by Lori Foster
“OK.” She would have preferred to stay in the well-lit buffet area with the crowd, but James seemed intent on having a conversation with her in private. Sofia looked around nervously. They were several feet away from the action where the full moon illuminated a night so full of stars that the sky seemed like a black sheet dotted with silver sparkles. She sat down on a double chaise lounge and looked up at the sky. “Just look at the moon and all those stars. They’re glorious!”
Instead of sitting across from her, James sat beside her on the double lounge chair, a little too close for comfort. They ate in companionable silence until Sofia placed her half-empty plate on the small table. Finishing his last bite, James set the plate down. He took hold of her hand and studied her with keen eyes. “Why have you been avoiding me, Sofia?”
“I’ve been busy,” she said, trying not to enjoy his warm, firm grasp. But the way he held her hand nestled in his larger one was too inviting. “Anyway, you’re the one who’s been avoiding me.”
James slowly slid one finger down the length of her cheek and squeezed her chin between his thumb and forefinger. “Come on, honey. We both know that you’ve been hiding out since I kissed you.”
He released her chin, but her skin still felt electrified by his impromptu caress. She had to get a grip on her reactions to him; he was so bluntly sensual that it bordered on outrageous.
She refused to acknowledge what her reaction had been to his bewitching kiss. “I might have missed a few meals in the dining hall, but Daniel mentioned that you might be joining me today in the line-dancing class. When I tried to get your attention, you totally ignored me and left before we could speak.”
Despite the dim lighting, she noticed the blue fire crackling in his eyes. “You had enough men keeping you busy. That type of flirting will only upset Dad and tick me off.”
Taken aback by his possessive tone, Sofia gaped at him. “Daniel knows that I love to dance. He … he encouraged me to take as many classes as I like,” she stammered. “I was just having fun.”
James’s mouth tightened as his sharp gaze pierced her composure. “Doesn’t it bother you that you were fired from your job for the same type of ‘fun’?”
Stung by his accusation, she didn’t reply right away.
He commanded softly, “Answer me.”
“Of course it bothers me!” To her dismay, her eyes welled up with hot tears. “You don’t know how betrayed and humiliated I felt when the doctors’ wives conspired to fire me unfairly.”
James’s harsh expression gentled as he handed her a paper napkin to dry her eyes. “Suppose you tell me about it.”
Sniffling, she quickly wiped away her tears. “It’s a little involved.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“OK. Just give me a minute to calm down.” She took a deep, slow breath, then proceeded. It felt cathartic to finally have her day in court with James. “I worked at a sports medical facility for three years. During the last year there, a new orthopedic doctor joined the other two partners. Dr. Fernandez was overly friendly at first; then later he started paying way too much attention to my clothes, making unprofessional comments about my figure and my looks in general.”
“Why didn’t you report it to the other doctors?”
“Because it wouldn’t have done any good. They’re childhood friends. Initially, Dr. Fernandez only went as far as complimenting me about my appearance. Although I always got an uncomfortable feeling around him, I was naive enough not to imagine that he would go as far as he did,” she said, her stomach twisting with regret at not having left the job sooner. The harsh memories came back vividly and Sofia’s body began to tremble with rage.
“Hey, take it easy.” James rubbed her back in soothing circles. “How far did he go?”
Sofia shuddered and James placed his arm around her shoulder, his large, warm hand stroking the length of her bare arm. “It’s OK, honey. Just tell me.”
Swallowing hard, she nodded. “One evening, I was working late in the office because we had recently added a new network provider. While I was standing at the file cabinet, Dr. Fernandez came up behind me and caught me by surprise.” She almost choked on the next words as the disturbing memory rushed back to torture her. “The vile man put his hands on my breasts and squeezed while he pressed himself against me.”
James’s jaw clenched. “What did you do?”
