Chapter 19

Chapter 19: I like not only to be loved but also to be told I am loved.

- George Eliot

Micah

"Where the hell have you been?" Priest asks the moment I walk into his office door. I quirk my brow at his daring question. "Last time I checked, you weren't my keeper. So I suggest you take a better tone with me." Priest's head tilts with a challenging frown. "What happened with the detective?"

Taking a seat in one of his comfortable chairs, I cross my leg over my knee and release a frustrated sigh. "Well, I told him to back off, but I get the feeling that he won't. He also asked me about Willem." Priest's face stiffens. "Are you fucking kidding me? What exactly did he say?" He asks, taking a seat behind his desk and resting his folded hands on the surface. Running a thumb across my lips, I think about what the detective said. "He tried to hedge when I told him to back off. Yet he didn't seem all that surprised by the fact that I knew about him investigating me. Then he asked me about Willem, and I told him that it was better if he didn't know. He made some kind of comment about his suspicions regarding what I do for a living and asked me about Sophia too."

Priest narrows his eyes. "What did he want with Sophia?" I shrug my shoulders. "Just speculation about our relationship." I stop and take a deep breath, feeling renewed anger coursing through me. I can't help but feel worried that the detective is going to be a catalyst for a future catastrophe. And I don't want Sophia anywhere near the mess when it goes down.

A moment later, Hunter walks into the room with a bright smile on his face. "Just got a text from Maleah. Did you and Sophia really have sex in her office?" Giving him my most killing glare, I lean back with an exasperated sigh. "Seriously? You and Maleah are the worst gossips. You most definitely make a great couple." Priest chuckles at my affronted tone. "So, is it official between you two?"

I shrug and take a deep breath. "Yes, we're a couple. We decided to make a go of it. Now can we go back to the matter at hand and stop talking about my relationship with Sophia?"

Both men nod with bemusement. We're about to go through the surveillance when Gideon shows up. He strides into the office with a big goofy grin on his face. We all raise a questioning brow when he takes a chair and slumps down on it with a satisfied smile. "What the hell has got you in such a good mood?" Priest asks quizzically.

We all face him expectantly as his smile widens, and he replies. "Jade and I are getting married!" Hunter hoots ecstatically and pats him on the back while Priest and I shake his hand. "Congratulations, Reaper." Priest says with a shake of his head. I release his hand and sit back down. "How'd you do it?" Gideon smirks. "I just gave her a ring and told her she was marrying me." Everyone gapes at him, amazed by his gal.

Hunter chuckles. "Seriously? You ordered her to marry you?" Priest and I break out into gales of laughter when Gideon shrugs cockily. "Yeah, I mean, I wasn't going to give her the chance to say no. So I told her we were getting married, and she agreed."

I shake my head in amusement and rest an ankle over my knee. "I can't imagine proposing to Sophia that way. She'd cut off my balls." The laughter dies instantly, and everyone's gaze hones in on mine with speculation.

"Are you considering it?" Priest and Gideon ask, bemused by my slight. All I can't think is that I wish I could take back what I just said. So I hedge. "Sophia and I just barely got together. The thought of marriage is not something I'm considering at the moment. There's just too much we need to settle first. And if I did consider it— I'd definitely not order her to do it. So when's the date?" I ask, diverting the conversation away from me.

Gideon shrugs. "Well, she doesn't have much of a family, and Alex is scheduled for spine surgery soon. So maybe after Alex's surgery. She told me that she wants to do a destination wedding. You're all definitely invited."

We're all about to answer when Hunter asks in amusement. "WHAT? YOU'RE NOT ORDERING US TO GO? Well, now you've ruined the experience for me. Way to go!" Everyone breaks off into gales of laughter while Gideon gives us all a droll stare. "You can make fun of me now. But wait until you find the woman of your dreams, and your every thought is of holding onto her. We'll see who's laughing then."

Hunter and I sober up quickly as we consider his words. I know that even though I'm not thinking of marriage yet— I can't see myself with someone other than Sophia. And if it does come to us making a choice, I don't know how I'd handle it. There are so many things that we've left unsaid. I don't even know if she still loves me. She makes comments about wanting me, but she's never said the words. And I guess I can't fault her because I haven't said the words either.

Focusing back on the mission at hand, the men and I run through the surveillance videos for the next few hours without any leads. At some point, Gideon stands up with a frustrated sigh. "We're not getting anywhere. We've been looking and listening for an hour without any headway. Maybe we're looking in the wrong place." I shake my head feeling my own frustration surmount. "He has to be dealing from here. This is the most logical place. It would make no sense for him to go somewhere else. There has to be something that we're missing."

