She shrugged out of her cream mac and Jay hung it on an antique wooden rack near the door.
“I’ve been debating this all morning,” Jay said seriously as he turned back to her. “But I think there’s only one way to resolve this issue, and that’s to just come out with it and ask you.”
“What? What is it?”
“Sophia Clements,” he said in a low voice, leaning closer to her conspiratorially. “Are you wearing pants?”
She drew back and smacked him on the chest. “Yes, Jay. I’m wearing pants.”
He grinned. “Excellent. I look forward to meeting them. Now, Clements, would you like a drink first? A swim? A walk around the gardens?”
“I think I’d rather just go straight to your room, Jay.”
Because now that she was here, and Jay was right there, so alive and warm and teasing and moments away from touching her, she found her anticipation was reaching a point that felt almost like fear.
It wasn’t. Shewantedthis. She wanted it to an almost shocking degree. Her body seemed to already be preparing itself, doing all those things Jay had whispered against her neck as he teased her breasts and stroked her thighs. She felt warmth down there, and a coiling, throbbing tension that was spreading up through her stomach and making her heart pound.
Jay’s grin turned into a more genuine type of smile, and he looked her over, not lasciviously, but as though making sure she was OK. He held out his hand. “OK, Soph. Let’s go up.”
Sophia had been in many houses like Jay’s before, but she seemed to see it anew as she walked with him up the wide staircase, with its marble steps and ornate brass bannisters. He led her down a lavishly carpeted hallway that was wallpapered in cream and gold flock—detailed scenes of birds and flowers, and every now and then, a decorative plaster panel with a brass wall light.
One day, it would all be his. Jay, a viscount.
Jay stopped at a rococo carved and gilded door near the end of the corridor. It looked like something from a fairy tale. Inside was a sitting room with a large TV, more simply and modernly furnished than the rest of the house. Jay led the way through an open door at the side of the room and into his bedroom.
Sophia’s eyes went first to the double four-poster bed. It was a modern one, with simple wooden uprights and no curtains. The bedding was all tasteful neutral shades. But her eyes soon found something else of interest in the room: Jay’s record collection.
She walked over to it as Jay let go of her hand. The shelves looked custom built. Sophia flicked through a few of the records, eyeing the framed records on the wall with appreciation. Behind her, Jay laughed.
“Now I see the real reason you were so keen to get up to my room.”
Sophia smiled at him over her shoulder. “Sorry. My whole collection is digital. I sort of…keep it hidden.”
Jay came over to her. “You shouldn’t. Just beyou, Soph.”
She turned toward him. “But I don’t really know who that is. All I seem to have learned is who I’mnot—that I’m not a normal person. That’s all I know for sure.”
Jay took her hand in both of his, looking down at it and rubbing her skin lightly. She suspected he did it in lieu of looking into her eyes, because he knew she would not like that.
“I told you before, Soph. You’re perfect the way you are.”
“You didn’t use to think that. Before all…this.”
“But I’m an idiot. You can’t deny that.”
They both laughed a little. Jay glanced up at her and put a hand to her cheek. She leant into the touch, closing her eyes. She knew he was looking at her, but she didn’t mind, not like this.
“Soph, I have to make something clear before we start. I absolutely adore you. You have totally won me over. I know that’s not what today is about… It’s about…something physical. But you were worried at the start about whether a man would ever enjoy your company or want to be with you. I can tell you for sure: they would. I do. And Simon… Simon is going to be a very lucky man. Do you believe me? Do you trust me on that?”
She nodded, throat too full of emotion to speak. She felt Jay’s thumb on her cheek. “Oh, shit. Now I’ve made you cry.”
“They’re happy tears, Jay.”
“But still, Soph… But still.” He wiped her cheeks gently. And then she felt his lips where her tears had been. “I’m going to kiss them away. And then… Then I’m going to get you completely naked, and you’ll probably seemyhappy tears. You’ll see my happy something anyway.”
She laughed, which she knew was what he had been aiming for. And she risked opening her eyes, finding him looking at her, earnest and tender. “Are you ready, Soph? Are you still sure you want to do this with me?”
“There’s no one I’d rather do it with.”
