Page 168 of Merciless
“But yes, it’s wine. Chilli, garlic bread, and something special for dessert.”
“And a candle.” I laugh when he lowers the whole thing to the cot. “Aw, is this a prison cell date?”
“Sure. It can be anything you want if it makes you smile like that,” he says, reaching out to cup my jaw. His thumb brushes over my bottom lip and his tongue sneaks out to wet his as if he’s imagining us kissing.
Unfortunately, my stomach growls loudly again stopping him from doing anything.
“Eat,” he says, lifting the plate from the tray and passing it over.
I stare down at it, letting the scent of the tomatoes and rich spices fill my nose.
It’s the first time I’ve looked at a proper meal in over a week. I’m not sure I know what to do with it.
“What’s wrong? I already know you’re not a vegan.”
“Nothing. It’s just… after a week of basically nothing, it’s a bit overwhelming,” I confess, feeling like an idiot. “Thank you,” I whisper.
“You’re welcome, little dove,” he says, grabbing the fork and loading it with a small mouthful. “But it probably shouldn’t really be me you’re thanking.”
“Reid made this? For me?” I blurt before JD’s able to push the fork past my lips.
“Well, he probably wouldn’t even confess to that on his deathbed, but he doesn’t usually make the size portions he did today, and I can confirm that we didn’t just have a dinner party upstairs.”
I shake my head, trying to make sense of what he’s saying.
“He didn’t hurt you?”
“No, Dove. He didn’t.”
“But—”
“No buts. Just eat, yeah.”
I nod as he brings the fork back to my lips, giving me little choice but to part them and let him feed me.
It’s bizarre but also… nice. I have very few and very hazy memories of ever being looked after. We lost Mom when I was still too young to really remember much about her, and until Mav took me in, it was every man for themselves in that hellhole of a house.
Lifting my hand, I try to take control of the fork, but JD isn’t having any of it.
“Let me, Dove. I like looking after you.”
“You’re too good for this kind of life, Julian,” I whisper.
He shakes his head. “If only that were true. You’ve only seen one side of me. But trust me when I say there is another you probably wouldn’t like very much.”
“I doubt that. You couldn’t possibly be a bigger asshole than Reid.”
He chuckles as he holds out the garlic bread for me to take a bite of.
“Ohmygod.” I moan in delight.
“I really hope you make those kinds of noises when you thank me later,” JD teases.
“I guess that all depends on what you have in mind.”
“Everything, Dove. I’m thinking about everything.”
“So what did Reid say? I find it hard to believe he ignored what we did and just cooked us dinner.”