Page 39 of Roman & Olivia
Groans filled the truck, and he shook his head. He couldn’t do that to her. He couldn’t tell her that he was in love with her. It would destroy everything.
No. He wouldn’t hurt her like that. They needed to get back to normal.
But what was normal anymore?
It wasa hot afternoon a few days later when Roman was stopped short by her voice.
“You’ll never guess what happened at work today.”
Roman stiffened. His hands tightened into fists, then flexed outward before he turned to face her. Every time he saw her, she managed to get more beautiful. Today she was dressed in a pair of fraying shorts and a pink tank top. Her skin was flushed, and her hair had been pulled back into a messy bun. His eyes swept over her form from her flip-flop-clad feet up to her face, where he saw a knowing smirk gracing her pretty, full lips.
She shifted from one foot to the other, her hands shoved in her back pockets. Then she rocked back on her heels and looked away. They hadn’t talked about that kiss he’d stolen over the weekend besides his explanation immediately after.
At this point, he wasn’t even sure if she had forgiven him for overstepping or if she’d let it be because she trusted his instincts. Roman tilted his head. “You’re probably right. I don’t think I could guess what happened at work. I’m guessing that it has something to do with Mason?” Man, that guy’s name tasted foul on his tongue. If he never saw Mason again, it would be too soon.
Olivia glanced at him for a moment, then let out a laugh. “You’d be right on that.”
He fought the urge to scowl. Whatever she had to say about Mason wasn’t something he wanted to hear. When he didn’t ask, she continued.
“He brought me a coffee this morning.”
That made Roman frown, and Olivia noticed, based on her wince.
“Then he got me lunch.”
Roman nodded absently. “That was nice of him.”
She took a step toward him. “He’s never done that before. What do you think it means?”
He pinched the bridge of his nose and focused on remaining calm. “It’s not hard to figure that out, Liv. You know what it means.”
Her brightening smile was like a punch to the gut. She bounced on the balls of her feet. “Really? That’s a good sign, then, right?”
“Right,” he muttered, turning to get back to work. He picked up the hose he’d brought over to the trough and moved it to the next one to start filling it. The animals were already moving his direction to quench their thirst.
“You okay?” she hedged.
“Yep. Why do you ask?” he said, not looking at her directly. Instead, he squinted and took a quick look at the sun overhead.
Olivia moved closer, the frown between her eyes matching the one on her lips. “Because you look like you’re having a bad day.”
Wasn’t that the truth. Over the last several days, in fact, he’d come to the realization that he needed to be grateful that he’d be able to have as much of Olivia as he did. She wasn’t interested in him, and that was okay. He glanced at her briefly. “It’s been a long day. It’s hot. And I’m ready for it to be over.”
She didn’t speak right away, causing him to grow still. “Anything I can do to help?” she asked.
Roman shook his head. “No. I just need to finish this up.”
Her eyes darted to the water that was quickly filling the large metal basin. Then her focus slowly lifted to lock with his. There was no disguising the devious expression that filtered onto her face.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t fast enough. One second, she was looking at him with that wicked smile; the next she had leaneddown, cupped the cold water in her hands and flung it in his direction.
For someone with such small hands, she sure knew how to use them. In a matter of seconds, his upper half was dripping wet. He’d even gotten some water in his mouth, much to his dismay.
The shock wore off and he dropped the hose in the half-full basin.
Olivia screamed, stumbling back a few steps. “Roman—” she warned. “Don’t?—”
“Oh, you lost the chance at mercy when you tossed your second wave of water at me.”
