Chapter 9 A Rekindled Past

Josh's POV

Everything changed the moment we walked into the gala. Sofia stood next to me in a deep green dress that fit her perfectly. She looked amazing tonight. She had this mysterious look about her like she was wearing armor made of silk and diamonds. In the camera flashes, we looked like the perfect couple. Her smile was perfectly timed as her hand rested gently on my arm.

But there was something else going on underneath. Not something fake. Something real and confusing. And I still wanted her so badly. I hated how it made me feel, wanting her body against mine even though I knew our relationship wasn't real. At least, I didn't think it was. But last night's kiss...

I cleared my throat and fixed my cufflinks, trying to forget how her breath caught when I held her close and how soft her mouth felt under mine. She hadn't pulled away. She hadn't talked about it since.

"Sofia," I whispered so only she could hear, "you look beautiful tonight."

"Don't," she whispered back with a warning in her voice. "Not here."

I nodded, feeling my chest get tight. She was closing a door that I had opened without meaning to.

The ballroom was full of music and laughter. Crystal lights hung above like frozen stars. I was here for a charity event for a hospital board, though I hadn't paid much attention to it in months. Tonight it felt like a test. And I was failing because all I could do was watch her.

I was talking with guests when I saw Marcus Hale across the room. My business partner and best friend stood behind the bar with a glass of scotch in his hand, looking around the room with that easy, joking look he always wore to board meetings. He was tall, sharp, and naturally charming. He had my back when no one else did.

He spotted us. I was ready to introduce Sofia properly since he had never met my wife and had only heard that I had suddenly gotten married. As Sofia and I walked toward him, I saw the look of recognition in his eyes. First surprise, then disbelief. Then something else. Not anger. Not yet. But his jaw became hard to read.

Sofia took her hand off my arm. I glanced at her quickly. She had gone pale, her body tense, her eyes fixed on Marcus like she was waiting for a hit.

"Josh," Marcus said, holding out his hand. The warmth in his voice didn't fool me. He was studying her like he was looking for answers written on Sofia's face. "You didn't tell me you were bringing someone special."

He turned to her before I could say anything. "Sofia?" He lowered his voice to barely a whisper. "Sofia Laurent?"

Her throat moved as she swallowed. For a moment I thought she might lie. Then she nodded slowly. "Hello, Marcus."

The air between them felt electric. I blinked something dark mixed with confusion. "You two know each other?"

Marcus's laugh was dry and had no humor in it. "You could say that."

"Marcus and I... we used to date," Sofia whispered, keeping eye contact with him. "A long time ago."

The words hit me like a punch. Marcus had never mentioned Sofia in any of our talks. "How long ago?" I asked with a sharper tone than I meant.

She didn't answer. Marcus, though, moved closer, his presence suddenly overwhelming. "Three years, Josh. We were together for almost two years." I turned to Sofia, expecting her to look me in the eye. She didn't.

Was that guilt? Or something else?

"You never told me," I said, my accusation clear.

"It didn't seem relevant," she said too quickly.

"Relevant?" Marcus's words cut through the tension like breaking glass. "Sofia, we were engaged. I'd hardly call that irrelevant."

The word 'engaged' hung in the air like a bomb waiting to go off. Sofia's face went from pale to white.

"That's enough," she said quietly.

"Is it?" Marcus's eyes moved between us, dangerous and calculating. "So this-" he gestured with his scotch glass between us, "is what, exactly? Did I miss some amazing reunion? Or do you still run away from commitment?"

Before I could answer, someone called my name from across the ballroom. I only had to turn my head for a second. Sofia had already started walking away, her green dress flowing behind her like water.

Marcus grabbed my arm before I could follow. "She didn't tell you about us, did she?"

I pulled away. "What the hell happened between you two?"

He looked at me for a long time, his eyes harder than I had ever seen them. "Ask your wife, Josh. But be ready, Sofia has a habit of disappearing when things get serious."

I found Sofia alone on the terrace, her arms wrapped around herself despite the warm evening air.

"You should've told me," I said, walking to stand next to her.

"I didn't know he was your friend," she said, staring at the distant skyline. "When I left him... I never thought I'd see him again."

"You were engaged?"

She flinched. "Yes."

"And you just... left?"

Her silence was enough.

"I want to trust you," I said. "But you're making it impossible."

"I never asked for your trust." Her voice was barely heard.

"But I want to give it to you, Sofia."

When she finally looked at me, her face looked pleading. Raw. Desperate.

