Sophia felt like she was caught red-handed.
All she could do for a moment was stare into his frightening eyes as she tried to formulate a response, yet nothing intelligible appeared in her thoughts. Something about him made her short circuit. It wasn't the first time he made her feel confused.
Out of nervous habit, she adjusted her hair and took a couple of steps away as if she were going to tidy something elsewhere.
"Anyone with eyes can tell that you're attractive," she finally answered. "I don't know of any other woman who wouldn't be behaving this way around you. I don't have enough experience to avoid feeling nervous in a situation like this."
Except it wasn't just his looks that were overwhelming. It was like all of her senses lit up when he was in her vicinity. Something about him made her want to go crazy. If she wasn't defective as a woman, she would have already tried something. After all, who was there to stop her from doing as she pleased anymore?
Except she knew it wasn't right. She didn't know who Luca Morelli was. She hadn't looked for answers because she was nervous at how incompatible the two of them were with one another. How would the boss of some investments and holdings company ever look in her direction? They were known for their lavish lives and womanizing tendencies. She didn't fit in that equation nor did she want to.
"It feels like there's something you aren't saying," Luca responded.
His hands had since stopped moving the dough, Sophia's response to him taking up his thoughts.
He turned to her and observed the way she avoided his eyes. There was a blush on her cheeks as she tried to pull herself together but failed.
Rather than being put off by her uncertain response to him, he found her alluring. He felt disarmed by the way she seemed to feel the same thing toward him. Her reactions made him want to press her buttons. He didn't know who he was but he knew he liked when she was shy because of something he did.
He wanted to protect her from others when what she needed protection from was him.
Instead of backing off as he normally would, Luca stepped forward, a half step for him just as large as the two steps she took to escape him. Even though she faced away from him, he trapped her without even having to touch her. His hands were on either side of her, gripping the counter.
Luca leaned his head down so his lips were close to her ear.
"I'll leave you alone if you ask me to," he spoke just above a whisper. "But you have to tell me because your reactions are telling me something else. Maybe I'm misreading things because I can't speak from my experiences, but I've had you in my arms twice now. I'm bound to start jumping to conclusions."
At his quiet voice, Sophia found herself shivering as a chill went down her spine and the backs of her arms. She didn't know how he could say something like that when he heard Grant reveal all of her flaws.
It wasn't supposed to be like this.
He was supposed to remember who he was and leave her alone then she could return to the silent life she had before him. All she aspired to do was run her bakery and make enough money to live a comfortable life.
Except he was talking as if he harbored feelings for her and it was making her hopeful. It made her believe that her strange reactions to him weren't her delusions of grandiosity shining through. Her grandparents raised her to be confident in her abilities which caused her to believe she could do anything. It was Grant who knocked her down and picked up the pieces as he showed her the reality that she was deeply flawed like everyone else - or maybe even worse. Except he did it in a way that made her feel like she was lucky to have him.
That wasn't something she wanted to go through again.
The smart thing to do would be to ignore attractive men and live quietly with Ethan until he moved on from her. Hopefully, by that point, she could afford to live in the city by herself.
Sophia squeezed her eyes shut.
"I don't know who you really are," she said. "You don't know who you really are either."
Even though she said that to try and deter him, Luca felt like it meant his attraction towards her was serious. He didn't know anything yet he knew that he was drawn to her.
"Help me figure it out, Sophia," he begged. "I want to know who I am so I can take care of you the way you take care of me."
Sophia leaned away from his face so she could glance at him, but it only pushed her against one of his arms that trapped her next to the counter. She turned all the way around and looked up at him.
Her expression held palpable confusion and, if Luca wasn't mistaken, desperation.
"What if this is fleeting for you but it isn't for me?" she asked quietly. "You're going to remember who you are and I'm going to be left in the dust."
Her grandparents passed away and left her behind. When Grant realized he could have done better than her, he left her behind as well, and then he gave her false hope that he hadn't. It was so much better for Sophia to remain by herself so she wouldn't have to get her hopes up anymore.
"What can I do…" he trailed off and his expression became softer as he looked down at her.
His eyes drifted from her eyes to her lips. He wondered what he could do to prove to her that even when he remembered everything, she would still be important to him. His entire body and mind believed fully that there was something within her that he desperately needed. It was more than a physical attraction. The first moment he set his eyes on her, his heart and mind said 'mine' and he hadn't been able to forget about it even for a moment.
There was a second Sophia thought he might try to kiss her. He had come even closer and his arms were against her sides though his hands remained on the countertop covered in flour.
However, she heard a knock on the door out front, and the fragile tension between them was shattered.
"I forgot to unlock the front door for the customers," she uttered.
Sophia pushed Luca away, leaving behind floury handprints on his grey apron.
She almost forgot who she was for a moment. He was going to make her believe she was much more than she was.