Chapter 34
Roman
“Just like Goldilocks,”
Roman murmured to himself from the doorway.
Unable to concentrate on paperwork and with nothing else needing his attention—not even a littering offense to write up—he had closed the station soon after midday. People could call him if they needed to. Driving home, he found himself praying Elenie would still be there. He was jittery, buzzing; anticipation tingled in his bloodstream.
The smell of baking greeted him the moment he opened the door, and the cake sitting on the side in his kitchen brought a smile to his face. A big, wide grin he’d used so rarely in the past few years that it felt rusty. The house was quiet. An empty mug on the coffee table, her sneakers on the rug, and his book on the arm of the couch had the muscles at the back of his neck easing.
And now, here she was.
Her hair lay in a cloud around her head, her skin pale against the rumpled sheets, face as relaxed as he’d ever seen it. Her lips were slightly parted, her arms wrapped around one of his pillows. Roman moved closer. He couldn’t help himself. He could hear his own heartbeat as he sat down on the edge of the bed.
Elenie stirred and turned toward him. A curl fell across one eye, catching on her dark lashes. It must have tickled her nose because she twitched; a frown creased her brow. He caught hold of the stray strand and lifted it away from her face. It slid through his fingers.
Barely breathing, heart full, Roman placed his palm against Elenie’s cheekbone. She gave a small sigh and turned her head into his hand. Her drowsy gray eyes opened slowly. Roman felt the punch of them in his groin.
“I fell asleep.”
“It would appear so.”
His own words emerged as a husky rumble.
A flush broke over her face.
“Oh, God, it can’t be after two o’clock already! I’m so sorry—I honestly wasn’t snooping. I came up to find the bathroom.”
“Don’t worry. It’s not even one yet. The station was dead and for some reason I was keen to get home.”
Elenie’s eyes slid away from him.
“I just—I didn’t sleep well last night and your house is so peaceful. You said to make myself at home . . .”
She trailed off.
“So really it’s my fault that you couldn’t resist my bed.”
She gave a tiny snort and scrubbed her face.
“One hundred percent. You lured me here with your upstairs bathroom and your woodland silence and then I could swear your soft, soft quilt cried out, ‘Lie here, just for a minute, you weird snooper!’”
She flashed him an awkward grin.
Roman shrugged and held out his hands.
“Honestly, what’s a girl to do, huh?”
“I was powerless.”
Elenie slid past him and stood up. Pacing over to the double doors, she looked out at the trees.
“This view is unreal. I could look at it forever.”
She clasped both hands above her head and gave a feline stretch.
In an instant, he lost all power of thought as the blood raced south to his cock.
“Unreal,”
he echoed, his eyes fixed on the sliver of bare skin between the waistband of her jeans and the hem of her t-shirt. He knew how it would feel under his fingers, how silken she would be against his rough hands.
The thump of Roman’s heart beat a pulse in his throat and he wasn’t even sure if Elenie had spoken again. How did she do this to him? How could she take all the strength from his legs without being aware of the effect she had on him?
To prove to himself that he could move, he pushed up from the bed and walked to the window. Pausing behind her, Roman caught Elenie’s eyes in the faint reflection in the glass. His own burned with an intensity that would have surprised him if he hadn’t already been aware of the fire blazing through his body. She was still, shoulders slightly tense. And though his stomach trembled with the effort it took him to hold back, Roman lifted gentle hands to trace down the outsides of her arms.
“I think I could look at you forever,”
he said to her reflection, voice low and gruff.
“But maybe we should head downstairs and put a little distance between us and my soft, soft bed.”
He forced a wry smile onto his lips, hoping to God there would be another time when she might want to visit his room.
She turned slowly from the window. Her eyes searched his face. He didn’t know if she found what she was looking for. Each breath dragged from Roman’s chest. Elenie took a step nearer.
“Do you know what I think?”
she asked.
Her hands fluttered slightly as if to reach for him, and his muscles clenched in anticipation of her touch. It was all he could do not to lean into her.
Roman shook his head.
“What do you think?”
“I think that maybe we’re wearing too many clothes.”