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“I need to check on Tilly,” I say, still struggling to break free. “I can’t believe I left her alone last night. She must be⁠—”

My words break off when I see Tilly round the corner. Her tongue lolling out of her mouth as she comes to sit at Roman’s feet. She looks perfectly content, joyfully worn out, like she’s already had a morning full of adventures.

When she finally notices me, she tilts her head and cocks one ear, like she’s trying to figure out whether I’m lying on the floor on purpose or if I actually need help.

Apparently, she settles on the former because she doesn’t make a move.

I narrow my eyes at her. I see how it is, you little traitor.

She gives me a slow blink—which I’m pretty sure is the canine-equivalent of rolling her eyes—then tiptoes over, sniffs the top of my head, and proceeds to lick me right on the mouth.

I let out a startled cackle and throw my hands over my face, but it doesn’t slow her down. Her long, wet tongue finds my ear, then my cheek, showering me in slobbery kisses.

“Okay,” I laugh. “I guess I forgive you.”

I giggle and squirm away from her, trying to catch my breath. Satisfied with her assault, Tilly flops down beside me, and I absently rub her head.

When I look up, Roman is leaning against the doorframe, quietly watching us with a soft smile on his lips.

“Thank you for remembering her,” I say, feeling guilty for getting so caught up. I rub her ears and sigh. “I’m sorry for being such an absent mother.”

Roman shakes his head and laughs. “It’s no problem. I knew you’d be worried about her, so after you fell asleep, I went over to the pool house and brought her back with me.” He points at the small sofa across the room. “She slept in here with us all night.”

Wow. I don’t know if that makes me feel better that he went out of his way to take such good care of her, or worse.

Not only am I a deadbeat dog mom, but now I feel like I owe him.

I can’t help but think of Augustus, and how he couldn’t even be trusted to water my house plants when I was away, let alone take care of an actual living creature. In the three years that we were together, the man never even brought me a coffee, though I guess that says a lot more about me than it does about him.

Any lingering thoughts of Augustus vanish the second Roman comes striding toward us, that cocky smirk firmly in place. His jeans hug his thick, powerful thighs, and the sleeves of his white T-shirt strain across his biceps that look so delicious I want to bite him.

He crouches down beside us and begins rubbing Tilly’s ears. “I thought you could use the rest, so we snuck out just before dawn and went for a run. With all the time we’ve been spending at the office lately, I figured she could use a good workout.”

Tilly looks up at him and smiles, like she’s happy that someone is finally treating her the way she deserves.

“Well, thank you.” My voice comes out raspy, and I clear my throat. “You didn’t have to do all that.”

Warmth pools low in my belly as my body reacts to him. Then I remember I’m still very much naked beneath this blanket. Suddenly self-conscious, I bite my lip as I glance around the brightly lit room and tug it higher, trying to cover myself.

My cheeks flush at the memory of what we did last night. It all comes back to me in flashes. I can’t even blame my actions on alcohol. Last night was all me. Admittedly caught up in the heat of the moment, and now that the sun’s out, there’s no hiding what we did.

As if sensing my panic, Roman offers me a hand to help me up, then once I’m settled on the loveseat, he sets the tray in front of me. “I wasn’t sure what you like for breakfast, so I made a little bit of everything.” He lifts the covered platter, revealing a beautifully plated assortment of breakfast food. “Scrambled eggs, French toast, bacon, sausage, fresh fruit and, of course…” he lifts another platter. “Chocolate chip pancakes.”

I look at the breakfast, then back at him, my mouth already watering at the delicious aroma. “You made all this… Just for me?”

He blinks back at me like he’s confused by my surprise. “Kira, I literally came in your mouth last night… It shouldn’t be shocking that I’d want to make you a nice breakfast.” He presses a kiss on top of my head. “Get used to the princess treatment. It sort of comes with the territory.”

My eyes go wide, and I shove a forkful of pancakes in my mouth before I say anything to ruin this sweet moment. The butterflies in my stomach are doing full-on cartwheels now, and I have a feeling they aren’t going to calm down any time soon.

As if nothing out of usual, Roman spins on his heel, patting his leg as he calls behind him. “Come on, Tilly, let’s go finish cleaning up our mess.”

Matilda doesn’t even spare me a second glance before she bolts after him, leaving me alone with nothing but memories of last night to keep me company.

After breakfast, I freshen up with the spare toothbrush Roman thoughtfully left out for me, change back into last night’s clothes, and make my way downstairs to the kitchen.

I’d intended to clean up, since Roman went out of his way to make me breakfast, but it looks like he beat me to it. The countertops are sparkling, not a pot or pan in sight, while the dishwasher softly hums in the background.

“Damn.” I stomp my foot. Not only does he take care of my dog, but he cooks and cleans, too.