Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 103719 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 519(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103719 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 519(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
“Don’t worry about it. I can get the door.”
“Thank you.” She shook her head. “I mean—”
“Take your time,” he said gently.
For a moment, she tried to remember the last time she had felt seen by him—and not as in come-into-a-room-and-be-identified, but seen.
“I’ve missed you,” she blurted.
Daniel opened his mouth as if to point out the obvious. Then he nodded. “I know. I’ve missed you, too.”
This was what they needed, she reflected. He’d been right all along.
As the quiet stretched out between them, Lydia felt the absurd impulse to kiss him. Which shouldn’t have felt strange, should it?
“I won’t be long,” she repeated awkwardly.
In the bathroom, she reached into the marble shower and turned on the fixture that was mounted on the ceiling. You’d think it would be the greatest thing, a “rain” effect that made a person feel like they were communing with nature. In reality, because you couldn’t vary the angle, if you wanted to get the shampoo out of your hair, your nose was getting a fill whether you enjoyed drowning on an otherwise dry vertical or not.
Given the luxury she was surrounded by, it was hard to imagine she’d pine for her little rental, but as she suddenly missed that modest house like it had been burned to the ground, she wasn’t stupid. It wasn’t just about the cheap shower stall.
God, all the introspection lately was giving her heartburn.
Taking her clothes off and letting them fall to the black marble floor, she got into the shower before the water was all the way warm, and as she shivered, she thought about everything Daniel had had to endure. This was what was on her mind as she efficiently shampooed and conditioned and soaped, and after she was finished, she stood under the falling water, closing her eyes and feeling the tapping massage on her tight shoulders—
The moment the easing of her muscles registered, she yanked herself out of the relaxation.
Cutting off the water, trying not to think, she wrapped herself in composure instead of a towel as she went over to the pair of sinks. Even though she instantly got a chill, her skin goosebumping up all over, she brushed her teeth on autopilot, forgetting that it was dinnertime instead of bedtime. She only remembered this as she was spitting out her Crest into the sink, but then that was another way to commune with where Daniel was at, wasn’t it.
Change of taste. Food no longer as appealing because it had—
“Lydia.”
Jerking up from the black marble basin, her eyes shot to the mirror. Behind her, through the open door, Daniel had propped himself up against the headboard, and as he stared at her, he had the strangest expression on his face.
Without thinking about it, she covered herself with her hands and spun around. “Are you okay?”
“Sorry,” he said as he looked down.
“I’m coming.”
Grabbing a towel, she hustled over to the bed. “What’s wrong? What do you need?”
“I’m fine.” Daniel’s hand lifted to brush her off. “I just need—”
Knock, knock, knock.
“Come in,” she said over her shoulder. Then she lowered her voice. “I’ll get dressed, hold on.”
As a member of the staff brought in a rolling cart, she hustled into the walk-in closet and dropped the towel. Reclothing was done out of one of the drawer lineups in the center built-in, and really, it was just a swap-out of clean versions of what she’d worn as she’d left the estate this morning. She had been sleeping fully clothed lately because she kept expecting to have to follow Daniel down to the laboratory in a medical crisis.
A waft of roast beef and roasted potatoes shut down her hunger instead of piquing it further—and she braced herself before she could reopen things and step out. The staff member was gone, but two trays on pop-up tables had been placed on either side of the bed.
“Are you okay?” she asked Daniel, who was where he’d been, leaning back against the headboard.
When he didn’t reply, she went over and sat down on the edge of the mattress by him. Taking the starched damask napkin from under a sterling silver fork, she flipped the square out of its folds and placed it over Daniel’s chest.
“Do you want to start with some beef first? Or the potatoes?”
While waiting for an answer, Lydia started in with the cutting, making quick work of the slab of prime rib that had been cooked to a perfect medium rare. She made sure the pieces were on the small side, in order to reduce the choking risk.
“Here, let’s start with the meat,” she murmured.
Turning to Daniel, she pinned a smile on her face. There was a pause before he opened his mouth. But then his jaw lowered and she delivered the piece in between his lips.
“Good?” she said as she went back to the plate for another serving. “Good.”