Chapter 5

SOPHIA

"Ihad to have left them somewhere," I grumbled as I retraced my steps for the third time. My car. The desk where I leaned as I grabbed my bag from Jacob before he headed off to get ready for practice. The coffee bar. My shared office with Jules. The team meeting room. Back to my office.

"Fuck!"

"Language," Jules chuckled. "I thought you said you were going on a ‘date' with Mr. Lumbersnack?"

I let out a frustrated groan. "We were, but Coach Grumpy Pants decided to be extra grumpy pants and practice had all kinds of moaning and groaning from the locker room. Jacob and a few of the guys are getting a little extra attention, so rain check."

"Good, then you can come over for dinner."

"Can't find my damn keys, bestie, remember?" I knelt down and crawled on the floor, trying to see if maybe I dropped them on the floor and they decided to hide from me under my desk.

Nope. I rested my head on the floor with a groan. "Dammit."

"Not that I mind the view, but-"

Shit. I jerked, and smacked my head on the underside of the desk. Feet scrambled as I scooted out from under the cave I trapped myself in. With my ass up in the air.

Right in front of the man who knew exactly how I looked from that angle.

Naked.

As he made me scream his name while I came all over his glorious cock.

Fuck. No, not glorious. Average. Very average and not at all haunting my dreams. Or my showers. I sat back, my cheeks heated and I'm sure the most attractive shade of red.

Kinda like the color of your ass after he spanked you, and you begged him for more?

Why the hell was I arguing with myself? Wait, was I arguing? SHIT.

"Soph?"

Like a damn fish out of water I opened and closed my mouth. Because his cock, the one that had been in my mouth so deep I couldn't breath and had gleefully gagged until tears streamed down my face.

"Earth to Sophia? Did you find-"

"I gotta go. Bye." I ended the call before I said, or did, something that would embarrass Jules. Like accidentally let it slip how badly I wanted to stay on my knees and worship Max's cock.

Again.

He stared down at me, dark eyes glittering with all the dirty thoughts running through my mind.

Each breath entering and leaving my lungs along with the pounding of my heart sounded like a beacon, drawing him closer. His cologne filled my senses, and suddenly it was too much. The reminder of what had been, and what I'd been desperate to ignore even while I fantasized about him. Us. The things we did. The things we could do.

I needed to get off my knees. Like, now. My thoughts were nudging all the naughty things way too close to the surface. It was bad enough that my face was aflame, my legs shaking as I stood. Our bodies brushed, tension palpable and electricity sparking between us. He cleared his throat, eyes locked on my lips.

Outside the door, a few of the coaching staff passed by, joking and laughing. And killing the spell.

Thank God.

I stepped back, and went to the opposite side of the desk. As if the wooden piece of office furniture could magically keep us away from each other.

He canted his head. "Everything ok?"

My bag suddenly became much more interesting, and I searched through it again for the twelfth time. Wished for a miracle, and found only everything else I didn't need right now. I quirked my brow. Well, maybe after Coach Grumpy Pants isn't around I can indulge in my fantasies with my safe, rechargeable buddy who will never break my heart.

Max cleared his throat. My eyes shot to his face, and I realized I was trapped because without my keys, there was no way I was getting home. "Everything ok?"

And I couldn't hold back anymore. All the searching, crawling around on the floor, thinking about Max's cock and his hands and his fingers and his mouth and God, the way he manhandled me plus missing out on the first date I'd kinda wanted to go on in months, if not almost a year, and now my keys with my favorite keychain were missing.

"So, you still think about my cock, huh, Sunrise?" he asked, voice low and dangerous.

Shit! "I said that out loud, didn't I?" He nodded. I cursed like a sailor and wished the floor would open up and swallow me whole. But, then I lifted my chin. "I never said the sex wasn't amazing. Just that it wasn't going to happen again."

"You also didn't want me to know your name, but here we are, Sophia."

"What happened to Sunrise?" Wait, was I pouting because he wasn't calling me the nickname from our first night. Oh hell, no. "Nevermind. And the only things that really matter off my chaotic list of disasters are missing an actual date and my keys. I love that keychain."

For a split second, he hesitated, but then, his ‘Coach Grumpy Pants' glower slipped back into place. "Did you look-"

"Everywhere? Yes, Coach Grumpy Pants, I did. Twice. And the keys to my new apartment, my car, and the rest of my life are nowhere to be found. Would I be like this-" I gestured to all of me, then continued. "If I didn't look everywhere?"

"Maybe someone grabbed them by mistake or they got picked up by someone. They'll turn up, Sunrise."