Resting my third cup of coffee down on the table, I rise from my chair and do a full-body stretch. "Look, we're all frustrated here. So I say let's just go home and relax, we can meet up again tomorrow. I know that I'm tired of looking at all of this." Everyone nods in agreement and rise from their own chairs.

Unfortunately, things don't get better over the next few days. The surveillance equipment does not pick up a thing. Another frustration that I'm struggling with is the idea that Sophia is going back to school in a few days. Having her with me has been an incredible experience. On top of her being beautiful and great in bed, she's also tidy and loves to cook. We've both established a routine where we take turns cooking and fall asleep in each other's arms every night. She spends most of her days at the sweet shop or working on some design projects for a client, and I spend it researching endless surveillance equipment with Hunter, Priest, and Gideon.

I haven't received an assignment for a few days, and Maya hasn't called me with any new information on the children, which doesn't concern me much. There'll be intervals of time where I won't receive assignments. The upside of the lull is that I get to spend my free time with Sophia. A few nights ago, I took her to a restaurant where the waiters sing. She loved it. We had dinner with Gideon and Jade the night before too. It was a good night. Sophia and Jade seemed to get along as they cooed over Jade's flashy ring and spent most of the evening talking about the wedding preparations. Apparently, they decided to get married on an Island. Jade invited Sophia, Maleah, and Sage to come along. Sophia told her she'd let her know. It felt good to be part of their happiness. It also feels good because Sophia is with me.

Right now, we're both soaking in my tub after a vigorous session of lovemaking. Sophia loves the én-suite. She says that it's her favorite spot in the apartment, with its large Jacuzzi tub, beige marble tile, double vanity sink, and separate shower with a skylight. It's a modern decadence. Sophia lies back in the tub with her back to my front while I lounge back on the tub's lip. Her little hands run a sponge over my arms in sensual circles. Her soapy skin feels so good against mine, and her necklace glistens over her ivory skin. "You still wear the necklace I gave you?" I whisper in her ear. Sophia nods her head with a contented sigh. "Yeah, I haven't taken it off since you gave it to me. Even when I was pissed at you." A chuckle escapes my lips at her childish tone. However, I can't help but feel ecstatic at her comment about never taking it off. It tells me a great deal about her feelings for me. "I'm glad you still wear it," I utter with a kiss on her shoulder.

Wrapping my arms around her chest, I take the sponge from her hands and glide it down her arms and breasts, squeezing the soap over the crown of her nipples to dip the sponge back into the water and rub it between her legs. Sophia sighs with contentment, opens her legs wider, and whispers. "I wish we could stay here forever." She sounds so wistful it makes me want to find Father Time and make him freeze this moment. Placing a soft kiss on her creamy shoulder, I suck the skin and kiss the shell of her ear before I wrap my arms around her naked chest and utter back. "I wish we could too."

A chuckle escapes her lips as she rests her arms on mine and leans her head back to kiss my jaw. Steam rises from the large tub creating a misty, romantic vibe. "I really needed this." She utters with an exhausted groan. Taking her soft breasts in my hands, I massage the firm globes, pinch her beaded nipples, and whisper in her ear. "What's wrong?" She shifts in my arms and groans with arousal before she turns towards me and straddles my waist.

My gaze hones in on the sweet juncture of her thighs, making me lick my lips at the sight of her dewy, velvety folds. A moan escapes my lips when her wet heat glides over my bare stomach. Sophia gives me a soft smile, runs her hands over my neck, and kisses my chest and neck before she sits back and answers. "It's just Ms. Reynolds, my design client. She asks for a few things, then she changes her mind. She's driving me crazy."

She looks so cute with her long blond hair tied up in a loose knot, and her firm body flush with the heat of the steaming water. Placing my hands on her round bottom, I pull her chest against mine and rest a hand under her chin. "Is there anything I can do?" She shakes her head and brushes her lips over my knuckles sensuously. "No, I'll be fine. This is how the design world works. I just need to deal with it. I'm just glad that I'm here with you right now."

My body heats at the feel of her warm lips nibbling and sucking the skin of my fingers. Sophia shifts on my lap, feeling my hard cock rubbing up against her sweet heat, and leans down to kiss my chin. I'm about to reach up and kiss her when she stops my descent and whispers, "Let's get out of this water." I nearly swallow my tongue when she rises from the bathtub, and water drizzles down her slick form. She approaches me with a warm towel as soon as I rise from the tub and rubs it down my chest.

