My explanation seemed to work as her features softened. “Yeah, shame they didn’t tell me about the ancient boiler and the lack of heat. The place is like living in an igloo.”
“I can recommend someone to fix it for you.”
She sighed dramatically. “You really have a saviour complex, Roman. Has anyone ever told you that? I’m sure some girl will love you riding in to rescue her, but that’s not me, so if this was a coincidence, then I won’t find you leaping out of the shadows any time soon, right?”
I nodded, unable to ignore how the tone in her voice made my cock twitch even more than her perfume had. I’d imagined her so often over the years, but seeing her confidence was such a fucking turn on. She was right. I’d expected her to be timid and in need of protection, but this woman was like a lioness, happy to fight to protect herself and unwilling to let anyone step in. I realised I’d need to be more careful how I took care of her, because, whether she liked it or not, she was mine, and therewere no limits to the lengths I’d go to protect what belonged to me.
“Understood.”
She placed her hand just above my knee, slapping it twice. “Good. Glad we had this chat. And thanks for the lift.”
7
HANA
I steppedout of the car, slipping off Roman’s jacket and placing it on the passenger seat. I shivered, but it wasn’t from the cold; it was from the loss of his scent that clung to the collar. I had no clue what it was, but I wanted to bathe in it so I could smell it forever.
“I’ll wait till you get inside,” Roman informed me, his face serious and his jaw tense, so I knew there was no point arguing. “I’m being polite,” he added. “I don’t want to get up tomorrow and find you’ve been torn apart by a wolf or a moose.”
“Do you get many wolves or moose out here?” I asked on a laugh.
He shrugged before offering me a wink, and I wondered if he’d think less of me if I climbed back into the car and demanded he take care of me by fucking me and filling me with his cum.
Probably.
“Night, Roman.”
“Night.”
I turned and walked the short distance down the path to my front door, trying not to trip over the overgrown weeds that needed cutting back. Another thing to add to my to-do list for this house.
When I reached my front door, the security light came on, and I opened my purse to reach for my keys.Fuck.I cursed internally, remembering I’d planned to get a cab home from Amber’s after the club. I’d left my keys there, so I didn’t lose them like I’d done in the past when I got too drunk.
I let my head slump against the door, the shots I’d consumed earlier suddenly making me want to turn around and ask Roman for help, but what was the point of my ‘I don’t need saving’ speech if I then needed to be saved? Glancing back, I could sense him staring, even though I couldn’t see his expression beyond the glare of his headlights.
Turning my body so he couldn’t see my party trick, I pulled the jewel-encrusted barrette from my hair. Slipping it into the lock, I wiggled it until I felt the bite of the binding pin, followed by the click of the lock releasing. I pressed the handle, and the door opened, so I turned and offered Roman a finger wave before I stepped inside.
I slumped back against the wood, letting out a sigh, unsure how a complete stranger was getting under my skin so easily.
I woke with a dry mouth,my head throbbing. I pushed myself up, groaning at the idea of having to walk to the kitchen for water, but then the full glass on the bedside table caught my eye. I didn’t remember filling one last night, but a lot of shots passed my lips, so maybe drunk Hana was trying to take care of mildly hungover Hana, and I thanked her for it as I downed the water, humming with happiness as it hit my throat, quenching my thirst.
When the glass was empty, I placed it down and fell back against my pillows, pulling up the layers of blankets I had on thebed to ward off the cold, muttering to myself about how I needed to get someone in to look at my boiler. I sucked in a deep breath, noticing that Roman’s scent hung heavy in the air, like it was still clinging to my skin and hair. Every breath I took reminded me of him. His huge body, his dominant presence, the tattoos that covered his neck and hands, and, I guessed, a lot more of his body.
It had been so long since I’d been with a man. I’d had dates over the years. I’d had sex too, but no one seemed interested in coming back for more. I seemed to repel men, and I wasn’t sure if it was my fierce independence, my requests in the bedroom, or just the fact that I was really shit in bed.
Aware I was about to spiral into a place I didn’t want to go, I threw back the covers.
“Motherfucker, this place is fucking freezing,” I yelled as I ran from my room to the bathroom, hoping the hot water was working so I could warm up.
8
ROMAN
If there wasone thing I’d learnt about Hana over the years, it was that she slept like the dead. Which was why I dropped her off and hid in my car around the corner until I was sure she was asleep. Then I’d broken into her house to get her some water so she wasn’t so hungover in the morning, which was how I ended up standing at the end of her bed, watching her sleep. I knew it was fucked up; I knew she could wake and catch me. I knew I was stepping over a line, and it was extreme, even for me, but I couldn’t help it.
She slept with a lamp on, so the low light highlighted her profile. Lips parted, her eyes fluttered as if she were dreaming. Her hair splayed across the pillow, but my fingers curled into fists as I noticed the beanie she was wearing, as well as the layers of blankets covering her, obviously protecting her from the cold that misted my breath as I exhaled.
As I watched, she arched her back, extending the column of her neck as she moaned, making me wonder what she was dreaming about. My cock swelled in my jeans, aching so much I could barely think about anything other than how it would feel to have the pulse in her neck hammer against my lips as I licked and sucked the sensitive skin while I pressed my body to hers.
