Page 18 of The Criminal’s Cure

Roman and I have somehow gone an entire week without being alone in the same room—I’m not sure if I’m avoiding him, if he’s avoiding me, or if our paths just haven’t crossed, but somehow we’ve made it an entire week without being alone in the same room.

Considering his bedroom is one very thin wall away from mine, that’s a big feat.

We’ve had dinner a few nights, but only with Ty or Joe and Dante as a buffer, and even then, we haven’t spoken a word to each other.

I can’t stop replaying what happened the other night in my mind and it’s driving me absolutely crazy.

Of all the twisted things Roman has done, this one somehow takes the cake.

What kind of person demands I leave in the middle of my date just to kiss me like he was leaving for war, all to prove a point?

Not even Roman Molanari could be that selfish and out of touch. I refuse to believe it.

Not after the way he kissed me. Not after the things he said. Not after the spark I felt between us. You can’t fake that kind of passion, and I know something else is going on.

But as time passes and he doesn’t even attempt to talk to me or apologize, I wonder if I’m giving him too much credit.

Maybe he really is that much of an asshole.

It’s late when I get home from work, and the house is quiet. Between my busy week at the hospital and the effort I’ve put into avoiding Roman, I’m exhausted, and all I want to do is take a hot shower and go to bed.

Stopping in the kitchen for a glass of wine, I flip on the light. My heart almost stops when I see Roman standing at the fridge. The door is open, and he scans the shelves for something to eat. He glances up when I walk in, nodding toward me with a careless grunt.

“Hey.”

“Hi,” I say, moving toward the cabinet. The last thing I want to do is have this conversation tonight. I don’t say a word as I grab a glass out and open a bottle of wine that’s on the counter. I pour myself a big glass and spin around, hoping to make my getaway, but Roman stands right in my way.

“You’re in a hurry,” he says.

“I didn’t think you’d notice with the way you’ve been avoiding me lately.”

Roman tilts his head, confusion creasing his face. “The other night? Remind me what happened?”

He can’t play dumb for long, though, because a smirk teases at the corner of his lips.

“You’re an asshole.” I roll my eyes, brushing past him.

“I don’t know what you’re so upset about,” he calls after me. “We made a bet. I proved my point, and you lost.”

“Goodnight Roman.”

I can hear him chuckle behind me and it only infuriates me more.

Only when I’m in the safety of my bedroom can I finally breathe. The bed looks so inviting, but I resist the urge to sit down because I know I’ll never get back up, so I force myself into the bathroom to shower and brush my teeth. All I want is for this day to end.

The bathroom in my guest suite is about as big as my entire apartment was.

In fact, just the shower itself might be.

Three shower heads—one overhead and one on each side—provide a powerful, massaging spray.

Natural stone tiles cover the walls and floor, and with the press of a button, I can make the whole thing fill up with steam that smells like a lavender field.

It’s a dream, and just as good as any spa I’ve been to.

I flip the faucet on and let it warm up while I peel my clothes off and toss them into the corner.

It isn’t just Roman that has my mind all over the place, it’s dinner with my brother.

He mentioned my dad’s party, which I completely forgot about and, truthfully, wasn’t really planning to attend.

In my rush to leave, though, I committed, and now I have to figure out how to backtrack out of that one.

Not to mention, I’m expecting a call as soon as Jake tells him about my new job. At best, he’ll be curious. At worst, he’ll be skeptical and demand more information.

I open the foggy glass door, ready to step inside, when a furry creature crouched in the corner of the shower catches my eye. A spider the size of a grapefruit sits back on its haunches, trying to avoid the water spray.

“Aaaaaaaah!” a shrill, half-cry, half-scream escapes my mouth as I clamor away, desperately flailing for a towel.

It’s almost like it taunts me as I lean against the vanity.

Spiders don’t normally scare me, but I’ve never seen one so big.

It’s at least six inches long, and I’m frozen, afraid to move.

As I try to figure out what to do, the bathroom door bursts open, and Roman stands in the doorway. He’s disheveled, shirtless, and there’s a vicious look in his eyes that chills me to my bones.

“What? What’s wrong?” His head swivels around the room as he looks for a threat, gun drawn.

“There…” I can’t even put a sentence together. “In the shower…”

Gun drawn, Roman cautiously peers around the edge of the shower, as if he expects an intruder. Seconds later, he bursts into deep laughter, so amused that he bends over, hands on his knees, as he tries to catch his breath.

“Are you serious? You screamed like that because of a spider? I thought someone was being murdered.”

I glare at him. “That thing could easily murder me! Have you seen the size of it?”

“That thing”—Roman shoots me a taunting smirk—“is a camel spider. It isn’t even venomous.”

“I don’t care. I still want it out.” My voice almost sounds like a whine. I’m not sure how much I trust Roman’s knowledge of spiders, because it certainly looks deadly.

“Okay, Princess.” He chuckles, raking his fingers through his dark, messy hair. When he glances back, he does a double take, gaze falling the entire length of my body. His teeth sink into his lower lip, and a low, almost inaudible groan escapes his lips.

After days of radio silence, he’s choosing now to pay attention?

To check me out? What is his… oh, damn it .

Then, it hits me. I don’t have any clothes on.

In my haste to grab a towel, I reached for the closest thing, which apparently was a hand towel.

I’m standing in front of Roman, almost completely naked, and the thick bulge in his shorts tells me he’s very well aware of it.

God, could this get any more awkward?

