“Hi…I’m not late, am I? I hate being late…” Sophie looked at the people around her, smiling at his friends. “Hi…I’m Sophie…”
Nate swallowed the laughter as she shook hands with all of them, his palm going to her waist. “See you guys tomorrow…this way, Sophie…”
“Back inside?”
“Yep…pizza will be delivered in a few…extra cheese and fresh tomatoes,” he saw her instant approval.
“But…” She watched him move his hands over a console, lights coming up and several of the games brought online. She set her pack down, her smile growing. “We can play?”
“Technically…it’s called testing,” he laughed as she moved to the dance floor.
“Do we need tokens?”
Nate held up his palm, dropping them into her open hand. He watched her move to the machine, kicking her shoes off and standing ready, dropping in the tokens and selecting a song. He laughed and watched as she worked her way through the Disney collection of songs. The music came to a stop and she leaned over the back bar, ponytail hanging down as she gathered her breath.
“That was excellent,” she breathed, rising up slowly.
“Well, I’m convinced that one is working fine,” Nate went to the machine and removed the paper he’d taped to the side, signing off on the bottom and sliding it to the inbox on the wall.
“Can we drive?” She took his palm, leading him to the large race driving machine, getting comfortable as he fed in the tokens.
An hour later Nate was munching on a slice of pizza and watching the karaoke rendition of I love Rock an’ Roll. She wore the head set and seemed to know most of the lyrics and had moves that made his brain shut down.
Sophie accepted the bottle of water he held out to her before sinking to the floor and lifting a slice of pizza.
“This is amazing…you have the best ever job,” she said with a wrinkled nose and grin.
“I think we tested all the ones I had programmed up,” Nate looked around the room an hour later, staring down at the woman stretched out on the floor.
“I suck at driving games,” she confessed, taking his palm and letting him help her up. “I can help you clean up…it’s getting late,” she collected the empty pizza box and plastic water bottles, finding the recycling container in the far corner while he shut the power down around them.
“Yeah…but you gotta have the fastest feet I’ve ever seen,” he waited while she found her shoes and pack, keys jangling in her fingers.
“Oh, I love that game. It’s the best aerobic exercise out there. It’s never boring,” Sophie ran the back of her palm over the sweat on her forehead. She waited outside while he locked down the arcade, amazed at how easy it was to walk with him to the main entrance, his hand on her waist.
“Guess we’re the only two cars left in the front,” Nate tipped his wrist over. They’d been together since four thirty and it was almost nine now. And it felt like it had barely begun.
“Thank you for the most excellent evening, Nate,” Sophie peered up at him, his palm sliding from her waist to take her hand and pull her closer. She let her pack slide to the ground, her palms on his chest between them.
“It didn’t feel like we were even here that long…” he said quietly, his palm up and touching the side of her face, his mouth down to move gently over her lips. He wasn’t sure of her reaction. He wasn’t as confident as he was in other aspects of his life. But Nate felt weeks of tension dissolve like a Seattle fog. His fingers spread, moving to the back of her head, his senses soaring when she returned his kiss, the sweet taste of her soda on her tongue when she sent it out to trace over his lower lip.
Sophie reached for his kiss, unconsciously moving closer when she heard him lean against the closed door to the hotel. Her palms pressed over his chest and higher to circle his neck, fingers spearing the soft amber hair. She bit gently on his lip, sending her tongue out to soothe and stroke over his uncertainly. She liked kissing. Correction, she thought vaguely, she really liked kissing Nate. He slid down the door a little, her arms now resting along his shoulders. It was a wild, breathless feeling, a sensation that slowly warmed her to her toes.
Nate gave his palms free reign, pressing heavily over her sides and down the center of his back, stopping on the rise of her behind and pulling her hotly against him. He didn’t groan alone when she lifted her head, gasping for a long, ragged breath.
