The last thought Sophie remembered was how nice the heat from Bobby’s hand, which remained cupping her intimately as she slowly drifted back into her consciousness, felt.
Mmm. So good.
Chapter Six
Sophie stifled a yawn as her heels clicked on the marble floor of the entrance of the upscale Italian restaurant where Bobby had secured reservations. Frustration rolled through her for having fallen asleep on the drive in. After her two-fer climax-a-thon, exhaustion had pulled her under before she’d even had the opportunity to fight it.
Bobby had gently woken her when they’d arrived at their hotel. She’d felt like a zombie as she followed behind him when they checked in and then made their way up to the fortieth-floor suite they would be spending two nights in. Not having any time to shower, Sophie had slipped on the red dress Amber had made her specifically for this occasion, brushed her teeth, and ran a brush through her hair before they’d headed out to eat.
“Sloan, table for two.”
Sophie noticed that every female within the sound of her husband’s deep voice turned her head and took notice. Women were drawn to Bobby like he was a primal magnet and they were willing pieces of metal. Not only was he six foot two, with jet-black hair, baby-blue eyes, and a body that would rival Channing Tatum, but his voice held a deep timbre that proved to be quite the aphrodisiac. In high school, a girl he’d ‘dated’ (yes, she was using that term lightly!) bragged to the entire drill team that all Bobby had to do was speak and she could squeeze her thighs together and make herself orgasm. She’d referred to it as a ‘Bobby Sloan eargasm.’
At the time, Sophie had been skeptical, but now, she had to admit that, if any voice in the world could do it, it would be Bobby Sloan’s.
The young, attractive hostess, who was dressed in a black, form-fitting dress that left little to the imagination, definitely took notice of Bobby. Sophie wasn’t sure if it was the visual she was stuck on or if she was currently having an eargasm, but the result was a pink flush that rose up her chest and neck before spreading across her dimpled cheeks. Licking her lips, the brunette dipped her head, presumably to check the reservations on the computer screen, then looked back up and nodded with a more-than-friendly smile.
“Right this way, Mr. Sloan.” The black irises of the hostess’s caramel-colored eyes dilated as she retrieved two menus.
Some women might have felt jealous, insecure, or even angry at the kind of attention that followed Bobby everywhere he went. Not Sophie. She didn’t feel any of those things. If anything, she felt sorry for all the girls who swooned over him. Even the ones who tried to give him their phone numbers or hit on him aggressively. She used to attribute her response to the fact that she’d never been a particularly jealous person. But as they weaved their way through the white-linen-covered tables and Bobby possessively wrapped his arm around Sophie’s waist, she realized that the reason she didn’t have any negative feelings towards the kind of attention he got was because he made her feel so secure. So loved. So protected.
She was his and he was hers. There was never any question of that.
When they arrived at their table, Bobby pulled out her seat like he always did, and Sophie did not miss that his gentlemanly gesture caused the hostess to practically melt into a puddle of swoon.
To her credit, the hostess almost immediately recovered. Clearing her throat, she set the menus down before she announced, “Tonight’s specials are the Tagliolini Al Caffe, which is rock shrimp, porcini mushrooms, oven-roasted tomatoes, tarragon, and white wine sauce. The Pollo Belvedere, which is grilled chicken paillard with arugula, balsamic tomato, avocado, pine nuts, and sliced Pecorino Romano. And last we have Scaloppine Alla Boscaiola, which is veal scaloppini topped with mushrooms and drizzled with white wine, veal stock, truffle, and fresh thyme. Valentina will be serving you this evening. Enjoy.”
Sophie felt her stomach turn at some of the things the hostess had rattled off. Shrimp? Veal? Avocado? No, no, and no. Normally, Sophie considered herself adventurous when it came to her culinary palette. Apparently, her body was not the only thing that was going to be sacrificed in her newfound state of knockupedness.
Picking up the menu, Sophie quickly glanced over it for anything bland and basic. Come on, spaghetti and meatballs. Don’t fail me now.
“You are so beautiful.”
