Page 61 of Against the Clock

“Have they heard anything about Saul?”I asked, looking up at him as he handed me another plate.

“Mike said that he was out of surgery but then took a turn for the worse and was rushed back into another one.I haven’t heard anything since then.”

“It’s so crazy,” I muttered.

I added the last few dishes to the dishwasher and then started it.My body was sore and tired as I leaned against the counter behind me.

“I just wish all of this was over already.Or better yet—I wish it wasn’t happening to begin with.”

“Me too.But we’ll keep both of you safe.”He took a deep breath and then sighed heavily.“I know that probably doesn’t mean much given what happened yesterday....”His head dropped as his hand shot through his short, dark hair.

“Hey,” I said gently, pulling his hand down.“That wasn’t your fault.”

He let his hand drop, our fingers entwining in the process.I turned toward him, pressing my chest into his as his hand snaked around my waist and pulled me tighter.

“I should have been there.I hate that I wasn’t.”

“You didn’t know.”

“We knew there was a threat—that’s all I needed to know.Instead, I was off looking for something and got distracted.I know better than to let myself lose focus.”

“What were you looking for?”My curiosity getting the best of me.

He let go of me for a brief moment as he walked over and grabbed his backpack from the hook by the door.A few minutes later, he came back and handed me a bag of gummy worms.

The corners of my lips turned up as I held it, realizing that this was what he and Mike had been talking about yesterday when I overheard them.I didn’t eat a lot of sweets, but gummy worms were my weakness, and the ones in the red bag were my favorite.

“They were out at the market that I went to, so I went to a few other places before I finally found them,” he explained.

I held them to my chest and looked up at him, trying to blink away the tears.

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“I wanted to.I mean, it was originally Mike’s idea to get them, but I was the one who had asked him what your favorite snack was.”

I wrapped my arms around his neck, careful not to scratch him with the bag.My eyes fluttered closed as my lips brushed against his before they parted, and his tongue swiped against mine.

“You’re so sweet,” I whispered between kisses.

He pulled away and slowly trailed his lips down the side of my neck.“I wanted to do something nice for you.”His teeth gently nipped my skin.“You’ve had so much going on and needed a treat.”

“I had a nice treat the other night,” I giggled playfully as I scratched my nails up his back under his shirt.“But this is great too.”

“Are you saying that sex with me is comparable to gummy worms?”He pulled back and raised a dark brow at me.

“Well,” I laughed.“Both are pretty satisfying.”

“But has a candy ever made you come before?”he whispered by my ear, the coarse hair on his chin teasing my skin.

“Hmmm,” I teased, playfully tapping my finger to my chin.“I’m not going to answer—”

“What the fuck is this?”Mike’s voice boomed from the front door before it slammed shut behind him.

I immediately jumped back, putting enough space between us to douse the flame that was starting to build between my legs.

“It’s not what it looks like,” I lied quietly, lowering my head to avoid his heated gaze.I wasn’t afraid of much, but that didn’t mean that I wanted to see my brother’s disappointment etched on his face.I could still hear Rosie laughing from the bathroom with my mom, so I knew she wasn’t headed out here yet.

“It is what it looks like,” Roman confirmed, digging his fingers into my hip and pulling me toward him protectively.

---