“Alright,” I said with a sigh. “We really do need to get out there. We have a lot to do before Friday.”
He gave a nod, and when he pulled away, I could tell he didn’t want to. Honestly, I didn’t either. I… liked hugs these days. Especially when they came from Rome.
He headed for the door, but I said, “Hey, Rome?”
He turned back. “Yeah?”
“I… you know… you know you can talk to me, don’t you? Like, I know I give you shit and stuff all the time, but I’d like to think we’re… friends. Good friends.”
He sent me another smile that actually reached his eyes. “Great friends.” Then he walked back over to me, grabbed the back of my head, and pressed his lips to my forehead. My skin felt like it was sizzling with electricity everywhere he touched, and I couldn’t help the small gasp that escaped my lips. He lingered there for a few seconds before releasing me. “I know I can talk to you, and the same goes for you talking to me, yeah?”
I nodded, a little shocked at his display of affection.
Was that a… friend kiss?
Was that even a thing?
Like, seriously…wasit a thing?
I had no idea.
I’d never had true friends growing up—except one when I was sixteen, but that didn’t last long at all. Any other so-called friends weren’t ones I could fully trust the way I trusted Roman, or even the others in the safe house. So I had no idea what was… typical for a friendship.
I stared at his back as I followed him out into the dining room, but when I came face to face with everything we’d laid out for the case, I shook off my personal thoughts and feelings and focused on our plan.
We had satellite footage of the entire farm, which made it easier to plan how to approach. Tan had brought a whole troop of royal guards with him—they were staying at a secondsafe house for the time being—so we had plenty of people to surround the entire area to ensure no one escaped.
The plan was to wait until the auction started so we could capture all of the disgusting people who were there to buy actual people, as well as the traffickers themselves.
Between Roman and the vampires, I was sure we had a great plan in place. They were all old and had fought in many battles, so we were in good hands.
Hopefully.
Even as I concentrated super hard on the task at hand, I couldn’t help the way my heart sped up and my skin tingled every time I thought about that forehead kiss.
It had just been soooooo damn sweet.
Tender.
Loving.
I mean… who did that?
Who gave theirgreat friendsforehead kisses?
That couldn’t really be a friend thing, could it?
No one else had done that to me since I’d moved back to Sedoba. So… what had that really meant?
And why… why had Roman reacted so… neanderthal when Jed hugged me?
I glanced at the man in question, staring at him as he talked strategy with Phaeron. He really was so beautiful. And sweet, when he wasn’t driving me absolutely nuts.
And even though I’d missed my family and my friends while we’d been out on this mission for the last two months, I’d genuinely enjoyed the time I’d spent with him. When we weren’t out doing something or in planning, we were… cooking and eating and hanging out together.
And it’d been… nice. Fun, even.
He made me laugh, even if it was just at his exasperated sighs when I sassed him. He made me happy.
