“What now?” Sofia asked as we loaded our bags and bags of purchases into the trunk.
“Back to base. We’ll get cleaned up. Eat something. Sit by the fire. Enjoy a beer.”
“Beers by the fire, huh? What if I told you I was a wine girl?”
“I’d say suck it up, Princess. You should’ve told me that inside the store.” I jerked a thumb at the building. “But I’ll go buy you wine if that will enhance your fireside experience.”
“Don’t worry about it. I just wanted to hear what you’d say.”
Testing me, was she? I found it amusing rather than irritating. The real question was simpler. How much of this change in my feelings was my cock talking because I wanted to get laid? I didn’t fucking care that she was Giovanni Accardo’s daughter anymore. I wouldn’t stay away from Sofia because I hated her father, and I wouldn’t chase her to fuck her just because I wanted to get back at him. I sure as hell wouldn’t hurt her because of him. None of that ugly shit factored in at all.
No, this was personal now. Sofia was beautiful, smart, sexy, and braver than I ever would’ve guessed. She kept surprising me, and I liked that. So it definitely wasn’t that I only wanted to fuck her. Idid, but that was too simple—a raw desire that any man would have around her. No, she fascinated me.
It had been a long damn time since someone had grabbed me by the balls the way she had, commanding all of my attention whether I wanted to give it or not. It definitely kept things interesting. Maybe I should hate her, but I didn’t. Hell, it was quickly turning out to be the opposite, and that blew my goddamn mind.
We didn’t say much on the ride back to the cabin. It was a comfortable silence. Not tense. Not chilly. It felt as if we’d known each other far longer than we actually had. That had never happened to me with anyone else. I guessed it was because we’d been shot at together. Maybe that either welded people together or ripped them apart.
I’d left all the lights on in the cabin so it would be nice and lit up like Las Vegas when we returned. I told Sofia to wait in the car and cleared the place again. I was still running on high alert after all the shit that had happened to us. But the cabin was empty and quiet save for the hum of the heating system and the ticking clock over the fireplace.
I went back to Sofia to give her the all-clear, and we hauled everything inside and put it away. It all felt strangely domestic.Comfortablydomestic. Enough to be amusing.
I tossed a collection of cold cuts and cheese in the fridge and glanced at her. “Do you want to start the fire or make the food?”
“You’re giving me so many options lately. I’m not sure what to make of it. I thought you’d scowl and order me to make you a sandwich.”
“You’re not as funny as you think you are.”
But shit, shewaspretty damn amusing sometimes. And too gorgeous for her own good. Or mine. Even in front of a jury, I couldn’t have pinpointed when she’d gone from being terrified of me to busting my balls. But I could get used to it. God knew I’d given her a hard enough time.
Maybe I liked feisty women. Didn’t they say Italian women were like fire and wine? Or was that silly, lazy bullshit like believing all Irishmen were born with shamrocks on our arses and whisky in our veins? I didn’t know. Hell, I wasn’t going to waste time thinking about it when I had a gorgeous woman right here who was full of surprises.
I made a show of cracking my knuckles. “So, what did you decide? Fire or food? I’m a pro at fires, but I can microwave with the best of them.”
“Food,” she said and followed it with a big yawn. “I’ll stick to snacks for me. I can’t believe you’re hungry after all that food your mom cooked.”
I shrugged. “Snacks are fine. It’s really about the beer and fire. Tell you what. I’m going to shower and get some clean clothes, then I’ll build you the perfect fire.”
“Sounds good. But I’m not an easy judge. You’d better come through on your promise.”
“Always,” I said and left to take care of business.
I showered and changed into one of the new T-shirts and a pair of jeans. After that, I shrugged back into my coat and headed out to get what I needed to keep my promise. I brought in wood, tinder, and kindling and opened the chimney flue. It didn’t take long for me to have a good spread of flame going. I carefully fed the fire fuel. You didn’t want to rush and smother it with a huge log before it was ready.
Sofia came out with snacks. Mozzarella sticks and more crackers and cheese—stuff to munch on while we relaxed. The most important thing was the beer. She handed me a nice cold bottle and used an opener to pop the top.
I held up my beer for a toast. “To vacation rental cabins in backwoods New Jersey.”
“Hear, hear,” she said, grinning, and tapped her bottle against mine. We both drank. When the fire was roaring away, I turned out the lights. It was the best way to enjoy firelight.
She sat near me on the couch. She said she was a little cold, so I let her sit closer to the fire. We ate snacks, sipped our beers, and watched the flames. It was wonderful to feel like I could relax for a minute.
We sat together, not talking much.
I went to get us two more beers. As I handed a fresh one to her, I told her what was on my mind. “You’re tougher than I expected.”
“I can’t tell if that’s an insult or a compliment.”
“Compliment. Most people would be freaking out if they had to experience your last twenty-four hours.”
