By the time she looked up at him, Ryan’s face was blank and she was too tired to figure out what she might have just missed. After Hattie opened the door, he carried her across the room and gently set her down on a bed that smelled so much of him that she instantly felt better. Letting out a sigh, she closed her eyes for a second, enjoying the feeling, then opened them again to find Ryan staring down at her, his face filled with concern.
“Are you sure that you’re okay?” he asked, sitting down next to her. “He didn’t hurt you, did he? I’m sorry it took me so long to get to you. I was just trying to give you a few minutes to calm down. I guess it was a few too many.”
She studied him for a second, wondering if that was really what he wanted to talk about, then figured, why not? “I was on my way back inside to tell you that I might have overreacted,” she admitted. “I still wish you would have told me sooner, but Isee now that you were trying to tell me, the delivery was just a bit off.”
“Yeah, I’m not very good at this kind of stuff,” Ryan admitted, taking her hand. “I guess we still need to talk about that.”
“You think?” she asked, trying for a smile and failing. “And a few other things.”
“But first we’re going to get little missy warmed up and comfortable,” Hattie said, shooing Ryan off the bed. “Off with you for a while, no men allowed.”
Stephanie came in as Ryan was leaving, her arms loaded down with extra pillows, a pair of soft fuzzy pajamas, and a stack of magazines. “I grabbed everything I could think of,” she said, setting the pile down. “How are you feeling?”
She thought about that for a second. “Honestly, I’m not sure, a dragon just carried me through the air, but two other dragons saved me,” she said. “I think I should be scared, I think I should be freaked out, but I’m not any of those things. I’m just curious.”
“Well, that’s good, but I’m not surprised. Let’s get this dress off and get you into these pajamas.” Stephanie said, helping her stand up. “You’ll feel a lot better once you’re tucked into bed.”
“Why aren’t you surprised?” she asked, feeling like a rag doll as Stephanie dressed her, but too tired to do it herself. “Do most people take it this calmly?”
“Most people wouldn’t, but you’re connected to Ryan, and that changes everything,” Stephanie said, doing up the last button on her pajama top. “Now, into bed with you. This is something you should discuss with Ryan when you’re feeling better.”
She climbed into bed like instructed, then something occurred to her. “Are they all…I mean…Cooper is…but what about the rest?” she asked, feeling completely tongue-tied at the thought. “Maybe I changed my mind, and I am a little scared.”
“They would never hurt you,” Stephanie said, tucking her into bed. “They’re wired to protect us; they’re nothing like Alex and his friends.”
Before she could ask another question, there was a commotion outside the bedroom door. “Hattie, I’m taking that in there,” Ryan said. “She’s not that delicate; she wasn’t afraid of me before, she won’t be now.”
“Ryan, you have to give her some space, let her get used to the idea,” Hattie argued. “Just let her have something to eat and drink, and then you can see her.”
“You know that’s not going to work, I need to see her now,” Ryan said. “I can be just as stubborn as you can, even more when it comes to Paula.”
“Oh dear, we can’t have them out there fighting over you,” Stephanie said, shaking her head and getting up from the bed. “We’ll have to have a long talk later. There are some things you should know about shifters.”
When she threw open the door, both Ryan and Hattie jumped. “Why don’t you both come in?” Stephanie said, opening it wider. “We can hear every word you’re saying, so you might as well fight in here.”
They both looked so guilty she laughed for the first time in what felt like hours. “Hattie, thank you for worrying about me, but I’m not scared, not really,” she said. “You should both come in and stop fighting.”
Ryan took the tray Hattie had been clutching to her chest. “I told her you were okay with all of this,” he said, bringing it over to her. “Do you want something to eat or drink?”
“I think I’m okay, I’m just really tired,” she said. “Maybe you could set it down over there. I might want something later.”
Ryan set the tray down, then pulled a chair over and sat down next to her. “I’m just going to sit here while you sleep,” he said. “We’ll talk after you’ve had some rest.”
“We’ll leave you two alone,” Stephanie said, pulling Hattie out of the room. “We’ll be downstairs if you need anything.”
When the door closed behind them, silence fell between them. She felt the pressure of all the things that hadn’t been said, but her eyelids felt so heavy she wasn’t sure she could keep them open. There were what felt like a million questions circling her mind, but she couldn’t focus on anything. The bed was so soft, and she was so tired, but something didn’t feel right. Opening her eyes, she looked over at Ryan, who was squirming in the chair, trying to find a comfortable position, and she knew what she wanted.
CHAPTER 15
***RYAN***
“Will you hold me?” she asked. “I feel like I’m going to float away or drown in all this, I’m not sure which.”
“I’m sorry, Paula, this is not the way I wanted this to happen. I’d barely figured out that you’re the one I want,” he said, sliding into the bed next to her. “I thought there would be time to explain, time for you to get used to the idea before you had to see…and I never dreamed Alex would lose control so badly…”
“I should probably think before I speak sometimes,” she said, snuggling up next to him with her head on his chest. “It’s one of my biggest faults; I say and do things without thinking it through.”
“You were just standing up for yourself, it’s one of the things I love about you,” he said, a smile spreading across his face. “I still laugh when I think about the way you put my mother in her place.”
