Page 32 of Going Down Hard
“Soph—”
“Don’t say it.” She put her hand over his mouth. “I don’t want to hear anything that isn’t going to give me what I want—what I need—and right now I want to have that bath you offered. With you.”
Stone closed his eyes and tried to do the right thing but she did that wiggling move again and any restraint he might have held on to dissolved like ice on a hot tin roof. He heard his control snap like a crack of lightning.
Opening his eyes, he grabbed her hand. “C’mon.”
“Yes!”
He snorted. “And you thinkyou’rethe easy one,” he muttered.
She had him wrapped around her little finger. He was man enough to accept that…but not reckless enough to admit it out loud.
***
Sophie laid back and swirled her hands in the warm water, skimming over Stone’s thighs with her fingertips. His arms rested lazily around her waist, his chest supporting her spine and his legs bracketing hers. They’d been relaxing in the tub for about twenty minutes and she was done thinking. Her thoughts were only going in circles now anyway.
“I’m tired of waiting for him to do something.” The quiet words echoed off the tile walls as though she’d shouted.
He stirred against her and drew in a breath.
“I want to go back to the festival tomorrow. See if we can flush him out in the open again. Maybe you could leave me alone for a few minutes—”
“No.”
There was no point arguing. Stone’s word lived up to his name. Rock hard without a soft spot to be found. There’d be no changing his mind on that point but she had to convince him they needed—sheneeded—to face this guy. If she showed Hagar she wasn’t frightened, that he didn’t scare her, he might leave her alone. “I’m not staying locked away. I can’t.”
“I’m not leaving you alone.”
“Okay.”
“That was too easy.” He pushed her up and gripped her waist. Lifting her, he said, “Turn around. I want to see your face while we have this conversation.”
Bloody hell. He’d proven he could read her every thought already. She didn’t stand a chance of keeping anything from him if he was looking her in the eye. Sighing, she got up and spun around, her knees sliding down to rest on the bottom of the tub on either side of his hips.
“Now tell me exactly what you’re thinking,” he demanded.
“I don’t want to live in fear anymore. I’ve always gone after what I want, and I want my life back. I’m tired of looking over my shoulder, of waiting for the other shoe to drop. I gave this Hagar person control by allowing him to get to me, by letting him dictate my actions.”
“He’s dangerous.”
“We don’t know that.”
“I know his type.”
“Maybe. But you can’t be sure, and I’m done hiding out. I want this over. Now.”
She watched him fight an internal battle that tightened his jaw and put worry wrinkles in his forehead. He sat up. “We need a plan. I’ll call Jack—”
“Not now. Tomorrow.”
“I thought you wanted this over with?”
“I do but it makes sense to do it in daylight and we’re running out of that today.” She could see the sky darkening through the small high window above the bath.
Stone sighed. “You’re right. I’ll call Jack first thing tomorrow.” He pulled her down against him and slid his arms around her, pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
They lay there, each in their own thoughts, until the water cooled to an uncomfortable temperature and Sophie started to shiver.
