“I should be getting home.” I abruptly pushed away from him, exiting his lap so I could stand. “And… you should come with me.”
— & —
Unlock the damned door, Simone.
Yeah… that was easier said than done with Roman behind me, pressing his body to mine as I fumbled to get the key in the lock. I nearly dropped them when he rocked his hips against me, nudging the prominent evidence of his arousal against my back. I pressed my forehead against the door as he wrapped an arm around my waist, holding me in place as he repeated the move, then lowered his mouth to place a kiss against the back of my neck.
“Simone… sweetheart if you don’t get this door open, we’re gonna be giving your neighbors a show tonight.”
I gave one last desperate stab at the lock, and finally, it accepted the key. Roman barely gave me time to appreciate the air-conditioned relief of my apartment — contrasted against the warm humidity outside— before he had me pressed against the inside of the front door, with his mouth, tongue, and teeth on my neck. The cool air tickled my exposed skin as Roman slipped the straps of my dress over my shoulders, leaving it to pool at my feet as he took a step back.
My body certainly wasn’t that of model — the fashion or hip-hop video kind— but I was confident with my modest breasts, flat stomach but nonexistent abs, and just-slightly-more than adequately deposited hips and thighs. Roman’s eyes spoke nothing but approval and desire as he reached forward to undo the front clasp of my strapless bra. That was tossed to the floor as he cupped my breasts in his hands, kneading and squeezing and teasing with his fingers until my nipples were hard pebbles against his skin.
Roman dropped to his knees in front of me, hooking his thumbs in the waistband of my panties to slide them down my legs. When they’d joined the rest of my clothes on the floor, he pushed my thighs apart with no preamble, pulling a velvety “Mmmm” from my throat as he circled a first, then second finger inside of me. He put his nose right at the juncture of my thighs and took a deep, slow inhale as his unoccupied hand gripped a handful of my backside.
His eyes drifted up to meet mine, giving me a rapturous grin. “Fucking perfect,” he said, pushing his fingers deeper as he spread my legs a little more. His mouth covered me, and my back arched away from the door, overwhelmed with pleasure. With a tender intensity that made me want to scream, he licked, sucked, and nibbled until I couldn’t stand of my own volition, then draped my thighs over his shoulders and kept going, keeping me suspended against the door. I dug my fingers into his thick, low cut hair, thrusting my hips against his face as his name spilled over and over from my lips. If anybody walked past my apartment, they would surely hear my desperate moans of pleasure, but I didn’t care. Roman’s fingers and tongue sent me rocketing to a release so intense tears streamed from my eyes as I drowned in bliss.
When I was finally able to breathe, he stood, lifting me to carry to my kitchen counter. He kicked off his shoes, then perched me on the edge, digging a condom from his wallet while I made quick work of dropping his pants. I grabbed the hem of his tee shirt and he lifted his arms, allowing me to pull it over his head, before he dropped his boxers.
My goodness, it’s gorgeous.
My pulse quickened as he sheathed himself with the condom, then stepped between my open legs. Roman lowered his mouth to kiss me, sharing my own seductive flavor with me like it was sweet ambrosia as he massaged my tongue with his. He slowly pushed inside of me, stopping to flash me his dimples with a sexy smirk before he filled me up, eliciting a sharp sting of discomfort.
“Roman,” I said, moaning his name against his lips as he kissed me again.
“What is it, Beautiful?”
Damn, this is embarrassing.
“Um… it’s kinda been a minute for me, so if you could…”
Lowering his head, he looked me right in the eyes as he nodded, then brushed his lips against mine. “Go easy?” When I nodded in response, he pulled almost all the way out, then slowly sank back in, burying himself inside of me over and over in exquisitely unhurried strokes. “Like this?”
“Yeah,” I whispered, biting back a moan as I wrapped my legs around his waist.
“Still good for you?” He asked as he slowly, steadily increased his pace.
“Mmhm.” My head was buried between his neck, arms draped over his shoulders as he pushed me closer and closer to euphoria. “Deeper. Harder.”
