20. Chapter 20
Chapter 20
L una
His house could have been featured in an architectural magazine—for all I knew, it probably was. But it was also austere and had a strange, quiet quality to it, almost like it was in stasis. His full gym with the black punching bag in the corner felt like the only room that reflected his personality.
The apartment over Ezra’s funeral home was nowhere near as luxurious or impressive, but the space had a flamboyant, whimsy feel to it, like it was actually lived in. Roman’s house felt like a museum.
On the surface, with his money and sophistication, it seemed like a house Roman would choose. But sometimes I caught glimpses of him that weren’t polished, biting, or cynical. He’d smile at a question I asked, or we’d get lost in discussing a book, a current event, or a place we wanted to visit. I realized with a jolt that I liked being with him when he forgot he hated me, like when we ate meals together and just sat and talked. He seemed the most relaxed then. I wondered how our new marital status was going to play out.
Staying with him in his large, masculine bedroom filled me with warm anxiety. At the end of his tour, I followed him to the back patio area. Roman led me past the kitchen to his backyard, where an infinity pool stretched out before the bright Las Vegas skyline. Plush outdoor furniture had been placed invitingly around the patio, and lush planters with a mixture of herbs and desert flowers dotted the space. A massive stone firepit had been constructed close to the spa, and the entire area felt like an exclusive, five-star resort.
A sigh escaped me. I gazed around, then sat in one of the oversized loungers. “Alright, now I understand why you live here. How do you keep your beautiful pots alive in this desert climate? And are those table herbs growing in there? I can’t even keep a cactus alive.”
He sat on the edge of my lounger and studied me. “Drip lines and a gardener. How’re you feeling?”
“Fine.”
His eyebrow went up. “Don’t lie.”
“I feel so good.”
His lips twitched, and he grasped my thigh. “Maybe we do need to discuss one thing during our forty-eight-hour truce. I like to play when I fuck, and I particularly enjoy giving well-deserved spankings. Now, I’ll ask you again. How are you feeling?”
He’d delivered his little bomb in a pleasant tone, which made it even more effective. I shivered as reluctant lust, irritation, and something darker slithered through me.
“I’m not sure if I like to play during sex, and I feel a spanking isn’t warranted at this point.”
A full-on grin spread over his face. “Noted, and we’ll have to find out what you do like, won’t we? Now tell me how you’re really doing.”
My breathing sped up and my nipples pebbled at his words, but I mentally shook myself. “My arm feels like someone tried to snap it like a green bean, my face aches, and my ribs are bruised. Oh, and I woke up married to you. Other than that, I’m peachy.”
Roman brushed my hair over my shoulder. “Alright, I can work with that. I’m going to grab a couple of painkillers–you won’t be able to sleep without them. Do you want the prescribed meds or the over-the-counter ones?”
I started to get up. “Just over-the-counter stuff. It’s okay, I’ll get them.”
“No, I’ve got it.” He stood and headed inside. I watched him, his pants molding to his tight ass, and the muscles rippling across his back as he opened the door. When he returned, he held two pills in his palm and handed me a glass of water.
The pills looked benign enough, but I hesitated. “It’s not that I don’t trust you.” I stopped short and leaned back in the chair, folding my arms. “Yes, it is. It’s exactly that. You had that beady-eyed doctor drug me last night.”
He gazed down at me. “I’m sorry I had to drug you.”
“Would you do it again?”
“Yes.”
I glared at him. As apologies went, it was a shitty one. “Then you’re not really sorry, are you?”
“I know you’re in pain and won’t be able to sleep without pain meds. You can trust me to take care of you.”
I held up my ring finger with the wedding band. “I have excellent reasons to worry.”
He sighed, as if trying to reign in some patience. “Do you want me to bring the entire bottle out here so you can see it? Either way, you need something.”
He was right. My arm hurt, my jaw ached, and my stomach suddenly felt queasy. I just wanted to curl up somewhere, feel sorry for myself and maybe cry and sniffle a little, then sleep. “Fine. I’ll take them.” My eyes suddenly filled with tears, and an overwhelming sense of hopelessness flooded me. Turning my head away, I held out my hand for the pills.
Roman set the water down. “Fuck. Come here.” He picked me up, then turned us around so we sat in the lounger with me in his lap.
The bottom of my robe slid open up to my panties, but I didn’t care. I gulped on a sob but got myself under control. “Damn it, I hate crying. It never makes anything better.”
Living with my parents had conditioned me to keep my emotions locked down or they could be used against me, and breaking down in front of Roman, of all people, made me feel vulnerable and weak.
I started to slide off his lap, but he squeezed me to him. “Please stay. I just want to talk.” Sitting there, tense and unyielding, I thought through his request and then carefully relaxed against him.
He set his chin next to my cheek. “I’ve heard crying lowers stress and releases chemicals, so maybe it does help to cry. Here.” Uncurling his hand, he held out the two small white pills. “They’re just an over-the-counter pain medication with a sleep aid, I promise.”
