The sudden distance was a mistake. When Grady finally got the key to fit into the lock, pushing the door open, he realized that Sophie had pulled away from him.
He glanced up at her, his gaze falling on her swollen lips – which she was running a finger over contemplatively. He didn’t like the thoughts he saw reflected in those exquisite brown eyes.
“I can’t.”
Grady blew out a sigh. “Why?”
“Because I’m not a one-night-stand girl,” Sophie admitted.
“You don’t seem like a relationship girl either,” Grady replied.
“I’m not, to a certain extent.”
Grady swallowed his upper lip. “What kind of girl are you?”
“A confused girl.”
Grady nodded. “We both want this. Don’t deny it.”
“I do want it,” Sophie said. “What I don’t want is to watch you just walk away. I need time to think.”
Grady swore under his breath. “Are you sure?”
“No.”
Grady tried to move toward her again, but she stopped him with a hand on his chest. “I’m not sure I’m ready for this either.”
Grady exhaled deeply. He wanted to argue with her. He wanted to change her mind. One look at her conflicted eyes, though, and he knew he couldn’t. He didn’t have anything to offer her besides a few nights of passion.
She deserved more than that.
He took a step back, increasing the distance between them. “I’ll call you tomorrow and tell you what we’ve uncovered.”
It took every ounce of energy that he had to walk away, but Grady managed the feat.
“I deserve a freaking medal,” he muttered as he closed the vehicle door and shifted the truck into reverse. “A gold fucking medal.”
Twelve
Grady had no idea where he was going. He was surprised when he realized he was back at Hardy Brothers Security. He shut off the engine of his truck but remained behind the wheel for a few minutes, sitting in the dark and collecting his thoughts.
She had wanted him just as much as he wanted her. He’d felt it. Their need was combustible. They were like magnets when they were in the same room. Magnets need to join.
The light in James’ apartment was on, and Grady found himself climbing the steps and letting himself inside his brother’s inner sanctum before he realized what was happening. He found James sitting on the couch, wearing nothing but a pair of boxer shorts, the remote control in his hand, and his attention fixed on Sports Center.
James glanced up, his eyes confused. “What are you doing here?”
Grady shrugged helplessly.
“I thought you followed Sophie home?”
Grady glanced around the apartment. James’ bedroom door was shut. “Where’s Mandy?”
“She’s reading.”
“I thought you two would be … .”
“We already did that. I just wanted to catch up on some scores.” James’ eyes were probing. “If you thought we were doing that, what are you doing up here?”
“I just … I thought we could hang out or something,” Grady said.
“I hate to be … crude, but I figured you’d be spending the night over there with Sophie,” James said. “That seemed to be the way things were heading.”
Grady’s eyebrows nearly shot off his head. “Why would you say that? That’s just preposterous.”
James smirked. “It’s obvious there’s some attraction there between the two of you.”
“It is not,” Grady scoffed, sinking into the open armchair next to the couch. “She’s just a woman who needs help. I am not attracted to her.”
James quirked an eyebrow. “If you say so.”
Grady watched Sports Center with his brother for a few minutes, shifting occasionally. James remained fixated on the television.
“Can I ask you a question?”
James glanced over. “Sure.”
“When did you know?”
“When did I know what?”
“When did you know that Mandy was more than just some girl? I mean, did you know it when you saw her again for the first time?”
James chuckled. “I didn’t recognize her when I first saw her that day at the office. You were there. You remember. If it helps, I did know that I was attracted to her the first minute I saw her.”
“When you found out who she was, did that help or hurt?”
“It definitely hurt,” James said. “It made me feel … dirty. She slept with stuffed animals in our house.”
“Because you knew her when she was a kid, that’s what made you take a step back, right? It wasn’t anything else.”
“Yeah. It’s not like you knew Sophie as a kid, though. I don’t see why you’re dragging your feet on this. She’s an attractive woman.” James glanced over his shoulder to make sure the bedroom door was still shut. “She’s pretty hot, man. I like her.”