Roman gripped handfuls of my backside as he obliged my request, sending a fresh surge of pleasure coursing through my body. There had certainly been plenty of um… self care during my sexual drought, but nothing compared to the feeling of a strong, hot-blooded man giving himself with passion and skill. Giving it he was, and it was so good that any trace of pain was soon forgotten.
Feeling bold, sexy, and wild, I looked him right in his eyes and told him “You’re gonna have to fuck me harder than that.” Roman stilled, lifting an eyebrow as a dangerous smirk crept across his face. Then, my legs were on his shoulders and I was holding on for dear life, cooing, purring, and singing his praises as he did exactly what I suggested. He pushed me back onto the counter, using his hands on my shoulders to hold me in place as he rocketed his hips against mine.
When he pulled me up, legs back around his hips, I was delirious. I was out of my mind with bliss as he lowered his head to nibble and suck my already painfully hard nipples, then returned his mouth to mine to kiss me. Finally I saw for myself what India meant about men who made love to you like they were trying to take your soul right out of your body, because damn. Heart, soul, mind, body…. access to my bank accounts. I would have given Roman anything he asked me for in that moment, as long as he kept on making me feel like I was swimming in a tangible manifestation of ecstasy.
“Roman,” I whimpered.
“Yeah?” His voice was husky and strained as he lifted his gaze to meet mine, waiting on my response. But… words escaped me. I couldn’t have even told you my own name as he pushed me over the threshold of release, legs shaking, fingernails clawing his skin, head thrown back as tremors rocked my body. I collapsed against his shoulder, clutching him tight as he drove into me one last time, muttering reverential curses into my hair.
For a while, neither of us moved, both paralyzed by what had transpired. I expected to feel some measure of shame, like I had back in his office, but this time it was buried so deep under unfiltered serenity that it didn’t garner more than a few seconds of thought. Roman kissed me again, a passionate, hungry kiss that took back what little breath I’d finally gotten before he pulled away.
“The condom… we have to—”
“I know,” I said, nodding as I slid down from the counter. “I’ll show you where the bathroom is.”
I led him to the bathroom to dispose of the condom, and then he followed me into the shower, where he produced another one, making love to me against the tiled wall. Later, we lay in my bed, snuggled together like long time lovers. It felt good, and it felt right. It felt so damned right, and that felt so damned wrong, but I fell asleep clutched against his chest like we belonged to each other, not knowing or really even caring what came next.
— & —
I’m a crazy person. That’s the only possible explanation.
I may or may not have been a little bit in love. Just a little bit. As much as you can be with someone you’ve only known for three days. So probably more like infatuation. In any case, I was freaking crazy. There was no way around that.
The morning after Roman and I complicated our relationship with sex, I woke up in his arms feeling sated, blissfully sore, and absolutely baffled. I untangled myself from the sheets and escaped into the bathroom to freak out in private. Not only had I slept with him… I’d slept with him, as if he weren’t essentially a stranger!
But… he didn’t feel like a stranger. I mulled over the implications of that while I brushed my teeth. His presence and touch set off warm, pleasant butterflies that felt somehow familiar, as if — if you believ
ed in this sort of thing — we’d already loved each other before, in another lifetime, and our spirits had just found their way back. I felt relaxed around him in a way I’d never experienced as an adult with any man… including my own father. That was terrifying.
A knock sounded at the door, scaring me out of my daze. Roman’s smile met me when I opened it. “Do you have an extra one of those?” he asked, pointing at the toothbrush still shoved in my mouth. I nodded, and a few seconds later, he was beside me in the mirror as we brushed. I’d pulled on an oversized tee from the clean laundry in the bathroom, but Roman was still mouthwateringly shirtless, even though he’d donned his boxers. Our eyes met in the mirror several times as we cleaned up. I always looked away first, uncomfortable with how comfortable this moment felt.
