My face is on freaking fire. “You’re just saying things to flatter me.”
“I don’t just say things. I speak the truth. And the truth is that your body is beyond compare.”
I shiver. A part of me, the part I thought Max had smothered, feels like it’s coming back to life. And it’s a part of me that wants Roman so badly it hurts.
He leans back, voice softening just a bit. “I don’t expect anything if you come into this water. This is for you. To feel good in your own skin. To stop apologizing for taking up space.”
I stare at him, my heart pounding, vodka buzzing in my veins. It would be so easy to laugh it all off, to back away, to run to my room and curl up with my insecurities wrapped around me like a weighted blanket.
Instead, I hear myself saying, “If I do this, you have to promise to close your eyes.”
His lips twitch. “I don’t make promises I can’t keep.”
“Roman,” I warn.
He considers me for a moment. “I will stay in the water. And I won’t touch you unless you ask.”
That is absolutely not the same thing. My hands are trembling with excitement and nerves. I tug my cardigan tighter around me for a moment, breathing hard. Then I straighten.
“Turn around.”
He laughs. “No.”
“Roman.”
“Why are you so determined not to be seen?” he asks. “You walk like you’re afraid to offend just by being you.”
“That’s not… I don’t…”
He narrows his eyes. “If you knew how you look to me right now you wouldn’t be hiding.”
His words have more of an effect on me than I want to admit.
Shit. Here goes nothing.
I take my cardigan off first, sliding it over my shoulders. The T-shirt is next, leaving me in my bra and shorts. I feel like the walls are watching me. And in Roman’s house, that might be true.
I slide off my shorts. The warm air wraps around my bare legs. My thick thighs suddenly feel like the most exposed things in the world.
“Still with me?” he asks with a smile.
“Something like that.”
He chuckles, and damn if the sound doesn’t make me feel just a little more comfortable.
I reach around and unhook my bra with clumsy fingers, letting it fall, one arm instantly crossing over my chest.
Roman’s got this smoldering, reverent look on his face, like he’s witnessing something holy.
The last barrier is my panties. I hesitate, breath shuddering.
“Close your eyes.”
He doesn’t say yes. He doesn’t say no. He simply waits.
I sigh, practically vibrating at this point. “You’re impossible.”
“So I’ve been told.”
