Back home, Roman helps me off the bike, and something in his expression gives me pause. I hand the helmet back to him, a questioning gleam in my eyes.
“What is it?”
“Got a call today.”
I’m just about to ask what kind of call, when it suddenly dawns on me. My eyes widen, and a massive smile breaks out across my face. “You’re joking.”
For the first time, a genuine smile, dimples and all, spreads across his face. It makes him look handsome. If that’s even possible. Broody Roman is a vision, but the playful one, that’s a whole other man. One that my heart skips beats over.
“I got the news today. My probation is over. He’s finally coming home.”
I squeal, jumping into Roman’s arms. He catches me effortlessly. With my arms wrapped around his neck, I squeeze him to me, barely giving him room to breathe.
“I’m so happy for you, Rome. You guys deserve this.”
He sets me on the car in the garage, swiping his thumb across my cheek. “I actually have you to thank.”
“Me?”
He nods. “His social worker gave me the name of a woman who begged her to give me a second chance.”
Heat rises to my cheeks. It slipped my mind that I did that for him. The way he’s staring down at me has my stomach flipping and my heart pounding so hard, I’m having trouble pulling in a single breath.
“Thank you,” he breathes across my lips, sending tingles shooting straight to my core. The blue in his eyes is molten, like the heat from a blue flame.
“You don’t need to thank me.”
Reaching down, he circles my wrist with his fingers and lifts my hand to press my palm against his chest. My breath leaves me in a rush, at the feel of his pounding heart and the sincerity in his eyes.
“I do, Sunshine. It’s all because of you I get to keep my promise to him.”
My bottom lip trembles. “No, it’s because of you. I’ve never met a man like you, Roman. One with so many sides, so much love to give. This was all you.”
Keeping my hand pasted to his chest, he levels our gazes. “See what you do to me, Liv? You make me forget about the past and how far I’ve come. You make me want things I never thought I’d want,” he murmurs, almost to himself, his gaze heavy-lidded. Just that quickly he went from playful to downright seductive.
I swallow thickly. My mouth opens to say something, but I snap it shut. I don’t know what to say. All I know is how I feel about this man. He drives me crazy in the best of ways. I hate him and what he does to me, almost as much as I love it.
Taking his free hand, I press it to my heart. With my hand on his chest, and his on mine, we stand there like this in his garage, staring deeply into each other’s eyes, saying all the things we’re too afraid to say out loud.
“This is what you do to me, Roman. You make it so I can only see and feel you.”
His nostrils flare, and my gaze, with a mind of its own, dips to his mouth. Need courses through my veins, making me hot and bothered. My breasts feel heavy. My sex swells and slicks. I press my legs together to alleviate the pressure.
“Kiss me. Please.”
And he does just that. Kissing me until I’m breathless and Mad Max is howling at us. When we pull away from each other, both of us panting for much-needed air, I spot Josie across the street, watching us with that same disgruntled expression that’s always there on her face.
“I’m pretty sure she hates me.”
“Sunshine, I think half the neighborhood hates you.”
I mock gasp, knocking him in the chest with my fist. “People love me.”
He’s smirking, as he rolls his eyes, trying to get under my skin. “Oh, I bet they do.”
Taking a seat on the open bucket he usually sits on while working, I watch him dote on Max. He brushes his fur, giving his head a good scratch, before he goes through the motions of wiping down his bike. He then moves on to the car and starts wiping that one down, too, even though it’s in the garage. Unused.
An idea suddenly clicks in my head. “Can you teach me?”
“Teach you what exactly?”
I jerk my chin toward one of his pride and joys. “I’ve never driven a stick