The Right Time (20 page)

She ran a hand over his black hair. “I’m sorry.”

He sighed and stood abruptly, his features hardened into fierce, proud lines, but she still saw the hurt in his eyes. “He’s not any better than I am. Mark my words, you’re going from the frying pan into the fire. I’m willing to give you everything your heart desires to hold on to you, but you want mediocre. You’re willing to settle.”

Sophie mulled the accusation and came to an enlightened answer. “That’s where you’re wrong. I’m not willing to settle. Not anymore.”

Ransom paced the apartment, his body bursting with energy, anxiety radiating in his aching shoulders.

Every time he called Sophie’s phone, it went straight to voicemail. Was she with Keith? Had she changed her mind and lay his bed now, right after she and Ransom had been intimate and she’d trembled to completion in his arms?

The thought cut through him, and he snatched up the phone one more time to try to reach her. When the call went to voicemail again, he slammed the phone on top of the kitchen bar. Pounding, pounding until it splintered into pieces that flew across the marble and onto the tile floor.

Damn. He’d destroyed another phone.

He stared at the parts, chest heaving, fingers clenched into a fist. He
needed
to talk to her.

A loud rap on the door jolted his head up. Could it be…?

He rushed across the floor and flung open the door.

A fist flew in and slammed into his cheek. Dizzying pain burst across the left side of his face, and Ransom fell backward onto the hardwood floors, landing hard on his tailbone. Pain shot up his spine and he shook his head to shake off the disorienting nature of the surprise attack.

Cupping his cheek, he looked up through the haze at Keith standing in the doorway, rubbing the hand he’d used as a battering ram. “You better take care of her.”

What the hell?

The punch and the words had to be about Sophie. No doubt about it.

Ransom was going to kill him.

He surged to his feet and barreled toward Keith, shoulders low in a football tackle, and slammed him into the opposite wall. He followed up with two quick jabs to the abs and Keith jackknifed at the waist.

Ransom didn’t waste any time slamming a tight fist to Keith’s jaw, knocking him facedown into the carpeted corridor. Vibrating with anger, Ransom stood over him. Keith moaned on the floor, clutching his face.

In the distance, the elevator chimed.

“Where is she?” Ransom asked between gritted teeth.

“Fuck you,” Keith said. He spat blood and rolled onto his hands and knees.

“Where. Is. She?”

“Ransom!”

His head jerked up at the sound of Sophie’s shrill voice. Her gaze swung between the two of them.

Ransom rushed toward her, but she took two steps back, eyes wide. Tentatively, she touched his throbbing cheek, her fingertips cool and comforting on his burning skin. “Your face.”

“I’m fine.” He covered her hand with his. He never wanted to let her go.

Keith struggled to his feet. Using the wall to prop himself up, he swiped blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. “Couldn’t wait to get over here, could you?” he asked Sophie. He didn’t sound angry. He sounded…hurt. Defeated.

Ransom looped an arm around Sophie’s shoulders and pulled her close to his side. “Get out of here, Keith.”

When the younger man’s gaze flicked to his, Ransom expected to see rage. Instead, he saw resignation. There was no more fight left in him. Keith slinked off down the hallway and left Ransom and Sophie alone.

“Come on.” Ransom took her by the hand and pulled her into the apartment. “What happened between you and Keith?” he asked.

Sophie swallowed. “I broke up with him.”

Ransom lifted her into a hard kiss. “You’re mine now?” he muttered against her mouth.

“Yes,” she breathed.

Hurriedly, they moved into the bedroom and stripped naked. They fell onto the cool sheets without another word, and Ransom pressed soft kisses into her breasts, licking at her sensitive nipples, sucking the turgid peaks as her delicate moans whispered in the dark room.

“Ransom.” The way she said his name made his stomach quiver, both syllables sounding pained and raw as they trembled off her tongue.

He kissed her again, driving his tongue between her lips. Lips that belonged to him now. Lips that tasted so sweet he never wanted to stop kissing them.

Lacing their fingers together, he pulled her hands above her head and stretched his body over hers. He kissed her jaw and neck, even as his knee pried part her thighs and he pressed his hard length against her moist cleft.

Gasping, she arched upward, whispering his name again in a breathless plea.

