Chapter 5
Oriana
T he next few days, life got in the way, meaning I hadn’t seen Roman since our date. Every day, he sent me good morning texts and continued to text throughout the day.
Of course, I replied every time, and found myself looking at my phone more often than ever.
I’d had a full morning of open houses and finally had a showing with one of my favorite clients. She was an older omega, making sure that her wealth was going to good use, buying homes each time one of her grandsons or granddaughters was old enough to make a choice on one.
I was exhausted, but I couldn’t stomach the thought of going home alone again. It was like I could suddenly see for the first time in my life, and then somebody took away my glasses, and I was left with this dulled version of my former life.
Instead of texting him as soon as I locked up my office and started my walk home, I was dialing Roman’s number.
“Hey, Stormy, I’ve been thinking about you.” My cheeks warmed at the compliment.
“Tell me you’re not busy tonight.” I hadn't meant for it to sound like I was begging but I knew Roman wouldn’t mind.
“I am, but I’d like it more if we were busy tonight.”
“What are we doing?” There was no hesitation in my voice. I wanted to see him, no matter what he already had planned.
“Tonight’s the Outreach art night. I’ve got a spot at the nursing home at six, right after dinner finishes. A few of my students are going to be there, and I was hoping that you would be, too.”
“Count me in. Should I just wear something that can get paint on it?”
“Well, actually...” He trailed off. I finally realized why when I glanced up to see him waiting outside my apartment building.
My smile grew, and I hung up the phone. I found myself rushing forward. Roman was already moving, too, and I jumped into his arms, his hands scooping me up and holding me as I wrapped my legs around him, burying my nose in his neck and breathing him in.
“Is it stupid how much I missed you?” My words were muffled in his neck but he heard me all the same.
“If it is, then we both are. It’s been torture without you, Ori. Pure fucking torture.” He emphasized the last few words, and I let out a happy sigh.
We stood there for a minute, soaking in the physical touch of the other before he spoke again.
“I really need you to go put this on.” I wiggled out of his hold and he put me on the ground before scooping up the bag. I tried to peek inside but he snapped it closed.
“Nope, you have to look at it upstairs, and I want to see what you look like when you get it on.”
Oh… was it that kind of present? I wasn’t mad about it, but it didn’t seem like a Roman thing to do.
“Tell me this isn’t lingerie, because then we are definitely missing that class.” His eyes darkened, and this time his smile was wicked. He brushed a kiss over the corner of my mouth, trailing a ghost of a touch until he landed on my ear.
“It’s not, but now that’s all I’m going to be thinking about tonight.” I blew out a breath and stepped away, not wanting to embarrass myself as I walked into the apartment. Instead, I snagged his wrist and tugged him inside with me.
Roman all but shoved me into the bathroom, laughing at my weak protests. When I finally glanced in the bag, I let out a bark of laughter.
The denim overalls were adorable. I knew they’d be a little bit baggy on me, but he put in a cute white crop top to wear underneath.
I didn’t usually enjoy others picking my clothes out for me, but I’d let Roman get away with it this time. It wasn’t something I would have chosen for myself, but it would be perfect for tonight.
Plus, I barely knew my style anymore. I’d relied on professional attire and whatever fit at home. Maybe I’ve been blending in for far too long.
I didn’t hesitate to shimmy out of the business casual pantsuit I’d been wearing, tossing it into the hamper to deal with later. I tried on the crop top first. It was soft and comfortable, and for once, I found myself not wanting to tug it lower, but to embrace it.
The overalls were the perfect length. They just barely brushed the floor, and when I snapped it over my shoulders, I realized everything fit great. The waist was cinched enough to show the curve of my hips, but the legs were just a little baggy. I knew I could move around and get them messy without having to worry.
“Are you sure this is going to be okay to wear?”
“Stormy, that sliver of skin that we’ll see is less than you’d show in a swimsuit. I promise you’re going to look amazing.”
I grabbed my brush and pulled my hair into a messy bun, tugging out a few strands to make it look artfully messy. When I was done, I pulled open the door and strutted out to the hallway where he was waiting. I did a little spin and posed for him.
