Destined For You (The Ludovica Siblings #3)

Twenty | Stuck

CHIARA

Even though he held the thermometer in his hand, he still placed his other palm on my forehead checking for fever.

"No fever. Thank God." He muttered, looking at the thermometer.

My nose was still running and a bit stuffy and my eyes burned but other than that, I was okay.

He placed the thermometer down and brushed away the hair from my forehead as he sat on the edge of the bed, next to me. "Do you have any body aches?"

"Why? Will you give me a massage if I do?" I managed to tease him in a throaty voice.

He flicked my nose playfully. "If I am in the mood."

Feeling exhausted, I said softly, "No. I am okay. Won't you go to work today?"

He has already received a few work-related calls and even though he might not say it, his presence is important there.

"You are not well, Chiara." He said casually as if that explained everything.

"I am okay now, Eeel. You can go to work. I will be fine."

"No. You are not completely fine. I am not leaving you."

Just to prove my point to him, I got up and leaned against the headboard. "I am okay! Just go to work, I know there's something important today."

He cocked his head, regarding me with suspicious eyes. "Are you saying that just to get rid of me?"

"Yes. Now go."

He was smart enough to not believe my words. "I am not leaving."

"Eeel!" I whined. "Please. I don't want you to stay back just because of me."

"Who says I am staying back because of you? Maybe I don't want to go to work." His argument was so stupid. He just said to himself that I am sick and that's why he will stay.

"Now stay there." He got up, ordering me. "I will bring you something to eat."

Huffing, I waited for him to return.

Fifteen minutes later, he came back with a bowl of porridge and I grimaced on seeing that. "Why are you torturing me?"

He gave me a stern look. "You need to eat healthy. No complaints."

"I will eat but on one condition. You will go to work after this."

He pursed his lips. "Just eat it."

"First agree with me."

He sighed. "Okay, but you will eat every last bite of this."

I rolled my eyes and gave him a thumbs-up.

Instead of handing the bowl to me, he sat down on the bed and filled the spoon with the porridge, he held it to my mouth.

My heart warmed yet I grumbled, "You are treating me like a kid."

"And you are making me sound like a paedophile."

I chuckled and silently ate the porridge while making funny faces. It was hardly sweet and bland making me feel like he did it deliberately to torture me.

I somehow managed to eat all of it and when I was done, he swiped his thumb over the corner of my mouth, wiping away whatever remnants of porridge were there and he sucked it off his thumb.

He did it before too and each time, my heart skipped a beat.

"Since you made me promise..." His voice snapped me out of my lustful thoughts.