Chapter 28
SAFE ZONE
JAHLANI
As the amber sun strikes through the windows, Jahlani curses herself for not remembering to shut them last night before Roman dragged her against his chest. With a groan, she burrows herself further into his pillow, inhaling the subtle aroma.
“You’re grouchy in the morning. Why am I not surprised?” he asks, his voice heavy.
She turns to face him, her eyes squinting in an attempt to block the light. He shakes his head, getting up to draw the curtains in. Her head slumps down and she mumbles out a “thank you,” turning her face back into his pillow.
She feels the mattress dip as she flips onto her back, stretching out like a cat. The shirt he gave her raises, revealing the plane of her stomach, along with a few scars. His fingers begin to run across the exposed flesh before tapping on one of the circular scars and she inhales sharply.
“Chicken pox,” she says, her voice a broken whisper.
She clears her throat, lifting to watch as he presses his mouth against it, his fingers flexing against her lower stomach.
Her head falls back as a shiver runs through her.
He does this a few more times, her body heating further with each pass of his lips.
When she can’t take it anymore, she rolls to her side, and stares at eyes the color of the sea.
I think I’m drowning, but I don’t want to be saved.
“Good morning,” she mumbles, her voice raspy.
“Morning,” he says, his eyes creasing around the corners.
“What time is it?” she asks around a yawn.
“A little after seven.”
“Hmm.” She fights to keep her eyes open. “Lucy?”
He drops on his back next to her, rubbing his hands down his face. “Mom likes to keep her after a big holiday, spend time with her, and usually I’m working.”
“That’s nice,” she says through another yawn and he laughs beside her. “I had a dream about this,” she murmurs after a while. “About what it would be like to wake up next to you.”
He turns to look at her. “And?”
“And … it’s different,” she says, her eyes flitting to his.
He sucks in a breath. “Not sure if I like where this is going.”
Of course, he sleeps without a shirt on, she thinks as her eyes roam his chest with naked curiosity, and then her hand follows, feeling the soft rhythm of his chest rising and falling as she traces patterns along his skin.
“It’s different in a good way,” she says.
“Your hair kind of splits in every direction.” She places a hand through the silk-soft mess and his eyes close, his breathing turning heavy.
“And your skin looks smoother, like you’re at peace.
” Her fingers brush over his lips lightly. “And your lips are fuller.”
“Stop,” he says as his eyes snap open. He grabs ahold of her wrist to keep her hand in place.
“Why?” She breathes out, leaning forward slightly. “You started it.”
He shakes his head. “We need to talk, and if you keep touching me like that, I’ll kiss you.
And if I kiss you …” He presses a deliberate kiss to her fingers, heat sparking low in her belly.
“I won’t hold back this time.” Her eyes drop to his mouth, and she licks her lips, leaning forward to finally close the space between them. To do something.
But then her body betrays her in other ways by letting out the loudest growl humanly possible. The hand Roman is holding tenses immediately, and she closes her eyes, the licks of embarrassment engulfing her fast.
He starts, “Are you—”
“Nope.”
“—perhaps—”
“I’m fine.”
“—hungry?” he finishes, shaking with laughter next to her. She sighs, pulling her wrist from his to drape it across her face.
“I’ll go make something.”
She huffs, shaking her head. “Just leave me here to starve. I’m already dying from embarrassment.” She then grabs the lip of the cover, throwing it over her head.
He squeezes her calf through the sheet as he walks to the door. “Rest some more. I’ll wake you when it’s ready,” he says, still laughing.
Jahlani pads through the hallway, having showered and brushed her teeth before slipping back into the clothes Roman gave her last night. She smells like him, and she likes it a little too much.
As she steps into the kitchen, the distinct buttery scent of pancakes and smoky bacon makes her mouth water. He’s on the phone with his back turned as she walks out.
“I can’t today, man. Sorry.”
He turns to her when he hears the stool scrape against the tile, and he seems to forget that he’s on the phone when the person on the other line yells at him.
“Yeah, I have to go,” he says as he drops the call, throwing it down. Jahlani lets out a small chuckle.
“Who was that?”
“Nobody important,” he says, looking her up and down. She looks past him at the food, licking her lips. She scrunches her nose.
“That’s a lot of food—are you expecting more people?”