Seeing that it was only four AM, I crawled back under the covers, almost hoping that when Roman exited the bathroom, he would put on the rest of his clothes and leave, turning this whole thing into a one-night-stand. That would have made sense to me. What didn’t make sense was him sliding into the bed with me, and wrapping his arms around me again to pull me close. My body reacted immediately, readying itself for more of him, but I… shit, I needed room to think.
“What’s up with you?” he asked, with his lips against my shoulder. “You seem… I don’t know… are you regretting last night?”
“No.” I turned to face him, decisively shaking my head. “No,” I repeated, allowing myself to meet his eyes as I sighed. “I’m just a little… overwhelmed.”
Roman lifted his hand, allowing his thumb to graze the edge of my face. “Why?”
“I don’t know.”
“Yes you do. Tell me.”
“I don’t,” I insisted, shaking my head.
He moved his hand lower, slipping it under the hem of my shirt. “Yeah, you do.” My breath caught in my throat as his fingers drifted up my body, resting between my breasts. “I think you’re just scared to say that even before last night… you felt something here—” he flattened his palm against my chest, “and now that we’ve had sex… it’s more. Am I right?”
When I reluctantly nodded, he smiled, then slid his knee between mine to part my legs. “Would it make you feel better to know I’m experiencing the same thing?”
“Uh-uh,” I replied, closing my eyes as his fingers glided inside of me. “It would make me feel like you talk a good game.”
His fingers stilled. “No.” His tone was adamant as he looked me right in the eyes. “This is not game. I don’t do game. I don’t say shit I don’t mean just for the sake of doing it. I’m a grown ass man, there’s no need for that. I say I like you, that’s what I mean. I say I want you, that’s what I mean. I say that I’m drawn to you in a way that’s bizarre and confusing… Simone, that’s what I mean. Okay?”
Pushing out my tongue to wet my dry lips, I nodded. “Okay.”
I believed him. As ludicrous as my common sense said it was, he was so resolute that I knew he was telling the truth. Each stroke inside of me, each brush of his lips on mine, each caress of his fingers on my skin was another seduction. His touch was passionate… almost reverential as he sexed me like a man in love, bringing me to my peak several times before he reached his own even once.
By the time we remembered it was a Monday, and we both had businesses to tend to, I was past intoxicated on Roman, and didn’t have the slightest interest in getting sober.
— & —
“Roman, could you stop,” I said, giggling as he slipped his hand underneath my shirt.
“I could.” He smiled, gripping my waist to pull me closer. “But what fun would that be?”
It was late, but we were in the middle of Posh Petals, doing one last walk through for the night. At least, that’s what we were supposed to be doing, but Roman was doing more kissing and groping than helping.
We hadn’t seen each other since Monday, because things had been crazy for me. I hadn’t been in the shop at all, and had covered four events. By the time those days ended, I was too drained to do anything other than crawl into bed. Now, it was Saturday again. Even though I was tired from a wedding that morning and working the later shift at the store, I was craving Roman’s attention.
Truthfully, I probably could have made a little time at some point to stop by Urban Grind, but a self-preservatory desire to not end up falling head over heels kept me away. Despite my cavalier attitude after our morning love session that I could just fall into him and never come back out, the separation and distance of the week had brought common sense back into the light. The more I saw him, the deeper my feelings would get, so I prolonged the brief interlude until I just couldn’t.
I needed to see him.
I pushed him away, tossing the handful of stray flower petals I’d found into the trash before retrieving my laptop and keys. We locked up, and Roman pulled my gate down so I could lock it before we headed down the sidewalk, arm-in-arm.
“So,” I said, smiling up at him. “Will you think I’m crazy if I say I’ve missed you this week?”
Roman laughed. “I’d be a hypocrite if I did, because I’ve missed you too. But, you’re the one who's been avoiding me.”
“I have not. I’ve been busy.”
“I know, I know,” he said, looping his arm around my waist. “But hey, you’re done with work for the night, and so am I. I’m trusting UG to the new manager, so I’m all yours. What do you wanna do?”
