Page 61 of After The Storm

She listened for a sign that he’d fallen asleep and heard his breathing grow heavy. After a few minutes, she knew it was time and gingerly slid out of the bed, careful not to make any noise that could alert him to her intentions.

Tiptoeing around the room, she grabbed the laptop and then searched for Roman’s pants to get her phone. She spied them on the end of the bed near his feet and knew she couldn’t just reach into the pocket and grab them without risking waking him.

Frozen there at the foot of the bed, she stared at the covers for any hint that he may have awakened. When they didn’t move, she carefully slid her hand into the front pocket of his pants and grabbed a hold of her phone to pull it out.

Now that she had all she needed, she looked across the room to see her purse. Once she had that, she’d be free to leave. For a moment, she turned back toward where Roman slept and let herself remember how much she loved being with him. It wasn’t just the sex, either.

That had been incredible, for sure, but as much as she’d miss that with him, she’d also miss that honorable streak that ran a mile wide in Roman. She’d never had a hero in her life, and now that she had to leave him behind, she knew she’d miss that part of him the most because it was what made him truly a good man.

And men like Roman were hard to find.

Kate couldn’t think about that now, though. She’d already let her feelings dictate too much of what she’d done since running away from Eve that night. The time had come to take care of herself and not rely on anyone, including the man who lay in the bed in front of her.

Even if she’d fallen in love with him.

Never before in her life had she regretted something even before she did it, but as she watched him lying there in front of her, she already knew she’d regret leaving him. It didn’t matter, though. They were both better off apart.

Now all she had to do was convince herself of that.

With one final glance at him, she turned and tiptoed toward the door. She didn’t know exactly where she would go, but it was better this way for both of them.

“Why do you have a death wish, Kate?”

At the sound of his deep voice, she stopped and looked back at him. “It’s better that I do things alone.”

Chapter Nineteen

Roman wondered ifhe should just let her leave since she clearly didn’t want him around, but he couldn’t do that. Protecting Kate was his mission, but even more than that, he cared about her. He hadn’t cared for anyone like this in a long time.

Even more, he liked the feeling and didn’t want to be without it in his life any longer.

He got out of bed and walked over to where she stood clutching the laptop and phone he’d taken off her earlier. Looking down into her beautiful face, he shook his head and put his hands on her shoulders.

“I can’t let you do this on your own, Kate.”

She turned away so she didn’t have to face him. “Whatever you guys are, you aren’t expected to be my savior. You got me this far. You can tell your boss you did good.”

He slid his arms around her, and when she refused to look up at him, he said, “Kate, I want to say something. Look at me.”

She slowly lifted her head, and he said, “I can’t let you do this on your own because I care about you. I can’t stand the thought of you getting hurt.”

Her eyes grew wide, and then she narrowed them as a look of confusion came over her. “Are you supposed to feel that way about the people you help?”

Shaking his head, he quietly said, “No.”

“Then why?”

He kissed her to stop her from asking any more questions. At that moment, he didn’t want to think about anything but how good her lips felt against his. For the first time in too long, he felt something for a woman, and he didn’t want to lose that.

To lose her.

Pressing his forehead to hers, he admitted the truth. “Because even in this shitty motel room, I’ve never been happier anywhere else in the world and that’s because I’m with you.”

“Really?”

“Really. So I don’t have a choice. If you go, I go. So if you’re planning to leave now, you need to know I’m right beside you.”

She smiled and sat down on the bed. “I guess there’s no point in leaving then. Might as well stay in this luxurious suite we have here.”

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