“Nothing really. Just seems like you two shouldn’t be parted again so soon. You know, I have to confess, I followed all your tabloid stories!”
Sophie laughed. “I hope you don’t believe everything you read in those.”
“No, I know better, believe me. But . . . .” She hesitated as she watched her husband gracefully ride a glassine wave.
“What is it?”
“Watch out for the story about you and Conor.”
Sophie’s chest tightened. “What do you mean?” she asked as calmly as she could. Had Patsy seen what happened last night?
“Or Shay or Martin. One of those rags will come up with a story that you’re about to run off with another member of Rogue. Happened to us, so it’s bound to happen to you.”
Looking out to the ocean, Sophie saw Gavin sitting on his borrowed surfboard, bobbing in the water next to Shay and Conor. The three of them seemed happy to simply watch their more experienced friend take on the challenge of the waves.
“I don’t think any of us take those magazines seriously,” Sophie said carefully, still trying to discern whether Patsy was intimating anything more than the obvious.
“Ah, you think that now. Wait until they hit a nerve, hit on something that’s a little too close.”
“Is there something you’re trying to tell me?” Sophie asked, unable to skirt the issue any longer.
Patsy looked taken aback. “No, no. I’m sorry, I hope you didn’t think I was getting at anything about you. I guess I was really talking about myself and the troubles Christian and I have had.”
“Oh . . . I’m sorry to hear that,” Sophie said and gave her a small smile.
“It’s in the past now,” Patsy said.
Sophie waited for Patsy to continue. When it was clear that they would instead share silence, Sophie turned her attention to watching Gavin flop about in the waves. He was a hopeless surfer, and Shay wasn’t much better, although they both seemed to be enjoying their attempts. Conor, on the other hand, was a natural athlete and succeeded in actually getting up on his board a few times.
Eventually both women settled on their bellies as they watched the water. Sophie untied her bikini top and relaxed as the heat drew beads of sweat along the small of her back. She was close to dozing when Patsy startled her by speaking again.
“It was a story that said I had an affair with Scandal’s manager, actually,” she said, her voice flat.
Sophie pulled herself to her elbows so she could look at Patsy. “I don’t understand where they come up with some of these things,” she said with a shake of her head.
“Thing is, there was some truth to it.” Patsy saw Sophie’s look of surprise and laughed. “Oh, not that I had an affair, but I was close friends with him. When the band is in the thick of things, with touring and publicity and everything that goes along with it, sometimes the manager is your connection to your man. So, we got to be friends. We had an . . . emotional bond, you could say.”
Sophie didn’t know how to respond. She let the silence grow between them.
“It was a little too close to the line, really. And the tabloids picked up on that and ran with it. It challenged our marriage.”
It was hard for Sophie to imagine how a person could let that happen to their marriage. But then her attraction to Conor—and his to her—came to mind and she felt renewed guilt. It hadn’t been anything more than a passing moment, though, and she knew that in the end she would always choose Gavin. Youth and inexperience made her quite sure that it all came down to an easy, conscious choice in such matters.
“I can’t imagine how awful it must have been,” Sophie told Patsy for want of anything else to say.
Patsy blinked away the tears in her eyes and forced a smile. “But we did make it through. And we’re great now. Again.”
“It’s so nice to see the way you two are together. You’re a very sweet couple.”
“Thanks. I can say the same about you and Gavin, too.”
“I think it’s Gavin and Christian who make a great couple,” Sophie said and Patsy laughed. “No, I mean it in a way. Christian is a good mentor for him.”
“Yeah. He really is fond of your man. Which is why it’ll break his heart that Gavin can’t surf to save his life!”
Sophie looked up in time to see Gavin slip backward off his surfboard. “Oh, I hope he doesn’t hurt himself!”
“Nah, he’s fine. Christian’s got his eye on him.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
“This is the girl for you. Don’t fuck it up,” Christian said.