He sank into her, groaning at the wet clasp that enveloped him. He had never felt this whole, this complete with any other woman. His eyes closed tight as he buried his face in her neck, dragging in lungfuls of air filled with the sweet jasmine aroma of her skin.

Her breathing fractured and legs lifted around his waist. He thrust his hips faster, in quick, hard succession, unable to stop the powerful drive of his body into her slick heat.

He felt the moment she came undone. Heard the broken cry issue from her throat. Felt her legs tighten and her internal muscles pulse around him.

Then he lost control, blood roaring in his ears. He released into her with back-aching intensity, crushing the pillow on either side of her head, and shuddered, coming with such ferocity that for long moments he couldn’t breathe, as if someone had turned off the oxygen in the room.

Sophie’s soft arms enveloped him, and she kissed his jaw and the corner of his mouth. He rolled onto his side, pulling her with him into a mesh of arms and legs. She was soft and warm, and he didn’t want to let go.

“I love you,” she whispered, touching his cheek.

It was so natural. What else could be said after such an emotional coupling? The honesty and depth of feeling in her eyes was plain to see.

“I love you, too,” he whispered back.

Sophie and Brenda entered the Florida courtroom and sat behind Jay. His profile was grim, but when he saw them both, he smiled reassuringly, which Sophie knew was for Brenda’s benefit. She put an arm around her friend’s shoulders, and Brenda folded her hands tightly in her lap and sat stiffly on the wooden bench.

Across the room, Jenna sat with Dale, heads bent in conference with their attorneys.

“All rise!” the bailiff said. Everyone in the courtroom came to their feet. “Court is now in session. The Honorable Judge Jones is presiding.”

The judge, a Caucasian woman whose wizened features and gray hair suggested she’d been presiding over court cases for decades, sat down.

“Please be seated.”

The court proceedings went underway, and when Sophie was called to the stand, she testified to Jay’s character and his relationship, as she had observed it, with the boys. Hours later they broke for lunch and Jay, Brenda, and Sophie stood in the hallway.

Jay rubbed a hand across the back of his neck. “Thank you for being here,” he said to Sophie.

“Of course. Where else would I be? You guys are my friends and I want to see everything work out for you.”

“It’s not just about me,” Jay said, his eyes earnest and face hardening in frustration. “Jenna and Dale should be thinking about the boys and what they want, but neither of them care about that.”

Brenda rubbed a hand up and down her husband’s arm. “Be patient.”

“This has gone on long enough,” Jay said.

Sophie’s phone rang and she saw it was a call from Ransom. Only a month into their relationship, and every time she saw his number, her spirits soared. “I need to take this,” she said. She walked away to a bay of windows near the bathroom at the end of the hall.

“How’s it going?” Ransom asked.

She sighed. “I don’t think this is going to go well for them. Jay doesn’t want to drag the boys into this, but I think it might be his ace in the hole. The boys want to move in with him.”

“Most people don’t want to bring their kids into court proceedings. That’s understandable. Not to mention, children are notoriously unreliable in a courtroom setting.”

“So you’re saying there’s nothing my friends can do? There’s got to be a solution that works in their favor.” She wished she knew how to help them.

“In a situation like you described, the case can go either way. Both sides have a very compelling argument.”

Sophie bit the inside of her cheek, watching as Brenda continued to provide comfort to Jay, rubbing his arm and speaking quietly to him. “Jenna’s such a liar, though. She kept the paternity of one of the boys a secret. Shouldn’t that count for something?”

“Not really. I don’t practice family law, but I can tell you that the court will rule in the best interest of the children. She may have told a lie, but that doesn’t make her a bad mother. The only way to forgo this process is if both parties come to an agreement.”

“They’re in court, so clearly they couldn’t.”

“Any chance Jenna will change her mind?”

“Let me put it this way. Any chance I’ll be able to see you in five minutes, even though I’m in Florida and you’re in Illinois?”

Ransom chuckled. “I’m just trying to help you out.” His voice dropped. “On another note, if you want to have some phone sex…”

“No, I don’t want phone sex,” Sophie said, blushing. Outside the window, people walked briskly around the cement courtyard. “I’m standing in the middle of a courthouse.”

