13. Roman
13
ROMAN
40.8021° N, 124.1637° W
S itting up in bed with my laptop open in front of me, I’m only half looking over the document I need to sign. My attention is distracted by Elora, who’s been hiding in the bathroom since we got back to the room after walking around town and having dinner at one of the restaurants by the water. She was her normal, relaxed self while we were out, but the moment we got back to the room and were alone again, she immediately started to fidget. Not long after that, she said she was going to shower, then she locked herself in the bathroom, where she’s been for the past hour.
If I didn’t think that her being nervous was so fucking cute, I’d be annoyed with her for hiding from me.
Glancing at the bathroom door when I hear the blow dryer shut off—something she’s never once used in my presence—I listen and wonder what she’s going to do now to avoid coming to bed.
If she’s trying to wait me out, hoping I’ll go to sleep without her, she’s out of fucking luck. Every night, she falls asleep long before I ever do, and I’ve gotten too used to sleeping with her pinning me to the bed.
Even as painful as it is to wake up and not take advantage of her soft body pressing against mine.
When the bathroom door creaks open, I look that way and see her poke her head out.
“You’re not asleep?”
“Not yet.”
With a nod, she nervously walks to her bag. Her tank top and shorts are my favorite, but I’d still rather see her wrapped in lace and silk. Something I can’t exactly give to her right now—not when she thinks I’m just a normal guy. She has no idea the car I had towed back to New York cost more than what some people make in a lifetime or that when I told her I’m in real estate, I’m actually the owner of a company that regularly closes multimillion dollar deals.
I don’t know why I’m keeping that information from her. Why I’m still pretending to be someone I’m not.
Scratch that. I do know.
I like that she’s not interested in me because I can buy her nice things and take her on extravagant trips. I like that the smiles she shares with me have cost absolutely nothing and are more valuable to me than anything I’ve ever owned in my life. I like the sense of peace she’s wrapped around me without asking for anything in return.
And eventually, I’m going to give that back to her.
She’ll never have to worry about how much something costs or talk about buying a vehicle just so she’ll always have a roof over her head. That shit is all things of the past. And will be regardless of what happens between us.
I watch her squat in front of one of her suitcases and dig through until she finds a bright-green bottle with some kind of liquid inside, pumping some into her hand. After smoothing it through her hair, which looks curlier than it ever has, thanks to whatever she did in the bathroom, she puts the bottle back and glances nervously at the bed, then me.
I fight for control over my dick getting hard. What she’s thinking is written all over her pretty face. It was written all over her face earlier when I caught her checking me out. But the second I started getting close, the look in her eyes changed to panic, and there is no way I want her freaked out when I get my mouth on her.
Standing, she wipes her hands down the front of her shorts, glancing at the bed then at me again, and I hide a smile.
“Come to bed, Elora.” I toss back the blanket, and she moves around to the side opposite me and climbs in. Sitting an arm’s length away, with her back to the headboard, she starts to fidget nervously, and I sigh. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” she lies, scooting down in bed while pulling the blanket up to her chin. “Just tired.”
“Give me two minutes to finish this up.” I turn my attention back to my computer and begin clicking through the information I need to sign off on.
“It’s okay. You can work.”
I’m sure I can.
When I’m done, I close the screen and set my laptop on the side table before reaching for the light and shutting it off. Once my head hits my pillow, I reach across the bed, grab her arm, and drag her to me, hearing her gasp.
“Roman.” Her body is stiff.
“Yeah?” I wait… then wait some more, her body turning to Jell-O. “Elora?”
“Yeah?”
“You wanted to say something.”
“Oh yeah,” she whispers. “I forgot already.”
I smile at the dark ceiling. “If you remember, let me know.”
“Okay.” She sighs, curling her arm around my waist. “Night, Roman.”
“Night, Elora.” I touch my lips to the top of her head and listen to her breathe as her body becomes heavier against me like it does every night.
“Roman,” she whispers, sounding almost asleep.
“Yeah?”
“Never mind.”
“You can talk to me about anything. You know that, right?” Even though I can’t see her face, I know she’s turning something over in her head.
“Were you going to kiss me earlier?”
The question surprises me. Or maybe it doesn’t. She’s braver than anyone I’ve ever met in my life, and with her, there is never a fucking game to be played.
“Did you want me to?” I ask instead of answering because I know I’m willing to wait until that answer is yes.
It takes a while, so long I wonder if she will be honest, but the second the quiet “yes” leaves her mouth, I slide my fingers over her hand on my abs, up her arm, and touch the underside of her jaw. I smooth my thumb across her lips and feel they are so fucking soft. I hear her swallow as I tip her head back, then slowly, I press my lips against hers, and she melts against me.
Using every last bit of my willpower, I start to pull away, but then her hand slides up my abs, her tongue touches my bottom lip, giving me a taste of her, and I lose the last thread of self control I was barely holding on to. Rolling toward her, I tangle my legs with hers and deepen this kiss.
She tastes like mint, Elora, and everything good in this world. Sliding my hand across her waist, I haul her impossibly closer, and she whimpers against my tongue, lifting her hand to my face, then sliding it back into my hair.
The sound she makes when the tips of my fingers slip under the elastic of her sleep shorts almost makes me come, and when she raises her hips, seeking my touch, I know I’ll never be able to deny her anything.
I drag my mouth from hers and nuzzle her ear. “Do you want me to touch you?”
“Yes,” she breathes, and I don’t hesitate to slide my fingers over her pubic bone, where I’m met with nothing but soft skin until I reach the soaking wet and silky-smooth space between her legs.
“Roman.” She grabs my wrist as I roll two fingers over her clit, then arches as I slide them down farther and enter her slowly. She’s so fucking tight, so wet, so soft.
“You’re going to be the death of me.” I nip her ear, circling her clit with my thumb as I gently pump my fingers in and out of her, wishing like fuck that I turned on the light so I could see her face as she begins to clench around me. I cover her mouth with mine and swallow down her moans as she comes, but I don’t let up the pressure on her clit that is swollen to the touch.
“Oh God,” she whimpers against my mouth, her nails digging into my bicep as I drag another orgasm out of her. With her walls still contracting and her thighs shaking, she falls limply against the pillow. Slowly, I remove my fingers from inside her and slide my hands from her shorts.
With my own heart pounding and my cock harder than it’s ever been in my fucking life, I fall to my back and pull her into my side. After a couple of minutes, when her breathing has evened out, I feel her hand begin to slide down my stomach. My dick instantly responds to her touch, and I capture her wrist with my hand.
“Roman?”
“No, baby.”
“But…,” she whispers, wiggling her fingers.
“We don’t have a condom, and the first time I come with you, I’m coming inside you.”
“I’m o?—”
“Don’t tell me you’re on birth control, Elora. As much as I’d love to fuck you with nothing between us, I’m not doing it. I get tested often, but I’ve had a partner since the last time. No way in hell am I putting you at risk.”
I’d never jeopardize her well-being. Ever. For any reason.
“Oh.” She audibly swallows.
“I’m fine, baby. Go to sleep, and hopefully by the time we’re done having breakfast in the morning, they’ll call to tell us your van is done.”
“Okay,” she says softly after a long moment. Rolling toward her, I curl her into my chest and rest my chin on top of her head. It takes some time before her breathing evens out, and I know she’s asleep, but not long after that, I’m right behind her, not realizing the heavy weight I’ve carried around in the center of my chest for so long is not as heavy as it was.