Page 33 of After The Storm

She looked down at the black boots with two inch heels and then up at him. “Not a problem. You obviously know very little about women. We can run in stilettos if we have to.”

“Good. Then run.”

They took off toward Canal Street on their way back to the hotel in the French Quarter, and even though Kate tried to keep up with him, she simply couldn’t run as fast as he could. He kept looking back to see if the security guard planned to chase them outside the building and finally saw the man push the back door open and look up the street toward them.

Kate saw him look back and turned her head, causing her to trip over her own feet. She fell forward and landed hard on the ground and on the laptop.

Roman looked back and saw the man begin to run after them. He picked Kate up off the ground and grabbed the laptop.

“Run!”

She looked back and stopped as the guard continued to run toward them, so Roman pulled her along. Kate finally started running again after he barked at her to move, holding tightly onto his hand.

“Is he following us?” she asked frantically.

He looked back and saw the man about two blocks behind, but he didn’t want to scare her by telling her that. “I don’t know. Keep running. I’ll tell you when you can stop.”

They ran for another block before he turned around one more time and saw the man had given up. They were in the clear.

For now.

As they reachedthe hotel, they slowed down and began to walk again. Kate still held his hand and asked, “Can we please take the elevator up to the room? I can’t handle any more stairs right now. My legs feel like cooked spaghetti.”

Roman hoped when they walked into the lobby they wouldn’t run into the police standing there waiting for them, but he didn’t want to make her walk up the stairs again, even to the second floor. She had, after all, not fought him on anything since they left the room over an hour ago, so at least he could give her this one thing to make her happy.

He looked down at her and smiled. “Okay, we’ll do the elevator, but if there’s anyone suspicious in the lobby, we won’t have a choice. We’ll have to take the stairs.”

The smile she gave him lit up her face. “Deal. See, I don’t have to fight with you all the time.”

No, she didn’t. And he liked this Kate who agreed with him.

For the second time, they walked into the Allton Hotel lobby with its white marble floors, huge crystal chandelier, and luxurious furnishings in the waiting area. This time, they held hands, and Kate pressed her body to his as they passed the check-in desk and that same clerk he’d met the first night.

“Good morning, Mr. Madson,” the desk clerk said in an entirely too chipper early morning voice.

Roman gave him a smile but said nothing, preferring to keep silent as he and Kate walked to the elevators. Although no one stood waiting for any of the three doors to open, just like the last time they stood there waiting to go up to their room, he wrapped his arm around her and she buried her face in his shoulder to hide from anyone who might walk up to them.

No one did, and when the doors to the center elevator opened a few moments later and they walked in, she didn’t move away from him. Instead, she pressed her face into the space in between his shoulder and chin. Her skin was warm against his neck, and as the elevator rode up to the second floor, he felt her lips touch his skin beneath his ear.

Closing his eyes, he let himself revel in how good it felt to have a woman this close again. Not just any woman, though.

This woman.

He wanted to feel every inch of her against him. Even though he knew he shouldn’t want that, he couldn’t help himself.

No. He didn’t want to help himself.

Never before in Roman’s life had he been so willing to throw caution to the wind for another human being. His world had been built on knowing when to risk it all and what to expect in return when he did. It’s what made him the successful soldier he’d been and the man Persephone and Nicholas could always count on, no matter what the case.

Now his thoughts turned to the basic fact that although he barely knew Kate Sheridan, she made feelings he’d sworn he’d never feel again come alive inside him. Those emotions, so risky in his line of work, now threatened to overwhelm him as she stood clinging to him.

So close that he felt the beat of her heart against his side. He’d promised to protect her when they first met because it was his duty as a member of Project Artemis.

As they stood alone in that elevator after nearly being caught at that office building, he knew that had changed. Now he silently swore that he’d protect her not out of duty but because he cared for her.

It made no sense, but then again, he’d never thought emotions made much sense anyway.

“I’m sorry I nearly messed everything up back there,” she said quietly, her soft lips moving against his neck and making him want to feel those lips on his right there in the elevator.

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