Sophie lifted her eyes from her menu and found Bobby’s crystal-blue gaze directed intensely at her. “You’re not too shabby yourself, Mr. Sloan.”
A small smile of acknowledgement lifted on his mouth at her repeating how the hostess had addressed him before she once again scanned the menu.
Bobby had always been overtly complimentary, but since she’d been gone on frequent business trips, he’d definitely stepped up his compliment game. She guessed it was true—absence made the heart grow fonder. Although, in a few months, her absences were going to come to a screeching halt. Her mind was still reeling at all of the repercussions this pregnancy was going to have—on not just her life, but Bobby’s as well.
He’d always worked long hours, and that had never been an issue. She guessed it still wouldn’t be, as long as she stayed put in Harper’s Crossing. If she even still had a job. Of course she knew that Amber and Haley would never fire her over this, but Sophie had too much pride to stay in a position if she wasn’t able to perform the tasks required to do a good job. And travel was definitely a necessity as a buyer.
Somehow, this all seemed so abstract to her. Not real. Like it was just a hypothetical scenario that was running through her mind.
It will be real when you tell Bobby, a small voice piped up in her head.
Her palms dampened with nervousness when she thought about the fact that she needed to tell him. Like, now. She’d gotten sidetracked on the drive and then she’d passed out cold. It hadn’t been until the brisk one-block walk over to the restaurant that she’d actually perked up.
She just needed to open her mouth and tell him. Yes, they were in a public place. But that might work to her advantage considering that she had a pretty good hunch that, every second she and Bobby spent in privacy this weekend, he’d be distracting her the same way he’d done on the trip in.
Looking up, she took a deep breath just as Bobby beat her to the punch with his own surprise.
“I quit Sloan Construction today and signed a contract with Seth. After the new year, I’m going to be working for Elite Protection.”
It wasn’t that she hadn’t heard the words that had come out of Bobby’s mouth. She just wasn’t sure she could process them.
“What?” Sophie heard herself ask in a whisper.
* * *
“I quit Sloan Construction today and signed a contract with Seth. After the new year, I’m going to be working for Elite Protection,” Bobby repeated.
He hadn’t realized until this moment that he hadn’t had any idea how Sophie would initially react to his news. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that, after the initial shock wore off, she would be happy for him, but as the words had left his mouth—not once, but twice—he realized that this move was, by far, the most spur-of-the-moment thing he’d ever done.
Sure, some people probably thought that marrying Sophie after only having been together for six months would top that list, but both Bobby and Sophie knew better than that. Technically, they’d only been a couple for half a year before they’d walked down the aisle, but they both knew the truth—that they’d been madly in love with each other for years before that.
“You quit?” Sophie’s voice was shaky, and Bobby noticed all the color drain from her skin.
For the first time since he’d had his fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants moment this morning at The Diner, where he’d made this life-altering decision, he had the distinct feeling that it was a bad move. Why else would his wife look like she was about to throw up? Every protective instinct in Bobby’s body screamed at him that he needed to fix this. That anything that made Sophie look that upset was a mistake.
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“Never mind. I’m sure I can get out of the contract. I’ll call Jason and Seth in the morning.” Bobby didn’t care if that was the last thing he wanted to do. He would gladly go to a job that made him miserable every day for the rest of his life if it made Sophie happy.
Shaking her head like she was trying to clear cobwebs out of it, Sophie started to say, “What? No. That’s not what I… I just wasn’t expecting… I mean—”
Before she was able to finish her thought, however, their server joined them at the table. “Hello. Welcome to Michelangelo’s. My name is Valentina. I trust Gianna informed you of our specials this evening.”
Bobby nodded. Sophie did as well, not that the waitress would have noticed. Her eyes were locked on Bobby like a heat-seeking missile. He couldn’t believe how many times that happened even though he was clearly with someone and had a wedding ring on. Actually, he was starting to think that it was especially because he had a wedding ring on. Apparently, wedding bands didn’t take you off the market in some women’s eyes. It was more like catnip than the barbed wire fence he hoped it would represent.
