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“This food is delicious.” I point at the bowl that once contained a creamy mushroom and herbed soup. The small plateto the left of it only had a few strawberry slices on it. I polished off the other berries and kiwi slices.
“I can’t take credit for any of that.” He grins. “The soup is my favorite from that particular market. Fruit is fruit.”
“You don’t cook much, do you?”
He shakes his head. “I work too much to cook.”
My gaze drops to his bare chest and the tattoo that winds around his bicep. He took off his shirt after I “accidentally” splashed him as he sat next to the tub. After he dried me and dressed me in one of his white button-down shirts, he changed into a pair of jeans.
“When did you get the tattoos?”
His gaze darts to his arm. “Med school.”
I study the design carefully, noting how the shaded gray and black ink contains a few symbols along with what looks like someone’s name.
My heart sinks as I crane my neck to try and read it.
“Rudy,” he whispers. “It says Rudy.”
“Oh.” I sit back, slightly embarrassed that he caught me trying to make it out.
“He was an old friend,” he explains.
Was.
“I’m sorry,” I say.
I want to know more about the person he cared enough about to tattoo his name on his body, but I don’t pry. I trust that he knows that I’ll listen if he wants to share.
“Thank you.” His eyes meet mine across the table. “Do you want more wine?”
Since he didn’t indulge in a glass of the robust red with me, I shake my head. “I’m good.”
He pushes to stand. “I’ll clear the dishes. What do you say to watching something on TV? I’ve got one in my bedroom.”
I can’t read between those lines, so I nod. “I’d like that.”
He reaches for my dishes, but stops to stare at me. “Say you’re feeling better, Eloise.”
“You’re feeling better, Eloise.”
He laughs. “I walked right into that one, didn’t I?”
I laugh too. “I’m feeling much better.”
“Good.” He scoops up all the dishes, balancing them perfectly in his hand and on his forearm.
“You used to wait tables,” I assume.
“Didn’t everyone at some point?”
Not me. The only real job I’ve ever held has been at Vinyl Crush.
“I’ll put these in the sink, and then take you to bed.”
I can’t help but smile. “I can’t wait.”
His back isagainst the massive headboard. My back is against his chest. I’m nestled between his bare legs as he rests a hand on my right thigh.
