I shoot her a glare, and she cringes, realizing her mistake. “Okay, that was my bad. Horrible pun, considering the day you had.”
“Well,” I respond dryly, “it kinda feels like someone did shit in my bubble, and it’s my neighbor. He’s here.”
Her eyes widen. “You’re kidding? Where?”
I jerk my head behind me. “At the bar. Idiot wearing the leather jacket.”
Kassandra chokes. Her tan skin brightens with color. “You mean the Adonis?” I roll my eyes so hard this time, I’m surprised they don’t get stuck up there. “You mean to tell me this is the neighbor you’ve been complaining about? Him? Instead of complaining about him, you should be letting him drill you into next week!” She nudges me on the arm.
“No thanks,” I mutter, trying not to glance back at him. I don’t want to make it obvious that I’m speaking about him, but by the way Kass is twisted in her seat, doing a full-on exorcist 360, I’d say he knows we’re talking about him. Thoughts of being inconspicuous suddenly fly out the window.
“God, he’s still glaring at you. I can’t tell if he wants to kill you or bang you.”
“Most likely the former. Definitely not the latter.”
“A guy who looks that good? I wouldn’t mind letting him do both.”
I stifle my laugh and tense up, when I feel Travis place his hand on my shoulder. “What’s going on?”
Kassandra fills him in. “Liv’s neighbor is here. The hottie at the bar who’s glaring.”
As if on cue, Travis glances back at Roman and surprises me when he takes the spot next to me. Much too close for comfort. I force a smile, not wanting to be weird about it. I scour the bar, searching for Lucy. I shoot her an apologetic smile when I find her, knowing she probably won’t like this. And, once again, she brushes me off like it’s no big deal to her, even when everyone knows it is.
A part of me wishes she’d make her feelings for Travis known, just so he’d leave me alone.
I can’t tell if it’s my imagination or not, but I can feel Roman’s angered gaze on me. It’s as if he’s trying to incinerate me on the spot. I can’t help but wonder if he’s glaring this hard because he hates me or because of something else.
The night drags on, much the same, with both of us trying to avoid each other like the plague. That pretty much gets nipped in the bud when I’m on my way out of the bathroom. I crash into a warm, solid body that nearly knocks me off my feet. Strong hands shoot out, wrapping around my upper arms to steady me. The familiar smell is what hits me first, something masculine and clean, and when I peer up, I see who it is. The scowl that takes over my face is otherworldly. I don’t even know where it comes from, to be honest. I’m never this rude to anyone. It seems being near Roman brings out the worst in me.
“Got the whole hallway, and still, you somehow manage to invade my space.”
My brows raise, incredulously, and I let out a disbelieving scoff. “You’re kidding me, right? You bumped into me.”
Roman glares down at me. My breath hitches, and those pesky butterflies take flight against my will, when he takes a step into me, crowding me.
“Stay out of my way, Olivia.” The way he hisses my name with such hatred and disdain sends chills down my spine. The chills in question should make me scared of him, but it’s quite the opposite.
He turns to walk away, and I don’t know what makes me do it. Once again, I’m poking a bear. I should’ve left it and let him walk away. But obviously, I’m just a glutton for punishment.
“Sleep well, Roman?” The edge in my tone stops him in his tracks. I watch the tension climb up his spine, settling out into his shoulders and the stiff muscles in his back. Slowly, he turns those intense eyes, drilling holes into my skull.
“Oh, wouldn’t you like to know.” He pivots, closing the distance between us again. This time, he’s closer. Too close. Every goddamn heaven-sent molecule, percolating around us, invades my senses. I can smell his laundry detergent, his musk, his breath—All. Of. It.
“How are your shoes, Olivia? Hopefully, Max didn’t cause too much damage.”
“You’re lucky I like Max and all other animals, or this conversation”—I point between us—“this entire morning would be a different