Page 28 of Loving Roman (The Summer Twins #3)

–alice–

Walking in my front door, Roman takes me straight into the bathroom and strips me down.

He starts the shower, and I wish the space were bigger so he could join me.

I haven’t stopped touching him in one form or another since the awful incident.

I can’t bear the thought of being separated from him. Not even an inch.

I thought I’d lost him.

Those terrifying, gut-wrenching moments.

He helps me into the shower and remains outside the stall. He soaps up a loofah with my favorite vanilla body wash and washes my body with gentle, loving care. There’s nothing sexual about this moment. It’s purely him looking after me, loving me, showing me he’s still very much here with me.

Roman washes my hair, then follows with conditioner.

Once I’m cleansed to his satisfaction, he helps me out of the shower into a waiting towel, which he uses to methodically dry my body from head to toe.

Towel-drying my hair as much as possible, he gently combs the strands and then plaits them into a simple braid.

“C’mon. Let’s tuck you in.” Bending down, he picks me up and carries me bridal style to my bedroom. Carefully, he lays me on the bed before tucking the covers around me. His gentle care and concern for me fill my heart. He makes a move to leave, and my heart speeds up in panic.

Reaching out, I grasp his hand. “Please don’t go.”

He bends over me, hands braced each side of my head, his face mere inches from mine.

“I’m not going anywhere. I already called Kate and explained what happened.

She offered to look after the kids tonight, and I accepted.

” He kisses my forehead tenderly. “I’m just gonna make sure the house is secure and settle us in for the night. ”

Roman returns and strips down quickly. I admire his body for the short time it’s on display, before he climbs in behind me, surrounding me with his warmth and vitality. I breathe deeply, centering myself. Grasping his hand in mine, I bring it up between my breasts, holding it tight.

He’s here.

He’s safe.

He’s alive.

I turn over, so I’m face to face with my forever guy.

“I was terrified to let you in after losing my husband and parents twenty years ago. I had locked my heart away under the guise of being too busy raising Noah. But really, I was scared. Scared to open my heart to anyone. Terrified of losing that love again. Today, I decided to let you in fully. I decided it would be better to love you, even if it was for a short while, than it would be to never love you at all.” He smooths his fingers along the side of my face, his eyes soft and full of understanding and compassion.

“In those horrendous moments when I thought I’d lost you, I wondered how life could be so cruel as to take you away from me so soon.

” I swallow my nerves for what I’m about to ask.

“Roman. I never want to spend another moment without you. I want to share the rest of my life with you. Every moment, good or bad—I want you beside me. Will you please marry me?”

His warm chocolate eyes widen to the size of saucers as his mouth opens and closes several times. I don’t think he was expecting those words to come from me. “Are you sure? You’ve had a severe shock today, and I understand this knee-jerk reaction, but is this what you really want?”

I nod, my eyes compelling him to believe me. “Yes. This is what I want. Today made me realize how much I want you in my life. I don’t see the point of wasting time or delaying the inevitable. Please say yes .”

“There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you, you know that, right?”

I nod. “I know.” Please say yes.

“I’ve wanted to drop to one knee and ask you to marry me since you landed on my doorstep with Marcus,” he murmurs, his voice tinged with disbelief that I’m the one doing the asking.

“Is that a yes?”

“Yes! It’s definitely a yes. I would be honored to marry you and have you as my wife. Share my life with you.”

We meet in the middle in a searing kiss to seal the deal.

“Two weeks. You have two weeks to pull it together. Then you’re moving into the group home with me and the kids. I’ve already spoken to Marcus about it.”

It’s my turn to be shocked. He really was thinking about sharing his future with me. We both move forward simultaneously. Our mouths meet in a slow, luxurious kiss. Our bodies press tight together, our legs entwine, and I know I could spend eternity kissing him. This beautiful, gentle man.

His hardness presses into my belly, and I moan into his mouth. His hand slides around to my backside, and he pulls me impossibly closer. I ignore the pain his grip on my ass causes because I don’t want to break the moment. Our hearts beat in sync, strong and sure; reassuring me he’s here with me.

Rolling me onto my back, Roman slides over the top of me without breaking our kiss.

I eagerly open my legs wider, welcoming him into the space between.

He nestles his shaft against my mound, and I roll my hips upward to make maximum contact.

We both moan at the feeling of being so close, yet not quite there.

“I need to be inside you, Tesoro.” I lick his chin and push my hips up higher.

“Hurry, please.” He reaches across to the bedside drawer to grab a condom.

