Free Unlikely by Sylvie Fox Page A

her thoughtfully.
    “Why don’t you date lawyers?” he asked. When she did not answer right away, he continued. “I want to know because I want to…date you.” But from his tone it sounded like he had far more in mind than just dating .
    “But you don’t know me,” Sophie said, deflecting the question. “From what I can see, I can’t be your usual type.”
    Ryan smiled at that. “You’re right. I usually date boring women with boring jobs who want three kids and a pseudo Mediterranean McMansion. You’re none of those things. You’re bold, funny, brash, interesting, and pretty. I’m a guy so I’ll admit that part of my attraction to you is purely physical. I haven’t been able to look at another woman since I met you.”
    Sophie laughed, something she’d never done during or leading up to sex with someone. Maybe it was going to be okay.
    “This is a modern miracle,” she proclaimed. “A guy who doesn’t look. Call Oprah and Barbara Walters! Forget that. Call NBC. You’ll be on Dateline .” She was practically shouting, causing Sasha to open one sleepy eye cautiously.
    “Okay, maybe I still look,” Ryan said, backing off good-naturedly. “I am a guy. But the only woman I think about being with is you,” he said seriously. Sophie’s laughter ceased abruptly.
    She started getting the jittery feeling in her stomach that she got when a man was going to try to kiss her. She hated herself for constantly feeling like a teenager around attractive members of the opposite sex no matter how old she was. She took another sip of wine, and noticed that at least she had started feeling the calming effects of the alcohol. Thank goodness , she thought.
    “I have blue hair,” Sophie said, trying to delay what she knew was coming. Did all guys get that seriously sexy intense look before they were going to pounce on a girl?
    Ryan didn’t exactly pounce. Instead, his movements were slow and deliberate, giving her time to back out. She very much didn’t want to back out. But there was no mistaking his intention. He unwrapped her fingers from her now half-empty wine glass, and put it on the small coffee table.
    “Sunflower, you’re the funniest, most spontaneous person I’ve ever met,” he said, stroking her blue bangs. “I want to finish what we started this morning.” Then he kissed her. It had been a long time since Sophie had deliberately kissed a man, and she couldn’t ever remember being kissed like this. It was very different from their earlier spontaneous encounters.
    Though it was only his lips that grazed hers, Sophie could feel Ryan everywhere, from her tingling nipples to her pulsing sex. The pressure from his lips made her fingers itch to touch him. The room suddenly felt twenty degrees warmer than it had moments before.
    One of Ryan’s hands slid from her hair and gently traced the shell of her ear, stopping at each ring that studded the rim, and the other moved from her shoulder to her hip. She held her breath. It was going okay so far. It felt good. Then she tensed when his hands caressed the small of her back through the open side vent of the overalls.
    He pulled his mouth from hers and placed soothing kisses on her forehead, her studded eyebrow, on the delicate skin of her eyelids. The room had gotten dark as dusk fell and the autumn sun had set. Other than the firm line of his stubbled jaw and blue eyes now almost black with desire, twilight obscured most of his features. From what she could see, though, confusion warred with desire on his handsome face.
    He thrust his hands into his hair, making the waves almost stand on end. “I want to make love with you in the worst way, Sophie.” He blew out a breath. “But I’m getting mixed signals here. Do you want to be with me? Now?” Ryan asked, his voice rough with need and slightly tinged with the fear of rejection.
    Alcohol fueling her bravado, Sophie nodded in silent response. She grasped Ryan’s hand and all but dragged him to her