Page 71 of More Than Nothing
“Elenie.” Fireworks burst in his chest; a smile tugged at his mouth. “This is unexpected.” He cursed himself when she took a step back, hands plucking at the pockets of her jeans, gray eyes huge, uncomfortable, and defensive again.
“I’m really sorry.”
“No, no—come in!” He stood back, opening the door wide. When she hesitated, he took a gamble and walked away from her, heading for the kitchen. “Give the door a hard shove,” he called over his shoulder. “It sticks a bit.”
He didn’t hear the sound of the door closing until after he’d filled the kettle and placed it on the stovetop. Roman allowed himself another small smile.
“How d’you get here?” he asked when Elenie finally appeared in the doorway.
The taste of her skin was as clear on his lips as it had been every day since the gala dinner, the urge to kiss her again almost overwhelming. Roman’s muscles tightened, need burning low in his stomach. Smothering it all, he turned to open a cupboard.
“Tea or coffee?” He held up a mug, his voice a little rough.
“Coffee, please.” She took a step into the kitchen and stopped again. “I, uh, walked. Here, I mean. This morning.”
Elenie looked around. Her face softened as her eyes darted from place to place. Roman followed her gaze. The open-plan kitchen and living area was fairly tidy. He allowed himself a moment of relief that he’d done the dishes last night and hadn’t left any clothes tossed over the couch. He’d picked up some more furniture recently. Seeing the place through her eyes made him realize how much he had settled in.
She only walked the rest of the way into the kitchen when he placed a steaming mug of coffee on the counter and pushed it toward her. Rather than pick it up immediately, she fiddled with the handle.
“Must have taken you a while to get here.”
“I hope you don’t mind?” Her eyes flicked to his face.
“I’ll be honest, it’s the best start to my day I can remember having.” She took a few sips of coffee and Roman saw her shoulders relax slightly; he felt like he’d won a prize. He’d never been someone to wear his heart on his sleeve but he was willing to say whatever was needed to put Elenie at ease. “Why did you come?”
She cringed. “I went to a business dinner with Craig last night.”
Jealousy kicked him swiftly in the balls. “Oh?”
“We met another couple at a restaurant in Kalamazoo. Your parents were there.”
Roman lowered his mug to the counter. “Ah.”
Elenie paced across to the huge window that almost filled one wall of the sitting area. She looked out at the tall trees for a moment, then turned back to face him, leaning against the glass. “I didn’t see them until we left. Your mother spotted me as we walked out and I couldn’t avoid speaking to her. Craig had his hand on my waist—it was so obvious we were there together.” Mortification colored her cheekbones. “I’m used to people thinking badly of me, I really am. It’s something I try to ignore.”
She crossed the floor to straighten his radio on the countertop and then moved again to the coffee table, bending down to look at the back of the thriller he was halfway through. Roman followed, taking a seat on the couch, his elbows on his knees. Elenie ran her hand back and forth along the velvety back of the armchair.
“But your mother looked like I’d disappointed her and I can’t bear it. As if anyone would ever choose thatdummkopf5 instead of you.”
Roman’s heart turned over with a thump. “It’s OK.”
“It’s not OK!” She pushed away from the chair. “They were so kind to me when I was there for lunch and now they’ll be thinking I’m this shitty person who is out with a different guy every day of the week.”
“Hey, stop.” Roman stood up and reached for her elbows, wanting to reassure her, wanting to touch her. It was impossible not to compare her obvious distress with Zena’s calculating deception.
Elenie frowned, eyebrows knitting. She chewed on her lip. His eyes dropped to her mouth and he was lost.
Slowly, gently, he kissed her. Her breath shuddered on his tongue and his body clenched with need. She let out a soft moan, heating his blood with the sound. He pulled her closer, hands sliding around the small of her back. She was so slight, so delicate. When she raised herself on her tiptoes, pressing her palms againsthis chest, he caught his breath. The feel of her sliding against his groin set him on fire.
“Oh, sweetheart.” He whispered the words against her mouth.
Elenie’s fingers skated tentatively upward to twist in his hair as they tasted each other. His tongue dipped between her lips, the warmth welcoming him, enticing him further. Soft and delicious. She tasted of coffee. The scent of fresh air and grapefruit in her curls filled his nose. Hunger burned and spread under his skin. Roman had never wanted anyone so much.
His hands found her bare waist under the hem of her t-shirt and he breathed a groan into her mouth. His fingers inched higher, stroking her skin, brushing the fabric of her bra. Her breasts teased him, inviting his hands to cover them and his mouth to explore them. A tremor rippled his stomach muscles as he forced himself to hold back.
“You taste so good,” Roman rasped against the curve of her neck. She shivered and the sensation set off an answering pulse in his cock. An electrical current travelled up his spine. “Fuck, you drive me wild.”
Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew he was due at work. Talking would be more sensible, with the few opportunities they had. But he couldn’t move away from her to save his life. Couldn’t focus on anything other than the feel of her skin and the heat in his blood. He’d thought nothing would be able to top the first time they had touched, in the back room at the Elite Lodge Hotel.
