Page 35 of Inside Out
“Tell me about your evening,” I urged when I handed him the mug.
I wedged myself in the corner of the couch and folded my legs so I could watch him as he spoke. Rome struck the exact same pose in the opposite corner while Dolly lay on the floor beside the couch chewing the toy he’d brought along.
“Dolly is welcome on the couch,” I said, gesturing to the empty cushion between us.
Rome shook his head. “I don’t want anyone or anything between us.” Then he sipped his beer and licked his lips. “Oh, that’s good,” he said, studying the glass. “Light, crisp, with a hint of citrus.” I had a hard time looking away from his lips. “Oh, about the four brothers thing. I told my nieces, ages sixteen and fourteen, their parents were going to adopt a family of four brothers. I can’t remember what I said their ages were because I was just throwing bullshit out there hoping it would stick, but I think I said between two and twelve.”
“I take it they weren’t happy about the idea?”
“Not in the least.” Rome started laughing some more. “I have to tell you about my aunt Astrid.” He then proceeded to give me some background about the lady before he got to their conversation. His aunt Astrid sounded like a real firecracker. “I know damn well she was going to say porn. We all did. My mom is her medical power of attorney and the person the nursing home calls when she acts up. Imagine how embarrassed my mom was when she raised hell with the administration for taking her laptop away only to find out what had been going on.”
“I don’t understand why they couldn’t let the little lady indulge.”
“They gave her a warning when they caught her watching it in the community rooms.” I snorted. “She wasn’t wearing headphones. The final straw was when she fell asleep watching it with the sounds of grunts and groans filling the room she shared with another woman. Her roommate was so hard of hearing she didn’t know what was going on, but her family sure recognized the sounds.”
“Oh shit.” I laughed until I cried.
“There was one comment everyone except my oblivious father said to me tonight.”
“What’s that?”
“The remarked about how happy and relaxed I looked.” Rome unfolded his legs and leaned over to set his mug down on the coffee table before crawling across the couch to reach me. “Guess what they accredited the changes to?” Rome took my mug from my hand and set it on the table beside his.
“A good night’s rest?”
Rome shook his head and whispered, “They said it must be a man.”
“Should I be jealous?”
Rome caressed my bottom lip with his thumb. “Huh-uh. I think you should kiss me.”
“Yeah?” I asked, unfolding my legs to make room for Rome. “You’ve been thinking about my lips on yours?”
“And other places.”
“Me too,” I admitted.
“I feel so damn clumsy and out of practice. I think I look and sound suave, but I worry that I’m more Gilligan than James Bond.”
I couldn’t help laughing at the two choices he presented. “You’re nowhere near as clumsy as Gilligan, and I love that you’re not a player like Bond.”
“Yeah?” he asked, removing his thumb and lowering his head until his lips hovered a hairsbreadth away from mine.
“Hell yeah.” I cupped the back of his neck and pulled him the rest of the way.
Rome’s mouth against mine was like setting a lit match to a piece of dry paper, burning so hot there wouldn’t be anything left of me, not even ashes. There wasn’t anything gentle about the way we kissed each other this time—teeth clacked and tongues rasped and swirled in an erotic dance. Our bodies moved in unspoken accord to slide lower on the couch until I was on my back and Rome was between my spread thighs.
I wrapped my arms around Rome, loving the weight of him against me but needing more. I slid my hands beneath his sweater and trailed my fingers down the center of his back until I reached the waistband of his jeans. I ached to slide my hands beneath his jeans but settled for gripping his firm ass through the denim instead. Rome took my cue and began rocking his pelvis forward and back, eliciting a groan from me because the friction of our erections grinding against each other was out of this world, even if we were separated by sweatpants and jeans.
Rome stilled his hips and pulled his mouth away from mine. We were both breathing hard, sucking air into our lungs. “Is this okay?” I loved that I could make him sound so breathless. Rome’s pupils were blown, and his face was flushed with acute arousal, but he still stopped to make sure he wasn’t moving too fast for me. It only made me want him that much more.
“Those were moans for more, sexy,” I said. And if my words weren’t enough, I lifted my hips to grind my erection against his, encouraging him to start moving again. “Take this off,” I said tugging at his sweater. “I want to touch you.”
Rome rose up and whipped his sweater over his head, baring his chest to me for the first time. The man spent a lot of time in the gym to maintain his lean, muscular frame and his cut abdomen. I traced my finger over the pulse in his neck and his collarbone before flattening my palm against his chest and sliding it down over smooth skin and rigid muscle. I loved the way his happy trail tickled my palm and was eager to follow it beneath the fly of his low-riding jeans.
“Your turn,” Rome said huskily. “I need to touch you too.”
I reluctantly dropped my hand from his body but did what he asked. Rome placed both of his palms flat against my pecs and licked his lips in appreciation. My commitment to the gym had always been about my health and having energy, but the lust in his eyes made me appreciate my efforts for a whole other reason. I raised my arms and tucked my hands under my head, completely turning myself over to him.