Chapter 7

MAX

Isat there at the table, trying to figure out a way to either take Sophia over my knee and show her exactly what happened when she decided to be such a little brat, or scoop her ass up, over my shoulder, and take her to her place. Show her exactly what happened when I was pushed to my limit.

And that damn dress?

My hand twitched with all things marking my girl's ass.

Her long legs and curves and those damn tits. I couldn't get her and her fucking body out of my head. She tempted me with every movement. I knew she wore it on purpose just to get a reaction. But when she leaned forward on the table, showing me what she thought I couldn't have, all bets were off. If she only knew how close I was to throwing her over my shoulder and teaching her a lesson neither of us would soon forget.

Jules kept glancing my way all night, a concerned expression on her face. It was bad enough that her damn cat kept messing with me, but watching her and Kas fawn all over each other would've been the kind of torture you had at the dentist office when the novocaine hadn't kicked in yet. When I agreed to weekly dinners so Kas and I could ‘bond' outside of practice, I hoped for a loud bar or someplace where I didn't have to talk to Kas. And I sure as hell wasn't counting on her damn cat torturing me every damn time.

When Jules mentioned Hale had asked Sophia out yesterday before morning practice when she stopped by my office, I knew I had to do something.

Whether she knew it or not, Sophia was mine.

No one else's.

Hale couldn't handle a woman like her. Challenge her. Go toe to toe with her.

Cause, fuck, I loved her sass. The way she gave me shit, never backing down. Even when I tested her limits that first night, I knew Sophia was the kind of woman most men dreamed of having, but never understood or made the effort to keep. Her walls were hidden beneath a sassy facade of sunshine and confidence she used like a shield.

But I saw the girl beneath it all. The woman. How she needed me to take control of her while knowing I wouldn't let her do anything she wasn't comfortable with our one night together, to how she wrote in that little notebook that fell out of her purse right before she left my room the next morning…to the way she fiercely protected my baby sister, taking her under her wing when Jules first came to town. She looked after other people the way she deserved to be looked after.

That damn notebook filled with pages of thoughts, words, poems, quotes and I kept it like a damn stalker. Every word, a glimpse into the woman I couldn't get out of my mind. To her heart. Her soul.

Until all I spent my waking hours obsessing about her.

Sophia. My little sister's best friend and the one-night stand stuck in my fantasies every moment since.

Fuck, it wasn't like I hadn't had my fair share of women in my career. But none of them were her.

And none of them would ever come close to her. Not her smile, her laugh, the fire in her eyes. Not ever again.

My eyes followed her retreating form as she abruptly shoved out her chair and made her escape down the hallway to the bathroom. The flash of the back of her upper thigh as the skirt of her dress swayed with each scurried step sent me straight back. Buried balls-deep in her sweet pussy. My cock instantly took notice. A quick glance, and I knew Jules and Kas wouldn't notice if I left the room, but I called out anyway, "Jules, do you still have that extra iPad?"

She nodded, playfully swatting at Kas. "In the spare room across from the bathroom, on the desk. Take it if you need it."

Neither one even glanced my way as I left the table and followed the siren luring me in with her smile, her body, her heart. Across from the spare room where Kas set up an office space, the bathroom door stood as a barrier between me and the one thing I wanted more than anything. And given how she responded earlier, Sophia felt the pull between just surely as I had. With a quick look to make sure Kas and Jules were still occupied, I went into the office and grabbed the iPad to cover myself in case.

My eyes locked in on the Sharpie next to the iPad, and I grabbed both quickly and went back into the hallway.

Coast clear.

Through the door, I heard Sophia talking to herself. I pressed my ear against the cool wood, and narrowed my eyes as I made out her muffled words.

"Damn you, Max Vaughn. Damn you and your tattoos and your forearms, and that stupid sexy grin. And your cock, that I miss every damn night. One night, and now all I can think of is the damn orgasms and how I still felt you for days after. Fuck!"

The door swung open, and I came face to face with the object of my desire, face flushed and eyes filled with a fire she couldn't deny. Sophia stepped back as I closed in, inching closer until the bathroom filled with the sounds of her labored breathing. Chest rising and falling. Gray eyes wide, lush lips parted softly.

"What are you doing?" she asked, breathless.

Needy.

Just like our first night, eyes lit with a spark that neither of us could deny.

With a smirk, I set down the tablet and slipped the Sharpie between my teeth. Hands freed, I gripped her waist, lifted her onto the counter and pushed up the hem of her dress to reveal the smooth skin of her upper thigh. Bright teal lace teased and taunted me. I nudged her thighs wider apart with my knee as I snatched the Sharpie from my mouth. Marker uncapped, I smoothed my hand over her heated flesh.

"Reminding you, Sunrise, who you belong to. Every time you lie to yourself and to me, remember what this says. Why it's on your skin? Who put it there, and why, Sunrise." Her body trembled beneath my fingertips. The script beckoned in sharp contrast to her pale skin. I bent down, eyes not leaving her wild ones. Right before my lips made contact with the word, I stared her down.

Dared her to deny the truth she refused to voice out loud.

And kissed her where I marked her skin.

Mine.