“Would it help if I said I was wrong?” he asked.
She shut her eyes, steeling herself against his gentle voice and implied apology. “We’re different, Riley.”
“Opposites attract.”
“We’re like oil and water. We don’t mix.”
“I prefer to think of us as a more combustible combination.” He turned his head and his lips settled on her cheek in a soft kiss. “Want to see the sparks?”
She lifted her hands to his shoulders and pushed him away. “It was fun but it’s over. No more quickies for us.” She spun her chair back around and stood, gesturing toward the door. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have business to attend to.”
“You must be extra busy. I heard about the computer virus and how the contracts were distributed without permission,” he said, understanding and sympathy in his voice.
“You don’t have anything to worry about. None of our clients do. Our lawyers are on top of the situation. Everything’s fine.”
He grinned. “Glad to hear it. Then you can come for dinner. You have to take a break to eat anyway.”
“I told you I have plans,” she lied.
He shrugged, seemingly undeterred and unfazed. “Break them.”
“No.”
“You can’t possibly want to go out with one of these bozos,” he said, waving at the flowers.
“You mean after having experienced the great Riley Nash?” she asked, forcing a laugh. “You know what? It’s time for you to leave. You have no right to show up here and make demands. You have even less right to act like a jealous idiot. You made your choice, now I’m making mine.” She turned her back and waited for whatever comeback he had.
Seconds that felt like minutes passed in silence. Suddenly she heard footsteps walking away.
She exhaled hard, grateful that she could now deal with the lump in her throat and lead weight in her chest. Slowly she retreated to her desk and lowered herself into her chair, closing her eyes.
When she opened them, Riley still stood in the doorway. “I’m glad to see you’re more affected than you wanted me to realize.”
“You’re a weasel,” she muttered.
“No, babe, I just don’t do the things you expect, and you know what? You like that about me. You don’t know how to deal with me, but you do enjoy me.”
She lifted the first thing she could find, a block of sticky notes, and leveled it across the room, but the lightweight object dropped uselessly to the floor.
“When you decide to come around, we could work on y
our throwing arm.” He grinned.
She grabbed for another object.
He laughed and ducked out the door before she could hurl the paperweight at him.
Alone, she slammed her hand on the intercom button and told her secretary to hold all her calls and turn away any visitors.
The urge to run after him was strong, but Sophie knew better and she was not going to give herself a chance to second-guess her decision to turn him away. No, she was going to move on. She was going to go out and have fun, to heck with the man who wanted to turn her life upside down.
She headed to Cindy’s office and they agreed to go to Quarters, the new it sports bar in town, for drinks after work. Anything to keep her mind off of Riley, she thought. And when Roper called once more, she invited him to join them.
RILEY LEFT Sophie and met up with Mike by the elevators. They headed for Houston’s for some decent ribs and a good amount of beer. Riley knew he was feeling sorry for himself for not getting through to Sophie, but he couldn’t help it. He was a man who usually got his way with a charming smile or good-old-boy wink. Sophie made him work for what he wanted and he knew damn well that was part of her allure. Not that he desired her only because he couldn’t have her, but he did admire her resolve.
Like a good, solid football game, the one who hung in there the longest was bound to win. If Riley understood nothing else, it was determination.
He was preoccupied with his thoughts and, thank God, Mike was smart enough to shut up and eat. His friend didn’t push for conversation, nor did he give Riley a hard time about obviously striking out with Sophie. For that, Riley paid the dinner bill and when Mike suggested they hit Quarters Sports Bar next, a place co-owned by one of their ex-teammates, Riley agreed. Some more liquor felt like a good idea about now.