Page 32 of Forever Fallen

“Soph… I heard you crying,” he replied, ignoring her threats. The more she protested, the more he realized she was terrified and dealt with those feelings by getting upset. “Are you okay?”

“Nooo…” she sobbed, “and I don’t want to talk about it, either.”

“Then we won’t,” he promised easily, “Just please, no more crying. Drink the wine, relax, and just try to lay back in the tub. Do you want me to get you your pajamas and robe?”

He heard several sniffles in the distance and it took a moment before she answered.

“Please…” her voice was hushed. “Can I have my slippers too?”

“Of course,” he smiled tenderly. “I’ll put everything at the door.”

“Ryan?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you.”

“No more tears, okay?”

“No promises,” she warned moodily.

“Just try…” he ordered. “I’ll be back in moment.”

As he disappeared into her bedroom, he saw the unmade bed that had her nightgown lying on it discarded. Her robe was on a hook on the back of the door and her slippers peeked out from under the bed. Picking up all three, he returned to the door and deposited them for her.

“Your things are at the door when you need them.”

“Thank you.”

“Sure thing,” he replied, returning to her room.

He made her bed, neatly tucking the corners, because the well-trained airman in him couldn’t leave it looking like this. There was something nice and satisfying about crawling into a neatly made bed… and Sophie could use all of the ‘nice’ she could get during the next few days.

CHAPTER12

SOPHIE

She sat therein the deep slipper tub with her knees to her chest, trying to keep from falling apart. Not only was she dealing with the death of her grandmother, the woman who raised her, but now she was feeling overwhelmed at everything else.

Her job would have to go, because she couldn’t commute if she needed to live here according to the attorney… which meant she would need to find a way to empty her place, find a job here, and then that letter from her grandmother?

That had been the ultimate!

Her grandmother’s letter was going to annihilate any sort of friendship or fragile truce that she’d found with Ryan… and this sweet, gentle, caring side to that stranger she’d met on the plane was going to disappear the moment he found out.

He was going to blow his lid, think she lied, or that she was using him.

The attorney knew nothing of their secret arrangement and was quickly moving the house, funds, and everything else to her name. She claimed it was to pay for the funeral expenses… and it was!

It was the loophole that she was frightened of.

… Only to come home to this.

Ryan had completely unarmed her mentally and emotionally by this sweetness he displayed. She had never met anyone that thought about the other person as much as he seemed to.

It wasn’t just the phone call earlier to check on her… he’d made dinner, drew her a romantic bath complete with candles, and poured her a glass of wine so she could relax.

It was straight-up seduction… and it was working. How had she ever thought he wasn’t drop-dead gorgeous when she first met him?

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