The Paper Wife’s Empire novel Chapter 97

“Ash…”

Ethan’s voice was hoarse as he called out, his throat still dry and painfully sore.

He remembered working late in his study last night, but couldn’t recall when or how he’d made it back to bed.

“Mr. Jordon!”

Just as Ethan threw off the covers and started to get up, a familiar figure appeared at the edge of his vision. He squinted, half-convinced he was imagining things.

“Ramona?”

“It’s me. Your fever’s only just broken, so don’t move. Lie back and rest.”

Ramona set a bowl of mild, nourishing soup on the bedside table. As soon as her hands were free, she reached out to steady Ethan’s arm, gently but firmly pushing him back onto the bed.

Ethan was tall and broad-shouldered; even weakened, Ramona didn’t stand a chance against his strength. With little effort, he pulled her into his arms.

She landed against his chest, soft as a kitten curling up for warmth. Their eyes met, hers bright as stars scattered across a midnight sky, a touch of red on her cheeks; his gaze clouded by fatigue and threaded with red.

Worried she might have hurt him, Ramona murmured an apology and tried to get up, but Ethan’s hand remained firm around her waist, refusing to let her go.

“What are you doing here?”

His breath, still fever-warm, brushed against Ramona’s ear and neck, making her shiver.

“I was worried about you, so I came by to check in. Your project data is my specialty, so I went ahead and finished some of your work. That way, you can get more rest and won’t fall behind.”

Ramona’s lashes fluttered as she spoke, voice soft and earnest. Her eyes lingered on Ethan’s pale face, his brow still faintly furrowed.

After hanging up with Ethan last night, she’d called Ash. That’s when she learned Ethan’s “little cold” was really several days of fever, and he’d been working through it.

She made up her mind on the spot—she’d help him in Kingston.

Ramona had arrived in the dead of night to find Ethan passed out at his desk, utterly spent. She’d asked Ash to help get him to bed and stayed with him until his fever finally broke. Only then did she finish the tasks Ethan hadn’t been able to complete.

As she explained, a flicker of surprise passed through Ethan’s eyes. But it vanished quickly, replaced by something unreadable. His grip tightened, almost unconsciously.

“Who told you to do all that? Did you even sleep last night?”

“If you would follow doctor’s orders, I wouldn’t have to meddle… Anyway, one sleepless night for me is nothing compared to you pulling all-nighters for days.”

Ramona knew Ethan far better now. She recognized that his gruffness was just armor for a soft heart.

Sure enough, her words brought a fleeting hint of guilt to Ethan’s face. “I…”

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify