My dads came up, both of them loaded down with marshmallows, chocolate, graham crackers, and long sticks, and my stomach growled.
“How the hell can you possibly be hungry already?” Roman asked, laughing under his breath.
I gestured at the offerings. “It’s s’mores.”
“You just ate like three plates full of food.”
I shrugged with a grin, and he leaned in to kiss my cheek with smiling lips.
I couldn’t keep my eyes off of Roman. When he spoke, he moved his hands around, and all I could imagine were the muscles of his arms flexing. His broad shoulders, the curve of his neck, and his chest that I wanted to bury my face into.
I wanted to lick him.
No, I needed to lick him.
But… my dad was right there, so I did my best to hide my feelings.
Seriously though… wow. My viramore was hot as all hell.
Roman shot me a smirk and a wink my dad couldn’t see, so I knew I’d been caught staring.
I didn’t care.
Because I needed him.
We hung out with my dads, Remi, and Bel late into the night. As soon as I yawned three times in a row, my dad said, “You guys need to go get some sleep. You’re leaving early in the morning.”
I wasn’t about to argue. I was totally ready to climb into bed and snuggle up with my viramore.
Dad’s hug was just as brutal now as it was earlier.
“Dad, you’re not sending me off to war or something. Geez.”
He snorted. “Nope, but I’m still sending you into enemy territory and close to some horrible people that hurt others for a living.”
“We’ll be okay.”
He nodded and finally let me go before he turned to Roman. All night, they’d been friendly and had laughed together, but right now, my dad looked so serious.
“Rome, I… I really am sorry. I should never have—”
“Don’t worry about it.”
Dad grimaced, then walked forward and pulled his best friend into a tight hug. Roman hugged him back without hesitation, and a sense of profound relief and happiness flowed through me.
For a moment, I thought they were my own emotions, but then I realized they weren’t. I could feel my own, but these were sort of on top of the others. Like an extra layer coming from an outside force.
Coming from Roman.
From our bond.Throughour bond.
“Woah,” I breathed out as I sorted through them, making sure I could tell where my emotions ended and his started.
The two of them whispered a few words and laughed as they separated, and then Roman grabbed my hand, gave it a squeeze, and pulled me toward the roof’s exit.
As we headed down the stairs, I said, “I felt you—your emotions, I mean.”
He grinned. “Yeah?”
