Chapter Thirty-Seven

Sophie was annoyed.

She kicked at a pebble lining one of the flower beds in the garden in frustration but kept right on walking.

Night had fallen, but she was restless sitting inside the house, unable to focus on a book or a television program. Instead, she'd stormed out the back door into the garden, walking around and trying to clear her head.

She was annoyed with HERSELF.

She should have known that this… flirtation with Daniel was just that.

A flirtation.

It certainly wasn't the love story of the century, she knew that. Just a flirtation.

So, they'd culminated their banter and flirting and bickering with a lot of mind-blowingly good sex. So what?

He had turned tail and run, which meant this was nothing more than fling to him.

That was fine.

She could accept that.

She was annoyed with herself for letting herself fall for him a bit, for getting too close, for letting her feelings sneak up and bite her in the ass.

Well, no more.

The day she'd spent with Daniel was very… satisfying, but it was over.

Sophie squared her shoulders, and then kicked at another rock, still venting some of her frustration.

She continued to walk around the edge of the garden, looking at the beds in the growing moonlight, musing that she would probably have to have the grass cut again soon.

Normally, she would ask Daniel for help recommending someone, or batting her eyelashes until he did it for her, but clearly he was off the list now.

So be it.

Sophie nearly jumped out of her skin several minutes later when a figure emerged at her side, appearing like smoke in the darkness.

A sideways glance told her it was Daniel – she could smell his cologne, feel the warmth of his body as he came close to her, not touching her. Her hands itched to run a hand through his hair, to grab his hand in hers, to cup his cheek with her palm.

But she did nothing.

She continued to walk, not breaking stride despite his appearance, and Daniel easily fell into step beside her, not breaking the silence.

Neither one spoke for several long minutes, just walking beside each other, not even hands brushing one another.

Finally, Daniel decided to end the increasingly tense silence and spoke first – a first in Sophie's life, she was sure. She was always the talker.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Sophie bit back about ten nasty replies, and then shook her head no. "No."

Daniel nodded once, and then kept walking beside her.

"Do you want to talk about something else?"

Sophie pretended to think about it for a long moment, and then shook her head again. "No."

Daniel nodded once again, still keeping pace with her.

"Do you want to talk at all?" He ventured, his eyes searching for hers, but she kept them stubbornly trained forward.

Sophie bit her lip, and then shook again. "No."

Daniel wanted to smile at her indignant tone, her rigid back, but couldn't. He knew she was hurt, confused by his sudden disappearance, and he wanted to make things better without pushing her too hard.

They continued to walk, rounding the side of the house at a measured pace when Daniel finally spoke again.

"Do you want me to press you up against that tree and kiss the hell out of you?" He asked, his deep voice low, husky, wanting.

There was a long beat of silence as Sophie came to a full stop, still not daring to look up at him.

"Yes."

Daniel smiled then, unable to contain himself as he grasped her shoulders and steered her backwards until he bumped her back against the tree, his hand protecting the back of her head gently.

He lowered his head then, slowly, slowly moving his mouth closer to hers, stopping when they were centimeters apart, breathing her in. She remained motionless, forcing him to make the move, to cross the threshold between them.

After several long seconds, he finally bent to capture her mouth with his, stealing the breath from her body as they made contact. His body pressed against hers as he dipped down to nip kisses at her neck, to press his lips to hers, his tongue dancing and darting and daring her to follow.

Sophie moaned involuntarily at the contact, suddenly hungry for Daniel's touch, his kiss, his everything. She had tried to remain stiff and stoic, but at the touch of his lips to hers, she felt everything inside herself melt. Her hands slid up his back, snaking into his hair and tugging him closer to her, pressing his lips even more insistently against hers.

It was Daniel's turn to groan as Sophie shifted her body, pressing against his length, her tongue following his. He tangled his hands in her long auburn hair, which was down and loose tonight, making her look like a wood nymph being seduced by one of the Greek gods from mythology.

He felt like Zeus as he continued to possess her mouth, his breath coming in short bursts, unwilling as he was to pull away from her to try and catch it.

It had only been a day, but he was hungry for her, had been thirsting to have her near him, and now she was here with her intoxicating scent, her tuggable hair, her kissable lips…

Daniel groaned anew as Sophie broke the contact, placing her hands on his chest and pressing him away from her. Immediately realizing she wanted space, and that it wasn't a ploy, he took a step back, putting his hands in his pockets to stop himself from tangling them in her hair again.

"Stop," she whispered, her own breath coming in gasps, her hair deliciously mussed. "Please stop."

"Sophie…" he breathed, wanting so badly to take a step closer to her, to feel her against him again.

"Where did you go?" she asked, plaintive. "Why did you go?"

Daniel opened his mouth to respond but she interrupted him.

"God, no, sorry, don't answer that. I'm not one of those clingy girls. I don't care – it's your life. Sorry." She held up a hand, closing her eyes as she said that, warding him off.

Daniel squeezed his eyes shut, then closed the distance between them again, taking her upturned hand in his, pulling it up to his lips and kissing her palm tenderly, then placing the hand against his chest, near his heart. "I had to go to Worcester to discuss the field buy out with the solicitors and the bank. I thought I'd be back in a couple of hours, but I was detained in town, and the meeting went hideously long so I ended up spending the night with my cousin. Soph, I'm so sorry. I never meant to…"

She looked back at him, skeptical.

"It's true," he said, his voice low. "Look into my eyes, Sophie. I'm not lying. I had to go for the farm, and I'm sorry I wasn't back sooner. I… I missed you. I'm not lying. I'm so sorry…"

Sophie released her hand from his, nudged him back with one finger, and he stepped away from her again.

"I'm glad you're home safe," Sophie said primly, pushing herself away from the tree and turning towards the house. "Good night, Daniel."

"Sophie!" he called after her, but she didn't break stride. "I'm sorry…"

Sophie's knees were still wobbly as she finally made it into the house and shut the door firmly behind her.

He may have apologized, and his kiss may have inflamed every each of her, but she was definitely going to bed alone tonight.

Fling or no fling, they needed space.

Or at least she did, she amended, ascending the stairs wearily. Space to sort out what Daniel Davies was doing to her, and where they went from here.

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