Page 108 of Catch Me
“Really?”
The way he looked nervous made me cock my head. “What is it?”
“Nothing.”
Before he could pull his shutdown routine, I ran my fingers through his hair, then tightened them in the strands. “Don’t hide from me, Roman.”
He swallowed hard. “It’s awkward, I guess. My old girlfriend...”
When he stopped talking, I smiled a little. After a minute, he looked at me again.
“It’s stupid,” he muttered.
“If it is, I still wanna hear it.”
“She’d get pissy if I didn’t stay the night, but I hated every second of it. Could never sleep.”
“You think that’s how you’ll feel?”
“No,” he said immediately, grabbing onto my arm as if he thought I was gonna run off.
“Hm. Well, I’m more hungry than tired, so get off your ass, you lazy bum.”
“You don’t have to—”
“I become a bitch when I don’t eat,” I interrupted. When I got to my feet, he sat up. “Trust me, you don’t want to see that.”
“Did your grandpa have a weird hick phrase for that too?”
“Hick.” I scoffed. “Now I don’t want to say.”
Scooting to the edge of the bed, he took my hips in both hands. I let him tug me forward, already feeling my resolve falling to bits.
“I’m so hungry, I could eat the north end of a south-bound polecat.”
He erupted in laughter, dropping his forehead against my stomach. “That can’t be a real saying.”
“Oh, it is.”
“Do you like Texas?” he asked suddenly.
I considered the question for a moment. While I thought about it, I put my hands over his, making him apply more pressure to my hips. When he yanked me closer, I tried to catch myself, but he twisted, dropping me onto my back. With him staring down at me, shirtless and with his biceps flexing, I was tempted to stay in this position until the weekend was over.
“Answer the question.”
“I love Texas,” I replied, diverting my attention to his chest as I ran my fingers down it.
“Tell me more.”
“Why?”
“I have to know.”
“What do you have to know, Roman?” I asked somewhat teasingly.
“Everything.” His lips gently touched mine, and he inhaled deeply.
“Some of the people leave a lot to be desired, and it has a slew of other problems, but Texas raised me. I was never dying to get out and I don’t really care if I live there again, but it’s home, and it’ll always be in my blood.”
