Total pages in book: 26
Estimated words: 24894 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 124(@200wpm)___ 100(@250wpm)___ 83(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24894 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 124(@200wpm)___ 100(@250wpm)___ 83(@300wpm)
“How…?”
“I did something I shouldn’t have done.” I smile. “I didn’t keep running until my legs stopped working. I came back and found you lying in the dirt. Dad and I stopped the bleeding, got you in the truck, and brought you here.”
I watch his face as he processes what I’m saying. This isn’t a position a man like him is used to being in. And from the way he’s holding my hand, it’s like he’s leaning on me for support. And that has me glowing inside.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” he finally says, a smile in his eyes.
“Yeah, well, I saved your life,” I reply. “We’re even now.”
He shakes his head. “Three to one.”
“You jerk,” I giggle, going in for a kiss. Our lips meet, and I feel it. My forever. I knew Roman cared about me and was shocked at how we fit perfectly together. But seeing him in action and watching the way he put his life on the line for me took things to a whole new level.
“Chuck?” he asks. I nod to the door.
“He’s outside. Said he needed some air. I think he’s still pretty shook up from what happened.”
Roman nods. “Having a gun to your head will do that to you.”
I’m shocked as he pulls the blanket aside and swings his legs out of bed. He must be in so much pain, but it barely registers on his face as he gets to his feet. I rush to his side. I don’t know what I think I can do. If he falls over, there’s no way I can catch him.
“Are you sure you should be standing?” I ask. “You were just shot.”
Leaning down, he kisses me gently on the top of the head. “I’ll be all right. But I need to talk to your dad.”
“I’ll come with you—”
“No,” he says sharply. “You stay here. I’ll be back in a second.”
All I can do is nod and watch as he walks to the door, favoring his right foot. I dug all the glass out and bandaged them both up, but that was the foot he stomped on back at the cabin. It must be killing him.
Still, he shows no signs of pain. It’s hard to even picture him doing so. What I can picture is him taking on an entire army of guys sent to kill me, beating every one of them, and walking away from it all without even a trip to the hospital. I can picture him climbing Mount Everest without gear, becoming the world UFC champion, lifting an entire car by himself.
I’m all warm and fuzzy inside. Geez, I’m slipping back into fantasy land now. Turning Roman into one of the men from my books.
And while he may be just like many of them, and while he was able to give me what I thought no man ever could, Roman isn’t a fantasy.
He’s real. And I belong to him.
For some reason, knowing he’s outside and alone with my dad makes me uneasy. Is he scolding him for going into two million dollars’ worth of debt? For putting me in danger? Are they going to end up in a fist fight?
I take a deep breath. No, that’s just silly. I need to settle down and stop overthinking things.
So I go back to the bed and remake it. There’s really no point. It’s completely fine. I just need something to do to keep my mind off things.
I can hear their voices through the thin motel walls, but it’s impossible to make out what they’re saying. It doesn’t sound like an argument, though. In fact, it sounds like a very civil conversation.
God, that would be nice. Roman and my dad getting along.
Is there even hope for our relationship? It’s been in shambles for a while now, but maybe a dramatic event like this is enough to wake Dad up and make him re-examine the way he’s been living.
I’m putting the pillowcase back on the second pillow when Roman comes back inside.
“Everything okay?” I ask. But he doesn’t answer. He has his gray duffle in his hand, carries it over to the mini-kitchen area, kneels down, and pulls something out of it. It’s so small I can’t see what it is.
When he looks up at me, there’s a gleam in his eyes I’ve never seen before, and my chest instantly tightens. My heartrate goes through the roof.
What is happening?
Roman limps across the room to me. Somehow, he looks bigger than ever. The bandage on his shoulder makes him even sexier than he normally is, and the way he’s staring at me has me unable to move. I’m pinned in place, stuck where I am until he stops two steps in front of me.
His chest rises and falls as he takes a deep breath. A thought crosses my mind, but I push it aside.