Page 2 of Laverna

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Rom sipped on his coffee and checked his watch again. Laverna was already twenty minutes late. He signaled to one of the waitresses to bring him a refill.

It was a favorite place of his, tucked away down a side alley where tourists rarely ventured. Underneath him, through layers of sediment and rubble, lay the remains of a small temple that had once been dedicated to him. It gave him a little boost every time he sat there, and he felt like he needed it in order to deal with Laverna. That was if she ever turned up.

He glanced down the alley where he had parked his Ferrari just to make sure it was still there. It was a previous model to the one Laverna had taken the night before.

It hadn't surprised him that she had taken it. It was where she had left it, right on the spot where they had first met, that had been the surprise.

Maybe she had thought he wouldn't notice. Like he would ever be able to forget that day.

Laverna had a right to be angry for his tardiness the day before, but Rom couldn't tell her the truth as to why he had made her wait.

His wolf was on the surface again, not sleeping as he always did when it wasn't a full moon. He had tasted her in the bathhouse, and it had taken until dusk the next day to get it under control enough to leave the villa.

Rom had taken one look at her in all of her pissed-off glory, and all his hard work to leash his beast had been for naught.

Rom ran a hand over his face. That fucking red dress.

It hadn't been anything expensive or elaborate. Just a simple cotton sundress she could've picked up for ten euro at a market stall.

The sight of her in it shouldn't have sent him straight into despair, but Laverna rarely wore dresses, even when they had been a requirement for women. When she did wear one, it was for a special occasion.

That was why it confused him when she had been wearing one and waiting for him. His wolf wasn't confused. It wanted to bend her over the nearest surface and take her in it. Laverna had either worn it for him or to torture him. Either way, she had succeeded in knocking all his sanity out of his head.

It had been a relief when Laverna had sent him and Claudius off to look at the bodies because he couldn't handle looking at her in all that red a second longer.

If things weren't bad enough, she then stole his favorite car.

It had smelled so much like her when he got it back that his wolf had lashed out to punish him for upsetting her. Now, the Ferrari needed a whole new dashboard because it was ruined from claw marks. Not to mention what he had done to his driver's side door.

Rom pinched the bridge of his nose. Fuck, that woman was going to make him snap one day, and he hated to think what was going to happen when he did.

The scent of myrrh and sex and ancient sacred things hit him before Laverna came around the corner of the alley. She was in jeans with the knees shredded, mud-slicked boots, and a men's button-up shirt, the buttons undone low enough to show off the black lace bra she was wearing. Her hair was loose and curls tangled, making her look like she had just rolled out of bed after a good time. Rom's jaw clenched at the thought.

"Decided to turn up, did you?" he asked, looking pointedly at his watch.

Laverna sat down on the chair opposite him. Her smirk was a red slash of sensual defiance. "You really want to pick a fight with me about tardiness after yesterday, Romulus?"

He was saved from replying with the appearance of the waitress coming back with his coffee. She looked curiously between them. They didn't seem a likely pair with his bespoke designer clothing while she looked like she was aiming for shabby chic at best.

Rom was positive Laverna hadn't brushed her hair for the meeting either, and somehow, she still was more beautiful than any of the women around her. The wildness of her was more attractive than any expensive clothing or hairstyles.

Laverna ordered herself fruit and pastries, coffee and juice. The waitress nodded and backed away from the table with a nervous smile. Whatever energy they were putting out, it was enough for humans to feel it.

"Hungry?" he couldn't resist asking.

Laverna smiled like a cat. "I had a big night. I used a lot of energy. What did you find on the bodies? Anything interesting? Or are you wasting my time like you did yesterday?"

"Yesterday I had an unforeseen emergency." I wanted to pin you down and lick you again, his wolf said unhelpfully. Rom cleared his throat. "If you had stayed around long enough last night, I would have been able to apologize and tell you that for myself."

Laverna shrugged. "I had places to go and people to do."

The handle of the mug he was holding broke off with a plink, and he caught the cup just before it showered the table in coffee. It splashed on his hand, scalding him a little.

"Fuck," he muttered. He put the cup down and wiped the spilled coffee off his hand.

The waitress immediately came back over with fresh coffee and double checked nothing else needed wiping.

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