Roman and I are from two vastly different worlds, and it takes thirty seconds of conversation to figure that out. All of my life,I’ve done the right thing. The good thing. The sensible thing. And even sitting here with Roman feels like the opposite of that. The man could wreak absolute havoc on my life with the snap of his fingers, which he’s already proven, but somehow that only adds to the thrill. Between the alcohol and lack of sleep, part of me thinks a little shakeup to my world is exactly what I need.
He’s got me curious, and that’s a slippery slope.
But reality grips me just in time. There is no world in which Roman and I work. Where I come out of this unscathed. Where we can just fool around for a few months and hope for the best. Right now, there is a very thin, very professional line between us, and crossing it is about the worst thing we can do, so instead of giving in, I pull back.
I let go of Roman’s hand and stand. “I should probably get to sleep. I was up early, and have to be tomorrow, too.”
“Me, too.” He clears his throat, eyes darting away.
Desperate for a little space between us, I take our glasses and rush into the kitchen while he turns the lights down and puts the fire out. After a few minutes, he joins me inside.
“Sorry to drag you out like that tonight. I’d like to say it won’t happen again, but most emergencies like this happen at night.”
“No worries. It’s part of my job.”
My voice hitches on that last part, a reminder to both of us. Attraction, chemistry, temptation aside…I’m here because it’s myjob. Because Roman is paying me.
And in a few months, I’ll be gone.
Chapter Ten
“You’reupearly.”Roman’sdeep voice vibrates from behind me as he walks into the kitchen. I turn around, but he doesn’t look at me at first. When he does, I almost wish he hadn’t. I haven’t even had my coffee yet, and I shouldn’t have to test my restraint so early in the morning after such little sleep.
Roman is a sight to behold in his freshly pressed suit and jet black tie. The stubble that scattered his jawline last night is gone, and as he pushes his sleeve up to fasten a shining gold Rolex on his wrist, he shows off his flexed forearms. His brow furrows, and he bites into his lip as he concentrates on flipping the clasp of his watch strap. When he gets it, he looks up at me with a smile that makes my stomach flip.
God, please tell me I don’t look as flustered as I am.
The tension between us has been growing for days, and after last night, my head is about to explode. I shouldn’t feel the way I do about the man. Not after he kidnapped me. Not after heblackmailed me into staying. Certainly not after he poured his heart out to me last night about his late wife.
It broke me to hear the anguish in his voice as he told me about her. There’s something so devastating about seeing a man like Roman show his emotions the way he did, and no matter how strong the connection or draw is between us, it isn’t the time.Six months. He’s probably not even ready for a rebound, let alone anything else. I have enough self-respect not to put myself in that situation, but more than that, I don’t think he’s ready.
“Good morning. I’ve been up for a while. I didn’t sleep very well.” Between the adrenaline and the emotion of the night, my brain refused to shut off.
I turn my back to him again, reaching for a coffee cup in the cabinet. As luck would have it, there aren’t any on the shelf I can reach, so I tilt up onto my tiptoes. My fingertips brush against the ceramic mugs, but I can’t quite get a hold on one.
Without so much as a warning, Roman slips behind me. He’s got one hand on the counter, so close to me it grazes my hip, and with the other, he reaches over me to grab two mugs from the shelf. His body brushes against mine for a brief few seconds, and I can feel his bulge through his pants. Sparks spread across every inch of me, heat rushing to my core as I freeze in place. As much as I want to fight it, there is no denying how attracted to him I am anymore.
I want Roman, and whatever consequences might come from that.
Right when I think he might lean in, he pulls away with a satisfied smirk on his face as he fills both mugs. “Not comfortable in your room?”
“No,” I say, taking a shallow breath. The moment between us was both an eternity and a flash. “The room is great. In fact, I may take the mattress with me when I leave.”
Roman chuckles, handing me a mug. “We can negotiate that.”
Our tastes in coffee are almost as different as our personalities. I need fancy creamers and syrups to stomach the taste, but Roman takes his as black as the tattoos on his skin. I almost cringe as I watch him chug it, but I look away before he can catch me staring.
“I actually couldn’t sleep because I had something on my mind that I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Oh, yeah?” Roman moves around the kitchen, pulling out cereal and milk and a few other things. In my time here, I haven’t ever seen him have anything for breakfast besides coffee, but Ty will be up soon.
“The guy from last night—”
“Russ?” He glances over his shoulder, sitting down at the kitchen island.
I nod. “Last night, when he was talking about how he got injured…”
Suddenly, I have second thoughts about telling Roman. What if I’m wrong? What if I tell him and he does something to the guy, and it’s all a big misunderstanding?
