by K. M. Scott
Although Kate had a feeling if Roman could find a way of putting space between them as they spent the night together in that room, he would.
Slowly, he turned around and without saying a word, nodded as he closed the door behind him. That he agreed to stay surprised her. She’d expected him to find some way to do his duty while putting himself anywhere but in that room with her.
Roman looked around for someplace to sit, but other than the bed, the only other place to sit was on the floor. She had a sense that he considered that choice as he looked down once and then a second time toward his feet before taking a step toward the bed.
“You can sit here with me, Roman. The bed is actually pretty comfortable,” Kate said with a smile.
A few seconds passed by as he thought about her offer, and then he sat down next to her on the other side of the bed. He still didn’t say anything, which only encouraged her to fill the empty space with more words.
Looking down at his long legs stretched out in front of him, she said, “Those clothes look new. Where did you get them?”
“I ran out after dinner and found a store. I got you some things too. I took a guess at the size, but if anything, they’ll be too big, not too small.”
She had a feeling she should be insulted, but the way he said that with sincerity made her not want to argue with him now. Turning to face him, she said, “Thanks. I’m sure they’ll be fine. I guess you figured after a few days we either needed to wash our clothes or find new ones.”
Roman grimaced and shook his head. “No. I got us clothes so if anyone has seen us and described us to the police by describing our clothes, then we won’t look the way they think we should.”
That made sense. In fact, changing their clothes made perfect sense now that he explained it that way.
“Oh. Well, thank you just the same.”
A few moments went by in utter silence, and all Kate could think was there had never been two people alone in a bed who had less chance of sleeping together than the two of them. Roman seemed more standoffish than ever, if that was possible, and she couldn’t imagine anything she could say that would make him warm up to her.
Just as she’d suspected, he’d found a way to make it feel like even though they sat so close on that bed their legs touched, it felt like they were separated by a million miles and a world of silence.
Dejected, she let out a sigh and slid under the covers before turning her back to him. “Good night, Roman.”
“Good night.”
That’s all he said.
She lay there feeling his left leg press against her back and her butt, chastising herself for not knowing what to say. If Eve were there, she’d already have him stripped naked and she’d be riding him like he was some wild stallion.
Kate didn’t have to wonder why she was still single. What was happening, or not happening, right before her eyes told her all she needed to know.
A million thoughts ran through her mind. Did he care one bit about her? It felt like he had back at the hotel. He seemed to when they were lying in each other’s arms on her bed then. Had she done something to turn him off?
That question itself spawned at least a few dozen more. She’d injured him, barked at him, tried to run away from him, and those were just the highlights. Other than those examples, she’d been difficult since the moment she met him, although she still didn’t know how she was supposed to act when a strange man walked into her motel room. It wasn’t every day that kind of thing happened. To expect her to just be some trusting soul without asking questions seemed a tad ridiculous and foolish.
Unable to simply lay there, she rolled over and looked up to see him sitting there just staring down at her. How strange. She’d expected him to have his eyes closed or at least to have been staring off into space and not at her as she slept.
“Why are you looking at me, Roman?”
Without missing a beat, he replied, “Why do you ask so many questions, Kate?”
His answering by asking another question, especially that one, surprised her. “Because I’m an inquisitive soul. I thought there was nothing wrong with me asking so many questions.”
“There isn’t. I just figured you might like a taste of your own medicine,” he said with smile that also surprised her.
Could it be possible he wasn’t unhappy about staying with her?
“A taste of my own medicine? I’m trying to figure out what exactly my questions cure, but I can’t find anything, to be honest.”
“Certainly not your curiosity, which seems endless.”
Kate’s mouth dropped open in shock at his teasing her. He was actually being cute and playful. “That’s the first time in nearly five days since we met that you made a joke. Well, it wasn’t actually a joke, but it was you trying to be cute. You should try to do that more often. I like it.”
“I’m not a cute kind of guy,” he said after a few moments. “Serious people tend not to do cute too well.”
Liking this side of him, she pushed on his leg with her hand. “Well, you should try it more often. You’re pretty good at it.”
Roman smiled and ran his tongue slowly over his bottom lip. “Just pretty good? I guess I’ll have to try harder next time.”
She watched as the moisture from his tongue made his lip glisten in the dim light. That right there seemed like a definite sign he liked her. Didn’t it?
Quickly, she scrambled to think of something clever to say to keep their conversation going. Of course, nothing came to her. Not a word. Not a clever phrase. Nada.
Exhibit two in the case why Kate Sheridan was still single.
“Nothing to say, Kate? No question for me to answer?” Roman asked in a tone she’d never heard him use before.
It sounded downright…flirty.
Was she completely misreading the signs, or was he flirting with her there in the bed they shared?
“None that I can think of,” she said in return, giving him her best smile in case he had any thoughts at all of making a move.
Which she wished more than anything at that moment that he would.
