Page 51 of Forever Fallen

He enjoyed distracting her, keeping her off balance, and it seemed to be a game that he was fully intending to start – only Sophie wasn’t playing along.

Sure enough, he opened the basement door – nearly knocked himself senseless… and she hurried off the phone, only to have him pout and ask for a kiss.

She nearly shoved him down the stairs.

On Tuesday, she was going through the local Greensheet and a few ‘Help Wanted’ phone numbers that she’d written down from various stores they’d gone to… one including the local hardware store they had visited in Tyler.

She was getting more information about the job on the phone – when Ryan walked in.

He’d purchased multiples of the door handles for the house, had the tumblers all keyed by the locksmith on site, and apparentlynowwas the time for them to get changed. The infernal man had one doorknob off before she noticed him… and her tongue quit working in midsentence.

Maybe there was something ‘off’with Ryan or he was a closet stripper…?

“I see, and the position is full time with benefits? Hmm… great – and there is a 401k? Medical and dental? Yes, I have a past with Human Resources for a multi-line dealer…whoaaaa mercy…”

Ryan was standing there in blue jeans, a belt, shoes… and had shucked his T-shirt. It was draped on the back of the chair in the kitchen, and she was certain the man was flexing and posing.

He yawned widely and curled his biceps – before rubbing his taut stomach… which wasn’t there. No, the man had very little fat on his abs, especially as he arched, stretching for the ceiling.

“What on earth? Can I call you back…?” Sophie sputtered blankly, hanging up the phone, not waiting for a response.

“How’d that job sound?” he said innocently, looking over his shoulder at her.

“What job?”

“Your phone call,” he grinned innocently. “Is something wrong?”

“Oh!” Sophie flushed and turned away to pour herself a cup of coffee.

“That’s cold,” Ryan interrupted, chuckling as he came up behind her, leaning over her shoulder, breathing in her ear, before kissing her softly on the cheek. “Why don’t I make a fresh pot of coffee for us?”

Sophie darted out from under his arm and backed away shyly, feeling her heart reacting to the way he was looking at her.

“I need to find a job and you are distracting me… deliberately, too! I cannot think or focus when you are parading yourself around nearly naked…”

Ryan laughed.

“I’m wearing jeans – the only thing missing is my T-shirt cause it feels awfully warm in here when you are around.”

“We have air conditioning…”

“I’m getting some vitamin D…” he countered, smiling slyly at her. “There’s a really coarse joke there that I’m not touching with a ten-foot-pole… and there’s another joke.”

“You’re disgusting.”

“And you know exactly what I’m referring to,” he smiled. “Now, who’s the disgusting one? I adore the way your mind works,” he said flirtatiously, before winking at her. “Now, I’m going to get the locks changed so we only have to mess with one key on the house and most of the doors. The guest rooms will have different keys and I got you two spares to each room.”

He hesitated.

“Thank you,” Sophie said promptly, blushing, as she realized she hadn’t said anything yet.

“Not that,” he hedged. “Are you going to be here for a few minutes because I need to make a few phone calls and need you close for your personal information.”

“Why do you need my information?”

“Because you are my wife,” he reminded her, smiling.

“Well yeah… but who are you calling?”

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