“Nate…I have to go…just one more…” she whispered against his mouth, her tongue tracing a slow sensuous line around his mouth. “I really like kissing you…”
“Yeah….well…one of us has to be strong here…” He moved his palms to her waist and resolutely set her at arms length, peering into those wide dark eyes and groaning softly.
“I’d ask if you’re okay…”
“Sophie, I am finer than I can ever remember being,” he assured her, his palms moving to frame her face, thumbs massaging that damned sexy lower lip. “A hundred times better than I was when I moved here from Southern Cal…”
“That’s where you worked before?”
“It is…and Mac made me an offer that appealed to me…” He tipped his forehead against hers with a sigh. “Then I saw you…and knew it was the best damned decision I’ve made in a long time.”
“Ohh…” Sophie kissed him again. Just because. She stood staring at him a few seconds later. “And you honestly bought a ticket to the benefit because of me?”
“I did…and I bought another one to this coming Friday’s benefit…will you go with me?” He smiled at the quiet nod. “I won’t donate to politics, but I do like trying to help organizations with decent motives. It’s why working here was such a big appeal to me…Sophie, please don’t look at me like that…right now my self-control is in the negative range…come on, to your car.”
Sophie pulled her keys from her pocket and chirped the pale green four door SUV, her pack tossed into the passenger seat before she slid behind the wheel.
“Bye…”
“See you tomorrow, Sophie…” Nate watched the red lights head off before turning and striding to his car, adjusting his jeans.
Sophie hung up her suit while the computer was loading her game, her hands stopping for a long minute before turning to the computer with a frown.
How did Nate know she liked pizza with fresh tomatoes on it?
They’d never talked much about food…but she had been talking with her friend in the guild going under the name of MalReynolds, a character from a television show.
Sophie sat down slowly at the computer. She began chatting with him just after she started working for Logan. Her mouth opened and closed, her mind churning over the hours and hours of conversation with him about a girl he had developed a fancy for. He never told her he was in high school, for some reason, she assumed it.
She told him how to court her. Her mouth opened again, her head shaking. She let the computer sit and prepared for bed.
Sophie made it through putting her pajamas on before sitting before the computer and logging into her game, her fingers hitting the keys a little stronger than was normal. She opened her toon and keyed her microphone on, the headset in place as she waited.
“Hi! You been online long?” She asked, plastering a smile in her voice and getting him.
“Not long…had a date tonight,” he answered.
“You, too? Where’d you go? What’d you have for dinner?” She rambled with the casualness that had become their habit.
“We had pizza and we didn’t really go anywhere…just talked…”
“Pizza must be a great first date food,” she replied. “That’s what we had…so did she explain about deserting you? I’ve really been thinking…this girl might be all wrong for you. She seems a little high strung,” Sophie said thoughtfully.
“She didn’t desert me,” he sat up with a frown. “She got cold feet.”
“Did you kiss her?”
“I…yes…”
“Do you think she’ll have
sex with you? Don’t forget protection…do you think she’s had other boyfriends?”
“I…no, I don’t…”
“If she won’t have sex with you, what’s the point? Isn’t that why guys like girls? For the sex?” Sophie leaned back in her chair, frowning at the screen. She recognized his speech pattern now. “You should be careful…there’s no telling how many guys she’s been with before you. I’m not sure how many dates I should have before the sex thing…he’s cute and he’s a really good kisser…and it’s hard to miss…” She laughed. “Bad choice of words there…it’s difficult to miss when guys find you attractive…”
“Did you have a date tonight?” Nate finally managed to sputter out.
“I did…he’s very polite…a really nice kid…” she yawned. “Well…off to bed for me…g’night…”
Sophie threw the headset to the desk and went into her bedroom. He’d been talking to her for five weeks before he worked up the nerve to speak to her in person, she thought, staring up at the ceiling. She wasn’t sure whether to be angry or flattered and fell asleep pondering her choices.
