Page 40 of He Doesn't Deserve You

She turned to face him, a smile spreading across her face. “I was just about to leave.”

“What are you doing here?” he asked, clearly surprised to see her. Then it dawned on him. “You probably want your phone. I’ll get it.” Heturned and walked back into the house. A minute later, he returned with her phone in hand.

As she accepted the phone from his hand, she said, “Thank you. Can I come in for a minute? I was hoping we could talk.”

“Sure,” Roman replied with a thin smile. “How’s Ava?”

Emily stepped inside, “She’s good. Happy to be home.”

“That’s good. I’m having a beer. Do you want one?”

“No thanks, I’m good.”

Emily followed Roman into the kitchen, where he grabbed a beer from the fridge. He popped the cap off using a bottle opener and skillfully tossed it into the trash can across the room. Leaning against the counter, he took a swig from his beer and asked, “How are you holding up?”

“I’m okay. Still trying to process all of this,” she sighed. “I owe you an apology. Detective Martin reviewed the tapes, and it turns out the bartender laced my drink.”

Roman raised a curious eyebrow. “Does he know why?”

“Detective Martin suspects that Maggie is somehow involved, but I’m completely baffled. Gabriel adamantly denies having an affair with her, claiming instead that he lent his credit card to his ex-wife, Olivia. Those charges were hers,” she explained.

Roman winced. “I need to show you something,” he said before leaving the room. When he returned, he was holding some photographs. Handing them to Emily, he said, “These were taken two days ago.”

Emily stared at the picture in her hand and felt a wave of foolishness wash over her. The photo showed Gabriel and a woman standing closely together outside an apartment. The woman was dressed in a robe, while Gabriel ran his hand through her hairwith an affectionate smile. Quickly, she flipped to the second picture and felt her face drain of color. It captured Gabriel kissing the woman.

She scrolled through the remaining photos, each making her feel more nauseous. “That’s not Maggie,” she muttered.

“It’s not?” Roman said in shock.

“Nope!” she said, shoving the pictures back at Roman, her hurt quickly morphing into anger.

“I found out what happened to the money, by the way,” Emily said, her voice tinged with resignation.

Roman remained silent, allowing her to continue.

“The practice was sued because of Gabriel’s sexual misconduct,” Emily said, her voice cracking with emotion. “He had to settle to avoid losing his job and possibly his medical license. I feel like such a fool.” Tears welled in her eyes as she continued, “How could I not have known what was going on?”

Roman took a step closer and wrapped his arms around her. “It’s not your fault, Em. There was no way you could have known,” he reassured her gently.

“What am I going to do now?” she cried.

Emily rested her head on his chest, drawing comfort from the steady beat of his heart.

“It’s going to be okay,” he murmured.

After a moment, she lifted her head and gazed deeply into his eyes. “I’m sorry I didn’t believe you.”

She closed her eyes, and Roman wrapped his arms around her, enveloping her in his comforting embrace. Slowly, she lifted her head and gazed deeply into his eyes. “I’m sorry. I should have believed you.”

“I would never hurt you, Em,” he whispered, his eyes flickering to her lips. The beating of his heart sped up as he lowered his head, gently pressing his lips to her.

The kiss turned passionate instantly, an urgent need igniting deep within both of them. Roman lifted her by the waist and set her on the kitchen counter. His body urged her legs apart as he positioned himself against her, he slipped his tongue into her eager mouth.

She ran her hand through his hair, eliciting a soft moan, while his hands roamed, exploring every inch of her body.

Roman slid his hand slowly and gently into her pants and under her panties, causing Emily to gasp softly. He slipped two fingers inside her, her wetness making it easy to slide them in and out. She wrapped her legs tightly around his waist and rode his fingers harder. Pulling away from his kiss, she dropped her head back, her eyes still closed, and started releasing soft moans in sync with the rhythm of her strides.

Roman opened his eyes and watched her. His already erect penis started to throb. Reaching down, he deftly unbuttoned and unzipped his pants with one hand, his eyes locked on hers, while his other hand continued its tireless work.

---