The scent of vanilla and soap permeates the air as Sophia dries me with care. Her soft little hands glide over the contours of my chest to settle over my abdomen. I'm about to suggest going to the bedroom when she kneels in front of me and wraps her warm lips around my cock. The shock of her wet mouth sucking on my shaft is nearly overwhelming. Her sweet little tongue swirls over the swollen mushroom tip, and her hand wraps around my firm shaft to stroke it up and down in slow glides. My balls tingle with every drag of her sweet lips, and a hiss escapes my lips as she moves her head up and down to deep throat me.

Wrapping my hands around her loose bun, I release it and watch her hair fall like a curtain around her naked body. My stomach clenches with every drag of her sweet throat and suction. And my ass tightens as I begin to push into her mouth. Pleasurable gasps escape my lips as spiraling waves of scorching heat creep up my balls to rocket in ecstatic bursts of fireworks behind my eyes. I can feel my climax approaching fast, but this is not how I want to finish. Reaching down, I disengage Sophia's mouth from me before I raise her up and settle her over the counter.

"I need to come inside you," I utter desperately as I plunge inside her welcoming folds and begin that pleasurable fall over the edge. Sophia tightens her fingers over my shoulders, clawing and gasping as her warm, wet, walls contract around my shaft to milk me dry. Her mouth opens in a silent cry as her climax explodes throughout her body. Tightening my hands around her open thighs, I gasp and sigh as her release sparks pleasurable zings inside me.

We both stand there for a few moments to enjoy the last waves of our release and take comfort in each other's arms. Once I've regained my strength, I pick her up and carry her pliant body to my bed. Sophia giggles and spreads her body out on the bed with a wild abandoned stretch. Turning back to the bathroom, I reach for a washcloth and wet it to go back and clean the dredges of our passion. Sophia gives me a gentle smile as she opens her legs and watches me cleanse her.

As I look into her beautiful caramel-colored eyes, I think about how much she has changed me. It has only been a few days, and I find myself doing things for her that I would never do for another woman. I've never felt this unbalanced around a woman. With Sophia, I feel uncertain and unsteady, when in reality, I'm completely and irrevocably caught in her web. When I'm not thinking of work, I'm thinking of her. I find myself wondering about her opinion on things. I don't know what to do about the fact that she has to go back to school. I struggle with the idea of asking her to move in with me, then I back down and consider the repercussions of doing so. Questions and doubts arise at the thought of having her permanently live in my home.

What would it mean if I did ask her to move in with me? Am I ready to settle down and admit the depth of my feelings? On the one hand, I'm scared to make that kind of commitment. And on the other hand, I can see losing her if I don't commit. Plus, I don't know how I feel about being here alone without her after I've slept with her in my arms and made love to her.

Turning my thoughts back to the present, I toss the cloth in the hamper and crawl up the bed to settle beside her. She turns to me and rests her body half over mine with a tired sigh. "Mm, good night Micah." She whispers as she lays a soft kiss on my chest and jaw. The room is a little cool, so I reach down and wrap a simple sheet around our bodies and wrap my arms tightly around her with a soft utter. "Goodnight, Soph."

Unfortunately, my phone rings a moment later. Reaching towards my nightstand, I sit up in alarm when I see the name on the screen. Sophia's eyes open in question as I hit the button on the phone and answer. "Priest, what's going on?" Priest replies, urgently. "You need to come down to the club. Something is going down." Hearing the urgency in his voice puts me on alert right away. So I rise from the bed, lay the phone back down on the nightstand, and walk towards my closet to dress.

Sophia sits up on the bed with the sheet clinging, becomingly to her breasts. "What's wrong?" She asks tiredly. I shake my head, taking some black jeans and a long-sleeved black t-shirt from a hanger. "That was Priest, I have to go." She nods her head and bites her lip, looking unsure, but she doesn't say anything else. I watch as she rises from the bed with the sheet wrapped loosely around her chest and walks towards me. I hate leaving her like this, but there's nothing I can do. This is important in so many ways. One has to do with our future together. Slipping my shirt over my head quickly, I button up my jeans and slip on a pair of socks and boots. "I should be back before morning. So don't wait up for me."

"Okay. Be careful." She whispers solemnly as she rises on her tiptoes, wraps her arms around my shoulders, and kisses me. Caressing my hand over her cheek and jaw. I kiss her back and pull back with a smile. "I'll be fine." Her eyes moisten, and her lips tremble with emotion, but she simply gives me a watery smile and steps out of my arms.

My brave girl is worried about me. I guess this is how it would be if we lived together. Laying one last kiss on her forehead, I pick up my things and step out of the room. As I drive into the night, I can't help but feel bereft without her. I rub my chest at the hollow feeling inside me and try not to speculate on why I feel this way. I don't think I can handle the truth. Not just yet.