The whole gang had assembled at the Noosa Heads Surf Club Bar to catch the sunset on the covered deck. The Club was one story up from the beach and offered a lively spot to drink and enjoy the local scene. They had pushed together four tables and had been there for hours when it was announced that it was karaoke night. After watching a poor showing by several strangers, and emboldened by liquid courage, Sophie and Patsy impulsively jumped up to perform Blondie’s “One Way or Another.” They danced together, giggling as they sang with abandon. Sophie’s hair was loose and she wore a short white sundress that showcased her long tanned legs. The smiles both women wore as they improvised dance moves were contagious.
Gavin and Christian were sitting together, watching their girls give an unintentionally sexy show.
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Gavin said with a laugh.
“You know what I mean. You can be bloody immature sometimes.”
“What the fuck do you expect? I’m all of twenty-one!”
“Yeah, but you’re an old soul. I saw it in you from day one. Don’t know how you got there, but it’s true. Your eyes show it. Your music shows it. You know better than to screw this up.”
Gavin refused to take his eyes off of Sophie even though he felt Christian staring at him. “Come on, what’s all this serious talk about, anyway, Hale? It’s Christmas holiday, after all. Let’s enjoy,” he said.
“Gav, I’m telling you as a friend is all. Rogue is about to fucking explode. You think you’ve seen mayhem? You ain’t seen nothing yet. This album is the real fucking deal.” He laughed and shook his head. “I’m fucking jealous I didn’t write it myself. But I’m telling you this is what is going to send you guys so far over the top you won’t remember what life was like before it.”
“Jesus, I appreciate the support, but think you might be exaggerating a bit?”
“Mate, I’ve been around long enough to recognize ‘it’ and you’ve got just that with this one. You’re going to need something to keep you grounded. And from what I can see, Sophie is it for you.”
Pulling his eyes off Sophie, Gavin finally turned to Christian. “Don’t think for a minute that I don’t know that about her. As much as everyone thinks that last song on the album is romantic bullshit, what she and I have is real.”
“Good,” Christian replied. “And look, no one thinks it’s romantic bullshit, okay?”
Gavin laughed and lifted his pint glass to his friend. “Listen, what do you want to bet Con ends up with not only the blonde there, but her friend as well?” he asked with a sly grin and nodded to where Conor stood in a corner chatting up two women.
“As long as he takes it to their place and not mine, he can have at it.”
As the song ended, Sophie and Patsy bowed in response to the raucous applause and whistles they received. Sophie then hugged Patsy before begging off.
Gavin watched as she walked away, and soon noticed that she turned quite a few heads along the way. He had always known she was a beautiful girl, but he was now realizing she was truly exceptional and would naturally get the attention that went along with that. Understanding this, however, did not make it any easier to accept. As a man, his pride told him not to share her in any way, shape, or form. And so it was a battle between that instinct and his rational intellect over how possessive he could truly be.
~
In the restroom and under the fluorescent lighting Sophie frowne
d at her reflection in the mirror. Out there with the karaoke machine, she had felt free and sexy, but now she mostly felt drunk. She refreshed her lipstick, ran her hand through her hair, and bumped right into Conor as soon as she stepped out of the restroom.
“Sorry,” she said with a placid smile.
Conor broke away from the blonde he had backed up against the wall. “You all right?” he asked.
“Yep,” she said and laughed. “I’m just a little, little, little drunk.”
“Come here, let me get you some water,” he said and took her arm to steady her.
“Um, hello?” Conor’s new friend protested.
“Oh, listen, eh . . . .”
“Natalie,” she replied with a forced smile.
“Just give me a minute, Natalie. My friend needs some attention.”
Sophie slung her arm around Conor’s neck and leaned heavily on him. “Don’t worry, Natalie. Conor is guaranteed to give you a good time—he’s a sure thing!”
“All right, chatty,” Conor said, fighting a smile as he pulled her toward the far end of the bar.
