“Why? Is the wife jealous?” he asked coyly.

I shook my head at him again as I sat up in bed. But he didn’t hand me my food. Instead, he stuck a straw in what looked to be the most incredible glass of limeade I’d ever had and held it to my lips. I tried to wrap my hand around the glass, but he brushed it away.

“Everett, you don’t have to feed me.”

“Drink, Andrea.”

I wrapped my lips around the straw and the second that sweetened limeade hit my tongue, I was done. I gulped down the green drink in mouthfuls as Everett sat there, holding the glass to my lips. I closed my eyes. My throat felt as it if was burning from the cold. My swallowing was audible as my body replenished what it had lost, and by the time I opened my eyes the glass was completely empty.

“Oops,” I said.

“Don’t worry. There’s a reason why they always bring up to glasses,” Everett said.

He plucked the straw from the finished drink and put it into another before setting it on the table beside my bed. He lifted the silver domes and filled the room with its wonderful scent and I couldn’t take it any longer. I held out my hands for the plate as he set it on my lap and I quickly grabbed the fork. I was starving, much hungrier than I remembered being. I stabbed at my salmon and inhaled my grilled vegetables, and with every bite I took my stomach begged for more.

“This is incredible,” I said.

“I’m glad you like it.”

The sound of Everett’s muffled voice forced my head up and I found him smiling at me. He had his fork jammed between his lips with a little bit of juice tumbling from the side of his mouth. Without thinking, I reached up with my thumb and wiped it off, catching it upon my skin before it trickled down any further. Everett’s eyes fell to my finger as I pulled it away, then I wiped it haphazardly on the sheet next to me.

“It was about to fall,” I said.

But when our eyes connected, I could tell there was something he wanted to say.

“Everett?” I asked.

His eyes fell down my body before slowly grazing back up to my own.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“We should eat,” he said.

He pulled the fork from his muffled mouth before taking another massive bite of his food. And for some reason, I felt disappointed.

I just didn’t know why.

EIGHTEEN

Everett

“Hello?”

Hearing that sweet voice in my ear flipped my stomach in on itself.

“Andrea. It’s Everett.”

“Oh, hey there! I was wondering when I was going to hear from you. Have you heard back from the lawyer at all?” she asked.

“I actually wanted to get together with you sometime today and talk about all of that. Is it possible for us to get together?”

“I’ve got a pretty long day at the youth center. I’ll be here until well after six. But if you wanted to come over to my place, I could whip us up something quick? It won’t be fancy or anything, but I don’t know if I’ll be up for anything other than my apartment after today.”

“That’s fine. It doesn't matter to me. Shoot me your address and I’ll be there around six thirty?”

“Make it seven just to be safe.”

“Seven it is. I’ll keep an eye out for your text.”

Tags: Nicole Elliot Romance
Source: readsnovelonline.net