Sweet and Spicy [COMPLETED]

The Headlines

The Shockingly True Story of Assault Against Ransom Lee!

The headline glared up at Kaya from Ransom's kitchen counter. Not from the local newspaper, as she would have expected, but from Wealth. A weekly magazine dealing in accounts about businesses and their executives. One of the most reliable and trustworthy magazines in the nation, let alone the city.

And the name attached to the author line? Leona Lewis.

So that's why Ransom insisted they needed Leona's help. Because she operated on an even bigger scale than Richard Aberdeen.

When did Leona learn about what happened? How did she learn about it? It got onto the front page so fast.

Kaya glanced around, the kitchen as if Ransom might appear from a dark corner. He had to be up. How else did the magazine get into the house? So where had he gone?

Kaya tiptoed out of the kitchen and looked around the living area. Nothing. It seemed too early for him to have holed up in the office, so...

Oh, there he was.

Kaya padded toward the exercise room in the far corner, tried the door once, and then peeked her head inside.

Ransom glanced over from his spot on the treadmill. Kaya would admit that, even all sweaty and breathing hard, Ransom was a sight to behold. Maybe her girlish crush had never gone away. Maybe it was because she finally let herself fall for him. Either way, Ransom's boyish grin made an appearance and Kaya lost her train of thought.

Ransom slowed the treadmill to a crawl, then jumped off onto solid ground. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh. No. I'm just... I had a question." Kaya stepped into the room, abandoning the shield that the door had provided.

Ransom nodded his head. "Ask away."

Kaya held up the magazine she had brought from the kitchen. "When did you tell Leona?"

"After you went to bed last night." Ransom grabbed the jacket of his jogging suit off of the treadmill. "Why do you ask?"

"I was just curious."

"I told you, I have a plan. I always have a plan." Ransom marched across the room and swung his jacket around Kaya's shoulders. "Did you sleep well?"

"Why are you giving me your jacket?"

"You looked cold."

Only then did Kaya remember. Ransom had given her a white button-down shirt and a pair of boxers to sleep in. She still wore them. An idiotic oversight that she wouldn't repeat.

"Sorry," she muttered.

Ransom tapped a finger to her nose. "No need to be sorry. It's okay. Did you sleep well?"

Kaya nodded her head. Surprisingly, the nightmares had remained at bay. Something that never happened. Ever. Maybe Ransom scared them away with his very presence. Maybe Kaya's focus on how much she loved him drowned out the fear of the unknown for a while.

"I put breakfast in the refrigerator." Ransom tucked Kaya's hair out of her face. "Give me a few minutes to change and we can eat together."

Kaya liked the sound of that idea. Her one great joy in life was spending time with Ransom. She liked that he also wanted to spend more time with her. It was these small moments that always felt so right.

If only they could last.