He quickly got the bartender’s attention for a bottle of cold water. He then retook Sophie’s arm and walked her outside of the bar and down onto the cooling sand.
“Drink up, honey. You’ve done a number on yourself.”
She took the water and he watched as she drank half the bottle greedily.
“I don’t know what happened,” Sophie said with awe and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “I only had a few drinks.”
“A few being how many?” Conor asked.
“Um, four, no, five? Maybe six?”
“Sophie Kavanaugh, what were you thinking?”
“I don’t know,” she said simply and with such innocence that he laughed.
“You’re a hell of a cute drunk.”
“Are you going to kiss me now?”
Conor took a step away from her. “No. You didn’t mention that to Gavin, did you?”
“No, silly. I’m not stupid, you know.” She looked wistfully at the bar. “I love him so much. Do you know that? He is the sweetest, most wonderful man and I never, ever want to hurt him.”
Conor nodded. “Drink your water. Sober up a bit so I can go back inside.”
“Oh, yeah. You’ve got Natalie to fuck,” Sophie said and laughed.
“Yes, I’ve got Natalie to fuck. And whoever else I feel like. No guilt-trips from you, miss can’t-hold-her-liquor.”
Sophie grabbed the finger he had playfully shaken at her as he spoke. “Tell me something,” she said. “Do you want me?”
“Stop it, Sophie,” he said without conviction.
Instead of obeying, she wrapped her arms around his neck and looked up at him. “I was wondering if you’re attracted to me, or if you were just lonely and I was convenient.”
Conor watched her for a long silent moment before taking her hands and pushing her away from him. He seemed to waver briefly before finding his answer. “You were just a convenience for a lonely man, honey,” he said softly. “Now, I’ll go find a more suitable form of release.”
“Oh. Okay. Go ahead.” Sophie suddenly sobered. She wasn’t sure what her motives were or what she was expecting, but his response was like being doused by a bucket of cold water.
“You’ll be okay?”
“I am fine. Thanks, Connie.”
He nodded and left her to go back inside the bar.
Sophie downed the rest of the water, took a deep breath, and made her way back inside as well. She found Gavin standing at the bar, surrounded by half a dozen young women. He was chatting amiably with them as he waited for the bartender to refill a tray full of pint glasses.
Winding her way through the women, Sophie wrapped her arms around Gavin’s waist and pressed her face to his shoulder.
“Where you been, darlin’?” he asked, holding her to him.
“Aye, leave off, then, girlie. We were here first,” a woman whined and got the others complaining as well.
“Come, ladies,” Gavin said, his voice raised. “This here is my lovely fiancée. You wouldn’t stand between a man and his true love, would you?”
With reluctance, the crowd broke up.
“Gavin, will you take me home?” Sophie asked quietly.
“What’s wrong, sweet girl?”
“I got drunk.”
“Is that why you made that spectacle of yourself?” he asked.
Sophie pulled away and looked at him. “What do you mean?”
“Dancing with Patsy like that. You know, you turned on half the men in here with that.”
Relaxing, Sophie smiled. “Only half?”
“Funny. Do you really want to go? You seem okay now.”
“Hmm . . . how about we stay for a while, but only if you promise to take me for a swim later. We’ve never been skinny dipping.”
“I do love you, Sophie,” he replied with a grin.
~
Conor took pains to quietly let himself into Christian’s house through the deck. It was after eight in the morning and he had ended up going home not with Natalie, but with a young woman named Sienna. She had been fun, eager, and just the distraction he needed. Now he hoped to slip into his room to sleep it all off.
But as he started past the kitchen, he noticed Sophie peering into the refrigerator. She had already plugged in a waffle maker and had an assortment of breakfast ingredients out on the counter.
“Morning,” he said.
Sophie turned quickly and then smiled at him. “Hi. Have a good night, then?”
