Page 50 of Tainted Ties

“To hell with it,” I cursed, opening the bathroom door.

Roman jerked his head at the same time I said, “Don’t.”

He was still leaning against the dresser, in the same position where I had left him before entering the bathroom. Deciding not to ponder on that fact, I carefully watched him. “I will gouge out your eyes if your head so much as moves an inch my way. I came to grab my phone, which is…”

On thedamndresser.

Roman’s head bent low, attempting to hide his amusement.

I clutched the towel around my body tighter. “Close your eyes.” He opened his mouth to most likely protest, but whatever he was about to say was cut off when I said sternly, “Close.”And because he did, I couldn’t help but savor his obedience. “You obey me so good,” I drawled, dishing back the words he had uttered to me moments ago to make sure he understood my immense satisfaction.

His displeasure at my praise was evident as he poked his tongue against the inside of his cheek.

I grabbed my phone and found the number for the front desk before dialing. As it rang, I fixed my gaze on Roman to ensure his eyes remained closed.

He was so close, I could smell all the scents that made him,him.Sandalwood, a hint of mint, and fresh.

The line rang and rang before it went dead.Great, just what I needed.

Turning my phone off, I slammed it on the dresser. “For a luxury… whatever this place is, it sure has poor customer service.”

Roman’s head tilted to one side. “What did you need?” he asked innocently, a contrast to what he was.

“Clothes!”I shrieked. “It’s all your fault, too. If you had told me I would be holed up in here with you, I would have packed appropriately.”

He was silent, reaching for the buttons on his dress shirt.

My heart sped up, watching him clasp onto the first button. “Wh- what are you doing?”

“Giving you something to wear.” I couldn’t help but watch as his fingers undid each button. “Don’t worry, baby, look all you want. It’s not like I’ll know anyway,” he added.

“I’mnotand don’t call me that.”

He pursed his lips, sensing the lie as he continued baring his chest to me for the first time.

Before he slipped it off entirely, I noted the many tattoos adorning the length of his arms all the way to his broad chest and down his solid stomach.

Roman’s physical appearance was otherworldly. Firm muscles stretched when he shrugged the shirt off. Built to perfection, I imagined if he took off his pants, I’d find a pair of toned, thick thighs.

He handed me the shirt and without thought, I took it like an idiot, outing myself. Now he knew for certain that I was staring at his strip tease.

I entered the bathroom again, dropping my towel onto the floor and gingerly slipping the shirt on.

The soft material hung loosely, stopping mid-thigh, and enveloping me in a gentle caress. His scent lingered, invading my senses with all things Roman.

It shouldn’t have feltthisgood wearing his shirt.

Shaking my head from the disturbing thought, I brought myself back to reality before opening the door.

The beast of a man occupied half of the bed, wearing only his boxers.Thick thighs.

His eyes trailed my body, starting from the tips of my toes and burning a path until they settled on my face.“Are you going to continue fighting me? Come on, it’s late.”

He sounded tired.Iwas tired. “I’ll be okay on the floor,” I sighed.

“We can either do this the hard way or the easy way,anima mia. Get on the bed.”

And because I’d rather do things of my own free will—at least in some sense—I laid on the other side of the bed.

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