Chapter Six
Sophie had a three by five card with very carefully printed letters on it in her hand as she approached the front entrance. She applied her best smile, stopping in front of Nate and handing him the folded index card. She waited while he opened it and read.
“Shit.”
“Good assessment,” she said flatly, turning and shoving the door wide, leaving him standing outside with his friends.
Phil took the card from his fingers. “MalReynolds? Firefly?”
“Yeah…it’s a little more complex than that,” Nate shook his head, heading to the arcade to bury himself in work until lunch. He ate the roast fall vegetables, half listening to the chatter about the sound screens they were installing.
“So did you get a date yet?” Mike looked around the table, setting his food down and reaching for his drink.
“He had a date last night,” Jerry answered through a forkful of pasta.
“That’s how all the testing got done,” Andy told him with a nod. “I have to admit, her scores on the DDR are pretty impressive.”
“She has fast feet and great moves,” Nate remarked, her laughter and smiles filling his memory as he picked up his plate and fork and put them on the cleaning belt. “Okay, Cooper…now is not the time to quit.”
Sophie looked up from her desk, blinking at the vase of flowers walking down her hall. She looked hastily behind her. Maybe someone sent Logan or Cade…
“Sophie Addison?”
She nodded, returning the smile and cautiously lifted the card from the cluster of gorgeous fall flowers, huge sunflowers and star lilies that oozed fragrance around her. Sophie sighed and set the card on her desk before turning back to her computer. Several minutes passed before she saw the plate of fruit appear out of the corner of her eyes. She looked from the wrapped plate to the blue jeans and tee shirt clad man standing at her side.
“Nate…”
“You skipped lunch again…” He met the wide dark eyes, barely noticing the large bouquet of flowers.
“The flowers are beautiful,” Sophie said quietly, frowning at the scowl on his face.
“From an admirer?” He asked flatly.
“From…Nate…I thought they were from you,” she answered honestly.
“I apologize for my mistakes in person, I don’t hide behind flowers,” Nate told her, his voice level.
“You’ve been chatting with me for almost six weeks. You know I’m not seeing anyone else.”
Nate’s scowl deepened. “Is there a card?”
“I…I didn’t look at it, I figured…” she lifted the small white envelope, peeled back the flap and slid out the card. Sophie read the short note. “You’ll pay for what you cost me.”
Nate reached for the card as it fell from her fingers. “Who the hell…” He opened his phone, tapping in a number. “Cassidy? Got a security issue for you…up at Sophie’s desk. Yeah, I’ll be here.”
“A threat? I haven’t…” she stopped, her tongue out to moisten her lips. “The man they terminated.”
“That’s my thought,” Nate said quietly, sinking into the chair beside her desk. “Can you take a break after we give this to Cassidy?”
Sophie nodded, watching Cassidy stride confidently down the hall, her gaze going from one to the other. Nate handed her the white card with the logo of the florist across the bottom.
“They just arrived,” Sophie told her. “I don’t know what to do with them.”
“I’ll take them with me,” Cassidy lifted the vase. “I’ll make some calls and see what I can find out. No other issue?”
“The guy who was terminated…it was my fault…”
“Damn it, Sophie it was not…”
“I’ll file a report with the police, too,” Cassidy interrupted Nate. “He’s right, Sophie. It’s not your fault. Abby had two other complaints about him from one of the blackjack dealers and one of Mia’s trainees. What happened at the benefit and here were the final cap as far as policy is concerned. I’ll let you know what’s going on, just be careful.”
“How about a smoothie?” Nate stepped away from her desk when she nodded, walking quietly at his side. “Somehow the line from Serenity comes to mind about now…why does it never go smooth?” He looked over to see her lips lift into a smile. "I can offer an explanation…”
“I’m not angry, Nate…not really…I remember our conversations,” she said, waiting in the short line and placing her order. She accepted the frosty orange and pineapple drink, moving off to find a quiet table in the corner while he paid. He took a long swallow of the mixed wild berry drink, sitting down and staring at her.