My cheeks flush, and in a rare gentlemanly gesture, Roman grabs my robe off of the hook and tosses it to me. “I’ll take care of the spider. You can use my shower in the meantime.”

Slipping the robe around my body, I hurry out of the bathroom without a word, too distraught to even thank him. I need space and a clear mind, so despite the strangeness of using Roman’s shower, I go to his room.

I’m not sure what I expected, but this definitely isn’t it.

Roman’s room looks virtually untouched. It’s sterile and harsh, like no one even lives here at all.

Aside from a large mirror over his dresser, the dark gray walls are bare.

Almost an entire wall is windows, but he’s got the shades pulled down so tightly that you can hardly tell.

The bed is enormous, almost twice as big as a typical king size, and it’s neatly made.

It’s hard to imagine a woman ever living in this space.

He must have changed it after Talia died.

Across the room, there is a set of double doors and I go through them to the bathroom.

It’s every bit as luxurious as I expect.

The shower is twice the size of mine, with five shower heads, and there’s a clawfoot jetted bathtub in the corner next to a window.

A switch next to the door activates the heated tiles beneath my feet.

Just like in his room, everything has its place and there isn’t a single thing out on the counter.

His woodsy cologne, still lingering in the air, is the only hint he’s been in here.

Wanting to avoid another spider incident, I check the shower immediately, and then turn on the water.

I don’t see anything, but I can’t shake the feeling of creepy crawlies all over me while I’m in there.

So much for a long, hot shower. I dry off quickly, slipping my robe back on and heading out to Roman’s room.

He’s sitting on his bed with his laptop on his lap. Could he at least put a damn shirt on? I can’t help but think he’s doing it on purpose, especially after the way he’s been acting.

“That was fast.” He catches my gaze.

I clear my throat, walking towards him. “Yeah, I couldn’t get the spider out of my head, so it wasn’t quite as enjoyable as I hoped. Did you kill it?”

The sympathy in his smile is more sincere than I expect. “Your spider friend has been relocated and won’t be bothering you anymore.”

I don’t like the sound of relocated as much as dead, but I’m certainly not going to be the one to handle it. “And you’re sure it wasn’t poisonous?”

As I sit on the bed a safe distance away from him, I pull my robe around me even tighter. I can’t afford another wardrobe malfunction around him right now.

“Positive. We get camel spiders all the time. All they’ll do is give you a nasty bite.”

“I’d like to avoid that, too.”

Roman chuckles, shutting his computer and setting it to the side. “Well, you don’t need to worry about it anymore. I made a pass through your room to be sure there weren’t any others, but I’ll call the exterminator tomorrow if it will make you feel better.”

“Wow.” I arch an eyebrow. “That’s uncharacteristically chivalrous of you.”

That strikes a nerve with Roman, and he drops his head, rubbing his chin like he does when he’s trying to craft the perfect response. Finally, he looks up with a softness in his face.

“I’m sorry about how I acted earlier. How I’ve been acting all week. I really fucked up.”

“Another apology? That must be a record for you,” I quip.

“Yeah, well, I guess you’re making me do a lot of things I’m not used to.”

“I am?”

He nods. “You were right the other night. The second I heard you were going out with another guy, I went out of my mind with jealousy. All I could think about was that bastard sitting across from you all night doing all the things I wish I could. I was thinking about the way you’d tuck your hair behind your ear when he made you laugh, or the blush you’d get in your cheeks when he offered to buy you another drink.

How he’d get to hold your hand, kiss those lips, probably even more once he took you home.

I know it doesn’t make any sense and I don’t have any right to feel like that, but I did and… ”

I realize that Roman still thinks I was on a date, and I can’t let him ramble on any longer without knowing the truth.

“Roman, I wasn’t on a date,” I cut him off.

“What?” He snaps his head up like he thinks he misheard.

“My brother was in town.” I sigh. “You didn’t give me a chance to explain. Otherwise, I would’ve told you that.”

“Jesus, Maddie, really?” He shakes his head, letting out a sharp breath. “I don’t even know what to say.”

“I don’t either. I don’t know how you can say you feel that way about me, and then still string me along and play all your stupid games like I’m some kind of toy to you.”

He swallows, wringing his hands out. “Maddie, I didn’t cut things off the other night just to mess with you. I like getting you riled up, yeah, but only when I intend to do something about it.”

“So what was it, then?”

“That was me panicking. It was me realizing that we were about to cross a line that we can’t come back from.

You and I are a bad idea. There’s no way we work out.

I’m only going to drag you into my darkness if we even try.

” He tugs at the end of his hair, words catching in his throat.

There’s a bit of emotion there that takes me by surprise.

“People around me get hurt, Maddie. You’ve seen that firsthand.

And I know myself—one time, one taste of you would never be enough.

So I guess I thought if I made you hate me, it would push you away.

Because that’s where it’s safe, Maddie. Away from here. Away from me.”

I take a deep breath, giving his words a second to settle.

“I don’t need you to protect me, Roman. It’s sweet and all, but I can take care of myself and I can make my own choices.” Reaching for his hand, I intertwine our fingers. “Maybe I don’t want safe , Roman. Maybe I want passion and impulse and even a bit of your darkness.”

His fingers grip my neck, pulling me in until our foreheads rest against each other. The cool, minty taste of his breath gives me chills as he brushes a kiss across my lips. “I’m not good for you, Madison. I’ve been trying like hell to stay away because I know this is a bad idea.”

“Why don’t you let me be the judge of that?”