Best and Honor

Chapter 4

Andrew

I sit on the small wall that lines the walkway to the beach waiting for Sophie. After golfing with the guys this morning I was trying to talk myself out of knocking on her door. It wasn't that I had a grand plan about what I would do when she answered; I just had this tension in my gut that wouldn't let me go into my room without seeing her again. Finding her when I stepped off the elevator had taken any indecision out of my hands.

When she'd left me this morning to go to the brunch, my plan was to hang out in my room and maybe make a few calls for work since being here was forcing me to juggle my usually busy work schedule. Going down to the lobby to ask about receiving a fax changed my day in a very good way. I watched from the lobby as Sophie sat in the restaurant with Rachel and the other women. She was pretending to be happy, but there were a few small tells that showed she wasn't as comfortable as she was pretending to be.

I wasn't sure she was going to go along with my plan to rescue her, but it was worth a shot if it meant I got to hear her voice again. Now that she was probably on her way down to meet me like she'd arranged I feel a little nervous and excited. If Evan knew where I was and whom I was meeting he would be livid. I think his plan for this week is just to be nice to her so that Rachel didn't continue to work so hard to smooth things over with the friend she totally backstabbed. His plans for Sophie did not include me hanging out with her.

The hotel doors slide open and I see her thin figure as she steps out into the sunlight. Her long, tan legs seem to go on for miles under that silky blue cover-up. My eyes float up to the tie above her hips, currently cinching the fabric and showing off her perfectly tapered waist. I feel myself shaking my head a bit, wondering how Evan ever though Rachel was a better pick. The cover-up dips low on her breasts and I follow the thin straps of her string bikini up her chest to where it disappears to tie behind her neck.

She is every man's wet dream. Stunning and seductive without even knowing how she affects the men around her. I notice a few of the male staff in the front of the hotel turn slightly in their positions to watch her as she steps off the small curb and begins her walk in my direction. I stand from my position on the wall and give a small wave so she can see me. Her smile lets me know when she has.

She makes me feel like a teenager again. I find myself looking away from her and trying to focus on something else. It's something I used to have to do every time she was around. She was my best friend's girl, which means she was off limits to even look at too long. What a shame. All those years I had wasted the beautiful vision that was often right in front of me out of respect for a guy that ultimately screwed her in the end.

"Do you mind if we walk away from the hotel a bit? I got a text letting me know that a few of the women were going to come layout in front here and I don't feel much like jumping back into that group." Her words are coming out in a rush and I feel my heart pump with the knowledge that being around me makes her a little nervous. I think I like that, knowing that I'm having a similar effect on her as she has always had on me.

"Lead the way. I'm free until the bar thing tonight." I can tell my expression shows my distain for this whole week of kidnapping. Her small chuckle brings my eyes to hers again.

"I'm free until then too. Am I picking up on a little disapproval of the wedding events schedule?" She pulls her bag up a little on her arm and we begin walking down the strand away from the hotel.

"I don't understand why couples have to extend this out so long. I had to try to shuffle a bunch of my regular clients around to make sure I could attend all these little 'moments'." She's smiling and nodding along with my words.