I bit my lip, slightly embarrassed. “Well… it has been almost a week since we…” I lifted an eyebrow, flicking my eyes down to the front of his pants.
“Oh?” Roman gave a shout of laughter, then turned back to me, leaning to place a kiss against my neck. “It’s like that?”
“Yeah, it’s like that,” I said, nodding.
And it really, really was. That had been part of my struggle with staying away. For two years, I’d been good with self-gratification, but he’d woken my sex drive up in a major way, and I was craving him.
“Well, your apartment is a ten minute walk away, so…”
I shook my head. “Uh-uh. Can’t wait that long. Your apartment is only five minutes away, and you’ve been to my place twice now. I want to see inside that fancy apartment building of yours.”
He looked away, sending his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed hard. “Um… tonight probably isn’t a good night.”
Something about the way he said that made me feel… not good, sending a strange prickle of discomfort over my skin. I stopped walking. “Why? What’s going on?”
“Shit,” he mumbled under his breath, before he turned to me and grabbed my hand. “Uh… I have to tell you something.”
My heart sank into my stomach.
Please… no…
I pulled away from him, my eyes darting to his left hand for the tale-tall tan line of a wedding band. “Tell me what?” I asked when I didn’t see one.
“I… I have kind of a… situation.”
A situation.
A situation.
Of course he had a fucking situation. I shook my head, chuckling mirthlessly as I backed away from him.
“Simone, give me a second to—”
“To do what? To explain your situation? You’re a grown-ass man, in a situation where you can’t take a woman home. Why, Roman? Are you… married or something?”
He lifted his hands, urging me to calm down as people walked past us on the street, staring. “No, I’m not married, Simone. Why would you even think that? If you’ll let me—”
“What then, Roman? Get to damned point!”
“I have a … roommate.”
“A female roommate?”
“Yes.”
“Does she know she’s just a roommate?”
“Yes,” he said, nodding emphatically.
I scoffed, rolling my eyes at his answer. “Then why wouldn’t you be able to bring me home?”
“Because of my daughter.”
I lifted an eyebrow, lips parted in disbelief as I stared at R
oman.
Did this motherfucker just tell me…
“A child, Roman? And you never mentioned that?”
“When have we talked, Simone? It’s not like we’ve been having long, deep conversations yet. It’s been a week, barely.”
I shook my head, my lips parting as the rest of the puzzle fit together. “Wait a minute… your roommate… she’s your daughter’s mother?”
Roman pushed out a breath before he nodded.
Again, I laughed, even as heaviness settled across my chest. “So you have a family. You pursued me like a single man, when you have a family.”
“I am single.”
“Oh, don’t try to pull that technical, I’m not married so I’m single bullshit with me. This is not me, Roman. I don’t do this side chick thing.”
“Simone, Leah and I are not involved, I swear to you.”
I sucked my teeth. “Whatever, Roman. At some point, you were involved enough that you had a child. Involved enough that you lived together. You still live together, and there’s not enough convincing in the world to make me believe it’s platonic.”
“It is,” he insisted, reaching for my hand. “We’re roommates, we co-parent. That’s all.”
He looked and sounded sincere, so my heart tried to make a little emotional appeal on his behalf, but my brain kicked that crap back down the stairs. Maybe I’d been a little naive, getting into this with him way too fast, but I was not outright idiotic. Shaking my head, I snatched my hand away again. “I don’t believe you. I think you’re charming, and you’re sexy, and I… I fell for it.”
Roman’s eyebrows dipped as he shook his head. “Simone, can we slow down a second and talk about this?”
I gave a shout of laughter. “Of course you wanna talk now.” I shook my head. “No. We can’t talk. You shouldn’t text me. You shouldn’t stop by. Find another victim.”
Turning on my heels, I took off down the sidewalk toward my apartment, rolling my eyes when his hand closed around my arm as he caught up. “Simone, —”
A Crazy Little Thing Called Love (Serendipitous Love Book 1) Page 6