“I don’t…I don’t understand the why of it, though…” Her fingers idly stirred the drink with the straw before taking a drink. “Thank you…this is delicious and I think I needed a little break.”
“I could probably come up with at least a dozen reasons that go all the way back to my preteen years,” Nate said after a long minute of silence. “I wanted to get to know you…without the nerves and pressure that follows us…another part of me had bought into the same lines the guys have brought up. That you were way out of my league…” He saw her mouth open, protest in the fire in her eyes. “I know, I know…it’s hard to get past words from your past echoing around.”
“We’ve talked about that…then I guess I do understand,” she shook her head, smiling at him. “I can’t believe the assumptions I jumped to…and you let me…”
“For what it’s worth, I was about to ask if you’d been drinking last night, Sophie,” Nate arched an eyebrow at her. “What gave me up?”
“You and I never talked about how I liked my pizza,” she reminded him.
“Ahh…it was getting difficult to keep my personalities straight,” Nate admitted with a grin and a nod.
“Come to my place tonight for dinner?” Sophie laughed at the expression on his face. “You can follow me out of here at four.”
“Yeah…alright…I’d like that,” Nate nodded quickly.
“Bring a pair of trunks and we can swim after dinner,” Sophie stood up, watching his friends trail in for their afternoon snack. “Thanks for the fruit plate. I’ll see you later,” she leaned over, kissing him softly before turning with a jaunty wave at his friends to return to her desk.
“Another date?” Elliot asked when Nate joined them, finishing off his smoothie and tossing the cup toward the recycle bin.
“You know…she’s a gamer…she’s just a pretty normal girl with some fancy clothes,” Nate told them with a nod and wave, patting down his pockets for his keys and making a brief run to his temporary apartment. He tossed the trunks into his car before heading to talk to Mac about the applicants they had coming in tomorrow. His phone chimed on the way, his eyes bugging out and feet stumbling on smooth flooring.
“Problems?” Mac looked up.
“Shit,” Nate gaped from h
is phone to Mac. “Her father is looking forward to meeting me? She invites me to dinner…and a swim…and…”
“Sophie?”
“Yeah…I need a shirt…loan me a shirt…I’ll change later…”
“Bottom of the file cabinet,” Mac watched him pace the floor. “You do know who her dad is, right?”
“I don’t think I can’t even…Mr. Addison?” Nate suggested weakly, stopping to stare expectantly at Mac.
“Stewart Addison, zoologist?” Mac watched the name slowly register from long days past.
“That was over twenty five years ago,” Nate stared. “I remember that show from when I was a kid…I mean a real little kid…made me want to grow up in a zoo…” blue eyes widened a little more. “I also recall a little girl with very long dark hair running around the zoos with him half naked…shit…”
“Sophie,” Mac nodded slowly. “Not that I would remind her of it just yet if I were you.”
“She was a free spirit,” Nate said with a laugh at the memory.
“You’re jumping in with both feet,” Mac said with a grin.
“Yeah…I never met anyone’s father before…what the hell am I doing…” he sighed and wandered off to the next task on his list.
“Word of advice,” Mac stepped into his area a few minutes before the end of the day. “Visit the restroom before you go….just to be safe.”
“The…” Nate frowned at him. “A riddle?”
“If you can’t figure it out, you’re not ready for it…I wasn’t,” Mac headed off with a wave.
Nate stood in the restroom a few minutes later, staring around at the walls. Then the words Sophie had used the night before came back to him.
Sophie checked her watch as she waited at the main entrance, grinning when she saw Nate running through the lobby. “New shirt?” She asked, the button down pale blue looked good on him. It seemed to make his eyes even more blue and vibrant.
“Sophie…you didn’t…your father…”
“Hmm…if the T-shirt is good enough for me, my father won’t care, Nate,” but she shrugged. “Follow me.”
WindSwept Narrows: #5 Sophie Addison Page 4