“I was so shocked, I froze. I was horrified by what he had dared to do to me. When I came to my senses, I put my hands on his and tried to pry them off me.” Her voice cracked. “It was at that precise moment that his wife flung open the door and caught us in the compromising position. Mrs. Fernandez wouldn’t listen to any of my explanations, no matter how much I pleaded with her. She started to scream and called me all kinds of filthy names. I tried to defend myself, but she wouldn’t listen. Dr. Fernandez tried to calm her down with lame excuses, but when she wouldn’t stop ranting, he forcefully pulled her out of the office.” Her eyes stung with fresh tears. “The following morning, I received a phone call from another partner in the medical group, telling me that I was fired.”
Blue eyes hardening with ire, James shook his head. “Why didn’t you sue for sexual harassment?”
“How could I? There were no other witnesses, other than Mrs. Fernandez. She believed her husband’s lies instead of the truth. In one night, she managed to turn the other two doctors’ wives against me with her phone calls telling them that she had caught me holding her husband’s hands over my breasts.” Sofia squeezed her eyes shut to block out the degrading memory as two fat tears slid down her cheeks.
James gently wiped the wetness away from her face with his hands, warming her heart with the tender gesture. “Don’t let them make you cry anymore, Sofia. The other wives were jealous and feeling threatened by you.”
“I’m not the type of woman who cries over everything.” She blew her nose into the napkin. “But I haven’t been able to get a decent job since being fired. That doctor’s office was the only place I’ve worked since graduating from college.”
“You have to fight this. I’ll help you.”
“Why would you want to help me?” she asked, between hiccups. She peeked at him through wet, spiky lashes. “Did Daniel ask you to?”
“No. I haven’t discussed this with anyone. When we get back to Miami, I’m going to sue Dr. Fernandez’s ass. Don’t worry. When I get finished with him, your name will be cleared.” James tilted up her chin and held her face still as he wiped the mascara under her eyes with a napkin.
She looked down from his penetrating gaze, embarrassed to be enthralled by his tender ministrations. She felt his chest expand, then contract beside her as he drew in a deep breath and exhaled sharply.
“As for Dad … I don’t want him to remarry,” he said implacably. “His heart has been broken too many times already. I don’t think he could handle another disappointment. Dad is the best there is. He’s a generous, decent human being and I won’t stand for him to be ridiculed.”
Cut to the quick, she pulled away from him. “I would never ridicule him! What makes you think I’m capable of that type of cruelty? Bring me the prenuptial agreement. I’ll sign the stupid paper right now!” She poked his chest angrily. “You don’t have to worry about your inheritance. I don’t want a dime.”
James grasped her shoulders. “I don’t care about that, Sofia! I have a lot more money than Dad ever had at my age, or has now, for that matter.”
They stared at each other for several tense moments before Sofia sighed deeply. “All right. I believe you,” she said, noting how desperately he wanted her to understand his concerns. “I promise you I’ll never hurt Daniel. On the contrary, I will always honor him for being the kindest man I know.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” After a long pause, he visibly composed himself. “Tell me what you did today.”
Taken aback by the sudden shift in conversation, Sofia reflected on James’s concern for his dad. It was o
bvious he felt relieved that he’d said his piece, but she had a feeling that the subject wasn’t closed.
“Well?” he prompted. “What did you do today?”
“I took an early-morning tour of Cozumel with Tia Lucita.”
“Did you enjoy yourself?”
“I liked the tour. But it was sad to watch the other tourists haggling over souvenir prices with little children who were so poor, they weren’t even wearing shoes.”
He nodded sympathetically. “I know what you mean. Seeing a poor child makes me rage inside.”
Sofia’s heart warmed when she heard his compassionate words. So there was a generous heart beating beneath the tough lawyer’s veneer, after all.
James scooted over for her to stretch out beside him on the double chaise lounge. “Lie back and get comfy while you tell me about yourself.”
“OK, but only if you talk about yourself, too.”
“Sure,” he said casually. “How about if I start with one question and you follow up with another one?”