“You look perfect,” he promised, pulling me in for a kiss, but this time he stopped himself from taking it deeper.
We had plans and he was too excited to show off his work. God, he was adorable.
He’d put on something similar. His jeans were well-worn, hugging his incredible ass, and splattered in long-dried paint. His shirt was more of the same. It was once all black, but now had a rainbow of colors. It should look messy but I swear he pulled it off.
Even dressed down, the man was gorgeous.
“Come on, it’s about a twenty minute drive across the city,” he said quickly, trying to shift my attention from his body. His cheeks were a little red as I took my time checking him out, letting my eyes roam over every inch of him.
“Roman, I want to make something very clear,” I said as I raised an eyebrow and crossed my arms. He paused and looked back at me, but he didn’t say anything, just waiting for me to finish. “When we finish tonight, I want you to take me home and stay the night. A little post-date dessert, if you will.”
“Gladly, Stormy,” he said, his teeth clamping down on his clenched fist as he took steady breaths to stop himself from lunging at me. It took a few seconds before he got his composure, his eyes full of heat and longing. “You’ll be the death of me.”
“Come on,” I laughed. “We need to get going.”
I ushered him out of the front door and locked it behind me. We hurried outside and into his car. Traffic was definitely going to pick up soon.
This time the car ride flew by as we threw questions back and forth, everything from favorite colors to favorite foods. I genuinely craved to know every single tiny detail about this man.
If I went into the store and thought of him, I wanted to find something he would genuinely like me to get him. Plus, date planning would suck if I didn’t know what he hated.
His family was truly missing out for not realizing how amazing he was. I, however, was excited to see him in action.
Bridgeview was an adorable little community. It wasn’t anything like I expected. It was a compound of tiny little cottages with a main building in the center of it all. Maintained grounds and pathways dotted in benches led the way in between them all.
He parked in front and led me to the main doors while I took it all in. It was clean, but not overly clinical. This felt like a home.
A nurse wearing bright aqua scrubs came out with a huge smile on her face. “Is this her?”
She talked to him like she was his favorite auntie. He nodded once and she turned to me with a quick squeal and pulled me into a hug. I returned it, unsure how to feel or react, but she didn’t care as she went on.
“Girl, you have no idea how excited I am to finally see our main man finding his omega. We always knew he was a catch.”
“He really is,” I agreed. Roman shifted from foot to foot under the attention and quickly changed the subject.
“Are they already in the day room?”
“You know they are. They show up thirty minutes early for every session you’ve got with them. A few of the kids are also here already, but I expect we’re going to have more in the next couple of minutes.”
“Then you can help me with supplies, they’ll get impatient soon,” Roman said, grabbing my hand and pulling me down the hallway. He stopped outside of a room labeled storage and pulled me inside.
Much to my disappointment, he wasn’t here to ravage me. In fact, he kicked the door stopper down so the door didn’t close and flicked on the light.
The utility closet had a large sink, a counter, and plenty of shelves all full of various crafts and themed party decorations. He made quick work of loading up a push cart with everything he needed, filling a large jug of water for rinsing brushes, and added bottles of paint in every color imaginable.
“We’ve been working on painting landscapes lately,” he started, before giving me the ins and outs of everything they’d covered, and how to properly mix paints.
It was hard to listen to his words and process them. I was too caught up watching him talk. The passion in his voice was sexy as hell, but also, it was endearing. He genuinely cared about these people and what he was doing.
When we walked into the art room, it was no different. He greeted every single person by name, asking about grandkids, family, favorite shows. He had something different for every person that we ran into.
He also didn’t let me fade into the background. Anytime we talked to someone new, he introduced me all over again, that proud smile wide on his face.
He may call me Stormy, but he was truly a ray of light. He drew the attention of everyone in the room, made them feel comfortable and seen.
That was a rare quality.
Now it was my turn to be proud, the feeling filling me with warmth as I tried to stay present.
A small hand tugged at mine, and I glanced down to see a little girl in blonde pigtails staring up at me. She blinked with the brightest green eyes I’d ever seen, and I crouched down, thankful for the baggy jeans so I could get eye to eye with her.
