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dreams soon had her sitting straight up. She had hoped being back in her own bed would make a difference, but all she kept picturing were the two men cornering her, stripping her, and touching her.
    She shook her head slowly, but nothing changed, she was still at the Omega Grill with two of the most mesmerizing men she’d ever seen.
    “What are you shaking your head about, honey? Don’t you like your food?” Mason leaned forward to catch her gaze.
    Sophia looked at the shredded chicken smothered in gravy with the soft dumplings. Margie had damn near put her meal through the blender. Still, it tasted divine, but there was too much. She looked at the other two meals on the table and realized that Margie had been just as thoughtful. The guys had gotten meals on steroids. They’d only been seated for five minutes and they were both halfway done with their huge plates.
    “Sophia?” Mason prompted.
    “I’m sorry, what did you say?” She needed to get her head in the game. Mason Gault was too sexy for his own good, and Drake Avery wasn’t far behind. Both of them were making it hard to concentrate.
    “I asked if you liked your food.” He looked like he was trying to figure her out. She didn’t need him trying to piece her together like a puzzle.
    “Oh, it’s fine. There’s just too much.” She gave the best smile she could muster.
    “Whatever you don’t eat pass my way.” Drake grinned. “This place is killer. Why haven’t we ever heard about this place, Mase?”
    “Beats me. Honey, you need to eat more than that.” Sophia looked down and realized she had probably only eaten five or six bites. He was right, if they were going to be checking out the streets of downtown San Diego all night, she’d need to eat more. She took another bite, letting the flavor melt on her tongue.
    “So are you from around here?” Drake asked.
    “I was born in Manhattan Beach. We kept moving more and more south over the years,” Sophia answered. “How about you?”
    “I was born in Tennessee. I’m the oldest of seven kids. The only way to get a college education was the military and I wanted a degree in engineering.” If she hadn’t been so tired, she would have noticed his southern accent before now. She turned to Mason.
    “I’m from Portland, Oregon. My dad was in the Navy and I always planned to be a SEAL.” He was clearly proud of his father.
    “You put him anywhere close to water and you’d think he was Aquaman.” Drake laughed. “He loves the water.”
    “Isn’t that a job requirement?” Sophia asked.
    “SEAL stands for Sea, Air, Land. You’ve got to love it all. I’m a better flyer than Mase, but that doesn’t mean I love it. I’d say I love the land part of it the best. But Mason, he loves the sea.”
    “I’ve seen him surf,” Sophia blurted out. Then she wished the words would go right back into her mouth again. Drake lifted his eyebrow.
    “You have? Tell me more,” Drake drawled.
    “Cut it out. Let’s just have a nice lunch. Let’s not ruin it. Sophia, aren’t you going to eat anymore? How about just a little?” Mason coaxed.
    “Come on Sophia, you haven’t eaten enough to keep a bird alive,” Drake said.
    “What?” she exclaimed.
    “Damn, that came out wrong. It’s just easy to worry about you.” Sophia cocked her head and looked at Drake.
    “Why would you be worried?” Now she was confused. The two men stared at one another, and then Mason covered her left hand where it was resting on the table.
    “Sophia, can you look at me for a moment?” She turned to him. “You’re trying to do too much. You’ve just been badly beaten. You’re in pain and you probably can’t sleep.”
    Sophia waited a moment, enjoying the heat of Mason’s hand, before she pulled hers out from underneath his. She turned away from him and looked into the intense gray eyes of Drake Avery.
    “Ma’am, I’m sorry I came on so strong. Mase told me about you, and I could see he was right, you need a