Page 17 of Final Temptation (Alpine Peak #2)

“I’m going to run up to the house and use the bathroom,” Sophie blurted out before running off.

Something in her demeanor shifted, and I didn’t like the feeling that maybe it had to do with something I’d said. I had let her walk away, but I’d be hot on her heels in a moment. I didn’t want to make it obvious to the others that I planned to follow her inside.

Whatever the reason may be for her escaping when we had only arrived a few minutes ago, it didn’t seem like a bad idea. I wished for a reason to get out of here just as much.

Moments like these—weekend nights spent at my brother’s house—were supposed to be laid back. A reset for the week ahead. While that’s what nights like these appeared to be for everyone else, they were a battlefield in my mind.

The cooler was right there; I could easily grab a drink and join in on the fun. Instead, I sat with my back to it. Out of sight, out of mind.

I couldn’t blame my brother, Paige, Chase, or even Sophie for grabbing a drink in front of me.

They assumed everything was good where my sobriety was concerned because I didn’t open up to them about it.

I saved all my crippling thoughts for my meetings—minus the brief indulgence in conversation with Sophie last night after she woke me up from my nightmare.

Moments passed by of the guys talking when Paige came back to join the party. She opted for Declan’s lap instead of her chair, giving me the perfect opportunity to excuse myself. “I’ll be back in a few,” I whispered to Chase, knowing my brother and his girl were distracted.

I jogged up the dirt path leading to the house, unsure what I’d say to Sophie when I got inside.

Maybe it was all in my head, and she was fine.

I had to admit, though, I wasn’t fine. A couple of thoughts lingered in my mind, her being one of them.

I couldn’t get the thought of her out of my head.

The game we played, her naked body this morning, her in my bed, comforting me when she didn’t need to, the way her body felt wrapped around mine.

I slept a thousand times better with her next to me than I had in months.

I’ve never had a girl stuck in my head like this before.

I pushed the front door open, listening for any sign of Sophie.

Did she really come up here to use the bathroom?

“Soph? You in here?” I called out, my eyes shifting from room to room.

“Hey.” Her presence startled me when I turned into the kitchen.

“Is everything alright? I thought you came up here to use the bathroom.”

“Just needed some fresh air is all.” It definitely wasn’t in my head. Something wasn’t right with her. Usually, she was upbeat; I knew my roommate and how she constantly danced around with her bubbly personality.

And that wasn’t what I was getting from her right now.

“So, you came inside? You know the mountain air outside is as fresh as it can get, right?” My eyebrows dipped, calling her bluff, walking closer to where she stood by the counter.

“Yeah, you’re right. Let’s get back out there and join our friends.” She side-stepped, giving it her best effort to skirt around me.

I reached out for her, my hand finding her arm. “Not so fast, Princess. We aren’t going anywhere, not until you tell me what’s up.”

“Nothing is up. I came in here to use the bathroom and just needed a second before I came back to join everyone.” When she refused to make eye contact with me, I knew she was fibbing her ass off. My hands gripped her hips, pushing her until her backside was pressed against the fridge.

Her breath hitched.

“Don’t lie to me, Soph. Your mood changed the second I mentioned Amanda. Admit it.” We were now positioned close enough that her perky tits grazed against my chest.

“You want the truth?” she questioned.

“I’ve told you before, and I’ll tell you again, when it comes to you, I want nothing but the truth.” Her hands moved from her sides, up to my chest. One hand snuck up toward my neck, all the way up to my jaw, landing on my lower lip. I took a deep breath, relishing the feel of her hands on me.

“I had a weak moment.” She pulled on my lip with her fingers, exposing my tattoo. Her gaze shifted from my eyes to my mouth.

“You’ve been having a lot of those lately, it seems,” I mumbled with her finger pressed against my lip.

“I know you’ve lived a different…romantic life than I have.

” Her other hand crept up my chest, landing on my neck as she stroked her delicate fingers around the base.

“But I found myself feeling envious of this Amanda girl. Fr om the sounds of it, she’s had you in ways that I’ve only dreamed about. ”

“Sophie, I’ve told you before, you can have me in those ways. The offer is still on the table,” I proposed, treasuring every moment we spent this close to one another.

What she said next shocked me the most.

“It’s tempting, Myles. You’re tempting. But what happens when I give up all my self-control and fall for you?

What happens when it gets too serious for you, and you break my heart?

” I didn’t have the ability to tell the future.

I knew I wanted her now, that she was stuck in my head in ways other women never had been.

The future was unknown, and I couldn’t put myself in that position right now when I needed to focus on the present, taking one day at a time.

“I can’t make you any promises. But what if you meet me halfway? Take this slow with me, and be here now? Live in the present.” I needed her lips on mine, but I refused to be the one to make that move. The ball was in her court, and I’d be waiting for her to take the shot.

Her fingers splayed around my neck, gripping it tighter as she pulled me closer. “I can work with slow, but we do this friends with benefits thing on my terms, or we don’t have a deal. Agreed?” I nodded in agreement at the same time she swiped her thumb across my tattooed lip.

“Kiss me right now, Myles,” she demanded.

“Before I do anything, I need you to know…” I took a deep breath, combing her hair away from her forehead, “all the other chicks that have had a piece of me that you haven’t, they don’t have a fucking thing on you, Sophie.

They don’t own me. They don’t take up space in my mind like you do.