“Hey, sweetie.”
“You’re pretty,” she said and then did a little spin. “And look, we match.”
“We do,” I said, grinning at her white shirt and overalls that matched mine. “Though, I need to catch up, mine doesn’t have a pretty rainbow of paint on it.”
She giggled, the sound making me laugh with her. I loved this place already.
“Will you paint with me today?”
“I can certainly try,” I said, giving my nose a little wrinkle, “but it might not be very good. Is that okay?”
“Don’t worry. I am so good, and I can help you,” she promised with the confidence only a child could have.
When I glanced up, Roman was watching us. I gave him a quick wink to let him know it was okay before letting her lead me away.
I expected to have to help Roman, but he was a well-oiled machine, passing out paint, getting everyone set up, partnering people up, and then flitting around the room like a butterfly, gracing everyone with his presence for a few moments before moving on to the next.
He was quick to encourage and praise, to talk down those worried their work wasn’t perfect, and just genuinely making the experience amazing.
Not only that, he was there to teach. He set a few art prints in the front of the room for everybody to see, explaining how to shade the buildings and prepare the canvas for those of us starting out.
His voice was rich and deep, and it wasn’t just me hanging onto his words. Several people were beaming up at him, soaking in his passion for art.
I listened as well, hoping I didn’t make a fool of myself. When he finished and we were all encouraged to have fun with our art, I was feeling lighter than I had in years.
We started our pictures, soft music filling the silence as the focus shifted from Roman to our work. I knew I wasn’t here to paint, but I had a feeling Roman wouldn’t want me to turn down the little artist next to me.
“What’s your name?” my little companion asked, breaking the silence. Her eyes were narrowed on the canvas, and she dipped her paint into yellow, orange, and then white, mixing together on a little palette until she was happy with the color before she started to paint a sun on her picture.
“My name is Oriana, but my friends call me Ori.”
“I love that, Ori. My name is Hannah.” I loved that she decided we were friends already.
“I love your name, Hannah,” I said, giving her a smile. “I love the way you’re mixing colors, too.”
“Roman taught me,” she said proudly. “He said I could be a famous painter one day.”
“You could,” I agreed without hesitation, “but I think I might be a lost cause.”
She squinted at my painting for a second, tilting her head from side to side as if she was truly studying my work. I knew what it looked like—a whole mess. My buildings were lopsided, the grass was too tall, some of the colors were running together.
“I like it,” she said finally. It was such a diplomatic answer that I had to bite back my laughter. “It’s abstract,” she said the word so carefully, but the ‘r’ came out as more of a ‘w.’ She was too cute for words.
“Let’s go with that,” I agreed easily, not giving up just yet.
The whole time we painted, she would chatter, telling me all about her dog Buddy and her best friend Abigail at school, how they were learning about weather and science, and she was afraid of storms.
I was captivated the entire time, and by the time things started winding down and the staff came in to help clean up, I felt a sense of calm and peace that I didn’t expect.
It was such a simple night, but such a genuine one. I couldn’t imagine a better evening than this.
I helped clean up while Roman made sure that all the kids were picked up by their parent packs.
When he came back to me, I was more sure than ever that I didn’t want him to go back to his apartment. I needed Roman in my life every day, and in my bed every night.
We were both all in at this point, there was no looking back. It was unexpected, but perfect. I refused to second guess him. This was not something Cameron would take from me, too.
“Are you ready to go, Stormy?” he asked as he led me out of the building.
“Move in with me, Roman.”
He looked startled for a second, surprised, but he didn’t dismiss it.
“My lease is month to month,” he admitted, his voice slow and low like he was working it out in his head. “I just have to give thirty days notice, and my rent is due in about 3 days. If you’re serious, then I’m willing to give it a try.”
“You’re mine, Roman. I don’t want to go back to the way things were before I found you.”
His gaze softened and he pulled me in, pressing a kiss to my forehead.
“It’s settled then, Stormy. I’m yours now, you can’t take it back.”