The smell of garlic, herbs, and something tangy met my nose as I opened my door and stepped into the hallway. Maybe I could call in the same take-out that Ivan got. My stomach let out a loud garble, and I decided that I probably couldn’t wait for whatever that was to be delivered.
There were three Styrofoam containers on the counter when I made it to the kitchen. Ivan was digging through the fridge, cursing something as I got a glass of water and waited for him to move out of the way. Ineeded to find my own dinner before I stole his. The odds were high that I would still steal his, based on the smell alone.
“What are you looking for?” I asked as he continued to take his time. When he turned around, he was holding a can of Dr. Pepper. He held it up triumphantly.
“If I don’t hide these, Jane will drink them all after school! I thought she got all of them, but she missed this one.” He grinned and stuck his tongue out in the direction of her room. I blinked and made a face before I pushed him out of the way to dig in the fridge myself.
“Don’t tell me that was your Dr. Pepper and now you’re looking for it.”
I went through the stacks of meals and chose to ignore his comment.
Meatballs with broccoli and spinach.
Spaghetti squash with bolognese meat sauce.
Chicken salad with gluten-free crackers.
Roasted chicken with mixed veggies.
Not a single thing looked appetizing. I was sure they were fine, but all I could think about was whatever Ivan was about to eat for dinner. I closed the fridge with a disappointed click, one of the containers clutched between my hands. I didn’t bother with checking what it was; it didn’t matter. It was all the same and would taste like ash on my tongue, I was sure of it.
Except when I turned around, I found all three containers open and set out at three different seats. I frowned. What did this mean? Where wasIvan?
His voice and Jane’s met my ears a few seconds later as I stared down at the Greek & Lebanese spread before me. “I can’t believe you got my favorite! It's been forever since I’ve eaten there!”
Ivan had gotten Jane’s favorite food?
“Yeah, that’s all you’ve been talking poor Don’s head off about all week as you’ve passed the restaurant. I just had to know if it was actually up to all of the raving you’ve been doing.”
My heart skipped a beat within my chest.
Jane came skipping down the hall, her hair a mess and her pajamas covered in cartoon ducks. “Oh my God,” she squealed, sliding into her chair. “Ivan, you’re my hero.”
He laughed under his breath as he handed her a fork. “Careful, kid. You’ll inflate my ego.”
She grinned, already tearing into the hummus like she hadn’t eaten in days. The sight of her so carefree—sohappy—should’ve made me smile, but all I could do was stare at him.
He shook out the sleeves of his hoodie and rolled them halfway up his forearms. His gorgeous, muscular forearms… I blinked and snapped myself out of the staring.
“Are you going to join us or are you going to continue to stare off into space like that?” He pointed his fork at me. “I could hear your stomach growling from all the way down the hall.”
I stared down at the only take-out container left, untouched. “That’s for me?”
One of his brows lifted. “Duh.”
“Oh, uh, thank you.”
He didn’t touch his food until I began eating, and I wondered if I would be able to survive this arrangement. No one had ever taken care of us like this before, and I knew if he kept it up… I would start to imagine things that weren’t realistic or obtainable.
Chapter Thirty-One
Ivan
My alarm blastedme from my sleep. I shot out of bed and began my morning routine. It was almost a ritual at this point. Brush my teeth, comb my hair, push ups, sit ups, and do a physical check through all of my weapons.
The last thing I’d wanted to do was bring Poppy to brunch with Donovan at his penthouse, but there was no getting around it. I hadn’t slept enough the night before, and I was going to pay for it all day, having to watch them make googly eyes at each other. Maybe that last bit was in my head, but I couldn’t help it. The lack of sleep from tossing and turning was getting to me. All I could picture was Poppy getting ready for her dates or for bed… Or anything else private that she would be doing on the other side of the wall.
It had me mentally picturing her sliding her fingers down the front of her panties. Did she have toys? Did she think about me? It was driving me to insanity. I was eithertaking cold showers or finishing myself off in hot ones. I was a raging lunatic.