He raised his eyebrows. “I did, actually. You going to lecture me on chasing girls again?”
“Nope. Hungry?”
He smiled. “Starved,” he told her.
“If I can get this thing to work,” she said and gestured to the waffle maker, “you’ll be all set.”
He sat down in the corner of the breakfast nook and leaned his head against the window behind him with a yawn. In a half-daze, he watched as she squeezed oranges for fresh juice, sliced strawberries, scrambled eggs, fried bacon, and pressed waffles out of the iron.
“Coffee?” she asked as she placed a full plate and juice before him.
“No, I’m headed straight to bed after this. Thanks, though.”
He took a waffle and stacked eggs, bacon, and strawberries on it. He folded it like a taco and covered the whole thing with maple syrup before quickly devouring it and draining his glass of juice.
“I’m sorry I was a jerk to you last night,” she said.
The apology took him by surprise. “No, you were fine. A bit drunk, but no harm in that,” he said with a smile. He wouldn’t have changed a thing about the night before. Watching her karaoke performance was thoroughly enjoyable, as was the flirty way she acknowledge the attraction he felt for her. Even if she did make the point that she was in love with Gavin. Of course she was. He knew that. And that was why he took the out she had offered by suggesting he had kissed her just because she was convenient. Though, Sophie Kavanaugh was not a girl one wanted simply out of convenience. She was the kind of girl you willingly followed into all kinds of inconvenient situations, as he was only beginning to understand.
“I shouldn’t have said what I did though. I don’t want you to think I’m playing with you.”
“Don’t give it another thought, honey.” He finally noticed that she sat opposite him with nothing but coffee and juice in front of her. “You’re not eating?”
“No. I couldn’t sleep, so I thought I’d get things ready for later. I’ll wait until everyone gets up.”
“Ah, this domesticity suits you. And me, for that matter. Thanks for the trouble of this. Very sweet of you.”
Sophie smiled in response as she arranged her glass and mug on the placemat just so.
Conor stood up and stretched. “Gavin’s a lucky man indeed,” he said before leaning down to quickly kiss her on the cheek.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Sophie woke G
avin early on Christmas morning, anxious for him to unwrap the gift she had sent ahead of time.
But it was Gavin who convinced Sophie to open hers first. She sat in bed, a light blue silk robe loose around her otherwise naked body, and excitedly ripped through the Santa-themed paper on the large, heavy present. It was an exquisitely framed color aquatint by Fauve-era artist Georges Rouault depicting Sainte-Femme kneeling before Christ during The Passion. Sophie was left her speechless for a moment.
“Do you like it?” Gavin asked. “I know you did a paper on this guy, so I thought you’d like it.”
Tears rush to her eyes. He had been paying more attention to her studies than she thought. This wasn’t something he could have easily purchased. He must have spent time and money tracking it down. And the fact that he put aside his own aversion to religion to gift her with this was not lost on her.
“Gavin, this is so perfect. I love it, and I love that you even thought of this for me,” she said and kissed him.
“Seemed appropriate for the holiday, as well,” he said with another laugh.
She smiled and turned her eyes back to the artwork.
“Do you know what his intent was in this? In all of his work?” Sophie asked.
“Tell me, darlin’.”
“He said he wanted to show passion mirrored upon the human face. He painted in the early 1900s, at a time when the world seemed corrupt. But he always believed in spiritual renewal through Catholic faith. So, you are right. It is a perfect Christmas present.”
“Glad you like it.”
“Now, you have to open your present.”
Sophie smiled as she handed the gift to him. It was in a large and meticulously wrapped box.
After a brief struggle to get through the red silk ribbons, Gavin tore the wrapping off and pulled apart the box to reveal a framed piece of sheet music with the original lyrics to “Heroes.”
“Are you fucking with me?” he asked, nearly breathless upon seeing the hand-addressed note in red marker at the top.
Tangled Up In You: A Rogue Series Novel Page 17
