27. Roman
TWENTY-SEVEN
ROMAN
The knock on my apartment door surprises me. Quickly drying off from my shower, I pull on a pair of sweats and skirt around Salem on my way out the bathroom. He trots after me.
I’m not expecting anyone, and Kita never knocks. That’s mostly on me because I also never lock the door. It’s for the cats. Kita loves them and I want her to come in whenever she wants to pet them.
I check the peephole and immediately reach for the door handle, twisting it open.
Lavinia looks up and blinks once, her eyes meeting mine for a brief second before tracking down my torso. I’m never going to get over how she looks at me, her eyes lingering on every tattoo. What man doesn’t want to be desired by this woman?
The sound of her crying my name right before she came on my thigh and on the phone has been haunting me for the last week.
I lean a shoulder against the doorframe and let her take her fill.
“Why do you always answer the door shirtless?”
“Because I’m hoping you’ll be on the other side, looking at me like I’m a snack.”
Finally, she raises her eyes to mine and arches an eyebrow.
She’s wearing eyeliner which makes her green eyes even more vibrant.
Her hair is pulled into a ponytail but curly strands of it are escaping around her face.
I don’t want to tell her this because I don’t want to bring up Josh, but she looks a lot more relaxed now than she ever did with him.
“Remind me again how drunk I was to have married you,” she says.
“Let’s not forget you got me drunk.”
“Semantics.”
I start to reply when I feel something at my feet and look down to see Salem trying to do a jailbreak. I bend down and pick him up, cradling him in my arms. “Come in before he tries to make a break for it again.”
I step aside to allow Lavinia to enter. She’s looking between me and Salem in confusion.
“Are you catsitting?”
“No, Blossom. Salem is mine.” I grin at her. “ Our child.”
Salem watches her as carefully as Lavinia watches him. They even have the same deep green eyes. I take a step back into the apartment and Lavinia comes one step forward, her eyes never leaving Salem. When she’s in the apartment, I close the door behind her.
“Do you want to pet him?”
I chose to adopt cats because they’re not friendly. They can give or take people and mostly treat me like they’re my masters, and I live to serve them.
As much as I love dogs and always wanted one growing up, I realize dogs also require a lot of socializing and I’m not good at that. Cats were the perfect solution, but now I realize there’s a good chance they won’t like Lavinia.
Slowly, Lavinia raises a hand for Salem to sniff and I watch carefully to make sure he doesn’t swipe at her. Salem sniffs carefully and then his tongue swipes out, licking her finger. Lavinia grins, pleased to have been accepted.
“You can pet him now but be very careful.”
Lavinia uses two fingers to scratch Salem’s head and my cat purrs loudly, his body vibrating in my arms. I can’t believe I’m actually jealous of my cat. I’m jealous of everyone who gets Lavinia’s attention.
“He’s adorable,” Lavinia coos. “Yes, you are, you sweet boy.”
“He gets it from me.”
Lavinia laughs. “You’ve never been sweet in your life.”
“I’m sure I was a sweet baby.”
Her nose wrinkles adorably. Salem digs his paws into my arms and jumps down, running away from us. That’s as much socializing as he can take. When I turn back to her, Lavinia is closer to me, lifting a hand to touch the corner of my mouth.
I iced it when I got home, but there’s a bruise forming.
Drew’s got quite the left hook. Her fingers are gentle as she inspects my injury, and I can’t take my eyes off her.
Her brows dip down in concern, lashes creating shadows under her eyes.
There are freckles scattered across her skin, each one a constellation of stars creating the most perfect person.
“Drew’s hand looks worse. You’ll be fine,” she says, stepping back.
“What about the pain and trauma I suffered?”
“You want restitution?”
My eyes drop to her mouth, her lips are glossy and pink. “Maybe you can kiss it and make it better.”
“Maybe I should get you an ice pack,” she says, walking backwards towards the kitchen while maintaining eye contact with me. “Walking into the kitchen.”
“Why are you announcing it?” I ask with amusement.
“I once walked into Ford’s kitchen—after he let me into the apartment—and there was a naked woman making coffee. Since then, I’ve learned to loudly announce which room I’m entering.”
She turns around and takes off her jacket, revealing a dark green sweatshirt. I follow her, grabbing her jacket from where she puts it over a chair. I hang it on the back.
“Why would there be a naked woman here? We’re married.”
Lavinia opens the freezer and rummages around for the ice pack. She hums thoughtfully and I wonder what’s in my freezer that makes her curious. I let my eyes drift down to the perfect curve of her ass and those thick thighs I want to bury my head between.
“Oh yeah, I forgot about that,” she says, head still buried in the freezer.
“Did you?”
“Don’t blame me, I’ve never been married before!” Neither have I, but I didn’t forget that I’m married.
Lavinia straightens with the ice pack in her hand and gasps, taking a startled step back. “Oh, you’re, like, right there. Okay.”
A flush creeps across her pale cheeks as she realizes I have her trapped. I place a hand on the fridge, leaning down toward her. Her breath catches in her throat and her lips part softly.
Lavinia’s the most mesmerizing woman I know, and I’ve never wanted to know someone the way I want to know her. If she ever finds out how desperately I want her, she’ll definitely regret agreeing to this plan and run away. Then again, Lavinia’s a constant surprise.
“I’m not going to forget we’re married, Blossom.
You don’t ever have to worry about coming here and finding some unknown woman.
” I place a finger under her chin and tilt her head back.
Lavinia’s throat bobs with a swallow. “But since we’re on the topic, let’s make one thing clear. You’re my wife, and I don’t share.”
“Are those the rules, then? We’re stuck with each other however long our relationship lasts?” Her eyes hold mine.
“There’s no one else I’d rather be stuck with.”
“Because you know I’m competitive as fuck and if you stick with me, we’re going to win and I’ll make the boys like you,” she says.
“Obviously, winning is the whole point of playing.”
I lean in slightly, until our noses brush and I’m a breath away from kissing those perfect, plush lips.
We’re already so close our chests brush each time we breathe in.
Her scent explodes around me. I’m going to smell like her long after she leaves, almost like she’s marking me as hers.
My delusions know no bounds when it comes to this woman.
“You haven’t proven to be a team player in the past,” Lavinia reminds me.
“Blossom, if I’m part of your team, I’ll do anything you ask,” I say.
I don’t let my eyes leave hers as I close the gap between us. A scream startles us apart before our lips even touch. Lavinia makes a screeching noise not unlike my cats when they’re startled and pushes me away from her.
“I’ll try not to be offended by that,” I say. She rolls her eyes and looks behind me. In my hurry to follow her, I forgot to lock the door and Kita has walked in, like she usually does at this time. My neighbor’s eyes are bouncing between Lavinia and me, a look of absolute horror in them.