Sighing, I picked them up. He reached over and grabbed the water, and I put the pills on my tongue and drank. His masculine scent enveloped me as I sat in his lap, mingling with the rosemary coming from one of the flowerpots nearby. As the blue hour approached, the Vegas skyline started to sparkle. We watched together for a few minutes as his warmth seeped into me.
“Can I ask you something?” I murmured.
His body tensed a little under me. “Yes.”
“What does Gideon really do for FUCK, Legal?”
He chuckled. “Your brain is fascinating. Gideon makes everything run and basically does whatever needs doing. He used to work for the FBI, but after a couple of unfortunate incidents, he resigned and we formed our firm.”
“You mentioned Heath worked with him. What did he do for the FBI?”
“He was an area assistant director.”
I shifted and looked up at him. “Wow, that’s pretty high up. Where’d you meet?”
His face went blank, and the peaceful feeling between us evaporated. “In Arizona.”
“What happened there? I’m from Arizona and know about that ranch facility where your parents sent you. I was only in elementary school at the time, but everyone heard about it.” I reached out and laid my hand on his chest, instinctively searching for his heartbeat.
The story dominated the news cycle, and the haunting photos that had leaked to the media after the FBI raid still gripped me.
He stared out into the dark. “Tonight isn’t the night to dredge up those memories.”
Roman’s mind seemed far away. He might be sitting here with me on his lap, but he’d been dragged back to the past, and I didn’t know how to bring him back.
“How’d you keep Sylvie away long enough to sneak your doctor into my room last night? And what did that slimy bastard give me?”
His arm tightened around my waist. “Drakos ran interference, and it was a liquid anesthesia.”
I waited for a few seconds, then poked him. “How did Drakos keep her away?”
“He pulled her into an empty hospital room, distracted her, and apparently warned her again he’s coming for her.”
No wonder Sylvie was so agitated. “What does that even mean?”
Roman shrugged underneath me. “It means he wants to date her.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m not an idiot, it means more than that. You guys seem a little… Neanderthal sometimes.” The medication he gave me started kicking in, and as drowsiness hit me, I laid my head on his shoulder. “She told me they’ve met before, but there’s more to it than that.”
“What makes you think so?” He settled me into him and softly ran his fingers along my thigh. I could feel his hard length beneath my butt cheeks, but I was too tired and comfortable to get worked up about it.
I let out a big yawn and snuggled into his warmth. “She dislikes him too much, and he’s extremely focused on her.”
He continued to run his palm up and down my leg, sending tingles through me. “Hm,” he murmured noncommittally. Roman knew something he wasn’t telling me.
The pain in my body quieted to a dull throbbing, and my eyes drifted closed. “Knowing Sylvie, it was something traumatic–that’s what bonded us. She hates her father as much as I hate mine, and they’ve both tried to kill us. Funny thing to have in common, isn’t it?” I mumbled.
A quiet breath dragged out of him as I drifted off to sleep in his lap. A little while later, he carried me to his bedroom. I was too tired to argue as he laid me down in the bed, and I rolled over and fell asleep again seconds later.
In the middle of the night, I woke up with a gasp after bumping my injured elbow. Roman forced two more pills down me as I grumbled at him, but I quickly fell back to sleep.
The next morning, I woke up on my uninjured side with my good arm curled in front of me and my face burrowed into Roman’s chest. Our legs were tangled together. My phone buzzed on the nightstand, and I groaned softly.
It stopped, and I started drifting off. But the buzzing started up again, jerking me back to consciousness. I slowly rolled onto my back and thought about the best way to get vertical without hurting myself too much. Roman sat up and leaned over me, picking my phone up off the nightstand. He looked at my screen, then answered.
“Whoever the fuck you are, why are you calling her at six in the goddamned morning? She was fast asleep and getting some much-needed rest.”
When I heard Jared Gardner’s loud voice asking who the fuck Roman was, I sat up and groaned as aches and pains rolled through me.
Roman cut him off. “She’s not in the hospital anymore. She’s here at my house, sleeping in my bed.” His eyes slid to me, then trailed down my body where my robe had parted, giving him a front-row view of my breasts.
I awkwardly gathered my robe and sat in a tired daze. Roman paused, then let out a mean chuckle. “You don’t want to go there, little boy. Luna’s my wife now and if you insinuate something like that again, I’ll make sure they never find your body.”
For once, Jared didn’t seem to have anything to say. Roman turned and stared at me. “Lose her number and don’t call her again.” He turned my phone off and threw it on the bed beside me.
“Why is that snot-nosed kid calling you?” he growled.
I didn’t let his irritation bother me because Jared probably annoyed his own mother. Moaning softly, I lay back in the warm bed, then turned and snuggled into the covers. “I don’t know. He’s like a nasty rash that won’t go away no matter what I try. I’m cold.”
He sighed and gathered me close, giving me his body heat.