In fairness, it wasn’t just women. Bobby caught men ogling Sophie like she was dinner and they were starving on a regular basis. Even tonight, as they’d walked through the restaurant, he’d seen several tables with men dressed in suits practically have their tongues hit the floor and their eyes pop out of their heads like a wolf’s in a cartoon. Bobby had instinctively staked his claim, wrapping his arm around Sophie and pulling her tight against him. Not out of jealousy. He totally got it. His wife was next-level hot. He didn’t blame them one bit for staring. He just wanted to make sure they knew that she was taken. Alex often joked around that Bobby should just get it over with. “Just whip it out and pee around her feet to mark your territory.”
His brother thought he was really funny…
“Can I start you off with a glass of our Dolcetto d’Alba, which is a rich, Italian red, or perhaps our Gavi di Gavi, a refreshing white?”
“Yes. We’ll have a bottle of—”
“Actually, I’ll just take a sparkling water,” Sophie interjected.
When Bobby’s eyes shot to hers in confusion, she just smiled encouragingly.
“You should have a glass, though.”
“What’s wrong?” Bobby’s voice came out sounding much harsher than he’d meant it to. It’s just that they’d never not ordered a bottle of wine in all the years they’d been coming here.
“Nothing,” Sophie assured him as she reached out and covered his hand, which he hadn’t noticed was flexed tight in concern. Rubbing her thumb over his knuckles, she leaned forward, giving him a mouthwatering view down her low-cut dress, her hazel eyes sparking as she quietly explained, “I just want to make sure that I stay awake tonight, and you know wine makes me sleepy.”
“I’ll have water, too,” Bobby responded without tearing his gaze away from his wife.
He could have sworn he heard a small sound of frustration as the server turned on her heel and left, which was understandable. He’d just significantly reduced the size of his check, and more than likely, she equated that to receiving a smaller tip. Bobby knew that tips were the livelihood of waitstaff. He wouldn’t short her and planned on being extremely generous—unless, of course, she did a shitty job.
Sophie was the one to break eye contact first as she picked up a small piece of bread that had been delivered by a busboy almost immediately after they’d sat down. After chewing and swallowing, she took a deep breath and placed her hands flat on the table top.
“Okay, so I was just a little shocked by your surprise, but that doesn’t mean I want you to call anyone or change anything. I just want to know what happened.” She spoke in an even tone, and a smile lifted at the corners of her mouth as she waited for Bobby to elaborate.
And just like that, Bobby fell even more in love with Sophie. She was the most loving, caring, supportive person he knew. She wanted the best for everyone she loved. What other wife would take the fact that their husband had just made such a huge, life-altering career move in stride?
“This morning at breakfast, Seth mentioned that he needed people. I saw my opening and I took it.” Bobby could see in her eyes that she wanted more details than that. He wasn’t trying to be intentionally vague. He was just stating the pertinent facts.
“And you quit on the spot?” Her voice went higher at the end of the sentence, not in volume but in pitch, so Bobby knew she was asking a question, not making a statement.
“Yes,” he confirmed before trying his best to fill in the blanks for her. “And after I tied up the loose ends at the office, I headed straight to see Seth. I signed a six-month contract, but I’m sure he would let me out of it.”
The last part made his heart clench, but he would be more than happy to do it.
“No, I’m…” Sophie looked a little flustered as her hands came off the table and she began moving them animatedly, as if the motion helped her find the right words. “Happy. I’m happy if you’re happy.”
Bobby knew two things to be true in that moment. Sophie wasn’t a liar. But something about her “I’m happy” statement wasn’t quite ringing true.
He didn’t want to challenge her, but he couldn’t let it go completely. “Then what’s wrong?”
She began speaking in Sophie-talk, which meant a mile a minute, and he felt himself relax slightly. “I just really wasn’t expecting to hear you say that. I mean, not that I had even given much thought to what the surprise might be, but whoa. That one totally blindsided me.
