Bewitching You (8 page)

What the hell did she want from him?

Chapter Five

“Go right in,” the perky blonde said to Sofia, as she pointed to a door flanked by two windows.

Gray was frowning through one of them as he shut the blinds.

That probably wasn’t a good sign for what was to come. Too bad she couldn’t have dreamed of this, so she could prepare herself.

What was the worst that could happen? Well, other than ruining her own destiny. She rubbed her clammy hands together, ignored the tight uncomfortable knot in her stomach, and briskly walked to the door, giving it two hard knocks.

He opened it right away and gestured for her to walk in. Sofia smelled his musky, smooth cologne as she brushed by him, since he hadn’t given her much room to walk through. He looked impressive in his charcoal suit and striped navy and red tie. Sofia supposed it would have to be professionally tailored, since he was such a big guy.

Tall and muscled like an athlete. From head to… She shook the familiar naked image of him out of her head.

His office was typical with a desk, a computer, a small bookcase to the side filled with nonfiction marketing and advertising books, a picture of his stupid fiancée on his desk, and sadly, no windows to let in any sunlight. How depressing.

Fluorescent lights lit up the room, and Sofia wondered if this were partly why he was such a butthead.
A vitamin D deficiency could do that to a
person, ya know?

“What do you want, Sofia?” he asked.

“You’re not very polite,” Sofia muttered under her breath. She wrapped her arms around herself and looked anywhere but into his cold eyes. Poster boards were sitting against the wall decorated with sketches of weird looking hamburgers and French fries.

“Excuse me?” he asked.

“Did you draw those?”

“What do you want?” he repeated, not making any effort to answer her.

“I draw too. And paint.”

His lips twitched to what might have been a start of a smile, but then flattened out again.

“Listen. I’m sorry if I was the reason you were fired from your job. Is that why you’re here? Do you want some sort of compensation?”

“What?” She finally met his dark, gloomy gaze and saw only a stranger. “No, I thought maybe we could become friends, since we have something in common.”

“Do you mean the dreams?” He leaned against his desk and crossed his arms, his eyes narrowing in on her.

Sofia crossed hers tighter. Two could play at that game. “Yes, I’m assuming you have them as well. Is that right?”

“I do, and I want them to stop. I’m getting married in a month, and I don’t need or want to be dreaming of a woman who isn’t in my future.”

Don’t roll your eyes, Sofe
. If he only knew.

“How can I say this?” She pondered for a moment whether to tell him about her gift, but thought not. Gray didn’t seem to be the open-minded type. But she wasn’t sure how else to get her point across, or how she could convince him to spend more time with her so he could fall in love with her… If that were even possible.

 
“I’ve got a meeting to get to. Why don’t you just tell me what I have to do to get rid of these dreams?” He edged toward her with his perfect lips pursed into a thin line. His hands fisted at his sides. Sheesh. Where inside him did the gentle man from her dreams exist?

“I can’t get rid of them.” She started to back away. Her hands itched to swipe the perspiration from her forehead, but she kept them at her sides.

“Can’t or won’t? What is it you want from me?”

“I, uh—” She found the wall behind her and stared up at him as he moved within centimeters.

Her heartbeat thrummed through her veins and pulsed heavy in her head. She couldn’t think. The loving man from her dreams was so close, yet still out of reach.

Minutes passed, it seemed, as he stared at her with a cool dark eyes.

Finally, he lifted his finger and brushed it across her bottom lip.

Sofia froze, startled by his touch.

“Do you know what I do to you, what you do to me in these dreams?” A familiar spark of hunger flashed through his eyes, but other than that, it was difficult to describe the look on his face.

“Yes. I know exactly what we
both
do.” She pressed her hand to his chest for two reasons—to keep him from getting any closer and to see if he, at least, felt like the man from her dreams.

He did. He was warm and
really
solid, and his heart beat ferociously under his crisp shirt. As he lowered his head down to her lips, Sofia inhaled his familiar scent. It was her Gray. And yet it wasn’t.

His lips lightly brushed her mouth, and she closed her eyes, reveling in the possibilities.

Should she kiss him? Grab him by his neck and force it? Was she going to fight for him? Was it worth it?

 
It was. She knew it was, but before she could do anything or say anything, his lips grazed her ear.

“Did you know?” He paused to pull in a breath.

“What? Did I know what?” Her fingers trembled against his chest as she forced herself to hold them still when they so wanted to touch every part of him.

“Did you know that you…that you had my cock in your mouth last night?” He whispered and stood motionless.

A sharp breath gushed from her lips at the bluntness of his words. Yep, she’d had that dream as well. The act had been loving and meaningful. Not a tawdry affair between strangers. Not like how he was treating her today.

Damn him. The only explanation for his behavior was he was trying to scare her away. He wasn’t ready for her yet. But she was too stubborn to give up now. She wouldn’t leave here without letting him know that he didn’t break her.

“Did I like it?” She bravely skimmed her hand down to his noticeable erection. At least this part of him wanted her. In time he’d grow to love her. Fate would show them the way.

Before she could grasp him, he grabbed both of her hands and pinned them above her head. He pressed her body against the wall with his steely frame. His muscled leg slid between her thighs.