“Fair enough. Fire away, counselor.” Settling back against the cushion, Sofia kicked off her sandals and wiggled her toes. She couldn’t believe that she was getting cozy with James, but he was being so open and friendly she felt obliged to chat with him a little just to be sociable.
Who was she kidding anyway? His proximity made her want to curl up to his strong body and press her nose into the crook of his warm neck, inhaling his appealing masculine scent.
“How did you meet Dad?”
“I don’t want to talk about Daniel anymore. It will only lead to arguments.”
“Fine,” he agreed right away. Evidently, he didn’t want to approach the sore spot, either. “Would you like to go rock climbing with me tomorrow morning?”
His impulsive invitation bewildered her. It sounded like he was asking her for a date. “Sure, sounds like fun. I’m looking forward to climbing the waterfalls at Ocho Rios soon, so I guess I’d better tackle rock climbing first. I love trying new adventures.”
Sitting up, James handed Sofia a glass of wine and drank deeply from his.
She took a few sips as she glanced at his empty plate. “I noticed you didn’t take any sushi. Don’t you like it?”
He grimaced. “Nah, I think sushi’s overrated.”
“Really? Me, too,” she said, surprised that his comment mirrored her opinion exactly. “I prefer my fish cooked.”
“Yeah, I’ll drink to that.” He finished the wine and set it down before leaning back again. “Do you have any brothers and sisters?” he asked, apparently intent on asking random questions.
“Yes.” She took several more sips of the mellow wine, then eased back on the chair, empty glass in hand. “I’m the ‘baby’ of the family, the youngest of four, with three older brothers.”
He grinned and squeezed her knee. “Aha, so you’re the spoiled baby of the family.”
“I didn’t say I was spoiled,” she protested, even though it was true her parents had indulged her far more than her brothers.
He patted her knee, then removed his hand. “You didn’t have to.” She peeked at James and watched him fold his arms behind his neck as he lay beside her with his eyes closed, a playful grin teasing the corners of his mouth.
Sofia gave his ribs a quick jab with her elbow. “What’s so funny?” When he yelped in response, she said, “As an only child, you must have been spoiled rotten yourself.”
He opened one eye and peered at her with a look of mock affront. “Me? Never.”
“Ha! I find that hard to believe. I’ll bet you always have to get your way in everything. It goes with being a successful lawyer.”
“Yeah, well who doesn’t like getting their way?” he asked, turning his full attention on her.
“You have a point. Now it’s my turn to ask a question. What’s your favorite book?” she asked on impulse.
Without pausing, he answered, “The Fountainhead. Best book I ever read.”
“I loved that book, too. Roark is a character I’ll never forget. I’m amazed that you and I have so much in common,” she marveled.
“Yeah.” He took the empty glass from her hand and set it down. “Hold on; I’m going to get us some more wine.”
With newfound eyes Sofia watched him walk away. Just knowing that he shared her love of The Fountainhead pleased her immeasurably. She was beginning to see that James shared many of Roark’s noble qualities. He was strong and decent and cared deeply for his father, all character traits that she admired. She only hoped he didn’t see her as Dominique in the book, the cruel temptress whose selfish love nearly destroyed Roark.
James returned and handed Sofia a glass of wine; he drank from his, then placed it on the table. She took a few sips before setting her glass down, shivering when a cool ocean breeze washed over them. James put his arm around her and nudged her closer to his warmth. Sighing blissfully, she reclined her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.
For the next hour they talked about books, movies, and music. They learned about each other’s tastes and values, their life triumphs and downfalls, their dreams for the future.
“Ever been in love so bad she made you cry?” Sofia asked after a stretch of silence. She felt his body stiffen at her nosy question.
“Only once when I was a freshman in college,” he admitted gruffly. “She was my first love. But it’ll never happen again,” he said, his tone turning hard. “How about you?”
She sighed in remembrance of that painful time in her life. “Yes, I shed too many tears over my ex-boyfriend. It wasn’t so much that I cried over breaking up with Manny. It was his betrayal that devastated my trust in men.”
