“That thing”—Roman shoots me a taunting smirk—“is a camel spider. It isn’t even venomous.”
“I don’t care. I still want it out.” My voice almost sounds like a whine. I’m not sure how much I trust Roman’s knowledge of spiders, because it certainly looks deadly.
“Okay, Princess.” He chuckles, raking his fingers through his dark, messy hair. When he glances back, he does a double take, gaze falling the entire length of my body. His teeth sink into his lower lip, and a low, almost inaudible groan escapes his lips.
After days of radio silence, he’s choosing now to pay attention? To check me out? What is his…oh, damn it. Then, it hits me. I don’t have any clothes on. In my haste to grab a towel, I reached for the closest thing, which apparently was a hand towel. I’m standing in front of Roman, almost completely naked, and the thick bulge in his shorts tells me he’s very well aware of it.
God, could this get any more awkward?
My cheeks flush, and in a rare gentlemanly gesture, Roman grabs my robe off of the hook and tosses it to me. “I’ll take care of the spider. You can use my shower in the meantime.”
Slipping the robe around my body, I hurry out of the bathroom without a word, too distraught to even thank him. I need space and a clear mind, so despite the strangeness of using Roman’s shower, I go to his room.
I’m not sure what I expected, but this definitely isn’t it. Roman’s room looks virtually untouched. It’s sterile and harsh, like no one even lives here at all. Aside from a large mirror over his dresser, the dark gray walls are bare. Almost an entire wall is windows, but he’s got the shades pulled down so tightly that you can hardly tell. The bed is enormous, almost twice as big as a typical king size, and it’s neatly made. It’s hard to imagine a woman ever living in this space. He must have changed it after Talia died.
Across the room, there is a set of double doors and I go through them to the bathroom. It’s every bit as luxurious as I expect. The shower is twice the size of mine, with five shower heads, and there’s a clawfoot jetted bathtub in the corner next to a window. A switch next to the door activates the heated tiles beneath my feet. Just like in his room, everything has its place and there isn’t a single thing out on the counter. His woodsy cologne, still lingering in the air, is the only hint he’s been in here.
Wanting to avoid another spider incident, I check the shower immediately, and then turn on the water. I don’t see anything, but I can’t shake the feeling of creepy crawlies all over me while I’m in there. So much for a long, hot shower. I dry off quickly, slipping my robe back on and heading out to Roman’s room.
He’s sitting on his bed with his laptop on his lap. Could he at least put a damn shirt on? I can’t help but think he’s doing it on purpose, especially after the way he’s been acting.
“That was fast.” He catches my gaze.
I clear my throat, walking towards him. “Yeah, I couldn’t get the spider out of my head, so it wasn’t quite as enjoyable as I hoped. Did you kill it?”
The sympathy in his smile is more sincere than I expect. “Your spider friend has been relocated and won’t be bothering you anymore.”
I don’t like the sound of relocated as much as dead, but I’m certainly not going to be the one to handle it. “And you’re sure it wasn’t poisonous?”
As I sit on the bed a safe distance away from him, I pull my robe around me even tighter. I can’t afford another wardrobe malfunction around him right now.
“Positive. We get camel spiders all the time. All they’ll do is give you a nasty bite.”
“I’d like to avoid that, too.”
Roman chuckles, shutting his computer and setting it to the side. “Well, you don’t need to worry about it anymore. I made a pass through your room to be sure there weren’t any others, but I’ll call the exterminator tomorrow if it will make you feel better.”
“Wow.” I arch an eyebrow. “That’s uncharacteristically chivalrous of you.”
That strikes a nerve with Roman, and he drops his head, rubbing his chin like he does when he’s trying to craft the perfect response. Finally, he looks up with a softness in his face.
“I’m sorry about how I acted earlier. How I’ve been acting all week. I really fucked up.”
“Another apology? That must be a record for you,” I quip.
“Yeah, well, I guess you’re making me do a lot of things I’m not used to.”
“I am?”
He nods. “You were right the other night. The second I heard you were going out with another guy, I went out of my mind with jealousy. All I could think about was that bastard sitting across from you all night doing all the things I wish I could. I was thinking about the way you’d tuck your hair behind your ear when he made you laugh, or the blush you’d get in your cheeks when he offered to buy you another drink. How he’d get to hold your hand, kiss those lips, probably even more once he took you home. I know it doesn’t make any sense and I don’t have any right to feel like that, but I did and…”
I realize that Roman still thinks I was on a date, and I can’t let him ramble on any longer without knowing the truth.
“Roman, I wasn’t on a date,” I cut him off.
“What?” He snaps his head up like he thinks he misheard.
“My brother was in town.” I sigh. “You didn’t give me a chance to explain. Otherwise, I would’ve told you that.”