Her body reacted, both startled by the sudden invasion and thrilled to have him so close. Her legs trembled against his as her pulse thrummed. She licked her lips, waited for his next move. Would he kiss her?

A myriad of emotions passed over his face, none of them soothing. “Is this what you want, Sofia? Do you want me to fuck you? Will that stop the goddamn dreams?”

She tensed, mortified. Her stomach flip-flopped, sick with disappointment. But she was
not
going to cry. She wasn’t going to let him win. “I wish I could stop them,” she said, gritting her teeth. “I wish I dreamed of a different man, a man who wasn’t a piece of work.”

“Then you have to stop them.”

“I can’t!” Her eyes burned with unwanted tears. Damn it.

“Why
not
?”

“Because I dream of the future, you ass. And apparently you do, too, now.”

Well, that did the trick
. He released her hands and stepped away, shaking his head. “Please, just leave,” he said in a low voice, as he reached for the door handle. “I don’t want to see you anymore.”

“Fine with me.” Sofia regrouped by sniffing back her tears and heading toward the door.

Maybe this would prevent her future with this…this jerk from happening. Maybe the dreams would stop now. Because letting him touch her again was the last thing she ever wanted to do.

But before she could yank the door open, he grabbed her arm and stopped her from leaving.

“Hey,” he whispered softly, confusing her. “I’m sorry I made you cry. I didn’t… I’m just sorry. But you’re not the woman for me.”

Sofia tore her arm from his loose grasp, but didn’t dare look up at him. He didn’t
deserve
to ever see her again. “I hope you’re right,” she said, and left.

~ * ~

With his pulse pounding at his neck, Gray watched Sofia rush through the lobby and hit the elevator down button repeatedly. She didn’t look back when the doors opened and then closed behind her.

He’d hurt her. And, damn, seeing her shake, seeing her eyes tear up, had knotted something inside of him. His stupid fucking mouth. He hadn’t expected tears. He hadn’t expected to regret pushing her away. It was easier to pretend she was of no importance when she was simply a vision in his head. But each new second he spent with her in reality forced him to recognize she was more than that. Much more. She was a human being with feelings. And he’d purposely pulverized them.

Gray knew better than that. Even if she was a little nuts, thinking she could dream of the future, he should’ve handled the situation better.

Instead, he’d been cruel.

What the hell was wrong with him? What was he becoming? He’d never treated a woman that poorly. Truth be told, in the past he’d been considered the nice twin. Friends had gone to him when they needed a shoulder to lean on. They’d gone to Hayes to have a good time.

Now, neither of those men existed.

“Um, Mr. Phillips.” Sandy stood in front of him with one of her penciled eyebrows vaulted dramatically.

Gray stopped and glanced around. He hadn’t realized he’d walked out into the lobby toward the elevators. What was he going to do? Follow her?

Give in to the thoughts that had been flooding through his mind while he’d had her backed against the wall?

He’d almost lost control in his office. Her enticing sweet vanilla scent, her blue eyes staring up at him, her glossy full lips pouting, her hand on his chest lowering to feel his stiffening erection, the softness of her breasts as he pressed up against her—it was all Sofia in the flesh, not some dream.

Authentic. Tangible. Sensual.

Stop
.

He had to think of Rachel.
I might be an ass, but I’m not a cheater.

“Mr. Phillips?” Sandy waved her long artificial fingernails in his face. “Anybody home in there?”

“Sorry.” Gray straightened his tie. “I was, uh, thinking.”

“I could see that.” She slid a red fingernail down the seam of her low v-neck sweater. “That wasn’t your fiancée, was it?”

“No.” He didn’t bother explaining. It wasn’t any of her business. “Do you need something?”

Her lips curved coquettishly. Gray knew that particular smile quite well. It was the same one he’d gotten from numerous women who’d ended up in his bed over the years before he met Rachel.

“I do need something,” she winked, “but it’ll have to wait. You’re late for a little appointment. Mr. Linden called while you were in your office with that woman. I didn’t want to interrupt. The conversation seemed pretty heated.”

“Oh, shit.” Gray hurried to his office to grab his materials. The clock on the wall said he was fifteen minutes late.

Damn.

He picked up his boards, closed the office door behind him, and ran directly into Mr. Linden.

Mike Linden was a small man. Five and a half feet tall, and he couldn’t have weighed more than a hundred and ten pounds judging by the way he dropped to the floor like a feather.

Gray apologized, and sweat beaded his brow. He held out a hand for Linden to take, but his boss proudly pushed it away and rose to his feet on his own. The small elderly man dusted off his suit jacket as he glared up at Gray.

“Phillips,” he said, while sweeping back a lock of silver-streaked hair, “you screwed up.”

“It won’t happen again, sir.” Gray hated groveling, but he
had
screwed up and needed to dig himself out of the hole he’d created. “Is Bud B. still here? I’ll apologize to him myself. I’m sure he won’t mind once he sees—”

“Nope.” Linden put his hand up. “He left. He’s a busy man, and you making him wait put a dark cloud over this entire company.”