Sometime during the night, after I’ve shut the TV off and fallen asleep, I feel the couch dip and peel my eyes open.
“Olivia?”
“Shhh,” she shushes, crawling next to me, tugging on the blanket. “I can’t sleep in there after what happened tonight. Just give me this and don’t say a goddamn word about it tomorrow.”
I chuckle, closing my eyes, and letting sleep pull me back under.
“Hold Me While You Wait”—Lewis Capaldi
I stiffen at the warm, solid body of heat, emanating behind me. Peeling my eyes open, I glance around, my heart stalling when I realize where I am. Last night comes back to me. The break-in, staying at Roman’s, crawling onto the couch with him in the middle of the night.
My eyes widen when I realize, exactly where I am and what that heat is.
Peeking over my shoulder, I find Rome behind me, still asleep. His face is soft, more youthful looking now that he’s sleeping. During the day, he looks like a rebellious troublemaker, but, right now, he just looks like a guy who went out of his way to help a girl.
“You gonna make this awkward and keep staring?” Roman suddenly says, voice gruff with sleep. I jolt off the couch, shooting away from him and stumbling onto the floor.
“Roman, Jesus! I thought you were still asleep!” I gasp, clasping a hand over my heart.
“I was.” His lip inches into a smirk, and I have to fight to keep mine from spreading across my face. Staring down at him, his face and hair still sleep mussed, I get bombarded with images from last night. The feel of his hands on my skin. His mouth on mine. His fingers tugging at my hair. A zing of heat zaps me straight between my legs, and heat rises to my cheeks. My core is throbbing, at just the memory of having his lips on mine. At my silence, he must realize what I’m thinking about because Rome pushes himself upright, gripping the cushions of the couch, his heated gaze raking across my flesh in my pajamas.
“I need to get ready for work. I, um…thank you. For last night.” At his quirked brow, I’m quick to rush away, realizing how that might have sounded. “Not for that. I just mean for offering me your bed. Not that that wasn’t great. Because it was. But that…we don’t have to talk about that. Ever. Unless you want to.”
I realize I’m rambling, and the blank expression that’s on his face would normally make me sick to my stomach, but there’s a glimmer of amusement in his eyes that doesn’t make me feel like a complete idiot.
Before I can make an even bigger fool of myself, I whirl around, running back into his bedroom, to use the restroom and make myself look somewhat presentable, before I head back home. I expect to be disgusted by the state of his bathroom, but I’m surprised that his cleanliness extends even there. Looking as presentable as I’m going to get, I slide my shoes on and brave going out there and facing Roman, again, before I start my day.
I stumble when I realize he’s no longer sitting on the couch, but in the kitchen now, coffee pot on and something popping on the stove. My brows dip down, and I frown. When I see his naked back, I let out a ragged gasp, because Jesus Christ, the man is beautiful everywhere.
“You’re naked,” I blurt.
Roman turns, a comical expression on his face. He glances down at himself, then back up at me. “I clearly am not naked.”
“You have a coffee pot.”
“Is that a crime?”
“You know how to cook,” I squeak, pointing out the obvious, once again.
“Are these observations going somewhere?” He quirks a brow, obviously enjoying himself.
“Yes. No. I mean, I need to go. Thank you for…everything.”
Clutching my cell and my house keys in my hand, I run to the front door, needing to make an escape, before I look any more foolish than I already do.
“Bye, Olivia.” I hear, before I’m running across our lawns like a madwoman. As I’m unlocking my front door, I glance over my shoulder, spotting Nosy Josie in her normal spot. With that damned cigarette, she eyes me with contempt, shaking her head at me.
I roll my eyes and let myself inside, so I can get ready for work. My shower is quick, and I’m out of the house and on the road in less than an hour.