Page 39 of Miss Treated

After staying in the tub until the water cooled, I changed into a long T-shirt and shorts and walked back out into the bedroom.

Dominic had changed too and was now wearing a T-shirt and flannel PJ bottoms. He was seated on a side of the bed, one foot on and one foot off the mattress, flipping through the channels on the mounted flat-screen television. He got up and turned down the comforter. “Here, why don’t you have a seat? We didn’t eat much dinner, so I thought we could order room service. Feel like anything?”

“I don’t have much of an appetite.” He was sweet to offer, but my stomach was upset.

“How about I’ll order a few things off the menu? Once it gets here, you can play it by ear.”

“Okay.” I took a seat on the bed and leaned on the pillows propped against the headboard.

“I could go down to the gift shop if you need anything from there.”

He was trying so hard, but I hated the sympathy. “I’m good, Nic. Okay?”

His lips tipped up into a slow, sexy grin. “I like it when you call me Nic.”

There was the flirtatious, charming guy I knew. “Look, about things with Joel. I’m sorry—”

He took my hand. “You don’t owe me any explanation or apologies. If you want to talk about it, I’m here; if not, then we’ll just eat, watch some television, and chat about your favorite surfing spots.”

My grin came easily. “I don’t surf.”

He scratched his chin. “Dang, Kels, you really aren’t holding up your end of our conversation here.”

Turned out laughter was what I’d needed.

Chapter Eighteen

Dominic

I loved seeing Kelsey relaxed and smiling. I especially enjoyed seeing her in my bed. Even if it was torture to know I couldn’t touch her. We sat on either side of the king-sized bed, propped up by pillows, and ate dinner while watching the Food Network and chatting about mundane things.

“You watch the Food Network channel all the time?” she inquired.

“I do. I love to cook, and the shows give me ideas.” I suddenly had a vision of her sitting on my kitchen stool watching me make her dinner. “Do you cook?”

“No, but I do enjoy food.”

“In that case, have another bite,” I cajoled.

She shook her head. “I can’t. I’m so full.”

“Me too, but this gnocchi is delicious.” It was covered in Alfredo sauce, tender, and tasty.

She sighed. “It really is.”

I speared two onto my fork, holding it out. “Two more?”

“You convinced me.”

I should’ve handed her the fork, but instead I held it out, swallowing hard when she closed her lips around it and took the gnocchi into her mouth. Fuck, watching this girl eat was the real food porn. She was beautiful with her hair down and her face void of makeup.

“Joel would flip if he saw me eating this many carbs.” She suddenly snapped her mouth shut, clearly, not meaning to say the words out loud.

“Anyone who wants to limit carbs in your life is an automatic red flag.”

Her smile was heartbreakingly sad. “There were a lot of red flags I didn’t notice over the years. I’m gonna go brush my teeth.”

Shit. I’d been teasing, but I’d apparently hit a nerve. “Yeah, we have an early morning flight. Should get some sleep.”