Our meals have just arrived, but when I jump up from the table, Andro grins and spears the steak off my plate to add it to his. “Go get your Minnie, brother.”
I race out of the restaurant and across the street to my Ferrari. Greer, a Santoro Ventures Inc. security team member from our local crew, steps away. “Thanks, Greer. Go join Andro and order whatever you want.”
I gun the engine and peel into traffic like I’m re-joining a Formula 1 race after a pit stop.
I can’t focus on what lies before me once I arrive at my destination. Or that my angel—my soulmate—has finally responded to me. Or that she needs to take a test and doesn’t want to take it alone. I just focus on getting to her as fast as humanly possible without killing myself or anyone else in the process.
Sophie dropped a pin where she wanted me to pick her up off campus. She’s waiting for me on the corner and quietly gets into the car when I stop at the curb.
Staring at her and inhaling her honey scent is all I can do as my hands grip the steering wheel so tightly that my knuckles turn white.
“Thanks for coming.” Her voice is so soft, and her eyes are downcast. I ache to haul her into my arms, to chase away the sadness that clings to her like a shrouded veil. “And thanks for picking me up off campus.”
I suspect she doesn’t want to be seen with me, to have a known link to me that her family can find out about.
The fact that she responded today after fifty-nine days of agonizing silence…
I know it’s because she feels she’s in a jam and not because she’s changed her mind about us. But I’d be a lying sack of shit if I denied that the possibility of her carrying my child isn’t absolutely fucking with my head in the best way possible.
I want that so badly, even if this is horrible timing and not the circumstances I dreamed about if we’d ever be expecting a child.
I want it, not because it would tie her to me or that I would force a marriage on her, but because she’s the only one I’ve ever envisioned that future with. The only one I’ve ever wanted that with.
Drivers are getting pissed off because I’m in a no-parking zone. When a driver blares the horn in frustration as they pass, Sophie glances at me.
“We should drive.”
“Where to?” My voice is husky and deep with emotion at being in her presence.
My penthouse would be the easiest place for Sophie ‘to take the test’. However, that location is loaded with memories, emotions, and too much history right now. Plus, with the security measures I have and because of my criminal linkages, I know she’d be worried that if we went there, I wouldn’t let her leave, especially if the results were positive. Holding her hostage in my ivory tower of the penthouse has appeal, I’ll be honest; however, I’d never cage my angel or clip her wings.
“I have a test with me.” Her throat bobs as she swallows hard. “I feel like an idiot.”
I push her hair behind her ear, and her breath catches as my fingers graze her cheek. “I don’t want you to be alone when you do this. I’m glad you reached out. I want to be there.”
Her beautiful eyes are luminous with the shimmer of unshed tears in the light from the streetlights. “I was… I am on birth control. I wasn’t trying to trap you.”
I pinch the point of her chin between my thumb and forefinger to stop her from turning from me. “I know, angel.”
Her breath shudders, and then she relaxes into the seat. Drivers are still angry, and I still don’t care. I dial a number, put my phone on the speaker, and finally pull into traffic.
The car fills with ringing as I wait for my phone call to Sam to connect. “Mr. Santoro, it’s lovely to hear from you.” A friendly female voice answers, and Sophie’s mouth tightens. “How may I assist you?”
“Sam, could you please ensure my suite is ready?”
“Of course. Can I arrange any food or beverage for when you arrive?”
When Sophie got into the car, even though she wore an oversized hoodie, I immediately noticed she had lost weight. I don’t like that one fucking bit, and I take Sam up on the offer.
“We’ll have the appetizer platter, the carbonara pasta with grilled chicken with a salad, and French beans. For dessert, we’ll have the salted caramel cheesecake. No alcohol; however, we’ll take soda, ginger ale, and limes.” I turn to Sophie. “Would you like anything else? Maybe a decaf latte?”
A smile tugs at the corners of her mouth, but she resists and only shakes her head.
“That’s all, Sam. We’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”
“See you soon, Mr. Santoro,” Sam says in a professional, crisp manner. She’s the general manager of our top boutique hotel in the city, and I know she’ll have it covered.
“We’re going to a hotel?” Sophie asks.
“I thought you’d be more comfortable there than at the penthouse.” She relaxes somewhat, but still looks pensive as she chews on her bottom lip. “What is it?”
“People might think…”
“What?” I ask when she doesn’t continue. She only shrugs, and I push her to answer me. “Since when do you care what strangers think?”
Glaring at me, she snaps, “And since when do you think you even know me?”
I grind my teeth, clenching my jaw, but respond calmly, “I think you know that I know you better than you want.”
She clamps her mouth shut, staring straight ahead. I let her silence continue as I bring my temper under control.
I rarely respond with anger, and it’s the first time I’ve felt anger at Sophie. As much as I don’t relish it, I’m okay with it because it means we’re normal. No one is flawless, and putting Sophie on a pedestal wouldn’t do any good. It also signals that how I view her and what I feel for her isn’t some version of ideal perfection I’ve fabricated.
She turns in her seat to look at me. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright.”
“No.” She shakes her head. “I left you, Creed. I didn’t reciprocate in any of your efforts to communicate. Then when I do, it’s asking you for a favor, and now I’m acting like a dick.”
The corners of my mouth lift into a smile. “You’re the cutest dick I’ve ever seen.”
“Yeah? You’ve seen a lot of dicks?” That makes me laugh, and she rubs her forehead. “Estoy actuando como un idiota.”
“Translate, please.”
“I’m acting like an idiot.”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to chastise her for talking or thinking about herself like that, but I hold back.