You are so goddamn out of my league, and I would be truly blessed to have any chance at being with yo u.

Without even touching me, you already own me more than anyone else ever has. ”

With her words stuck in her throat, she answered in a form of action instead.

Her body melted into mine, surrendering her lips to me as our kiss started slow.

I savored each gentle brush of our lips before the moment sped up, becoming wilder and more frantic.

She moaned under my touch, the sound of it vibrating against my tongue as hers swiped against mine.

I’d been waiting a week to feel her lips on mine again.

How was it possible that each time we kissed, it became more electric?

My hands had a greedy mind of their own, moving from her hips back to her ass. Fuck, she is perfect.

I knew Sophie said to take things slow, to go at her pace, and I had every intention of respecting her. The plan was to keep tasting her lips against mine until she pushed me away. I’d stay lost in this moment until she told me otherwise.

The taste laced on her tongue was addicting.

I couldn’t pinpoint what it was; I just knew I needed more.

Memories of each time we kissed flashed through my mind—the time I picked her up from this very house, tipsy from girls’ night.

Last weekend, when we played our little game and the glass of wine she chugged for liquid courage.

This moment, right here. Her hair smelled woodsy, like the bonfire, and her kiss tasted malty from the beer she’d been drinking.

The craving that never seemed to go away crept back up, haunting me in the form of this beautiful blonde girl in my arms. I’d perfected the art of saying no when it came to having a drink, but I found myself wanting to devour her.

The taste on her tongue transferred to mine— she’d become my new addiction, and she didn’t even know it.

Suddenly, I was second-guessing myself. I never should have told her it was okay to drink around me if it meant I’d be tasting it from her lips.

The energy around the bonfire shifted. Kissing Sophie changed her entire mood. She was back to her bubbly norm, laughing with Paige and the rest of us.

With every glance in her direction, I craved the feeling of her sinking into my lap, holding her around the fire, just like my brother got to do with his girl.

The only problem was, Sophie wasn’t my girl.

We were friends with benefits until we broke it off—or I decided to get my shit together and commit for once in my life.

“I’m so excited to go to Vegas next month!” Paige squealed. The topic of conversation caught my attention.

“It’s going to be a blast; I have so many activities planned for us.” Sophie clapped her hands in excitement.

Seeing Sophie and Paige smile in excitement only confirmed that I needed to suck it up and get through it. Their smile wouldn’t fade on my account.

It’s going to be fun; you have nothing to worry about, I repeated silently.

“Well, don’t go getting hitched while you’re there, you know, since I can’t make it,” Chase joked.

“She wouldn’t dare! It would put me out of a job that could help fill my future portfolio.” Sophie shot Paige a serious look.

“Don’t worry, Chase, one day, a few years from now, we can do another trip. Maybe then, you’ll have a girl, and it can be all six of us, and you won’t have to be the fifth wheel,” Paige spoke across the fire to her brother.

“Six of us? You’re indicating that Myles and I are together ?” Sophie questioned, pointing between her and me. “What would give you that idea?” She nervously lifted her drink to her mouth.

“I came back down here earlier, and the second I sat down, Myles went up to the house. That was my first clue. Then, I realized I forgot my drink in the kitchen, so I went back up to the house and he had you pinned against the fridge with his tongue in your mouth. Honestly, if that wasn’t telling that something is going on between you, then I don’t know what is.

” Sophie’s eyes went wide while Paige shrugged her shoulders.

Obviously, her best friend was a little loose-lipped and unaware that she had just outed us to the group.

Silently, I chuckled to myself. “Want to take the reins on this one, Soph?” Her eyes narrowed in my direction, the frustration painted on her face absolutely adorable.

“We are just friends…with benefits.” She puffed out her chest, pretending she didn’t just drop a bomb on the three people who looked between us with their jaws dropped.

“Jesus Christ, this is way too good.” Chase laughed out loud, basking in our awkwardness.

“Myles, mind coming up to the house to help me really quick?” Declan stood, clearing his throat.

Nice one, Declan. Not obvious at all.

I already knew there wouldn’t be something he needed help with, and instead, he would take the opportunity to give me shit about this whole me and Sophie thing.

I stood from my chair, ready to walk up to the house with Declan, squeezing Sophie’s shoulder as I passed.

“Cut the shit. You don’t need help with anything. So, what’s the deal?” I asked, taking a seat on the swing he had hanging on the front porch.

Declan backed up against the porch railing, facing me. “Really, dude? Fucking friends with benefits? That’s a recipe for disaster. In what world does that ever work?”

“You don’t need to worry about it. Sophie and I are in agreement, two adults who made a decision based on what’s best for us.” I shrugged.

“You’re an idiot if you think Sophie isn’t going to fall head over heels for you. She’s a relationship girl, Myles. And you’ve never even tried to navigate that territory.”

This was one of those situations where my brother acted like he knew what was best for me.

He had some good points, but I knew what I was doing—what I wanted.

At least, I thought I did. When I first brought everything up to Sophie, she’d been my only temptation.

Her and her beautiful curves and smart mouth.

But lately, my temptations began to change. I needed a meeting. I had to be honest with these new feelings looming inside me.

“I have a lot to figure out, man. But one thing I know for a fact—Sophie is the last person I want to hurt.”

The truth was, I needed Sophie in my life, and I hoped she’d stick with me while I figured everything else out along the way.