Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 98736 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 494(@200wpm)___ 395(@250wpm)___ 329(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98736 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 494(@200wpm)___ 395(@250wpm)___ 329(@300wpm)
My heart squeezes in my chest. “Done.”
He leans in and kisses me. “I needed to remind myself and you that you’re mine,” he whispers. “I didn’t like their hands on you. When my hands were itching to touch you, to hold you, to claim you as mine.”
“So you were jealous?” I ask, barely containing my smile.
I should be pissed that this little rendezvous was about jealousy, but let me tell you, when a man like Roman Bailey gets jealous and possessive over you, you embrace it, not fight with him about it.
His hands cradle my cheeks. “I was jealous.” His lips descend on mine. More laughter floats in from outside, and he pulls away. “I’m going to head down the hall to the bathroom. You get dressed. I’ll see you back out there.” He kisses my forehead and steps away from me. He walks toward the door and turns to look at me over my shoulder. I don’t know what I’m expecting, but a wink and his hand to his lips to blow me a kiss is not it.
He reaches for the handle, but I call out for him. “Rome.” He stops and glances at me over his shoulder. It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell him I’ve fallen in love with him, but I chicken out. “Thank you for—” I feel my face heat. “You know.”
“Never thank me for pleasuring you, baby girl. Your pleasure is a gift to me. I should be the one thanking you.” He releases his hold on the handle, turns on his heel, and in a few long strides is leaning over me on the bed, his arms braced on either side of me. “It’s a pleasure to know that I’m going back down there with your taste on my tongue and your scent on my hand. They can hug you and joke around with you, but you’re mine. I know it. You know it. Eventually, they’ll know too.” He kisses me quickly and stands. “Get dressed, baby girl. We’ve both been gone far too long.” With that, he strides back to the door, releases the lock, checks the hallway, and slips out.
I stare after him, wishing that things were different. I wish I could see the future. He’s in this now, into me, but we’re about to spend a lot of time apart. That can put a strain on the most in-tune couples. I know waiting is the right thing to do. Why rile everyone up if this doesn’t have lasting power?
Shaking out of my thoughts, I grab a sports bra and a T-shirt, and count to one hundred before heading back downstairs.
“What took you so long?” Lachlan asks. “Did you have the shits too?” He cackles.
“I had to change clothes and give myself a bitch bath, so I wasn’t all sticky with beer.” I glance at where my brother is sitting with his chin to his chest, arms crossed, and eyes closed.
“They’re dropping like flies,” Lisa jokes, pointing to where Maddox is lying on the ground.
“Do you need help getting them inside?” Lisa asks.
“No. Wait, where are Monroe and Legend?”
“Legend’s passed out in his truck, and Monroe said she was going inside to crash.”
“Okay. Thank you. Are you good to get everyone home okay?”
“We’re all set. Thank you for having us.” She leans in for a hug. “It was nice to meet everyone.”
“You’re Everlasting Ink family,” I remind her. “This will be your new normal.”
Her smile is huge. “Looking forward to it.”
She manages to wrangle Drake and Lyra, and lead them to their car.
“I’ll start getting these guys to bed,” Roman tells me.
“I can help.”
“Just check on Monroe, and maybe Legend. I’ll help your brother and Maddox and then come and get him too. Sleeping in the truck is never fun.”
“And you? Where are you sleeping?”
He leans in and presses a kiss to my temple. “I’ll hold you until you fall asleep, but then I’m going to take the couch or one of the extra beds. Wherever is open.”
“You’re staying?” I ask, surprise evident in my tone.
“Baby girl, you’re here, and I can get away with it without it being obvious. Of course, I’m staying.”
Together we start getting everyone to bed, putting out the fire, and locking up the house. Just as he promised, Roman slips into my room and slides into bed next to me. He wraps me in his arms, and we both sigh, content. “Sleep, baby girl.” I feel his lips on my shoulder and close my eyes.
I wish he’d be next to me when I wake up, but at least he’ll be here. I’ll get to see him. Maybe I can convince all the guys to stick around and hang out since it’s my last day. Anything to spend more time with him.
Chapter
Fifteen
Roman
* * *
“Just not feeling well,” I tell Forrest on the other end of the phone. “I’m going to sleep it off. Hopefully I’ll be fine with my afternoon clients. If not, I’ll reschedule them.”