Raising my hand to stop him, I lock eyes with him.

I know this isn’t a sexy conversation to have, but considering we’re getting married, now’s as good a time as any.

“I’m going through perimenopause, so I’ll speak with a doctor about our options for birth control.

” I dip my chin to the condom in Roman’s hand.

“Hopefully, we can skip these in the near future.”

Roman freezes in place, then nods sharply as he rolls the condom down his length.

“Not gonna lie. The idea of being bare inside you is almost too much.” His knuckles turn white as he squeezes the base of his penis, closing his eyes, almost like he’s in pain.

When he opens them again, the lust in his gaze squeezes my chest, locking my breath in my lungs.

Then he cups my face as his eyes sear into mine, and he smashes our mouths together.

Readjusting his hips, he notches the head of his dick at my opening, and our kiss slows.

Becoming more languid as he pushes his hips forward.

The pressure pinches, and my muscles tighten.

Damn it. I’m not wet enough, even though I’m turned on.

This is so embarrassing. I squeeze my eyes tight with shame.

“What’s wrong?” Roman’s concern makes its way through my inner torment .

He pushes away from me, and the cool air moves into the space between us, making me shiver. “I need lube.” I steal my gaze from his and bite my bottom lip. Way to ruin the moment, Alice.

Roman captures my gaze and grins down at me, then reaches into the drawer to grab the bottle we bought on vacation.

He holds it up. “You know I don’t have a problem with using this stuff.

We can even experiment with different flavors.

Make it fun. Maybe even bring in some toys or something.

” He winks down at me as he drizzles the lube on my pussy.

His fingers follow the path, sensually spreading the liquid and dipping inside me to ensure he doesn’t miss a single spot.

His eyes follow every movement of his fingers as if he’s mesmerized.

I take the bottle from him and squeeze some lube onto his cock. I carefully watch his face, I rub the lube with slow, firm strokes along his length. His answering groan and the thrust of his hips set me ablaze again. It makes me feel feminine and powerful. It makes me feel sexy.

My entire body heats from the inside out, like a fire’s been set low in my stomach as he pushes inside me. Long and slow. Deliberate and steady.

The stretch. The tether between us. The vulnerability of gazing into each other’s eyes as he seats himself inside me. His body comes down onto mine, pressing me into the mattress in the most divine way imaginable. Having him all around me. Inside me …

I moan, and he groans at the sensation.

This .

This is what it’s all about.

This closeness we share is something worth holding on to.

“You ready, Tesoro?”

I push my hips higher in answer and kiss my way along his stubble-covered jaw .

“Hold on,” he grunts.

He brings my right leg up around his slim hips, and I mirror the action with my left.

As he pulls out slowly, the glide of his shaft against my walls feels amazing.

It won’t be long before I detonate. He always gets me halfway there just by being close.

Wrapping my arms around his shoulders, Roman takes the action as his signal to move.

He pushes back in and swivels his hips, forcing the breath out of my body.

My pussy clenches in response, tightening around him like a vise.

He keeps up the slow glide out, followed by a hard push back in, finishing each time with a swivel of his hips. I match him, grinding upward to force him deeper into my body. It feels as amazing as always, but it also feels deeper, more emotional.

Dare I say, spiritual?

“You getting close?” he grunts harshly beside my ear, his warm breath tickling me.

“Uh huh,” I answer with a sigh as I arch upward. “I just need?—”

“I know what you need, Tesoro. I’ll always know what you need.” His hand snakes between us as he locates my clit like a heat-seeking missile and begins working it over.

With our hips moving in unison, our bodies heat from the exertion. Slick skin slides against slick skin, and the light smattering of hair across Roman’s chest tickles my breasts as they move with the force of his thrusts. Our moans fill the room along with the slapping of skin against skin.

The smell and sounds of sex overwhelm my senses as I drop off the edge of the earth, falling into the abyss as my orgasm overtakes my body.

My walls clench around Roman’s shaft, sucking him deep and working to hold him inside.

His dick pulses and then grows before his hot cum jets into the condom.

The sound of our coupling becomes obscene as he continues to slide in and out of me.

Our movements gradually slow to a gentle rock, and Roman’s mouth returns to mine—biting and licking first my bottom lip, followed by the top one.

He presses his forehead to mine, and our eyes lock. “Thank you.”

He smiles. “What are you thanking me for?”

“For taking a chance.” He looks at me quizzically. “That morning on the beach, when you approached me and asked me to join you for breakfast.”

“Best decision I ever made.” He leans forward and kisses me tenderly.