sprained ankle, she was relegated to bed rest.
When she was halfway done with her spiked cocoa, there was a knock at the door.
“Room service,” a voice said from the hallway.
“Hold on please,” she yelled, pushing herself up into a sitting position.
“Stay in bed. I got it.” The shower turned off, and Seth hurried out of the bathroom with a towel tied around his waist.
She might’ve swallowed her tongue. Wet, nearly naked Seth was something to behold. How were his abs so defined when he ate truckloads of food? And as she’d suspected, his pecs were sculpted masterpieces. Her mouth was suddenly dry, so she gulped down the rest of her hot chocolate as her eyes followed her date.
Once their dinner was rolled into the sitting area, Seth turned to her. “Give me a second to dry off and put some clothes on.”
Boo clothes. Tara managed not to pout. “Sure. Take your time.”
By the time Seth returned in a soft, worn T-shirt and a pair of basketball shorts, Tara’s stomach was growling impatiently. The smell of greasy fried food was enough to make her drool.
He maneuvered the rolling tray to rest flush against her side of the bed and brought himself a chair to sit across from her. When he removed the silver lids, she couldn’t help but squeal with delight.
“Oh, my gosh. That’s heaven on a plate,” she said, taking a huge bite out of her chicken club. The chicken was soft and juicy, and the bacon was crispy without being overcooked. With the cool crunch of the lettuce, the sweet tartness of the tomato, and the buttery avocado, she couldn’t have asked for a more perfect bite.
She proceeded to demolish her sandwich and didn’t come up for air until she’d finished the first half. Seth had already wolfed down his juicy bacon cheeseburger and sat munching on his fries. She picked up a steak fry and held it out to him. “Trade.”
He plucked a small handful of his shoestring fries and placed it on her plate. “Here you go.”
“Aww, Seth. You really know how to woo a girl.” She fluttered her eyelashes at him for his generosity. She should offer him more, but her steak fries were thicker than his skinny ones. Still, she placed two more fries on his plate.
“So french fries are what does it for you?”
“I’m a woman of many facets.” She stuck her nose up in the air. “Don’t try to figure me out.”
“I’ll take that as a challenge.” Seth grinned, all cocky confidence.
Tara hid her answering smile by starting on the second half of her sandwich. She tried to munch and swallow like she normally did, but Seth was staring at her with a quiet intensity that made her self-conscious. Should I take smaller bites so it doesn’t look like my cheeks are bursting? Nah. This was the gluttonous facet of Tara. Take it or leave it.
When they’d cleaned off their plates, they had a debate about whether or not he should carry her to the bathroom to wash her greasy hands. They came to a compromise. He brought her a hot wet towel to wipe her hands on. She felt like a pampered airline passenger in the first-class section.
“Please don’t tell me to lie down,” Tara said when Seth came to perch beside her on the bed. “I’m so full, I need the help of gravity to keep my food down.”
Chuckling softly, he piled two extra pillows underneath her foot. “Do you want to watch something?”
“Sure. What’s on?”
He handed her the remote. “You pick.”
She scrolled through the menu. Reruns, cartoons … ooh, Twilight. After all he’s done for me, I shouldn’t force that one on him. He would probably sit through it and pretend to enjoy it for her sake. He was just sweet like that. Oh, there was a Marvel Universe movie. Something they could both enjoy. Well, she really didn’t know what kind of movies Seth liked, but it was a safe bet.
“Does this one work?”
“Awesome.” He slid onto the other side of bed and rested his back against the headboard with his long legs stretched out.
It was surprisingly hard to concentrate on the blockbuster film. There was a good foot and a half of empty bed separating them, but Tara could swear she felt his heat against her skin. She snuck a peek at him to find him absorbed in the movie, so she gave herself permission to stare at him, reveling in his hotness.
“See anything you like?” he asked