The Rivals - Vi Keeland Page 0,94

walking away from the closed door. My heart didn’t want to walk away. So instead, I’d have to put a double lock on that door to make sure it didn’t accidentally creak open again.

Chapter 27

* * *

Weston

Two days later, I waited impatiently to see if Sophia would show up.

We had a meeting scheduled with Elizabeth Barton, the hotel’s attorney, to discuss some last-minute contract-renewal issues. I’d expected to get a call that the meeting was canceled, or at least moved to a conference call instead of being in person. I’d arrived a half hour before our scheduled appointment, just in case Sophia showed. But with every minute that ticked by, I lost a little more hope that she would.

At nine on the nose, a flash of red appeared in the doorway. The entrance to the lobby was a wall of glass, so I watched as Sophia hesitated with her hand on the door. She took a deep breath, raised her chin, and squared her shoulders, and I swear I fucking fell even harder for her.

All along, I’d thought our arguing made her so irresistible to me. Her anger was like my flint, and I was the little boy who liked to play with matches. But in this moment, I realized it wasn’t her anger I’d been attracted to at all—it was her strength. When she walked into a room, her beauty was undeniable. When she smiled, it made my knees weak. But when she straightened her spine and her eyes glinted with determination, she wasn’t the flint to my spark. She was the fire. An undeniably beautiful wildfire.

Gorgeous.

Simply perfect.

My heart pounded in my chest as she walked to the front desk and said something. Though she was only five feet away, and the reception area was otherwise quiet, I couldn’t hear a single word. The blood rushing in my ears was way too loud.

Ever since our conversation the other night, I’d been practicing what I would say to her if I got another chance. I’d planned to give her more details—lay all my cards on the table and convince her I’d never planned to betray her. But truly, none of that mattered anymore. Whether I’d planned to go through with stealing information from her or not was almost irrelevant. The fact that I’d agreed to do it and never told her about it was betrayal enough. What I needed to focus on now wasn’t what I’d done wrong, but how I felt about her and what I was going to do to make things right.

With a new plan of action, I got up and walked over to the receptionist, where Sophia was still standing.

“Oh, hi,” the woman said. “I was just telling Ms. Sterling that Ms. Barton is running a few minutes behind. She had an overseas conference call before your meeting, and it started late.”

Sophia stood a little taller, completely ignoring me next to her. “Do you know how long she’s going to be?” she asked. “I have another meeting after this.”

I would’ve bet my bank account there was no meeting after this.

“She shouldn’t be more than ten or fifteen minutes,” the receptionist said. “Can I get you a cup of coffee or tea while you wait?”

Sophia sighed. “No. Thank you.”

She looked to me, and I waved my hand. “I’m good.”

“Okay. Well, why don’t you both have a seat, and I’ll let you know as soon as she’s off her call.”

“Actually.” I took one step closer. “Would you happen to have an empty conference room?”

“Umm…sure. The one you’ll be meeting in is available. Did you need to make a call or something?”

I shook my head. “No. Ms. Sterling and I have some business to discuss. Do you think we could make use of that room before Ms. Barton is available?”

The receptionist smiled. “Sure. No problem.” She stood. “Why don’t you follow me, and I’ll let Elizabeth know where you’ll be when she’s done.”

Sophia seemed momentarily confused, so I took advantage, knowing once she regained her footing she wouldn’t voluntarily walk into a room with me. I put my hand low on her back and held out my other for her to walk first.

“After you…”

Her jaw clenched, but she wasn’t about to make a scene. That wasn’t Sophia’s style, at least not in the lobby in front of the receptionist. Though I had no doubt she’d ream me a new asshole once the conference room door clicked shut. So I’d have to keep her off her game, by jumping in