Mrs. Seong nodded. “I made sundubu jjigae, your favorite, Sophie. It has plenty of mussels and other seafoods in it, with lots of silken tofu. I still remember how you like it. The dish can be reheated on the stove. You can have some now and more later with rice.”
Apparently, Sophie had decided she was going to have to just roll with the situation. She limped back over to the couch, inviting Mrs. Seong to sit at the breakfast table still in her living room.
He reined in the desire to help her onto the couch. Every step she took bothered the hell out of him while she was still limping. He’d take it away and bear it himself if it were possible, because it was definitely his fault she’d ended up injured in the first place. Hell, he was bad for Sophie. Real bad. And just like every time he’d come home after a deployment, he’d come back just to be near her. She was an addiction.
And it was only getting worse inside his head. The night had been too long.
Sophie and Mrs. Seong began a lively discussion. Or more accurately, Mrs. Seong proceeded with a precise interrogation regarding Sophie’s harrowing experience with the exploding car.
Forte bit the inside of his cheek. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to laugh or hate himself even more. Rojas and Cruz still had feelers out for information on the car bomb. Ky hadn’t come back to him yet on the status of the investigation. But Forte’s gut told him this entire situation was because of the people they’d crossed. A spot between his shoulder blades itched, and he was convinced he wasn’t the only person keeping an eye on Sophie’s apartment. He’d need to change surveillance points tonight to see if he could flush out the watcher.
For the moment, though, he placed the dish on the stove as instructed, removing the foil covering the top. It was a clever dish, complete with fitted lid. The stew inside was new to him, but it smelled interesting. Maybe Sophie would let him try it later. He made a mental note of the name. He’d let it heat with the lid on for the first few minutes, then remove the lid to make sure nothing boiled over by accident.
While the Korean-style stew heated, he grabbed two mugs and rummaged around until he found the tea stash. Sophie had one of those continuous hot water dispensers from Korea. It was so handy, he was considering getting one for the little coffee station they had in the main house back at the kennels.
With Haydn’s leash still hooked over his wrist, he served the ladies the hastily prepared tea.
Mrs. Seong gave him another close-mouthed smile. “This one is very nice to look at, Sophie. You should let him visit you more often. He can find his way around a kitchen without too many questions or broken glasses. Are you dating him?”
Pink rose up on Sophie’s cheeks. The pretty color made his groin tighten, and he was glad he’d pulled on jeans instead of coming up here in thinner running pants. Forte made sure her guest couldn’t see his face as he raised an eyebrow at her. He was playing with fire here, but teasing Sophie was irresistible.
Sophie let out a scandalized laugh. “Mrs. Seong, I haven’t dated anyone for a while now, and Brandon has been a close friend for a very long time. Don’t go telling stories.”
And wasn’t it good to know Sophie wasn’t dating anyone currently? He’d deliberately tried not to know over the past year or two. But now, well, it was welcome information.
Even if he shouldn’t do anything with it.
“You are grown; it’s okay to date.” Mrs. Seong lifted her chin in Forte’s direction. “Test drive before you decide to lease the car, hmm? Nowadays, you don’t even have to commit to buying. I go test driving all the time for fun.”
Forte had been quietly chuckling through Mrs. Seong’s commentary; then Sophie’s mouth fell open and he choked. There were too many things he wanted to do with her very luscious mouth. He was going to hell.
“Mrs. Seong… ,” Sophie started to reply, but her new cat chose that moment to stroll into the living room from the bedroom.
“Ah, this is the new roommate? She is beautiful.” Mrs. Seong clapped her hands in delight, but she did slide a sharp glance at Forte and Haydn.
Forte remained relaxed. “Haydn, blijf.”
Haydn obeyed, staying at his side, but vibrated with eagerness to investigate.
One of the key traits Forte looked for in the dogs he trained for service was a strong prey drive. Haydn had a fantastic drive, in fact, which could be an issue around smaller pets like cats, ferrets, rabbits, or hamsters. But Haydn was also extremely well disciplined. Forte had every confidence he could maintain control over the big dog.
The cat, on the other hand, was an uncontrolled variable.
Unconcerned, the feline made its way farther into the living room and came to a halt about a foot in front of Haydn. Then it…puffed.
That was the only way Forte could explain it. One minute, the cat had been a sleek, pale, furred being. Elegant and aloof, the rescue brought on images of cats in ancient Egypt and Asia. The next minute, it was almost double its size in fur, as if it’d been struck by lightning.
Haydn’s lip lifted to reveal an impressive set of canines.