“Lust?” he said softly as he rolled off of her. “Is that what we are?”
She wasn’t yet ready to answer that question. “Can I make you a sandwich?”
“Please,” he said.
Reede switched on the lamp by the bed and watched Sophie as she got out, nude, and began to dress.
“I feel like I’m putting on a show.”
“Yeah,” he said, with so much innuendo that she laughed.
When she was dressed she sat on the end of the bed. “Your turn.”
As he got out of bed, Sophie watched in appreciation. He kept in good shape and she admired the way the muscles of his chest blended into his hard, flat stomach. “Do I pass?”
“Mmmm. Okay,” she said in a way that made him laugh.
“Don’t say that to Mike or he’ll kill me in the next workout session. As it is, he gives me about fifty burbies to do.”
“And what are they?”
“Exercises designed by the devil. How about roast beef with horseradish?”
“Sounds great,” she said as they went down the stairs.
In the kitchen he pulled a loaf of bread from under the counter. “Are you ready for your opening tomorrow?”
“Not in the least.”
“I wish I could help but my patients are backed up by weeks. I’ve been busy with other things.” He grinned at her.
She told him about Russell’s employee who was coming, but she didn’t tell him about the teaching offer. “I think Roan misses teaching.”
“Can’t tell that he’s stopped,” Reede said. “But it was nice for him to have people to entertain today.”
“Is the book he was writing really bad?”
“Truly awful,” Reede said as he cut the sandwiches they’d made. He opened the fridge and saw big bowls of lemons and cut vegetables.
“You haven’t made the soups?”
“No time,” she said. “Besides, there wasn’t room to put them in the fridge. The cream in them has to be kept cold. I’ll do them in the morning.”
“I’ll help you.”
She knew he meant to spend the night but not yet.
He saw the answer in her eyes. “I understand. When I started practicing medicine I needed to prove to myself that I could do everything. I needed to believe in myself.”
“And do you?”
“I did until I came back here to Edilean,” he said, making a joke, only it wasn’t one. He’d finished his sandwich and stood up. “Sophie, why don’t you move in with me? I don’t have a lot of furniture, but you and I can go buy some. It’ll be your taste, whatever you want.”
It was tempting for her to say yes. There was part of her that wanted to let him take care of her, to let herself become half of a whole. But at the same time she wanted to see if she could do something on her own.
“All right,” he said, “but I’m here when you’re ready.” He went to the door. “Lock this behind me and I’ll be here in the morning to help you. I don’t know anything about cooking but I can follow orders.”
“Not from what I’ve seen,” she said, making him grin. “Now go. I need some sleep.”