Chapter 30
IMPRINT
“You’re doing so well.”
“Roman.”
“Just like that. Keep going.”
Suddenly, she’s spinning to face him, her legs dropping as she points an accusing finger at him.
“Roman, I told you I didn’t want to do this,” she hisses, narrowing her eyes at him.
“Lani, you’re doing so well. Come on. Don’t stop now.”
They were currently in the shallow end of a family-owned local pool. After waking from a much-needed nap, he decided the rest of their day would be best spent with him teaching her how to swim. After much protest on her part—and several persuasive tactics on his—he finally managed to convince her.
They were on their second round of him trying to get her to kick her feet for an extended amount of time. She lets out a string of expletives, dropping her legs. She crosses her arms over her chest, scowling up at him.
He laughs, grabbing her arms to steer her around him.
“Okay, how about we try floating.”
Unwrapping her arms, he guides her body so that she’s in front of him.
“Lean back,” he says. She sighs, giving him a pointed stare. “Lean back, baby. It’s fine. I’ve got you.”
This seems to work because she exhales, leaning back into his arms and a ripple of satisfaction trickles through his system. Sliding his arms under her thighs, he lifts her legs, guiding her body into place.
“Lani, relax. Tip your head, arch your back—perfect. Spread your arms a little more. Yeah, that’s it,” he says, keeping one hand steady under her back. “Just like that.”
The water flows across her body, down her breast, over her exposed stomach, between her thighs and he has never been more jealous of an inanimate object. He’s also incredibly glad the pool is dead today.
He stares down at her, smiling. “See, you’re doing it.”
“Barely,” she says sourly. “You’re holding onto me. It’s cheating.”
“Helping,” he says, spinning her gently through the water. After several minutes of him guiding her, she starts to relax and they fall into silence, the slight ripple of the water the only sound.
“Roman,” she says, closing her eyes as she floats with him.
“Hmm.”
“I’ve been thinking about going to therapy,” she says, exhaling. “The campus offers some services. Some extra sessions for free since I’m on payroll, and I don’t know. I might do it.”
“I think that’s a great idea.”
Her eyes open slowly as he continues to turn her.
“Okay,” she says. “You can let go now.”
“You sure? I’m perfectly content holding on.”
Forever, if that’s okay with you.
She nods her head slightly, and he gently slides his hand from under her and she immediately starts to sink. He grabs her immediately, and she stands on both feet, sputtering. He laughs, wiping the water from her face.
“Don’t laugh at me,” she says with a scowl.
“I’m not,” he says, trying to keep his mouth straight. “I’m not.”
“I can see your lip curling,” she says, pointing at him.
He turns his back to her, diving under the water and swimming a lap before coming back to stand in front of her. He wipes his hand down his face and pushes his hair back.
“Ready to try again?”
After several seconds of silence, she asks, “Why are you doing this?”.
“What?” he says, chuckling.
“Why are you wasting your time like this?” she asks, folding her arms across her chest.
His eyes narrow at her question. He isn’t sure if she’s talking about swimming or about her.
“Nothing with you is a waste of time,” he says evenly, his hand cupping her ankle.
She purses her lips, looking down at her feet underwater. She looks back up at him, unblinking.
“I’ll never be good at this,” she murmurs.
And if this were a few months ago, her statement would have felt like a hot poker to the chest, but he’s figured it out. He’s figured her out. He sighs, wanting to tread carefully, but also wanting to push back—to push against her, into her.
“You’ll be great at this.”
“You should find a more willing student.”
Now the hot poker is in his chest and his eyebrows do furrow and he’s standing to his full height in the water pushing her until she’s sandwiched between his chest and the wall of the pool. Her hands rest on his biceps when he bends his head.
It was meant to be a reassuring gesture.
A quick brush to let her know that he isn’t going anywhere and that he doesn’t want anyone else, and that she’s so fucking stubborn but when their lips meet, he doesn’t realize how tetchy he feels about her comments, and it quickly dissolves into an invasive one.
Her nails dig into his arm, and she lets out a soft whimper when he deepens the kiss.
His tongue sweeps against her and he drags his hands down her face, controlling the depth and speed and pressure, because he can.
Because he needs to.
Because he can’t control anything else.
Pulling back, he rests his forehead against hers, his thumb tracing her mouth.
“I don’t want anyone else, Jahlani. It makes me angry when you say things like that, so … don’t, okay?” he says, breath uneven against her.