“What color panties are you wearing?”

“Ransom.” She bit her bottom lip.

“Just tell me the color.”

She huffed with fake exasperation. “They’re white.”

“Lacy or plain?”

“I knew you wouldn’t stop.”

“Just tell me if they’re lacy or not.”

Sophie snuck a glance over her shoulder to make sure no one was nearby. “Plain white cotton. Seamless. Like the ones I wore the last time I saw you.”

He groaned. “They fit your cute little ass so well.”

“I have a big ass, thank you very much.”

“Oh right, they fit your big ass so well.”

“You’re so full of shit.” She smiled. “I want my panties back when I see you next time. And please wash them before you give them back.”

“You’ll never get them back, then.”

“Ew. That’s disgusting.”

“I like to use them when I masturbate.”

His lowered voice was making her horny. Whenever he talked like that, he always made her wet. “You use my dirty panties to masturbate?” she whispered.

“Since I can’t have you.”

Her fingers tightened around the phone. “You’re a perv. And I’m so turned on right now.”

He chuckled softly. “Hold on.”

When Ransom put her on hold, Sophie let out a groan of irritation. She wanted him to continue talking dirty to her. Maybe she could slip into the bathroom and get him to finish, and then she could finger herself until she came. Phone sex made their long-distance relationship more tolerable.

She turned slightly, and that’s when she saw Jenna slide past Jay and Brenda, tossing a furious glance in their direction. Her eyes landed on Sophie, and with a dismissive toss of her blonde head, she entered the bathroom.

“I’m back. Sorry about that. One of the junior associates came into my office to ask a question. Where were we?”

“You know what, I have to go.”

“What? I’m sporting a boner the size of a baton here.”

“Then you’ll have to use that vivid imagination of yours to get yourself off. Or you can wait until I call you back and I explain what my mouth plans to do with that
baton
of yours.”

He groaned. “You’re an evil woman.”

Sophie laughed, sagging against the wall. “I can’t wait to see you this weekend.”

“Me either.”

“You’ll be available, right?”

She hated sounding needy, but the last two times she’d flown to Chicago hadn’t gone well. The first time, she arrived during the week, and Ransom stayed in the office until late. The second time she flew out on the weekend, only to have him leave for most of the day on Saturday because of an emergency with one of his clients, and they’d had to cancel their plans for dinner and a show. Sophie had expressed her disappointment, and he’d apologized profusely, but his behavior made her very uncomfortable, reminiscent of Keith’s behavior before he changed.

“Those last couple of times couldn’t be helped. I promise things will be better. We’ll go to dinner on Friday night and a bike ride on Saturday.”

She smiled, relieved. “Perfect. I’ll call you later.”

After hanging up, Sophie marched into the bathroom and waited in front of the sinks until Jenna came out.

The blonde stopped in her tracks and eyed her warily. “What do you want?” she asked.

“To talk. That’s it.”

“Well, I don’t want to talk to you. I know whose side you’re on.” She moved stiffly over to the sink.

“Are you proud of yourself?” Sophie asked.

Jenna ignored her, squirting soap into her palm.

“I know why you’re doing this, and it’s ridiculous.”

Jenna snapped her head in Sophie’s direction. “It’s ridiculous to want my kids? It’s ridiculous to not want to split up my sons? You know nothing about being a mother.” She twisted on the water with a vengeance.

“You’re right, but I know what it’s like to be jealous, angry, and hurt. All of those emotions lead people to make bad decisions.”

Under the running water, Jenna rubbed her hands together with much more force than necessary. “I don’t think I need to take advice from someone who lets men walk all over her.”

The cutting barb landed with the right dose of vitriol and jabbed Sophie in the gut. Their eyes met in the mirror, and Sophie saw the malevolence in her ex-friend’s face, but she persevered.

“The court battle isn’t about your kids and you know it. You’re upset about Jay and Brenda.”

Jenna tugged off a paper towel. “You’re friends. So why should I listen to anything you have to say?” She dried her hands, tossed the paper, and placed a fist on her hip.

Sophie saw Jenna’s behavior for what it was—posturing. She was hurting. She was embarrassed, and if she didn’t acknowledge her behavior now, even more people would get hurt.