Loving Him

Chapter 11

Alex stared at the door for the longest time after she'd left, his anger still in full force. The more time he spent around her, the more she irritated him. She was too nosy and she also never listened. He hadn't wanted her in his room because he knew that would only pique her never ending curiosity and increase her probing and the thought unnerved him. She unnerved him.

He turned his attention to the picture he'd seen her staring at, welcoming the pain and guilt that always followed whenever he looked at any of those pictures. He'd been happy then. He stared at the sleeping Angel first. He'd hated the way Sophie had implied that he didn't care about his daughter the other day. What did she know? He loved Angel more than anyone could imagine. She was his life. His eyes then drifted to his wife next. She had been beautiful, the best thing that had ever happened to him.

Now, she was just a reminder of that really great thing he'd had and lost.

* * *
Sophie, on getting downstairs had snapped at the delivery man and told him he had the option of either dropping the package or coming back some other time.

He'd looked genuinely scared and had chosen to drop the package instead. That only pissed Sophie off more, if he'd done that earlier, he'd have spared her a world of stress.

She was busy cleaning like her life depended on it, trying to keep her disturbing thoughts at bay although she wasn't having much luck so far. She couldn't get that stupid image out of her head and whenever her mind drifted back to that scene, her face would become all warm and those darned butterfly would resume their annoying breakdance.

She was utterly and completely losing her mind. Raymond had not even been gone a week and she was already shifting attention? Was she so starved for affection that she'd do something so ridiculous? She wasn't a horny teenager and she'd always considered herself mature when it came to men so why exactly was this happening to her? And why Alex of all people? Her heart needed serious lessons. Getting attracted to Angel would have been a much better choice and that in itself was saying a lot.

It was because he was almost naked, she told herself. That was why she had reacted like that, that was all. Once he went back to cloth wearing Alex, everything would go back to normal.

"You're going to scrub a hole in that counter."

Sophie jerked, hitting her leg on the so called counter.

"Stop doing this to me!" She whined.

He raised his brows at her. "I didn't do anything. You're the one who has been going at that counter like you have scores to settle."

She turned to him. He was fully clothed now, wearing a tee and shorts. He was sporting a slight smirk and Sophie found herself staring at his lips instead. They were pink and puckered ever so lightly... She caught herself as her thoughts wandered off again. Her heart had resumed it's rapid beating and she was hyperventilating.

"Uh, Sophia. Are you alright?" He asked, staring at her weirdly. When she didn't reply, he stepped closer to her and hesitantly placed a hand on her shoulder to shake her. "Sophia?"

Tingles ran down the length of her arm from where he touched her through her whole body. She jerked away both in shock and panic as she tried to find her breath and make sense of what was happening to her.

She timidly looked up at him to see his face was edged with concern. Without the glasses on, how hadn't she noticed how beautiful his eyes were?

Freaked out, she stuttered a quick "I'm fine," before bolting out of the kitchen leaving a confused Alex looking after her and wondering what was up with her.