Contract Marriage with My CEO Boss

Chapter 77 Chapter 77 Ryan kept Katrina company for a while longer, easing her burden, and her stress, by talking to her about Ross Corp, and sharing a few funny stories she had never heard before about Kylan It was refreshing. Talking to Ryan and knowing that Kylan was safe and asleep in his bedroom. By the tRyan left, it was after midnight, and she was completely drained.

She washed and dried her teacup by hand, turning off the lights in the living room and kitchen alike, before e walking to Rylan's room She briefly wondered if she should sleep in the sbed as him, or if he would prefer she keep her distance and sleep on the couch near his fireplace.

She settled on sleeping as far from Kylan as possible, grabbing the throw from off the couch in his room and situating herself atop Kylan's covers. She turned on her side so she was facing him, relieved to see that he was still asleep in the sposition she had left him in xt to no tat all before she fell asleep herself.

It took her ni to po -0-0-0- Her phone buzzing in her pocket roused her awake, and she yawned, finding it in her pocket and squinting at the screen. It was just after seven o'clock in the morning and she sighed, rubbing at her tired eyes.

Aaron had sent her a message, a few actually, and she responded to let him know she was okay and that she stayed the night at Kylan's. To his credit. he managed not to insinuate a single thing when she told him she spent the night.

was gone.

She glanced at the bed next to her and found that Kylan wasn't there anymore. Has side had been made and the cup on his nightstand w She scrambled to her feet so quickly, it made her head spin.

"Kylan?" he asked aloud, checking the bedroom bathroom, and not finding him.

Quiet, classical music filtered in from the hallway and she followed the noise. The smell of French toast and bacon filled her nose the closer she got to the kitchen, and she quickened her pace.

And there she found him. Working away at the stove, his hands still wrapped from the night before. It looked like he had showered and shaved too. and she wondered how long he had actually been awake. He was wearing a light blue button-down shirt and the sdesigner jeans she knew well by now He looked.. Okay? Relaxed, even. His shoulders weren't stiff, his posture wasn't hunched over like it had been yesterday. He looked completely in his element, and for another second, she simply watched him as he stirred a mixture in a metal bowl. "You know it's rude to stare. Katrina Kylan spoke without turning around She smiled coyly and stepped further into the kitchen, glancing out the window over the sink and smiling wider when she realized i I was snowing softly. The swirling flakes looked incredible from all the way up here in Kylan's penthouse.

"I'm sorry. You just look good like that, Kylan, Happy" She stopped near him, facing him, and folding her arms over her chest.

Kylan hummed in response. "Were you able to sleep?" he asked her quietly, a vague hint of apprehension in his voice.

"I was, thank you. What about you? You didn't have any, uh, nightmares." She wasn't certain if she should point something like that out to him, but he did seem more like himself this morning "I didn't, no. Quite the feat, truthfully." Kylan dipped a few pieces of bread in the mixture within the metal bowl and then carefully transferred them to a skillet on the stove, not spilling a single drop along the way. "Perhaps it has something to do with the company I kept before I fell asleep" He didn't look at her as he spoke, but her heart fluttered all the same. "Am I allowed to wish you a Happy Birthday?" She stepped a bit closer to him, and he didn't move away from her "I would rather you not, but if you insist, I suppose I can't stop you." He flipped the pieces of bread over on the stove with a spatula before looking at her.

The purple beneath his eyes had lessened a bit. The grey of his eyes wasn't so dull. He really did look okay "Happy Birthday, Kylan. I'm glad you were born. I'm glad to know you." It was einbarrassing, really, how her breath caught in her throat at the end. and she had to blink away a few tears.

Kylan's eyes softened and he reached forward, brushing a bit of hair away from her neck in the manner he used to. "I set out a pair of sweatpants and a sweater in my bathroom that will likely fit you well enough. You're welcto go take a shower while I finish breakfast." He paused a moment and took a noticeable breath. "After we cat, I would like to... Talk to you, if that would be alright. After last night, and every night before last night, I owe you that much. 1. Want to talk to you." It was hard for him to get the words out; she could see that But she was so grateful. So thankful. So relieved that he wanted to let her in. That he trusted her enough to let her in again.

203PM Chapter 77 "I would like that too, Kylan. Thank you, I won't be long" She chose to keep her response light and unassuming while squeezing his forearm once "Are your hands alright?" She glanced at the hands in question, relieved to see that they weren't nearly as red as they had been last night "They're fine, Katrina. Don't worry aboutand go shower." He gently nudged her in the direction of the hallway and she listened with a slight roll of her eyes.

Katrina took a long shower, longer than she should have, relishing in the smell of Kylan's soaps and enjoying the steady stream of hot water above her, before she finally shut it off.

The sweatpants and shirt did it her well enough, both only a bit baggy on her. She borrowed Kylan's comb and then brushed her teeth with the spare toothbrush she realized he had also set out for her.

Once she was put together, she returned to Kylan, who was sitting at the counter in front of a plate of food. He looked up as she entered and gestured to the stool next to him.

She listened, shifting onto the seat, and eagerly cutting into the French toast Kylan had placed on a plate for her too. It was undeniably delicious, and she practically moaned as she ate..

"Alright. You should have been a chef. This is incredible. Thank you." She was being completely honest, taking a sip of the orange juice Kylan had poured for her.

A faint smile ghosted over Kylan's mouth, and she grinned at him.

"I like seeing you smile" She hummed, taking a bite of bacon next. It was perfectly crispy and not lacking a single bit of flavor.

Kylan didn't answer, cating his food in silence instead. She didn't push him. She knew that whatever they talked about, he would be setting the pace today, and she was okay with that. She would respect that.

She ate the rest of her breakfast in amicable silence, though remarking every now and then about how amazing it truly was, and watching the snow fall outside

As soon as they were done, Kylan gathered the dishes, and she watched him rinse and load them? into a dishwasher. Kylan held onto the edge as soon as he was done, staring out at the fog that nearly obscured the view of the city below. e counter's "Let's go to the living room, he finally said, his voice quiet and all too restrained.

"Alright," she agreed, moving off her stool and following him into the living room.

She sat on one end of a gray couch and Kylan sat on the other. She moved so that she Kylan sat forward, his elbows on his knees and his hands clasped between them. He looked nervous, his eyes trained downward, and both his brows furrowed. e was facing him, her legs drawn up to her chest. el worse about "Whatever you want to say to me, Kylan... I'm going to listen without judgment. I promise you that. I'm not here to make you feel worse yourself, she attempted to comfort him, to let him know she only wanted to help. To listen.

She watched as Kylan licked his lips and nodded once.

"Bear with me, please." He sounded so timid. So small. She wanted to hug him or at least hold his hand. But she stayed where she was "I will, she promised him.

Kylan inhaled and exhaled a few times and then cleared his throat. "I've told you a bit about my mother already, but I haven't told you everything." He didn't look at her, but she didn't need him to. She kept a steady gaze on him, her ears, her heart open to listeningcompletely. "You know what her... Profession was. When I turned sixteen, I got a job on the dock back in Bristol and tried my best to help her out, to keep us afloat. She had a hard taccepting my help, instead encouragingto save the money for my future and college specifically" He swallowed before continuing. "We lived in a bad neighborhood, and she often brought clients to our house, despitetelling her not to. It was okay, I guess, as okay as that line of work could be until I turned eighteen." He was badgeting with the seams of the Coban that surrounded his hands and she frowned at him, the desire to hold him growing all the more usense. Chapter 78