We stood quietly with the city lights making her skin glow golden and the world rushing by behind us. Then she leaned into me, which surprised me. Not much. Just an inch. But it was enough to make me forget why this arrangement existed in the first place and to feel her warmth.

"Josh..." she whispered, my name breaking around the edges.

I lifted her chin, her lips slightly open. I could have kissed her. I almost did. But instead, I asked the question that was eating me up: "Do you still love him?"

She blinked. "Who?"

"Marcus."

She pulled back. "It's not about him."

"Then what is it about?"

She looked into my eyes. "It's about not making the same mistake twice."

The auction announcement brought us back to the present and our duties. When we went back in, the silence was louder than the orchestra. Marcus had left the bar, but his presence hung there like a big storm cloud about to break.

The quiet between us was unbearable when we got home. We barely said good night. No kisses. No touch. Just too many questions and closed doors.

I stood outside her room for a while, my hand flat against the wood, listening to the soft sounds of her moving around. Then I walked away. But I couldn't sleep.

An hour later, I was in the kitchen pouring a drink I didn't want. The house felt too big, too quiet, and too full of secrets.

That's when I heard her door open. Footsteps on marble. A pause. Then she was in the doorway, barefoot, with her dark hair loose around her shoulders and a silk robe that barely covered her curves.

Her eyes were awake but tired, and there was something vulnerable in the way she looked at me.

"Couldn't sleep?" I asked.

She shook her head and walked into the kitchen. The dim light caught on her robe and I had to look away.

"I shouldn't have left like that tonight," she finally said.

"No, you shouldn't have."

"Marcus was unexpected. I never thought I'd see him again."

I put down my glass and looked at her face. "What were you running from, Sofia?"

She hesitated, then took a step forward. I could smell her perfume and see the worry flickering in her dark eyes.

"Everything," she said quietly.

We were only a few inches apart, and I couldn't tell who had moved first. Between us was a charge of energy, desire, and three years of unfinished business that I was just starting to understand.

"Sofia..." I reached up, my fingers tracing her jaw. "You can trust me, even though I know this isn't part of our contract. Whatever you're running from-"

She looked at me like I was offering rescue, and then her composure broke. She buried her face against my chest, her body shaking with quiet sobs.

"Josh, I don't know if we can ever trust each other. Everything is moving so fast, and I'm drowning."

I wrapped my arms around her, holding her tight like she might disappear if I let go. She felt small against me, fragile in a way that made something protective surge through my chest.

"I'm sorry," I whispered into her hair. "I'm sorry I'm dragging you into this mess."

She lifted her head, tears still on her lashes. "It's not your fault."

Something shifted between us as the moonlight through the kitchen window lit up the silver in her eyes. The air became thick and full of possibility.

Her lips touched mine, barely a kiss. Careful. Testing.

I put my hands on her face and wiped away the tears with my thumbs. "Sofia..."

This time, there was nothing careful about the way she kissed me. Her hands grabbed my shirt, pulling me closer as her mouth pressed against mine with wild passion. I pushed her against the marble counter and pressed myself against her, making her gasp in a way that went right through me.

Her robe had loosened, showing the curve of her breasts and her collarbone. My fingers moved over the silk at her waist, feeling the warmth of her skin through the thin fabric.

"Josh," she breathed against my lips and the way she said my name was both a blessing and a curse.

I was losing myself in her, in the way her body felt against mine, in the way her lips tasted. Her hands moved up my chest, her fingers tangled in my hair, scattering every sensible thought.

Then my phone buzzed on the counter behind her.

The spell broke, and we both froze. I tried to ignore it to get the moment back, but it buzzed again. Insistent.

Sofia pulled back slightly, her lips swollen from our kiss, her breathing heavy. "You should get that."

Reluctantly, I looked to see the message preview: We need to talk. Right now. - Marcus

My blood went cold. Sofia was still pressed against me with her robe hanging open just enough to drive me crazy, her eyes soft and vulnerable in a way I had never seen before. I wanted to forget about the phone and lose myself in her again.

But something in my stomach twisted.

She moved closer, asking, "Everything okay?" like she didn't know who sent it.

"Yeah," I lied, trying to look fine. "Just work stuff. I should answer."

She paused, clearly not wanting to let the moment go. I didn't either. But Marcus's words from earlier stuck in my head: Sofia has a habit of disappearing when things get serious.

Sofia nodded slowly, pain flashing across her face. "Okay. Of course."

My heart pounded against my ribs as I watched her turn to leave, tying her robe back up.