The quiet streets were a blur as Victor's car barreled down the street amidst streaks of city lights. His knuckles were white as his hands clasped the steering wheel, and his chest felt tight. The night with Sophia had been. different. Too different.
She had that way with him, stirring up things inside him, emotions he'd long buried. The vulnerability he'd shown her, the warmth of her regard, the soft cadence of her voice speaking to him-still lingered, like a sweet and disquieting dream. He drove back toward the office, running over the night in his head. It had been perfect, nearly too perfect. And therein lay the problem.
The very idea that someone like Sophia could break through the walls he had put up over so many years constricted his chest. He knew it was easier this way-keep peop
