Page 50 of Always Mine
A better man would have done exactly what Sophia had asked. A wise man would have stopped all contact and given her oceans of space and time so she could reconcile her insecurities and distrust of my intentions. Clearly, I’m neither.
Instead, I formulated a plan to make sure she celebrated and was recognized on one of the biggest days of her life. The day when the little girl who once slammed down her pretend gavel andsent her older brothers and their best friend to jail for kidnapping her dolls gets her own damn office in one of New York’s most prestigious law firms. The first Princi woman in a long line of equally strong women to ever graduate college and join the family’s law firm. Sophia doesn’t like fanfare. She much prefers to earn her achievements quietly while loudly championing everyone else’s. But there was no way I was letting this day pass without her taking a moment to bask in the glow of the spotlight—even if all she’ll ever let me be is a friend by the default ties to her brother.
Thankfully, the other two-thirds of Charlie’s Angels, her besties Evie and Stella, love any chance to celebrate each other’s achievements—and spend my money to make the whole thing Sophia-coded. This is one of many assignments I’ve roped them in on, and always with one stipulation; Sophia can’t know it’s my idea. I refuse to be another person in her life who throws around power and money to win her favor or influence her decisions.
Getting the others on board for the surprise first-day festivities was easy too—I just put the scariest five-foot-nothing woman I know on the case. Seb and Luca like their balls attached to their body, so when Evie demanded they better not arrive one second later than 7:30 a.m., they knew better than to test her. She also gave them one task each; Luca oversaw grabbing coffees, and Seb was to pick up an order of Sophia’s favorite pastries—cardamom-infused cinnamon rolls and almond croissants. Naturally, neither argued. Raf practically sleeps at the office, so he was a given. Her parents, Sienna and Patrick, were tasked with making sure Sophia arrived by 7:45 a.m. so we could enjoy this intimate get-together before the rest of the staff arrived. I knew she would be embarrassed by the fuss, but also as the boss’s daughter, she’d be anxious about perceived favoritism. A “nepo baby” myself, I know that feeling well.
As for me, I took charge of the flowers, a massive bunch of cream, pink, and red roses and peonies with rambling foliage. Lush, and a little bit wild and unyielding—just like her. Plus a little mementoto immortalize this milestone day that is already sitting on her new desk.
From where I’m tucked away, I just see her as she rounds the corner to her office. She looks every inch the career woman, striding up the hall in her tailored black suit and siren-red stilettos. Sexy doesn’t even cover it. My blood thrums, and all I can think about is how I want to strip her and ravage her in nothing but those red heels. But I will myself—and my dick—to calm the fuck down.
She looks over her shoulder. “Dad, you don’t have to walk me to my office.” Her voice echoes in the hall and I can almost hear the eye roll in her exasperated tone. “I survived years of traipsing a massive campus alone. I’m certain I’m not going to get lost from the elevator to my office.”
“I know that, Princess. I just want…”
She turns fully to face him then, hands on hips. “Please do not call me that at work,” Sophia demands, cutting off whatever he was going to say next. “We’ve talked about this. You’re to treat me as you would any other first year.”
I stifle a laugh at her sassiness and look around at the others doing the same. She was born for this.
“Okay, okay. Noted, Ms. Princi.”
“Better.”
Then she unlocks her office door and bathes the room in light.
“Surprise!”
She gasps and brings her hands to her mouth as her eyes find mine first. It’s always been like this, an invisible thread that pulls between us. “What are you guys doing here?” There’s genuine shock in her voice, and while I know the question is directed to the group, she keeps her golden eyes on me. They glisten with emotion but also sparkle with hope. Evie and Stella are the first ones to envelop her with hugs and kisses, insisting she do a full twirl so they can inspect her outfit. Then her brothers move in and congratulate her in their usual teasing way, but their pride is also evident.
Warmth blooms in my chest at the knowledge that even with the way things currently stand, out of all the people in the room,she sought me out first. I resist the urge to pull her into my arms and kiss her senseless and instead remain on the fringes, watching as all the other important people in her life shower her with proud hugs and kisses. Patrick’s hard, penetrating gaze finds mine, like he’s expecting me to be combative. Instead, I return a tip of my head and give him a genuine half-smile, because this is not about us. This is about her, and the last thing I want is to sully this moment with our animosity. We’re both grown men, and while we may not see eye-to-eye right now, we can cast our differences aside for an hour.
“After years playing your criminals, we’re celebrating finally being free. You’re a real lawyer now, so the real criminals get to deal with you!” jokes Luca.
The entire room cracks up, and Sophia rounds her desk to get a good look at the flowers. She spots the other gift. A gold-plated custom desk plate engraved with her name and today’s date. She picks it up, turns it in her hands, and immediately flicks her eyes back to mine before walking over to me.
“This has your name all over it, Marco-Boy,” she says softly.
“Actually, I think you’ll find it has your name on it.”
She shakes her head and chuckles, then wraps her arms around me hugs me. At the feel of her body melting into mine, I instinctively pull her tight to my chest, nuzzling my face into her hair, not the least bit concerned we have an audience. The familiar notes of coconut from her hair products wash over me. My chest loosens, like I’ve taken my first proper breath since we stood in this same office last week.
“Thank you for doing all this for me.”
“It was all Stella and Evie,” I say inhaling deeply.
She pulls away slightly so she can look up at me. “Did anyone ever tell you that you make a very pretty liar, Marco-Boy?”
“Not that I can recall.” I know she’s joking, but part of me recoils at the label. Smirking, I stare back into her misty eyes. “Did anyone tell you that you make one very fine lawyer, Miss Princi?” This time I see her roll her eyes, a shy smile playing on her luscious lips,the same ones I’m desperate to kiss again. “If not, let me be the first. I’m so fucking proud of you.”
“You’ve always had too much blind faith in me, Marco-Boy.”
“And you’ve always had far too little in yourself.” I place a soft kiss on her cheek and add lowly into her ear, “As much as I want to stay, I need to get to work. Besides, the way I want to celebrate you doesn’t require an audience. So you just let me know when the time is right, and I’ll show you what I had in mind.”
Her breath hitches. But before I can do anything irrational, like push her against the wall and plead with her to be mine in every way, I say my goodbyes and leave. I need to give her the space and time she asked for.
Chapter twenty-seven
It’s Just One Drink