intome. She snuggled into my shoulder with a quick glance from beneath her lashes, a secretive smile on her lips, as if encouraging her to cuddle had been my motive all along. It was enough to make me forget her words.
I turned back to the screen to see the male lead ruck up his co-star's skirt. He dropped to his knees in front of her, stroking slowly up her ankles. The camera caught his rakish grin as his fingers wrapped around the woman's buttocks, pulling her toward his mouth. Panties kept her decent, but the way the camera caught her expression of bliss, it left watchers with a clear impression of how her partner was pleasuring her.
Sophie's hand slipped to my knee, gripping tightly as the couple on screen enjoyed themselves.
"What are we watching?" I forced out.
"I warned you," Sophie murmured, eyes glued to the screen. "What did you think the hippity-dippity was?"