“All men?” he asked, turning to gaze at her with a hard glint in his eyes.
“Not Daniel,” she said quickly. “I trust him implicitly.”
“Oh.” The mere mention of his father seemed to rankle James again. She saw his jaw tighten with annoyance.
“What happened with your first love?” she asked, anxious to steer away from talking about her fake relationship with his father.
“I had been dating Jenny steadily since my junior year in high school. But when I confessed that I never planned to get married, she broke up with me. After that, she avoided me like the plague.” He gazed at the moon with a disgusted expression. “The following year, she got pregnant by someone else and had to get married.”
“Sounds like a pretty bad letdown. But what did you expect, James? Most young women want to get married.”
He shrugged. “I guess. Anyway, that letdown was the best thing that ever happened to me.”
“Why?”
“It made me toughen up inside. In my line of work, I’ve realized that most marriages don’t stand a chance of lasting a lifetime.”
“God, that’s pretty cynical. I totally disagree with you. There’s a soul mate out there for everyone. It’s just a matter of finding the right person.”
“I’ve seen too many ugly divorces to believe that,” he stated bluntly. “The only thing I regret about my aversion to marriage is not having children. I really love being around them, but I’ve seen how much they suffer when their parents divorce.” For a brief moment, a shadow of longing passed over his eyes.
She felt a sharp little hitch in her chest when he revealed that tender side of his personality. “I adore babies, too,” she said quietly. She couldn’t elaborate and tell him how she’d always planned on having a big family. Not when he thought she was his father’s girlfriend. His views on marriage disturbed her. “But James, every marriage doesn’t end in divorce,” she said, her hand lifting to touch his lean cheek.
“I know, honey. I don’t mean to sound bitter.” James brushed his lips against her temple. His mouth tantalized her skin with warm kisses along her cheek. Her breathing quickened into shallow pants as intense desire coursed through her body. Try as she might, she couldn’t ignore the strong effect his touch had on her. It was so powerful, so overwhelming, she was oblivious
to anything else.
Her stomach tightened into a knot of panic as she retrieved her hand from his face. It was killing her to continue the charade as Daniel’s fiancee, but she had to honor her promise. She couldn’t ruin everything because of her uncontrollable desire.
“God, you’re beautiful,” he murmured before tilting her head up to gaze in her eyes. His face was dark with lust so intense it pained her to look at him. “I can’t get enough of you. It’s madness. I’ve wanted you from the moment I laid eyes on you,” he whispered in a low, grating voice.
“No,” she moaned weakly, looking away from the raw desire in his eyes. “Don’t say that.”
“Hush,” he said, rubbing her lower lip with his thumb. “For the past two days, I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind. Something wild and exciting happens when you’re close to me. Your sweet, passionate response tells me that you feel the same way.”
Her heart wrenching, she turned her head away when he attempted to kiss her. Undeterred, he whispered roughly against her hair, “Don’t deny it, honey. I felt your nipples harden against my chest while we were dancing. Yesterday, you were wildfire in my arms after just one kiss.”
Just one kiss, Sofia repeated to herself, dying inside with desire. There was no escaping his keen scrutiny; he’d even noticed how her breasts had pebbled in response to his nearness. How foolish of her to think that by running away from him she could hide how much his kiss had turned her insides to jelly and her knees to mush.
She had thought about him constantly since that moment, remembering how strong his arms had been around her and how wildly erotic his deep kiss had felt. She had wanted to surrender and enjoy his caresses, but he’d been a man in deep lust and the intensity of his kiss had scared her, especially when she’d felt his rock-hard arousal. Just reliving the moment made her whole body ache with unfulfilled desire.
“I can’t let you kiss me again, James,” she said, meeting his hot gaze evenly. “We both know why.”
The harsh tension on his face showed every last ounce of self-control he was exerting. “You belong with me, damn it, not Dad. Can’t you see that, Sofia?” he asked between clenched teeth. “Admit it!”