And then he said nothing. No flirty retort. No lip-lickingly cute anything. He just fell silent.
That was it. Disappointed or discouraged or whatever she was feeling, she sat up next to him and didn’t stop herself when the truth of how she felt and how he made her feel came spilling out in all its messy glory.
“What is with you, Roman? At dinner tonight, we were having a great time, and then poof! You disappeared. No see you later, Kate. No I’m going to head down to the lake and enjoy the sound of the water. Nothing. I had no idea where you went. I just knew you didn’t seem to want to be near me. Again. Now you come in here all ready to do your protective hero shtick, and when you find out I just had a nightmare, you look disappointed. Then flirty cute Roman comes out for a little bit—by the way, I really like him, so if this is a case of multiple personalities, I’d love it if you could tell him to come back. And just when I think we’re making some headway, you go radio silent on me again. What the hell is going on with you?”
Kate had to take a breath after letting all that out, and she waited for him to say something. Anything. But all she got was silence and his usual staring at her with those dark brown eyes that gave no hint as to how he felt about anything.
“Whatever. Fine. Feel free to go back to your room or wherever you were before you came in here. I’ll be—”
Before she could lie and say she’d be fine, he leaned over and stopped her words with a kiss that curled her toes. His lips softly pressed against hers, gently taking what he wanted from her as she eagerly offered him as much as he cared to have. Stuffing his hand into her hair, he pulled her to him so their bodies melded together.
He felt warm and powerful against her, and as he settled her onto his lap, she found out how much she affected him. His tongue slid lightly over her lips into her mouth to tease hers, sending a jolt of need straight to her core.
She
wanted him before she knew how incredible he made her feel. Now she needed to have him inside her.
Chapter Sixteen
Rolling her hips over him, she moaned into his mouth. “God, this feels so good.”
He leaned back away from her and smiled. “I haven’t done anything much yet. Just wait until we get to the good parts.”
Kate looked down at his lap. She’d already felt how hard the good parts were. Waiting for them wasn’t top on her list of things to do at the moment. Feeling him as he pressed his body to hers and she rode him like that stallion she’d been thinking of before sounded much better than waiting.
“No more waiting, Roman,” she said softly as she pulled his mouth to hers and kissed him hard with all the need she had built up inside.
His hands slid down her side to her hips, grasping her firmly to hold her still. God, she wanted him to move so much faster. Why did he insist on taking his time? Did the man have no understanding of how much she wanted him?
Taking matters into her own hands quite literally, she leaned back away from him even as he held her in place and undid his pants. He watched as her fingers slowly unzipped them and then spread the fabric apart to reveal his black cotton boxers underneath.
She looked into his dark eyes and searched for a sign as to how he felt, but as always, she saw nothing. If she was to believe his eyes, he felt nothing about what she was doing to him.
His body told a completely different story, though. As she lightly ran her fingertip down the front of his boxers, she felt how hard he already was. He wanted her as much as she wanted him, so she reached under the fabric and felt him twitch against her hand as she wrapped her fingers around that hardness.
Now she saw a different look come into his eyes. Need filled them like she’d never seen before that moment, and he took hold of her and flipped her onto her back in one fluid motion.
Part of her wanted to protest that she hadn’t finished teasing him, but he didn’t look like a man who wanted to hear another word questioning him at that moment. Intensity filled his face as he made quick work of her pants and shirt, leaving her lying there beneath him in just her bra and panties.
He ran his hands up her legs, spreading his fingers as he inched up her thighs toward where they met her body. She wanted him to touch her so badly it hurt. But he stopped just before he reached that spot she knew would give her what she needed and smiled down at her.
“The look on your face says you have a question for me, even at this moment, Kate,” he said in a low voice edged with desire.
Sliding her hands over his, she tried to tug them higher on her thighs to no avail. Now she did have a question for him.
Her lips forming a pout, she asked, “Why are you trying to torture me?”
He leaned down and kissed her on the lips, whispering against them, “I wasn’t, but it was all worth it to see that adorable little pout you just did. I think that might have made me even harder, and that’s saying something.”
Enough teasing. She had a hundred ideas of things they could be doing that felt better, and she desperately wanted to try each and every one of them with him.
Scratching her fingernails down his back, she felt his thick muscles through his new shirt and wanted to rip the thing off his body. To hell with new clothes. He could walk around without a shirt. That would work. He’d look different than he had so others might not recognize him, and she’d get to see him half naked.
She didn’t have to resort to tearing it off him, though. He stripped out of it and his pants as she watched in awe as inch by inch his body came into view.
The hardness of his chest that made her wonder days before if he had a shield on under his shirt stood on full display for her now. Clearly, this man had either been blessed by God or spent a good amount of time in the gym.
Whichever it was, the effect was breathtaking.
