Page 61 of Sinful Temptations

Every once in a while, Roman would turn and smile at me, as if checking to see that I hadn’t tumbled off the cliff that was barely three feet to our right. I’d nod and smile, and although I told myself he was probably checking on all the women in our party, his actions made me feel like I could float on air.

Why did he have that power over me?

The power to make me feel special when clearly it wasn’t just me—he made everyone feel special.

A crazy thought rolled into me like a crashing wave.

Was I falling in love?

My brain skidded to a halt.Oh. My. Fucking. God.

What the hell was wrong with me?

Forcing my thoughts off their perilous overload, I convinced my body to keep moving by mentally listing why that was absolutely not even in the realms of possibility.

First and foremost, there was no such thing as love.

Second, I was like a little sister to him. A naïve little sister who needed looking after, even though I was older.

That was another very important point. I was much older than him. I should be at that age where my affairs are sorted. My finances. My career. What country I was going to settle down in.Grrr.He wanted to dance and party all night long.

Roman and I were just friends. Good friends, I’d admit, but nothing more.

Besides, the two of us together? That was a joke. Mr. Hotter Than Hot and Miss Freakier Than a Freak?

Nope. Nada.

My uterus twisted like it’d been stabbed with a pitchfork, and I must’ve groaned or something because Roman spun to me with a look of concern that could soften even the hardest criminal. “You okay?”

I sucked in a deep breath. “Yep. I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine.”

“Gee, thanks.”

He tilted his head to the side, giving me that sisterly look. “You know what I mean.”

“I’m okay. Really.”

His intense gaze remained on me for just a fraction too long, igniting a flicker of something inside me that I couldn’t pinpoint—security maybe, or longing.

“Okay, but let me know if it gets too much.” When he dragged his eyes away, that flickering flame was going to be almost impossible to snuff out.

It was mid-afternoon when we finally returned to the chalet and leaving Roman and the ladies to celebrate ‘a successful climb’ as Roman had announced once we’d reached the cable car again, I dragged my sorry ass straight to my room.

I stripped out of my shoes and socks, unclipped my bra, and eased my aching body onto the bed. Curling onto my side, I tugged my knees up, desperate for a position to alleviate the pain.

“Hey, Dais, are you okay?” Despite being outside my door, Roman’s voice oozed compassion.

“Yes, yes, I’m fine.”

“May I come in?”

The vise around my uterus clenched so tight I groaned.

When the door cracked open, I cursed myself for not locking it.

Roman poked his head through the gap, and the worry in his expression amplified the kindness of him being there. “Sorry, but I needed to check you’re okay?”

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