The Fall of East: Book 3 in the Hear No Evil Trilogy by Malone, Nana (best reads .txt) 📕

But Nyla hadn't seen it. When they left, she only readjusted her seat so that she could look out the balcony window at the city instead of at the television.

I didn't know how to fix this. I didn't know how to make it any better.

Instead, I cooked. It was rare, because I never had time for it. We had a couple of nannies growing up who actually took care of us. Wonderful Mrs. Graton, she loved to cook. Whenever I was sick or sad, she'd make me soup. She called it chicken soup, but there was so much more than chicken in it. There were also sausages, and potatoes and other vegetables. Finally, she just called it garbage can soup because I kept saying no to it, and she'd take it back to the kitchen to throw into the garbage.

As I cut up the ingredients and let the oil simmer to brown the meat, I kept my eye on Nyla. Every time I added an ingredient, hoping the smell from the soup would get her moving, would get her interested, she continued to just sit and stare. When I finished, I served it with two rolls and carried it on a tray into the living room. Then I sat in front of her. "Come on, beautiful, you have to eat. I know you don't feel like it, but you have to."

Still, she didn't move. Didn't budge. I didn't know what else I was supposed to do. "Love?"

Her gaze didn't turn to meet mine, so I adjusted my seat to perch directly in front of her. She blinked rapidly when I blocked her gaze, and a small smile perked on her lips. "East, hi."

"Ah, she lives. She breathes. She talks."

"Sorry. Obviously, I don't know what to do with myself, so I'm just sitting here."

"I know. You want to crawl into a shell. I get it. But you can't. Sorry."

"Why won't you just let me hide? Please?"

"Sorry, I can't do that."

"I just want it to stop."

"I know but I need to feed you. You need a shower. And then you need some sleep."

"There's no way I'm sleeping."

"Okay. I'm not going to make you sleep, but I do have ways of getting you to sleep if you won't cooperate."

She scowled at me. "I'm not in the mood."

"Okay, you don't have to be in the mood. That's the best part. I take care of you and do anything that's going to help you feel better. None of this is about me."

She blinked. "What did I do to deserve you?"

I grinned at her then. "You tried to hunt me and my friends down. I've never seen anything sexier."

And there it was, a hint of spark in her eye. She almost laughed. It wasn't even really much of a smile, but goddamn it, I would take it. "Now, eat."

And she did. Bite after bite, I fed her, and she didn't fight me. She ate whatever I put at her lips. Once or twice, she even chased the spoon. I'd set such a low bar for myself as her caretaker, and I was really happy about this. At least she was eating something.

When she was done, she turned to me. "Who am I, East?"

"You, my love, are Nyla fucking Kincade. And I love you."

She blinked rapidly. "Why?"

"See, it's really all about you being a total badass. God, it’s so sexy. You know, you chasing us, threatening to put us in prison. You have never been hotter."

"Why are you doing this?"

"I love you. I'll keep saying it until you believe it, but that's all there is to it. I'm going to look after you because it's what you need. Because I hope it will make you happy again. You're not going to fight me, because this is what you do when you love someone. And I will love you always, forever. Even if you think you're walking out of here. I mean, not that I'll let you."

"You recognize that's kidnapping, right?"

I blinked at her. "Is that a joke? You're joking. This is… wow. Excellent."

She shook her head at me. "I don't want to joke. "

"I know. But the fact that you aren't well fit right now, is on me. I let you sit in your sadness. You still get to be sad, but now you will be clean and sad. Come on, let's go get you in the tub."

"No, no more tub where you won’t look at me or touch me."

"Well, to be fair, you were injured, Ny."

"I don't want that now." Her gaze searched mine, and there was so much love, and so much need. She was pleading with me.

"What is it you want, Ny?"

"I love you. I want you to love me back and make me forget."

I nodded. "I can absolutely do that."

Chapter Eighteen Nyla

And he did make me forget. With his hands, his lips, his mouth, his words, East told me everything I needed to know. He loved me. I was his. He was mine. With every whispered caress, every nip of my shoulder, every slide of his tongue over mine, he told me everything I needed to know. He carried me into the bedroom, shutting the door behind us aggressively. When I giggled, he tossed me on the bed, chucking his shirt and unsnapping his pants as he went. He had that look on his face. One that said that he meant business, and he was going to show me all of the ways that he meant business. When he dropped his trousers and boxers in one fell swoop, he approached with a sly grin. "Now, now, Nyla, Ms. Kincade."

I laughed. "That's Agent Kincade to you."

He laughed. "Yes, ma'am, Agent Kincade. Now, I must remind you, that this shall be a long arduous ride. I hope you snacked sufficiently. I hope you've limbered up. I pray to God that you hydrated. Because I'm not letting you out of my sight for