We started following the hostess to our table. “Why would you think that?” I asked, glancing over my shoulder to see a frat boy staring me down, a phone to his ear. He was probably checking in with whoever was supposed to be babysitting him.
“I saw that look on your face after I introduced you to Beckett.”
“Here’s your table,” the hostess said, pulling out a chair for Sasha.
Sash took a step toward a seat, but I held her back. When her eyes met mine, I leaned in close and said, “I wasn’t mad. I was jealous, and you might want to take a hard look at what that looks like because I don’t see myself ever liking the fact that other men will approach you the second I have my back turned.”
The corner of her mouth lifted slightly. “As long as you know that I’ll never be with anyone but you, I think I can deal.”
I smiled and leaned in, pressing my mouth to hers for only a second. When I pulled away, the hostess was still holding the chair for Sasha, but she was making it evident that she wastrying not to pry on our moment. I followed Sasha over and took the chair from the hostess, pushing her in once she was seated. The hostess set our menus on the table and promised to send over our waiter, without either of us acknowledging her.
After that, our dinner went smoothly. The wine was rich, and the food was terrific. The frat boy left a moment later, and I never saw him again. As far as I know, the phone calls I made did precisely as I promised, and the poor kid learned a valuable lesson on not pissing off people he doesn’t know.
Over the years, I liked to imagine him flipping burgers and telling all his coworkers how close he was to being rich, while I juggled my multi-billion-dollar tech companies. Some lessons can only be learned the hard way, and if you’re too big of a dick to know them by watching and listening to others, then you get what you deserve.
While he probably spent the rest of his night calling in every favor he could, knowing it wouldn’t do him any good, I spent the evening with the woman I was quickly falling head over heels in love with. Although the second that word crossed my mind, something inside of me started to come undone.
I felt like a ticking time bomb, and I knew that something was about to blow. I didn’t know what. I didn’t know when. But I could feel it. The end was quickly approaching. As much as I wanted to enjoy the ride, all I could think about was the wreck at the end of the tracks.
THIRTY-THREE
SASHA
Iliked seeing Roman get jealous. He could be standing in the middle of a room full of men, and he’d be the only one I saw. He didn’t notice, though, because he couldn’t see past everyone else to see where my attention was. Roman always seemed so calm, so collected, as if he were untouchable, so it was nice to see him humbled. I also found it incredibly sexy.
After dinner, we went back to the hotel, but we didn’t go straight to our room. Instead, we stopped at the bar for drinks. He ordered for both of us while I went up to the room to get out of my dress. It was entirely way too formal for the hotel bar, especially since the bar also spilled out onto the patio that was surrounded by paper lantern string lights and tiki torches.
I changed into a white cotton maxi dress, something comfortable but still cute. I let down my hair and combed my fingers through the curls to unknot them before heading back down.
Roman was sitting at the bar with a drink before him, eyes on the TV that hung behind the bar. It wasn’t a busy night for the hotel bar, but it was still early, and there were a few others around. I took the seat next to him, and he looked over at me. I saw the way his eyes dropped down my body as he took mein. When they returned to mine, I noticed how much they’d darkened.
“I like your hair down,” he told me, reaching over and placing his hand on my thigh as he gave it a light squeeze.
I picked up my drink from the bar. “I liked seeing you get jealous,” I admitted.
He looked at me with his brows lifted, like he was surprised by my admission. “Is that so?”
I giggled and took a sip. “Mhmm.” I nodded.
He placed his glass on the bar and turned to face me. “Why is that?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess it’s because…” I leaned toward him and lowered my voice. “I guess it’s because this is my first real relationship. I’ve never had anyone lay claim to me before, but I like that you think I’m yours.”
The corner of his mouth twitched like he was holding back a smile. He nodded, silently asking me to move closer. When I did, he placed his lips at my ear, and he whispered, “I don’tthinkyou’re mine, Sasha. Youaremine.” He nipped the shell of my ear with his teeth, causing a wave of heat to wash over me.
A smile immediately tugged at my lips, but before I could pull away, he was cupping my jaw and pressing his mouth to mine. My lips parted, allowing his tongue to slip inside to tangle with my own. Every sweep only made my blood boil hotter until tingles of need overtook my entire body.
I wondered if everyone felt that way after getting into a relationship. I remembered all my friends becoming boy-crazy, but I didn’t think anyone had what Roman and I shared. The need I felt for him was more substantial than anything else I’d ever experienced.
“I want to dance,” I told him, breaking our kiss and standing as I reached for my drink.
He looked at me with amusement on his face, but he stood and followed me outside to the patio, where music was playing. There were a couple of tables scattered about, but they were all empty. Even though we were outside, in a public area, we were all alone.
I turned to face him, and I wrapped one arm around his neck, tugging him closer. He put both hands on my hips and moved with me to the beat of the music. I loved the way his hands felt, holding me to him. Another couple exited the bar and crossed the patio, taking a seat at the table in the darkened corner. He didn’t blink or even look away from my face. It was like all he could see was me, and I loved feeling like I was the center of the universe to him. He didn’t pull away or even try putting an inch of space between us. He didn’t care if people were around. He made me feel like I was the most important. I had all of his attention.
I spun around, pressing my backside against him as I moved my hips from side to side. He squeezed my hip and pulled me closer, allowing me to feel his hardness pressed against my ass. Every muscle tightened in appreciation. His lips moved to my ear, and his breathing washed over my neck and cheek. I let my head lull to the side, hoping he took the invitation. It only took a moment before he dipped his head forward to press a kiss below my ear.
“It’s too bad we’re not alone,” he whispered.