Cupping his jaw with her hand, she drags him back to her, kissing him with just as much aggression and he pulls back again, grabbing her jaw to stop her from chasing him.
“Did you hear what I said?” He asks.
She looks down, nodding. “I heard you, Roman.”
He looks down at her, taking in her wet eyelashes, bruised lips, and bright eyes.
“God, you drive me crazy,” he says before gathering her against his chest to kiss her with more languid precision.
“Roman Alexander Hayes! I thought that was you!” a voice calls from the side. Jahlani immediately pushes him away and glides to the side.
Alexander she mouths, hiding a smile behind her fist. He shrugs, turning back around to face the full government name-calling individual.
“Elliot,” he says, reaching his hand out to clap his. “It’s great to see you, man.”
Elliot squats at the edge of the pool, smiling. Roman notices Jahlani sliding away and catches her wrist, pulling her back.
“Eli, this is Jahlani. Jahlani, meet Eli.”
Jahlani sticks her hand out, and they shake. Elliot smiles at her before turning back to him.
“So, what’s going on with you, man? I haven’t seen you since Lucy was born.”
Roman scratches his hair, feeling sheepish. “Yeah, man. I’m sorry. Things just got crazy.”
Elliot holds up his hands. “Hey, I get it.” Then with a frown, he amends, “Well, actually, I don’t get it because I don’t have a kid, but I get the sentiment.”
Elliot turns to Jahlani, his mouth curved upward. “How do you know, Roman?”
She parts her lips. “I—”
“We’re together,” he says, not missing the way her eyes snap to him. “We’re together,” he repeats, liking the way it sounds.
Elliot smiles, shaking his head. “I figured, with the way you were practically swallowing her.”
Roman flicks water at him, and Jahlani turns her head into his shoulder.
Elliot laughs, clearing his throat. “What brings you by?”
Roman sends a thumb Jahlani’s way. “Teaching her to swim.”
Elliot nods. “Ah. Well, Jahlani, you’re in good hands—Roman wiped the floor at all the competitions.”
Her eyebrows bend. “Competitions?”
“He didn’t tell you? He used to swim competitively—that’s how we met.”
She looks up at him, shaking her head. “No, he didn’t.”
“It’s nothing,” he says, his cheeks burning.
Elliot narrows his eyes. “It’s not nothing. You went to col—”
“Hey, how’s Rosie?” he interrupts, shooting him a don’t fucking go there look.
He nods slowly in understanding. “She’s …
good. Well, I’ll let you both get back to it.
” He stands, slipping his sunglasses back on.
“Hey, you should swing by next weekend. She would love to see you. We’re playing board games.
” He turns to Jahlani, grinning. “You too, if you’re not sick of him by then. ”
Jahlani laughs, shaking her head as he waves goodbye.
“Who’s Rosie?” she asks when he disappears through the double doors.
He lowers his shoulders into the water to hide his trembling. “His grandmother. She raised him by herself after his parents died.”
She frowns. “That’s so sad.”
He sighs, nodding. Suddenly, she’s wrapping her arms around his shoulders and her legs around his waist.
“We should go next weekend.”
The smile that spreads on his face is uncontrollable. “Yeah?”
“Yeah,” she says, kissing him softly. “Invite Danica too. She wanted to show me her road-building skills last time in Catan.”
He laughs, throwing his head back.
“Okay, sure. Whatever you want, Jahlani,” he murmurs against her lips.
They swim until their fingers prune up and Jahlani’s stomach rumbles. It’s quickly becoming one of his favorite sounds—right after her laugh. It means he gets to take care of her in a different way.
In a domestic way.
In a way that shows he’s good for something.
They sit in his car in a near-empty parking lot, working their way through fries, milkshakes, and burgers.
She offers him a bite of her sandwich, and he leans forward, taking what he assumes is more than what she was offering when she pulls the food back, cursing at him.
As they wipe their fingers and faces, she looks at him pointedly.
“Why didn’t you tell me you used to swim competitively?”
He shrugs, chewing and swallowing his food. “It was a long time ago.”
She scoffs. “Not that long ago, Roman. You were swimming at the collegiate level,” she drops her phone in between the console, scrolling through a series of articles. All about him.
“What happened?”
“I became a single dad?”
She shakes her head. “Try again.”
He expels a breath of air. “What do you want me to say?”
“Try the truth.”
He wipes his mouth with a napkin before tossing it in the plastic bag between them.
“I didn’t enjoy it anymore.”
“Why?”