When the bathroom door swung open, there was Sophie, lounging alone in the tub, looking a bit sheepish. She asked, "Uh... where''s the towel?" It was her first time staying here, and she hadn''t anticipated that the towels wouldn''t be in the bathroom. Seeing Sophie was fine, Colby''s tense expression rxed a bit. "I''ll grab it for you," he said. He walked over, picked up a towel, and draped it over Sophie''s shoulders. The steaminess of the bathroom must have been getting to her because her cheeks were flushed. Noticing a healing wound on her shoulder and worried about her getting hurt, Colby scooped Sophie right out of the tub. She instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck, and their breaths mingled in the close space. Colby''s arms, broad and strong, cradled her effortlessly.


    "Feeling tired?" Colby asked out of the blue, catching Sophie off guard. "Exhausted!" she replied with a hint of humor. "Then lie back, I''ve got this," he said, nting a soft kiss on her forehead.


    Sophie yfully tapped his shoulder. "Hey, I just had a bath!" she protested lightly, all because of a missing towel.


    As night settled in, Sophie waspletely spent. Colby ordered takeout, all of her go-to favorites. After the earlier exertions, Sophie was sore all over, even needing Colby to help feed her. Eventually, she just lounged on the bed, giving him a look whenever she wanted another bite.


    Colby, looking sharp in a clean ck


    shirt with the sleeves rolled up, sat across from her. "Do you always dress this fancy at home?" Sophie teased. Old habits," Colby shrugged, handing her a ss of water. Their past jobs meant being ready to dash out at a moment''s notice, so Colby wasn''t used to lounging in pajamas.


    Just then, Sophie''s phone buzzed again. Timing it perfectly, Reece was probably just arriving from overseas. Answering the call, Reece''s voice came through, "I''m outside your door." Surprised at his quick arrival, Sophie said, "I''ll send Colby down to get you." Seeing Sophie dispatching him to greet Reece, Colby raised an eyebrow but said nothing. "Colby, go and let him in," Sophie insisted. With a resigned sigh, Colby set down his cup and headed downstairs. She''d already arranged for someone to pick Reece up from the airport.


    When Colby opened the door, Reece


    stood there, masked and dressed in casual whites, looking every bit the incognito celebrity. Without the heads-up call, Colby might''ve struggled to recognize him. Reece


    removed his hat and9


    I


    "Sorry, my work''s a bit unique-I try to dodge fan encounters." ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    Colby stayed silent, as Sophie came down the stairs, now dressed and ready. "Reece, about tonight''s dinner..." she started. "Ten o''clock Reece replied, opening his suitcase andying an invitation in front of them. "This is basically your pass to the dinner. It''s six-thirty now, so you''ve got time to get ready."


    Sophie asked, "How on earth did you snag this invite?"