“I’m sure I’m not pregnant.” She stares out the window, playing with the seatbelt across her torso. “I’m religious about taking my pills at the same time every day. My cycle is probably just doing its irregular thing, even with the pill.”
“How late are you?”
“I missed it last month, but I was… stressed. And it’s a week late from when I should’ve gotten it this month.”
Stopping at a red light, and unable to resist, I cup Sophie’s chin and turn her to look at me. “We’ll figure this out.”
A tear beads on the bottom eyelashes of her left eye, and I catch it with my thumb. She closes her eyes, looking in pain. I feel her pain and misery right to the marrow of my bones because it matches and calls to my own.
We drive in silence the rest of the way to the hotel, and I pull into the underground parking rather than to the front valet. I text Abel, the head of hotel security, to tell him I’m on the premises as he’ll have my vehicle monitored. Like before, I’m not worried about theft. It’s someone planting something that could compromise my safety, but more importantly, Sophie’s safety as she’s with me.
Sophie exits the vehicle before I can get around to her door.
I miss all the other times she had been in my car: the first time, when she drove it while I acquainted the two of us; the second time, as she lay stretched out, bare from the waist down, while I tormented us both; and the week of domesticated bliss of driving her to class before I went to work and picking her up at the end of the day.
She clutches the strap of her bag and is silent as I lead her to the elevator. I pull a card from my wallet and flash it on the reader, then enter a code, and the elevator bypasses all the floors as it lifts to the floor my private suite is on.
I rarely stay here, as I have my penthouse; however, I sometimes stay here as it’s closer to the business core. Or I used to bring the women I’d fuck here—not that I had brought any here since I met Sophie. I hadn’t been with another woman, even after she told me I needed to let her go.
The elevator doors open, and I stop Sophie from exiting. I check that there aren’t any threats before I beckon her to come out. Placing my hand on her back, I don’t process my action until I feel her tremble underneath my palm. I don’t remove my hand, though, because that’s like asking a man who’s being electrocuted to remove his hand from the power source.
I let us into the suite, and she cautiously walks in, scanning around. She doesn’t say anything as she takes in the elegant room with vaulted ceilings, tapestries around the large arched windows, the plush sofas and chaise lounge, and the wingback chairs on either side of a fireplace. One of the staff started a fire after I called and it gives a cozy feeling for the end-of-January.
Sophie’s arms are wrapped around her middle as she turns to me. “You own this hotel?”
“I do.”
“Did you build it?”
“No. It was built in the 1920s building boom. Good solid bones, but I renovated it.”
She swivels her head around again. “If the rest of the place is like this suite, it’s beautiful.”
I hear the pride in her voice. And fuck, if that doesn’t mess with my head even more and adds a new layer to the tortured pain twisting in my chest.
There’s a knock on the door, and her face flashes with panic, which is like a mule kick to my gut.
She doesn’t want to be seen with me.
I walk to her instead of keeping my distance. She watches me with wide eyes filled with longing, pain, and wariness. That trifecta adds to my twisted insides.
“Maybe now’s a good time to take that test, yeah?” I suggest, giving her the solution to her desire to not be seen with me.
She bites her lip, looking up at me, then nods and goes to the bathroom, softly closing the door.
Once she’s inside, I open the suite door, pass the room service staff a hundred-dollar bill, and wave away his offer to bring the cart into the room. Closing the door, I roll the cart over to the table and park it beside it, but don’t lift any dome lids off, so everything stays warm. I put ice into our glasses, then make the half-ginger ale half-club with a squeeze of lime that Sophie likes.
She still hasn’t come out, and I frown at the bathroom door. Deciding to check, I knock on the door.
“Everything okay, angel?”
There’s no answer, so I knock again. If things hadn’t gone down the way they had between us, I would be in there with her as she peed on the stick. I can imagine her horror and embarrassment if I insisted on my presence in there tonight, though.
“I can’t pee,” she finally says, which makes me chuckle. “It’s not funny, Creed.”
“It kinda is, Soph.” I lean my head against the door. “Do you want to drink something first and try again in a bit? Dinner is here.”
“I opened the test. It might get contaminated.” That makes me laugh outright, and she laughs, too. “Shut up. I know no airborne pregnancy viruses are floating around. Oh!”
“What’s the matter?”
“Shh. Don’t distract me. The laughing helped.”
I can picture her brow puckering in concentration, and I smile. I hear the toilet flush, then the water as she washes up. The door opens, and my chest seizes.
With her dark hair bundled on top of her head in a messy bun, a big hoodie and leggings, and no make-up, she’s still stunning.
Her facial features are soft, and her dark brown eyes with streaks of copper are luminous as she stares up at me.
“I set a timer. We need to wait three minutes.”
Neither of us moves. We stand at the threshold of the room, containing a small stick of plastic and chemicals that will dictate our future’s path tonight.
My heart hammers against my ribcage, trying to burst free. Here I am, hoping and praying for one result, even though I know the love of my life is hoping and praying for the opposite.
The timer on Sophie’s phone sounds, and she lifts her eyes to mine and holds out her hand.
Together.
Intertwining my fingers with hers, I tighten my grip as that familiar feeling of home washes over me. Sophie is the one for me. The woman who sees the truest version of me. The one who I instantly fell in love with and experienced a love unlike anything I’ve ever known.
We walk toward the counter, her trembling hand gripping mine tightly. When we stop at the counter, we react simultaneously.
She sags with relief.
I stiffen, filled with a bitter disappointment and crushing anguish that I know will torment me to the end of my days.
