Grace’s cheeks colored under the praise and her lips held a glimmer of a smile as Diego turned and exited the room.
“I’m going to turn away and get your tray ready,” Rio said. “Why d
on’t you go get into the sweats and T-shirt I put out for you and then come climb into bed. I’ll fix pillows for you to prop up on so you can eat off your tray.”
She sat up, clutching the robe to her chest. “Then we’ll talk about Shea?”
Rio nodded. “Yeah, I’ll tell you all about Shea.”
CHAPTER 14
GRACE hurriedly dressed, nervous that Rio was so close and she was completely naked. Not that she should be worried in the least that he’d be tempted or ove1C;Frshe shortaken by lust. The last year had been hard on her and the last months especially harsh.
It was when she was yanking the oversized sweatshirt over her head that she realized she was self-conscious about the way she looked…to Rio. Not the others. Just Rio.
Embarrassment tightened her cheeks. Of all the things she could be thinking or should be contemplating, how she looked to this man shouldn’t be one of them.
“You finished yet?”
She flinched and then realized that she’d been standing there, hands fisted around the hem of her sweatshirt at her sides for God only knew how long.
She turned and hastily crawled back onto the bed. “I’m done.”
Rio turned and she could barely meet his gaze for feeling so stupid. She was a grown woman acting like an irresponsible twit. She was more than embarrassed. She was pissed at herself for deciding to give her girly side even a brief moment of freedom.
If and when she ever got out of this alive, she’d go book a day in a spa and get her fingers and toes done and indulge in pure girly delight. Then maybe she’d find some hunky replica of Rio and let her imagination run wild.
Until then, she needed to focus on actually being alive long enough to worry over what color she wanted her toes.
He helped her sit up against the headboard and positioned several pillows behind her. Then he put one across her lap and reached back for the tray on the nightstand. He set it up across the pillow and the aroma of the gumbo wafted through her nostrils.
Finally her stomach came to life and it was like it suddenly caved in and began kicking and screaming. Sweat broke out on her forehead and her stomach knotted viciously. Her hands shook as she reached for the spoon.
Rio’s hand closed over hers, halting her motion. Gently he pried the spoon from her tight grip and then he stirred the gumbo. He lifted a spoonful to his mouth and tested it on his lips.
Then he put it to her lips.
She was too surprised to protest, and the warm liquid slid into her mouth. It was heaven in a spoon. Heat traveled down her throat all the way to her stomach.
When he went to repeat the process, she finally found her tongue. “Rio, don’t. I can feed myself. God, I feel ridiculous. This is so embarrassing.”
“Your hands are shaking so bad it’ll be a wonder if you get any of the gumbo in your mouth. It’ll be all over you and the bed. Now shut up and eat,” he said mildly.
To reinforce his point, he put another spoonful to her lips and she sucked it in, savoring the burst of flavor.
After that one, he shifted position so that he was angled toward her instead of side by side.
“You need to drink plenty of water,” he said in a gruff voice. “You haven’t been hydrated and I don’t want you getting cramps again.”
Automatically, she reached for one of the opened bottles of water on the tray and took a long series of swallows. Once she started, it was as if she couldn’t stop. She was starved for water. Nothing had ever tasted so good.
Rio carefully pulled the bottle down until she held it to the side. “Careful. You’ll make yourself sick. I want to get some nourishment in you as well.”
As he continued to slowly feed her spoonful by spoonful, his other hand crept over her free hand. His thumb rubbed over the tops of her fingers. Just his touch soothed her, made her relax, and some of the terrible tension knotting her neck muscles began to disappear.
“Good?” he asked.
“Wonderful201, and,” she breathed. “I don’t think anything has ever tasted so good.”
“Tell me when you start to get full or if you start feeling sick. I don’t want you to overdo it.”
She was already at that point, but she ate a few more bites because it was too damn good not to. Finally she leaned back with a sigh. “I’m good. No more.”
Rio scooted back on the bed, slid off and then reached back for the tray. Wordlessly, he ambled out of the room, leaving Grace alone in the silence. She strained to hear any other sounds in the house. The other men. But it was completely quiet.
They’d probably all gone to bed. She felt a surge of guilt thinking back on just all they’d sacrificed to get her here safely. Were they for real? She had so many questions to ask, more than her tired mind could even process.
She glanced back up when Rio reentered the room. He hesitated a moment and then said, “I promised you we’d talk and we will, but I’d like to jump in the shower if that doesn’t bother you. I’ll be out in five. Think you’ll be awake that long?”
Again, she felt guilt that he’d put her before everything else, even his comfort. He was still wearing the same clothes he’d been in for as long as she’d been with him.
“Please do,” she said quietly. “Take your time. I’ll be awake. It’s important to me to know what’s happened to Shea and how she’s doing.”