“But I know that you’ve been unhappy in construction for a long time, and I’ve definitely noticed that you seemed more than casually interested when Seth would talk about his cases or jobs or contracts or whatever you call them. So it’s not like it’s really that much of a true surprise in the sense that I didn’t see it coming. I guess I just thought that it would be something we discussed. I mean, not that we had to. It’s fine that we didn’t. I know you made the right decision for you, for us.
“It’s just you’re such a planner. You don’t ever really do things that are unexpected. Which, I guess, this wouldn’t fall in the category of, because, like I said, it’s not like I thought you were happy. I mean, Jason probably had to see this coming, right? After you stepped down from V.P. last year and handed it over to Eddie, I feel like, if nothing else, that was the writing on the wall. So how did he take it?”
Strangely enough, Bobby had followed all of that. “He was surprised, and I don’t know…” Now it was Bobby’s turn to search for the right thing to say.
Before he had a chance to continue, the waitress, once again, appeared to take their order. He realized that, due to his announcement, they hadn’t had a chance to look at their menus. He knew that Sophie liked to take her time and usually discuss her options before deciding on what she would order.
Bobby turned to the waitress. “Could you give us a few min—”
“Actually, I’m ready. Can I have spaghetti with meatballs and a side salad with Italian dressing?” Sophie handed the menu to Valentina and looked at Bobby expectantly. He must have looked as shocked as he felt because she shrugged. “I’m starving.”
“I’ll take the Pollo Belvedere.” Bobby had been concerned that his stomach was going to rumble loudly when the hostess had described the dish. It sounded delicious.
“Soup or salad?” Valentina asked. Her eyes scanned down his chest as he handed her back the menu.
“Salad. Blue cheese.” He was all business, not wanting her to think he enjoyed her undressing him with her eyes.
She nodded, but not before a sharp intake of breath.
He really did not get women. Half the time, the shorter or ruder he was to them, the more it seemed to turn them on. Valentina smiled as she walked away, and Bobby had to stop himself from shaking his head at her.
When he looked back, he noticed that Sophie was grabbing another slice of bread and devouring it. She must be really hungry
. Usually, she never ate the bread on the table because she said that she didn’t want it to spoil her appetite. Speaking of which.
“I’m surprised you didn’t try the Tagliolini Al Caffe. You love shrimp.” Bobby had thought that for sure that was what Sophie would have landed on—after careful deliberation, of course.
Sophie’s face scrunched up like she’d just bit into a lemon as she shook her head. Then she immediately grabbed another slice of bread.
Maybe she was just hungry for some comfort food. Maybe she’d been on the road so much lately that some good, hearty spaghetti and meatballs sounded like just the thing to hit the spot. There could be a million reasons that would explain his wife’s behavior tonight.
So why did he feel like something was wrong?
Chapter Seven
The intense scrutiny of Bobby’s stare bore into Sophie as they rode the elevator up to the fortieth floor. The heat of his gaze was like a microwave to the kernel of nerves bouncing around inside her. Every second he looked at her pop, pop, popped more anxiety. Just like a paper bag filled to the brim with freshly popped popcorn, she felt like she needed to let some of the steam escape or she would burst open.
Shifting from one foot to the other, she rolled her head from side to side to try to loosen the knots at the base of her neck and in her shoulders. Was she fidgety? Yep. She couldn’t help it. Not only was she trying to adjust to Bobby’s surprise, she’d also totally chickened out on telling him the rather life-changing announcement of her own. It had seemed like one surprise show-and-tell was enough for the evening.
The elevator doors opened and Sophie crossed her fingers that she would make it to the room on her wobbly legs. She felt like she was walking on top of a waterbed as she and Bobby made their way down the brightly lit hall. Wrapping her arms around herself, she tried to push down the nerves that were trying to overtake her. Her mind was spinning and she felt like she was being pulled in two directions. Like she had a small angel on one shoulder screaming, “Tell him. Tell Bobby you’re pregnant,” and a less-than-angelic figure on her other shoulder shaking its head, saying, “No, no, no. Don’t tell him.”
My Love - Bobby & Sophie: A Crossroads Novella Page 6