I crossed my arms over my chest. "I hate calling for an Uber. Like, with all of my being. The last time I did, it was after we- I mean, when you and I, then I-"

"Ran away without a word?" he finished as he crossed his arms mirroring my pose.

I glared then smiled sweetly. "Actually, yes, it was. Must be all the bad memories flooding back." He let out a noise. "Did you just growl at me?"

"I'll drive you home. I'm going to Jules' anyway for dinner." He dismissed my comment, and grabbed my other bag from the floor where I dropped it when I realized my keys were not in my hand or anywhere else in the damn building.

"You don't have to do that."

"Sophia, you live next door. It's not like I have to even go a millimeter out of my way. Come on, you already know I don't bite."

His logic overshadowed the not wanting to be in an enclosed space with him running in my veins. Fuck. I knew I should've kept an extra key hidden somewhere. Just so I can avoid being in close proximity with Max Vaughn and have to smell his cologne or see the ways the corners of his eyes crinkle when he kinda smiles. I opened my mouth to protest.

"End of story. Grab your stuff. I'll send an email to the main office to keep an eye for them. Let's go." The look he gave me offered no quarter or resistance on my part, and I gave in. I was tired anyway from the freak out session I had and the loss of the prospect of a fun night with Mr. Lumbersnack.

"Fine. But keep your hands to yourself, understood? Don't make me sic Daisy on you," I warned with a smirk, knowing full well how much the adorable cat antagonized him.

The returning glare was everything I had hoped, and I giggled with pure delight.

"You're as evil as that fur ball," he muttered as I gathered the rest of my things, and locked up behind me. We headed towards the parking lot, where most of the cars had cleared out. There were only a handful left. And Jacob's was nowhere to be seen.

Good, I thought darkly.

"Daisykins is the most thoughtful, sweet, purrfectly wonderful judge of character."

I bit back a groan. "Did you just use pur-"

"Yep." She raised a brow, daring me to say more.

That damn cat was going to be the death of me. Or maybe Sophia would be. "Get in, Sophia." She opened her mouth to respond, but I cut her off. "You know you love obeying me. Or at least, you did when you were on your knees."

The venomous look that flashed in her eyes would've made a lesser man back down or run away in terror. But, I wasn't like other men. I had the advantage of knowing how Sophia looked, reacted…melted when she was turned on. She tiptoed on the edge of wanting to slap me or-

"It seems I'm always looking for something I've lost, but haven't quite found yet," she snarked with a grin that told me as much as she loved this push and pull as much as I did. Even if we couldn't act on it. Her head disappeared as she climbed into my SUV.

Even if the ten plus year age difference didn't exist, we worked together and, the biggest issue, Sophia was my little sister's best friend.

Off-limits.

Too bad I already knew every curve, every sound she made, every place she loved to be touched. And exactly how she liked to be touched. I tapped the roof before climbing into the driver's seat. The door closed, the sound echoing in the suddenly too small cabin.

Or too big, because Sophia's body, her lips, were too fucking far away for my liking. Her eyes slid my way before she reached over and pulled the seatbelt across her body. Before she could click it in, I reached over and clicked it in myself. Her gaze shot to mine.

"I could have done it myself."

I shrugged as the engine roared to life, and I backed out of the parking spot. "It sticks."

"It sticks? Seriously?"

"Safety first, Sunrise."

She snorted and leaned forward to turn on the radio. "Safety should be the least of your concerns. Coach."

"Coach? What happened to Iceman?" I mocked with a smirk, tossing her words back at her. "Haven't you ever heard not to mess with a man's music?"

"Passenger Princess rules," she grinned, then frowned.

"Little pink houses..."

She glanced out the window as the city flashed by with a groan. "God, I hate this song."

My eyes strayed to the line of her neck, blocking out the scent of her skin. Hands gripped the steering wheel. "Hate's a strong word. It's just a song."

The lights lit up the curve of her cheek as she shifted to face me in the passenger seat. "Songs trap your emotions and take you back to a place you wish you could stay far away from, Vaughn. That song?" She flicked her hand in the direction of the dash with a look of disdain. "Reminds me of the puck bunny roommate I had in college who stalked my big brother's best friend. And used me to get to him. Then, when he got drafted into the NHL, accused me of trying to break them up when they weren't even dating. So, yeah, I hate that song. Because she lied and did her best to play the victim. And played it over and over because she thought it would make her seem lovable or something. Please. As if anyone could like that song. And who the hell paints a house pink?"

God, she was gorgeous when she was all riled up about the most obscure things. But, then again, maybe it wasn't obscure.

Betrayal is a shitty thing. "Noted. No pink houses."

Sophia snorted. "Just drive, Coach." When I glared at her, she rolled her eyes and added, "Iceman."