This seems to snap him back to reality. He turns back to the food, dropping the plates on the island in front of her. He scratches the back of his neck.
“I might have gotten carried away.”
Both her eyebrows shoot up as she drowns her pancake in syrup, then creates another dipping pool.
“Hmm.”
“In my defense, I usually cook for myself plus a baby.”
Jahlani cuts a piece of the pancake before shoving it into her mouth. She can’t help the moan that follows, and her eyes snap open to praise him when something dawns on her.
“You don’t cook for people?” she asks
He shakes his head.
“Like ever?” she asks, reaching for the orange juice he poured for her.
He shrugs. “No one comes over.”
She sets the drink down and wipes her mouth with the back of her hand. “What do you mean ‘no one comes over’?”
He pops a piece of bacon into his mouth, chewing. “I mean, no one comes over. I always go to them. Danica comes over every now and then, and mom and Taylor, but that’s about it,” he says, brushing off his hands.
Jahlani works through a swallow, licking her lips. “No guy friends?”
Roman shrugs. “We text every now and then, but I got busy when Lucy came around.”
Jahlani nods. “And no other friends?”
Roman snorts. “You mean women, Jahlani?”
She nods, bracing herself for the number, but he shakes his head. “No. No women.”
Jahlani narrows her eyes. “Except me.”
He nods, his expression solemn. “Except you.”
Suddenly, her mouth is dry, and she reaches for water. Setting the glass down, she meets his eyes again.
“So, I’m the first and only woman you’ve ever brought back here?”
Roman folds a hand over his mouth, nodding.
“Huh,” Jahlani says, nodding, sliding from the stool.
“What, you don’t believe me?” he says, his eyes following her as she scrapes the remaining food from her plate before setting it in the sink.
“I believe you. I’m just … trying to figure out what to do with this information.”
His eyes lower to her mouth. “Hopefully something good,” he says in a low voice, brushing against her as he drops his plate in the sink. She steps back, exhaling.
“You said we needed to talk. Let’s talk.”
He sighs. “Okay, but let’s do it over a game.”
They’ve transitioned to the dining room table adjacent to the kitchen island, and Roman cuts the deck in his hands.
“I don’t play many card games,” Jahlani says while watching his hands work to shuffle the stack.
“No?”
She shakes her head, frowning. “My family isn’t the board game kind.” They aren’t really the family kind either.
“This game is easy. It’s six rounds. The goal is to have the least number of points at the end of all the rounds. You can look at two cards to start. Remember the number. You can also discard at least two black cards and three color cards of the same number. Got it?”
Jahlani nods, listening with rapt attention and he leans back, rubbing his fingers over his mouth.
“What?” she asks.
“You’re competitive—it’s cute.”
Jahlani flushes at the compliment. “I’m not competitive. I’m just determined to get things right the first time. There’s a difference.”
He shakes his head, starting the game. Three minutes in, Jahlani loses the first round. Roman’s eyes glint like he’s riding a rush.
“New rule: loser of each round does what the winner decides.”
Jahlani’s lips part. “You can’t do that,” she murmurs, shifting in her seat.
He shrugs, looking over her body. “My house, my rules.”
She sighs, sliding her cards to the discard pile. “What do you want?”
“Tell me what happened last night,” he says, not looking at her as he reshuffles for the next round.
She blinks over at him, suddenly deciding she has nothing to lose and everything to gain.
“I’m attracted to you, and I shouldn’t be, and I—” she clears her throat, trying to steady her breathing— “missed you in class. And thought that I—” His gaze meets hers, and her palms grow clammy.
“And I thought I would get to spend time with you in a safe zone so as not to feel tempted,” she says in a rush, startling herself with her honesty.
He grins. “Safe zone?”
She waves her hand around the room. “This isn’t a safe zone. There’s no one around to stop us.”
“But my mom’s house was full of people,” he murmurs to himself.
She nods, folding her hands under her thighs while he deals.
They start the second round, and Jahlani feels more confident. So confident that she calls the round.
But Roman has a better poker face than she thought. Her face falls when she realizes she’s lost again. She practically throws the cards in his face as he laughs.
“What truth do you want now?”
He shakes his head, leaning forward. “No truth this time. I want you to do something,” he says, eyes flashing.
Jahlani throws her head back before grinning at him. “I’m not prank calling any—”
“Take your pants off.”