Devoured - Cathryn Fox Page 0,55
to be talking at once, and in Italian. My tired brain can’t seem to keep up.
I quietly slip from the bed and pull on a T-shirt and pair of yoga pants. I make a quick trip to the bathroom to fix myself up the best I can, although there is nothing I can do to wipe the contented smile off my face. Yeah, one look at me, and whoever is downstairs is going to know I was up all night making love with Roman.
Making love.
While I love it fast and hard, his touch was a bit different last night. Tender, gentle, so profound it seeped under my skin and wrapped around my heart. Yeah, I know. Not good for a girl who’s a sworn bachelorette. But I feel myself falling, despite everything.
I open my bedroom door, and as my fuzzy brain clears, I gasp and wrap my arms around myself, knowing exactly what’s going on. My God, I can’t go down there. How can I face his family, let lies spill from my lips? I’m about to slam my door shut, crawl under the covers and stay there until everyone leaves, but footsteps pound on the stairs.
Roman’s dark eyes meet mine, but he doesn’t seem upset at all. Maybe I’m mistaken. Maybe his family hasn’t invaded, demanding answers.
“My family is here,” he says, and leans against the doorjamb.
My heart sinks. “Are you okay?” I ask.
“They want to meet my bride.”
My stomach tightens. “Roman, you shouldn’t...we can’t pull this off with your family.”
“Just for a little while. We have to let them think we’re married. The fewer people who know the truth, the better.” He exhales loudly. “Believe me, none of them can keep a secret and we wouldn’t want them accidently spilling the truth here.”
“I guess you’re right, but how are they going to feel when we have to end this?”
He goes thoughtful and puts one hand on my cheek. “How about we cross that bridge when we come to it?”
“I hope we don’t have to jump off the bridge.”
He laughs, a big, deep laugh that eases the tension inside me and brings a smile to my face. “I don’t think it will come to that.” He bends and gives me a soft kiss. “Come on, they’re dying to meet you.”
A jolt of unease freezes my legs. “I don’t know.” What if they don’t like me? What if they try to break us up like they did when they put blue dye on his toothbrush?
It’s not a real relationship anyway, Peyton.
“It’s going to be fine,” Roman says, reading the worry on my face. “They’re going to love you and vice versa. I promise.”
“Am I dressed okay, maybe I should—” His lips close over mine, swallowing the last of my worries. He inches back, takes my hand and leads me down the stairs. As we walk, the scent of waffles reaches my nose.
“Are they cooking?” I whisper.
“Of course. They said I was looking too thin and need more meat on my bones.” He puts his mouth close to my ear. “The only thing I need on my bone is you.”
I chuckle at that. For a guy who was worried sick about his family, and lives in a whole other country to keep them from meddling, he sure doesn’t seem upset with them being here now. He actually seems...happy. But I’m out of my element here, and so not the type of girl they’d want to see their baby brother with. Roman says otherwise, but unlike them, I have no real heritage, no family outside of my brother. I’ve accepted my lot in life. My past made me the strong woman I am today, but I’m smart enough to know how things work in the real world.
I reach the bottom step and all eyes turn to me—all eyes that resemble Roman’s. It’s not hard to tell they’re all family. “Oh God,” I whisper under my breath, completely overwhelmed, but Roman puts a strong, supportive arm around me and pulls me to his side.
“Everyone, this is Peyton. Peyton, this is my family.”
I give an awkward little wave. “Hi.”
A beat of silence and then one sister spreads her arms. “Bella!”
She comes toward me and Roman says, “I should have warned you. They’re all huggers.”
Before I realize what’s happening, I’m being passed around, each squeeze tighter than the last. The women touch my hair and face, and their praise wraps around me.
“Mia sorella,” Lucy says when she gets a hold of me, and my heart