all sorted out. I promise.” Impatiently her fingers moved over the keypad again.
MaidintheShade347 (Sofia): I need you.
Mop&Glow007 (Kyra): I’m here. Who’s here?
MaidintheShade347 (Sofia): Niko. What do I do?
Mop&Glow007 (Kyra): Do you want to see him?
Sofia hadn’t told Kyra the steamy bits that had transpired between her and Niko. It felt strange to hold back from her best friend, who until this point in her life had known all her secrets and insecurities. But this was different. She’d had a one-night stand with Niko—Kyra’s long-lost cousin. That totally changed the rules of the game.
There was something else Sofia hadn’t told Kyra—she was pregnant. Sofia had just found out earlier that week. She would tell Kyra everything just as soon as she figured out how best to deal with Niko.
MaidintheShade347 (Sofia): No. Yes. I don’t know.
Mop&Glow007 (Kyra): Do you want me to say something to him for you?
MaidintheShade347 (Sofia): No!
Mop&Glow007 (Kyra): Are you sure?
MaidintheShade347 (Sofia): I’ll handle it.
Mop&Glow007 (Kyra): LMK if you change your mind. I’ll help.
The offer was generous, so typical of Kyra. Her friend had already pulled strings and gotten Sofia enrolled in an in-house managerial training program. Sofia was immensely grateful for the opportunity, but she was seriously considering returning to the States to earn an accounting degree. She’d always had a knack for numbers.
Though Kyra’s offer to help smooth over things with Niko was tempting, Sofia would have to face Niko on her own. She couldn’t even imagine how he’d react to her news.
NIKO YANKED AT his necktie, loosening it. He took the steps leading up to his bungalow two at a time while holding firmly to the notes he’d taken during his meeting with Cristo. He released the top buttons on his dress shirt. Whatever made him think wearing a suit at the Blue Tide was a good idea?
Because it was a habit. He felt in control in a suit and tie. His grandfather had drilled this message into him since he was just a boy. Without his father around to assume his rightful place as the Stravos heir, the role had fallen to Niko. He’d vowed at an early age to be the type of man that would have made his father and grandfather proud. That role included dressing the part.
However, Cristo hadn’t felt the need for business attire, even though they were dealing with a very big contract that involved the sale of Niko’s international hotel chain to Cristo. Thankfully the meeting had gone quite well. The changes to the terms of the contract were minor. So why was he so uptight? So out of sorts?
The answer immediately came to him in the vision of Sofia. He strode into the bungalow, where he uncharacteristically tossed his tie over the back of the couch, followed by his suit jacket. Why had she looked at him as if he were the Big Bad Wolf and she were Little Red Riding Hood? Had he really been that gruff?
He gave himself a mental shake as he sat down at the spacious desk and turned on his laptop. He’d be lost without it. Immediately his email software popped up on the screen. Forty-three new emails since that morning. All appeared to be business related. He inwardly groaned. They’d have to wait a little longer.
Niko opened a new email and started typing a note to his legal team. Sofia’s panic-stricken face as she’d rushed out the door came to him. He shoved the image to the back of his mind as he transcribed his hasty notes into something more understandable.
When he’d finished proofreading the rather lengthy email, he pressed Send. He soon found three more emails had landed in his inbox. He leaned back in his chair as the memory of Sofia continued to plague him.
What had she wanted? Why had she looked so upset? He couldn’t fully focus on his work until he had answers.
Niko strode over to the phone and was quickly connected with the front desk. He couldn’t come straight out and request they send over Sofia. It would raise too many questions. Instead he requested the maid who’d cleaned his room to stop by, as he’d misplaced some papers and needed to know if she’d seen them. He assured the desk clerk that no crime had been committed. He just needed a bit of help.
Not more than five minutes later, there was a knock at the door. Niko opened it to find Sofia holding a stack of plush white towels as though they were a shield. “Hi. Thanks for coming back.”
Her gaze didn’t quite meet his. “I...I didn’t see any papers.”
He arched a brow. “And you would know this how? You took off so fast this morning that you didn’t have time to look around.”
“I’m sorry about that. I didn’t know you were in the bungalow.”
After being up late into the night working, he’d slept in. He’d forgotten to put out the do-not-disturb placard. That answered some of his questions but not all of them. “I understand about the mix-up this morning, but we still need to talk.”
Panic reflected in her brown eyes. “We...we do.”
He got the feeling from her awkward stance and the way her gaze didn’t quite meet his that whatever she had to say he wasn’t going to like it. Not one little bit. It was like he’d walked in on the middle of a play and he had absolutely no idea what was going on.
If he was smart, he’d just make a quick excuse to disentangle himself from Sofia right here and now. But what came out of his mouth was something entirely different. “Come inside.”
She hesitated before moving past him, taking great pains to keep some distance between them. This was not the way he’d expected her to act after their amazing night together. In fact, it was exactly the opposite.
When she stood in the middle of the living room, clenching and unclenching her hands, he said, “You can have a seat.”
She perched on the edge of the couch. She laced her fingers together and rested them in her lap. The awkward silence stretched out.
“What did you want to discuss?” Surely it couldn’t be as serious as her body language indicated. Perhaps she regretted running out on him the morning after the wedding and she wanted to know if they could start over.
The thought of letting her down weighed on him. He’d really enjoyed getting to know her. She’d been so easy to be around. But as amazing as he found her, he wasn’t at a place in his life where he could even think about a serious relationship. Maybe it wasn’t right—wasn’t fair—but neither would lying to her. In the end, it would hurt her more.
His gaze met hers. There was a vulnerability in her eyes that evoked a protective side of him he hadn’t been aware of before that moment. Her eyes grew shiny as though she were about to burst into tears at any moment.
No. Please. Not that.
Niko sat down on an adjacent armchair, uncomfortable with the thought of dealing with an emotional woman. He had absolutely no experience
