“Be nice to me,” she says, looking off to the side. “I can’t stand it, Roman.” She turns back to face him, folding her arms over her chest, her fingers digging into her arms. “You did nothing wrong, and I had all these negative opinions of you. And I made you like them and you’renot.You’re …” She trails off, clamping her lips shut when she looks back at his eyes that seem brighter. Hopeful.
“I’m?” he asks, his voice low as he draws in a breath, eyes raking over her features.
Charming in a way that’s dangerous.
“A dad,” she says, drawing out the word unintentionally, her body curving more into the wall. “You’re responsible for a tiny human, and I’ve been making your life … so much worse.”
“Jahlani, you didn’t know,” he says, his voice softer this time.
She frowns down at the ground, not liking the way her throat clamps shut. “Maybe I am bitter and twisted.”
Roman removes his hand from the wall, exhaling a ragged breath as he steps back, and Jahlani regrets saying anything because she’s suddenly desperate for his warmth.
“I didn’t mean that,” he says, his voice heavy.
“Yeah, you did,” she says, her eyes finding the ground again. “And it’s okay, because I think it’s true.”
For several seconds, neither of them speaks. The distant sound of people laughing, the bass of the music, and the clattering of drinks being mixed, fill the tight space. Jahlani closes her eyes as her temple starts to pulse, and she draws her fingers to the sides, applying pressure as she winces.
He needs to go away. He’s making everything worse. He’s making her feel things that she has no business feeling.
Two fingers find their way to her jaw, and he turns her face back toward him. Her stomach flips and her eyes drop to his mouth.
“No, I didn’t. I was frustrated at you and myself, but I don’t think that about you,” he murmurs, dropping his fingers from her face.
She shakes her head, her skin sparking where he touched.
“You’re so gentle with me,” she says, inhaling sharply. Her eyes bounce up to his. “And I’m so …”
“So?”
“Not with you.”
His eyes wash over her before falling to her hand. His eyes narrow and he tilts his head. “What happened to your wrist?”
She blinks, folding her arms across her chest. “Some guy in here grabbed me when I was dancing earlier,” she murmurs, her head starting to pound. “I just bruise easily. It’s nothing.”
A dark look crosses his features, and she watches the pulse in his neck tick as his jaw clenches. Her eyes close as the thrumming in her head increases and her stomach shakes.
“Who’d you come here with?”
She wants to slide down and take a nap. “Why do you care?”
“You’re drunk. I need to make sure you get home safely.”
She waves him off, swaying slightly. “I’m fine. I don’t need your help.”
“Stop being stubborn.”
“I said I’mfine.” She opens her eyes, pushes from the wall forcefully to prove her point that—See? She’s not drunk. Her mind is not a garbled string of thoughts, and she can walk in a straight linebut her heels are harder to walk in than she remembers, and she finds herself stumbling into his firm chest as his arms instinctively cage around her. Anchor her.
“Oh,” she says stupidly, staring at his chest. “I guess I am a little drunk.” She lets out a soft set of laughs before going limp in his arms, letting the weight of everything fall away against him. She can’t seem to find the energy to pretend that she isn’t happy that he came looking for her.
CHAPTER 15
NOT A CHEESY HALLMARK FILM
ROMAN
