I breathe in deep, my gaze catching on the faux wood tiles Skyler helped me lay. Last month this place looked like something you’d find on the back end of Craig’s List but I have to admit it’s starting to come together.
The previously stained walls are painted a soft eggshell blue and now it’s not covered with detritus the white iron bed frame actually looks adorable. Plus, the bathroom off to the right isno longer a place I fear to undress in. If I can turn this crappy apartment around, then maybe the shop isn’t doomed.
I stop biting my lip and pick my grown ass up off the bed. This coffee shop is my dream. I want it to work, I really do. So, I guess I better go be an adult and let Roman and his entourage in.
Roman’s hand is raised to knock when I open the door. He holds it in the air as his gaze drops down to me and the short shorts and vest top I threw on.
“Hi,” I say, my voice soft.
When he doesn’t say anything, I drum my fingers against the door. “So… are you going to come in?”
Roman grunts. “I’m debating whether or not I should tell you to go back upstairs and change into something that won’t make every guy behind me want to put their hands on you.”
I roll my eyes, but my belly warms. I step back and open the door wider, gesturing for him to come on in.
The crew he’s brought with him follow behind and I shake my head in disbelief. “You guys didn’t have to do this.”
“Yes, they did,” Mase says, dipping his head at me and getting straight to work sorting through the blueprints on the counter despite the fact his hangover must be worse than mine.
“We like coffee,” one of Cooper’s teammates adds.
Cooper grins. “And someone said something about apple fries? Not a clue what they are but I’m in.”
I laugh. “That, I can do.”
Mase waves me over and I spend a few minutes talking everyone through the repairs that need to be made.
Skyler comes down and gets on the phone with a local window shop about replacing the glass shop front.
Cooper and his team get to work salvaging as much of the furniture as they can while Mase and Jarred fill up some buckets to scrub off the spray paint.
Once everyone is sorted and knows what they’re doing Roman pulls me aside.
He turns me to face the shop and loops his arms around me from behind. His lips feather against my ear as he dips his head. “This is why I love Pine Rock.”
I sink back into him, my hands curling around his forearms, because I know what he means. It’s not everywhere that people will drop everything and come and help just because you ask.
Roman drops his hands to my hips and spins me back to face him. “I’m not going anywhere. All those years of fancy dinners and expensive schools, I figured out something my dad never did. Money doesn’t make you happy, people do. And you Lola, you make me happy. You may not think I belong here, but I can promise you, this is my home.Youare my home.”
My throat grows thick, and I twist my fingers in his hair, like I can take back all my words from last night if I just hold on tight enough. “I didn’t mean to make you feel like you don’t belong here.” Tears sting my eyes. “You’ve been a part of my family since as long as I can remember. I don’t want to be here if you’re not here with me.” My heart aches and I study the soft cotton of his undershirt, the way it stretches over his firm chest.
“I’m just scared. I’m so far from perfect, Roman, and I don’t want you to wake up one day and realize that you could have done so much better.”
Roman tips my chin up with the side of his finger and I jolt at the anger burning in his eyes. “I’m going to get so fucking mad at you if you don’t stop putting yourself down and if we were alone right now, I’d be dealing with this in a very different way.” His hands drop to my hips again and he tugs me in towards him.
My eyes widen as his hard length digs into my stomach, and I get an idea of how exactly he’d rather be dealing with me.
Instead, he asks, “Do you know why I call you Firebird?”
I scowl. “Because I set the barn on fire with out-of-date fireworks?”
Roman shakes his head. “I call you Firebird because you’re like a phoenix, always rising from the ashes. It doesn’t matter how many times you fall down, nothing ever stops you from getting back up. That’s why I love you, Lola. Not because you’re perfect, because you’re brave and strong andrelentless.”
I gaze up at him, my chest rising as his words sink into my soul. I wrap my hands around the nape of his neck and draw his face close to mine. “I love you too, Roman Banks.”
He shakes his head again, his lips only a breath away. “Just Roman. Just me and you, Lola.”
I nod and his lips sear mine. He kisses me like he’s leaving his mark. Like the feel of his lips will forever be imprinted on mine. His tongue is rough and demanding and fire burns low in my belly.
