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I turn her around and give her a deep, lingering kiss. “I didn’t know you could cook,” I say as I pull back, taking in the fried bacon and sausages.

She smiles and turns back to the skillet. “Well, I had to learn early on in life if I didn’t want my dad and I to starve.” She glances at me with a wistful smile. “My dad, God rest his soul, was a great artist, but he could be nonchalant about everything else around him when he was in work mode. So, I decided to learn how to cook for us both.” She scoops out the last batch of bacon.

My smile dims as she talks about Warren. This should be the time I tell her I knew her father, but still the words don’t come out, and I feel overshadowed by my guilt.

Not yet.

I push it to the back of my mind and slip my hands around her from behind, pressing kisses to her neck and jaw, delighting in her happy giggles and hoping I don’t ever lose this feeling.

Chapter Seven

Bella

The evening air in the garden is warm and smooth on my skin. I’m lying on a soft, thick blanket, naked as day I was born—except for the intricate gold anklet Roman gifted me early this morning. My gaze shifts to his face above the wide easel as he paints me, and I can’t help the smile that tips my lips. There’s a slight growth of beard on his chin, adding to his sharp features. All he needs is an eye patch and he would pass for a pirate.

A rogue, sexy-ass pirate…

I love how his face is all scrunched up in concentration, and the way he bites the tip of the brush when he’s trying to get a shade right. It’s so endearing that I giggle silently, unable to imagine his expression when I tell him how cute I find his habit.

I sigh softly as I think about the blissful bubble I’ve been in since I met Roman. The more I spend time with him, the softer the painful memories grow. Everything just seems to work out with him and around him. The air is lighter and the sky seems brighter. Even his home is a dream. The backyard is bordered by a hill, and surrounded by lovely trees, and the house somehow feels both traditional and modern at the same time.

This feeling of perfection scares me, yet I don’t ever want it to end.

I don’t want to leave…

My final year of college starts soon, and I’m honestly not looking forward to going back to NYU.

Still in my thoughts, I exhale aloud, already feeling bereft about leaving Roman.

“What is it, baby?” Roman asks, his concerned tone penetrating my thoughts. “You don’t seem happy, and that is your second sigh,” he points out, putting down the paintbrush.

I slide my gaze up to his, feeling melancholic. “It’s nothing serious. I’m just thinking about going back to college. And I honestly don’t want to…leave,” I whisper, suddenly feeling shy.

He reaches my side in quick strides and settles beside me, his right arm bracketing my body. He leans close until I can see the excitement and desire in his smoky gray eyes. “Are you sure?” he asks, his tone curious and his gaze searching.

I nod, unable to speak.

And I watch his handsome face brighten with a wide smile, making my heart race and my blood sing. He leans down to press a kiss into my throat, sending a jolt of desire through my body. I inhale sharply, arching my neck as he trails kisses up to my ear.

“Would you consider transferring to a college in Seattle?” he asks, his lips beside my ear, sending shivers down my spine.

“Why?” I ask softly, turning to face him.

“Because I don’t want you to leave either,” he says, his eyes dark with determination and need.

A huge smile widens my lips, and my heart melts at his words. I close my lips over his, kissing him with all the excitement I feel.

He pulls me to a sitting position, deepening the kiss, his lips firm and soft, awakening my desire. I moan softly into his mouth, sliding my hands beneath his sweatshirt. My hands feverishly glide over his hard, lean muscles, trailing over his warm, golden skin. He licks my lips, his teeth catching my bottom lip and biting gently. My hands find his nipples and I graze my fingers over them. Roman groans aloud, the sound of his pleasure sliding over me like a caress.

One of his hands slides into the back of my hair and the other glides up my thighs, grazing my sensitive skin until it rests on the curve of my neck. Goose bumps dot my flesh and my skin goes warm under his palm. His lips move sensuously over mine, as if he can’t get enough.

This kiss is different than the others we’ve shared. It’s searing and soul stealing, and at same time it’s reverent and sweet. Intimacy with Roman is like a thrilling adventure—it just gets better and better, and I must confess that I’m a willing participant for the ride.

The need to feel his skin against mine rides at me until it’s all I can think about as his hands tease my flesh. I quickly break the kiss, breathing hard as I push up his sweatshirt, urging it over his head. Roman assists me until it’s off, then he chucks it over his shoulder. We stare hungrily at each other, panting heavily. His upper body gleams under the sunset, making his muscles seem more defined and inviting. My mouth waters with the need to stroke his skin and lick him all over.

I take in his wild and harsh gaze, so blatantly filled with his desire for me, and his firm, swollen lips, slightly parted. It makes my nipples go heavy and my sex flood with wetness. I don’t know who moves first, but suddenly we’re back in each other’s arms, kissing with intensity.

My nipples pebble and grow under his touch, and I break the kiss and arch my back to his sensory assault, my hands gliding over the hard planes of his body. He gently rolls my nipples then leans down to slowly lap at each one with his tongue. Wetness floods my insides and I jerk into his mouth, clutching the hair at his nape.