Kate felt the overwhelming need to run her hands over his broad shoulders, the muscular pecs, and his chiseled abs. She’d never seen a body like this. At least not in person and just inches away from her.
As if he could read her mind, he settled his body between her legs and eased down on top of her, whispering, “You look surprised. I thought you saw most of me when you interrupted my shower.”
The need to touch him took over, and she let her hands roam over his soft skin as she marveled at how beautiful his body truly was. “I guess I wasn’t paying close enough attention,” she said staring at where her hands drifted over his gorgeous abs.
“You like what you see?” he asked in a teasing tone that got her attention.
Looking up into his eyes, she nodded. “Oh yeah. I think you might be perfect, Roman. It’s a little intimidating, if I’m being honest.”
He drew his tongue across his lip and smiled. “Even though I don’t talk enough and you want to argue with me about practically everything?”
Her gaze slid from his face and roamed over his hard body. “I think this more than compensates for those things.”
As she let herself ogle the most beautiful body she’d ever seen, her gaze settled on that gash in his side. She touched the area around it, hoping it wouldn’t be hot and tell her it had become infected, but she found the skin cool against her fingertips.
He flinched when she tried to see it up close. Worried she’d hurt him again, she looked up at him and asked, “Are you okay? Are you in pain? Because if you are, we can stop.”
Roman shook his head and leaned down to press his lips to hers in a kiss that took her breath away. Pulling away, he said, “Don’t worry about that. We have other, more important things to focus on.”
His lips trailed down over her neck and to her breasts as all the while Kate kept wondering if this was a dream. If it was, it certainly was better than that nightmare she’d had before.
Wanting him, she hooked her thumbs in the waistband of his boxers and tugged them down over his hips. His cock sprung free and pressed against her thigh, sending a jolt of desire through her. She wanted to feel him inside her so damn badly.
Roman smiled wickedly. “Enough with the foreplay? I like a woman who knows what she wants.”
His deep voice rolled over her like silk, and then he quickly slid her panties off, tossing them off to the side. She felt his legs moving, but she was focused on unhooking her bra. Finally naked, she returned her attention to him and in the next second his mouth was on hers in a kiss that made her want him more than she thought possible.
She didn’t have to wait long to get exactly what she desired. One slow thrust of his hips and Roman filled her so fully she had to catch her breath. He smoothed the hair away from her face and stared down into her eyes like nothing else in the world mattered more than being there with her and making love to her.
Slow and steady, he slid into her to the hilt, touching a spot she’d never known existed inside her. Each time he filled her up, it felt like they were made just for each other, perfect pieces fitting together to create a whole.
The sound of his breathing filled her ears, and its warmth heated the skin of her neck as he pumped into her. Her fingers tugged at his hair, eliciting a guttural noise from him that sounded so utterly sexy she pulled harder just to hear him make it again.
Kate scratched her fingernails down his back and sunk them into his hips to urge him to go faster. For a moment, he hesitated, but she moaned, “Don’t stop. God, don’t stop.”
He didn’t, and with every thrust of his cock into her body, she inched closer to coming. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she pressed her heels into his spine and arched her back.
“God, I’m so close. Right there…”
He lifted his upper body off her and balanced himself on his hands next to her head as he stared down into her face, the intensity in his dark eyes so sexy she wouldn’t have been able to look away if she wanted to. For one of the few times since she’d known him, she knew exactly what he felt because of the look in his eyes.
Need. The need to
possess her utterly and completely for himself.
She’d never had anyone look at her like that. Other women had told her about having a man look at them like that and how incredible it made them feel, but never had it happened to her. It was what she’d always wished for in a man but never got.
Until now.
Dipping his head, he kissed her hard as his movements became more jagged, fucking her with short jabs instead of long strokes. She sensed he was close like she was and tilted her hips to help get them over that sweet precipice. Just a few more hard thrusts and Kate felt her orgasm rush through her entire body.
Roman groaned as her body tightened around him and came seconds later, his back arching as he filled her one final time. He looked like the epitome of maleness.
Strong. Powerful. Commanding.
And in complete possession of her, even if she didn’t want to admit it.
The aftershocks from her orgasm still racked her body when he eased out of her and rolled off to the other side of the bed. Flush with ecstasy, she closed her eyes and let out a deep breath, utterly satisfied.
“Kate?” he whispered in a deep voice that hit her exactly on that spot he’d touched inside her.
She turned to look over at him and opened her eyes. He looked so different now she had a hard time remembering that man who so often wore that stony expression she’d gotten used to.
“Yes?”
Turning to face her, he smiled and she wondered how she’d ever missed how sexy he could be. “Are you okay?”
“I’m more than okay. You?”
His smile broadened, and he nodded. “I’m more than okay too.”
He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. Resting her head on his chest, she listened to the sound of his breathing, loving the way he felt so strong beneath her cheek. He kissed the top of her head, letting his lips linger for a moment before he tightened his hold around her.
