She cared what others thought of her and hated that she had to see girls fawning over Abe on a nightly basis. Sophia was a fool to think there was more to him than what was projected on the outside. He was rough and gritty, didn’t give two shits about what others thought, and lived his life to the fullest.
There had been so many times throughout their lives when Abe had been her shoulder to cry on, her personal bodyguard, and the only person who showed her any kind of affection. All those nights staring up at the stars, holding her hand like he thought she would float away and never come back.
Or those times she rested her head on his chest and they talked for hours about their fears and what they wanted out of life. It was all those things and more she thought of when the bad stuff reared up.
The truth was, Sophia loved Abe with all her heart, was madly in love with him, yet she couldn’t bring herself to say anything. For years, she suffered with her feelings, knowing there was no way he felt the same for her. Abe only saw her as a little sister, the awkward and gangly teenager, despite the fact that they were both twenty-two.
She didn’t bother denying her feelings to Steph. Hell, she admitted as much in the back room after closing when shots of Patrón were being passed around. But Steph was good people and would never sell her out to anyone.
“It wouldn’t make a difference anyway. Even if he did have feelings for me, Abe isn’t the type of guy to settle down, and I am not the type of girl to share.” Sophia shook her head and put the last glass away. “Besides, it’s pretty damn clear there are no feelings for me where Abe is concerned. I’ve known him pretty much my whole life, and he’s never hinted at feeling anything for me besides brotherly love.”
Steph didn’t say anything, just stared at her with eyes that knew far too much.
She opened her mouth to say something, but a whole slew of customers swarmed the bar and started throwing out drink orders. This was the distraction Sophia needed.2It was going on nine in the morning, and despite that it was still early in Abe time, Sophia walked up his front steps and knocked on the door. Although Abe told her to just walk in, that knocking on his door was for people who weren’t her, she wanted to give him his privacy.
Several long moments passed, and finally she heard shuffling on the other side of the door. It was pulled open, and a very tired, disheveled, and extremely good-looking Abe stood on the other side. He only wore a pair of boxer briefs. They were white and left nothing to the imagination.
Although she had seen Abe naked plenty of times, either swimming at the lake or by accidentally walking in on him the morning after he’d bene drunk, she never could get over how everything was so… impressive.
Dark brown hair, cut short but long enough that he could run his hands through it, stuck up slightly around his head. He was big and muscular, so very muscular. She supposed that was what happened when a man worked at a mechanics shop, lifting heavy engines and pushing metal around.
His arms were covered in tattoos, so many that only bits and pieces of his tan flesh were visible through the ink. His chest had tattoos also, one on each pec and another that snaked around his side and disappeared to his back.
She knew the back was just as impressive as the front, all hard lines of sinew and tendon that moved, with sharp lines and dark ink that covered the flesh. All in all, he looked sexy and dangerous, and every time she saw him, her panties became so wet they rubbed against her sensitive skin.
“Kid?” His voice was deep and rough, the kind she imagined made all the girls roll over in the morning and spread their legs. He scrubbed a hand over his face and blinked a few times, his eyes opening wider despite the bright sun. She could get lost in those blue depths. They were light, so very blue and clear that they reminded her of still waters.
“Damn, girl, do you ever sleep in?” He stepped aside, and she entered. He smelled like booze and pent-up aggression.
“Why do you act surprised when I show up?” Abe wasn’t the type of guy to cuddle with his “women” after sex. She had seen them do the walk of shame as early as seven in the morning. That was, of course, when she used to come over earlier than nine. She had since learned that, if she didn’t want to see, she needed to start making later trips to his house.