Page 50 of More Than Nothing
She pushed her hair back from her face with an agitated hand. Her eyes clung to his and stole the breath from his lungs. “Would you sleep upstairs with me tonight? I don’t want to be alone.”
The strangled request came out in a rush, as if asking anyone for a favor was an alien experience for her. Roman’s heart turned over yet again and he wondered when Elenie would stop sneaking beneath his defenses. How could he say no?
The silence seemed to expand and she huffed an embarrassed laugh. “Unless you don’t want to. It’s fine if you don’t.”
Roman couldn’t bear to listen to her backtrack. He nodded. “Sure. Of course. No problem.”
He could do this. It was his job to protect and that’s what Elenie was asking for—protection, support. He could give that to her.
She smiled the ghost of a smile and turned. Roman gave her a few minutes to pad silently back up the stairs. He filled a second tumbler of water and then followed in the footsteps of the woman who threatened his equilibrium more than anyone he’d ever met.
Elenie was already under the covers when he entered the bedroom. She’d left a small lamp glowing by the bedside. In the dim light, he couldn’t see her eyes. Roman tugged his Henley over his head and tossed it onto a chair in the corner, leaving his undershirt and jeans on. Crossing to the other side of the bed, he lay down on top of the covers. He would rather be uncomfortable himself than make Elenie feel awkward.
She reached over and turned out the light. The bedroom was silent but the hush that fell between them held a dozen unspoken thoughts.
“It’s been a weird night.” Elenie murmured into the dark.
He smiled at the understatement, staring up at the ceiling above him, muscles tense. “You did so well. Everything went exactly how we planned.”
She gave a hum of agreement. “I bet either Craig or Vince called Ty before they left the bar.”
Roman frowned and shifted position, raising an arm to cradle his head. The urge to look at her whispered through his sinews but he resisted. Long moments ticked by and the air grew thicker. His mind refused to settle, leapfrogging restlessly from one subject to another.
“I told Thea I’ve been struggling. I told her everything. We talked for ages. I should have done it before.”
He heard Elenie turn her head and her eyes warmed the side of his face. The fruity scent of her shampoo did strange things to his chest. “Did it help?”
“It felt good. I’ve never kept secrets from Thea.”
“Will you tell your parents?”
“Already have. I went round to theirs the next day. Told them about the transfer, too. They were disappointed I’m not planning to stay, but they were more upset I hadn’t told them how bad things had gotten.”
“They love you.” Her voice was soft.
“Yeah.” The hand lying on top of the covers bunched into a fist. Tension snaked through the darkness. “Just Florence to go now.”
There was a rustle of cotton and Elenie reached out. He opened his grip at her touch; she threaded her fingers through his own. Offering comfort to him, even now when she needed it more. She was so slight in build, so resilient in person. He admired every feisty inch of her.
The night threw a blanket around the bed, insulating them from reality, and Roman turned to look at her then; he couldn’t help himself. Her slate-gray eyes held whole worlds he was desperate to visit, and he swallowed. Elenie’s gaze shifted to his throat. His groin tightened, his breath caught. Neither of them moved. Then, her eyelids flickered shut, eyelashes forming perfect half-circles against her pale skin, and Roman sagged into the mattress.
Torn in two with wanting what he couldn’t have, Roman let himself imagine what life could be like if things were different. He wished he’d met her in simpler times—when he had his life together and she had found her freedom.
As the quiet minutes passed, their breathing slowed, steadied, and blended. He held her hand gently like a wild thing; Elenie’s chilled skin warmed beneath his touch. Ever so slowly, her fingers slackened in his and, although he could no longer see her, he guessed that she was sleeping.
It was a long time before Roman followed suit but, when he did, he crashed deeply. And Elenie kept the nightmares and shadows away with just the rise and fall of her breath.
Chapter 25
Elenie
She changed into the spare uniform she kept at work and got stuck into the familiar routine that kickstarted every shift at Diner 43. As Elenie unloaded the dishwashers and sanitized the surfaces on autopilot, the craziness of the last twelve hours ran on repeat in her brain.
She’d woken early enough to watch the sun rise across the stunning face of Roman Martinez just inches from her nose. They weren’t touching, though she was pretty sure she’d drifted off with her hand in his. Barely breathing, Elenie watched him like a stalker for as long as she could, greedy eyes taking in the relaxed lines of his face.
As she pulled on her clothes from the night before, Roman rolled onto his side in his sleep, his arm denting the pillow beneath his head. The silver scar along his jawline called to her fingers. At some point in the night he’d pulled the comforter over one leg, his undershirt bunching just enough to show an inch of tanned skin above the waistband of his jeans. His body was insane. It had physically hurt to drag herself away.
Caitlyn’s little house was silent, the hum of town life outside different to the sounds at home. No one stirred as Elenie stealthily opened the front door and headed to work.
