Page 31 of Roman & Olivia
Goosebumps attacked her body, and her heart skittered until she forced it to settle down.
“Roman,” she gasped under her breath. “What are you?—”
“We’re moving into the next stage, sweetheart,” he murmured against her skin. “Play along. He needs to see what he’s missing.”
As much as she wanted to say she was catching on to what he was spelling out for her, she couldn’t. Her organs were going into failure. Her brain was sluggish. “What?—”
“He’s watching. They both are. Make this good,” he whispered, tugging her closer. “Lean into me. Laugh a little.Flirt, for heaven’s sake.”
Right. This was for Mason. She was supposed to be putting on a show. She swallowed hard and let out a strangled laugh. Then she laced her fingers together behind his head and peered up at him, but what she saw there threw her off guard.
Something smoldered in his eyes. “Roman?—”
He leaned into her, and she held her breath, waiting for the impending kiss, but his lips only moved toward her ear. From an outside perspective, it probably looked like he was nipping at her and getting her body to react to him. But all he was doing was whispering his plan.
They were to be overly affectionate today. They needed to make Mason believe she was the kind of woman he wanted. Her head was still fuzzy as she attempted to differentiate the Roman she was friends with from the Roman who was playing the role of his life.
“Ready?” he whispered, his hot breath skimming against her skin.
“Yes,” she murmured breathlessly.
“Good.” He pulled back and winked at her. “I have coffee ready.”
She’d been in the process of digging through a box where the cereal had been packed. Olivia had smelled the coffee the second she’d woken up. She didn’t know how he’d managed to make coffee until she saw that he’d boiled the water over the fire. Then he’d poured it through a filter into another pot.
Cammi already had a steaming cup grasped between her hands. A blanket was draped around her shoulders, but the shock on her face was the most noticeable part of her. Her brows were lifted, and her lips were forming a perfect “O.”
Olivia blushed as she moved toward the table where Roman now stood. He had a cup in his hand and was holding it out to her. She reached for it, and he held it up over his head. “Roman,” she warned. “You know what I’m like if I don’t get my coffee.”
He snickered. “What are you willing to do for it?”
She glanced from the cup to Roman, then gave a quick look at the others before returning her eyes to him. “What do you want for it?” she teased.
Roman cocked his head to the side, and something like amusement and deviousness danced in his eyes. “A kiss.”
Her smile fell. They hadn’t agreed to anything like that. He’d already kissed her cheek this morning. What was he doing?
Before she could demand that they have a talk in private, he turned his face to the side and tapped his cheek. “Right here.”
She could sense more than see the others shifting in their seats. This wasn’t supposed to be strange. They were dating. In fact, if anything, it was strange that she hesitated—and that he hadn’t requested a kiss on the lips.
Olivia cleared her throat and forced a smile. Then, with an exaggerated eye roll, she moved toward him. Without warning, he slipped his free hand around her waist and pulled her close. She gasped but powered through and stood on her toes to give him what he’d requested.
At the last second, he turned his face, so she ended up placing a quick peck on his mouth.
Her eyes widened at the spark of electricity that raced through her core.
It was the most chaste kiss she’d ever given a man, and yet the weight of what she’d just done had her reeling. She blinked and her throat closed up. Before she could utter a single syllable, Roman took her hand and placed the coffee there. He smirked at her like he’d cracked the funniest joke of all time. Then he wandered over to the fire to put another piece of wood on top.
“Umm…” Cammi murmured at her side. Olivia hadn’t even seen her get up from her seat. She had her back to Mason, and her voice was so low there was no chance of anyone but Olivia hearing it. “That didn’tlookfake.”
Olivia’s eyes cut to Cammi. She still wasn’t thinking clearly.
“Are you sure that Roman doesn’t?—”
“What? Of course not! He’s my best friend. You know that.”
Cammi arched a brow, then let out a whispered laugh. “Really? Because theaffectionateway he’s been toward you this morning is giving off a different sort of vibe.”
