I also kind of hated him. Last evening’s chat hadn’t been particularly pleasant, but for some reason, when I thought of Roman, our first encounter always beat out our second. The feel of his mouth and his chest, the sound of his voice—my brain refused to let go of a single ounce of memory from that night. Instead, it held the leading slot under “Things I Thought of Hourly.”
Hazel smiled. “I’m sure everything will work out fine, for everyone.”
She glanced at Paige, who obviously wasn’t entirely sure. And I couldn’t really blame her about that.
“It’s a different world, Amy,” Paige said. The flash of concern in her eyes and the low tone of her words said it all. She was scared. For me.
“I know.” I looked at her and said the phrase I had been chanting to myself mentally all day. “I can handle it.”
Because this time, I knew what I was getting into.
Warren had blindsided me. Roman was upfront. From here on out, he couldn’t hurt me if I didn’t let him. Or at least, that was my theory.
“Just out of curiosity, what do you two have in common, anyway?” Paige asked.
“We’re both Giants fans,” said a deep, roughened voice.
I spun in my seat and saw the tower that was Roman Reese standing behind me. Paige immediately stood and Hazel followed suit.
“I’m sorry, sir,” Paige said, “I didn’t know you were coming tonight.”
“Neither did I,” I said, choosing to stay in my seat and look up at him.
His dark hair was perfectly combed, but a shadow of stubble covered his strong jaw, and his black eyes shone like onyx. His presence was engulfing. His massive shoulders and confident stature were very apparent even beneath his jacket. The top two buttons of his white collared shirt were undone, and just the hint of tan skin exposed made me wonder if it felt as smooth as it looked.
“Forgive my interruption,” he said, glancing between Paige and Hazel. “I just came to check in with Amy about a lingering question.”
He smiled at me and slid two fingers down the column of my neck. The confident grin he unleashed along with his blazing touch made all the moderate nervousness I had been feeling lunge into full-force anticipation.
“We were just leaving anyway,” Paige said, collecting her coat from the back of her chair.
“No, you don’t have to.” I swung back around to face my friends.
“We’ll see you at home later.” Hazel winked and gathered up her things.
She was supportive of me and the governor having alone time, but Paige’s jerky movements and quick verbiage were a dead giveaway that she wasn’t completely sold. Her concern came from a good place, but I hated myself for adding another item to her plate of things to worry about.
They both hustled out, and Roman wasted no time taking a seat next to me and pulling it close.
“Well, you sure know how to clear a room. How did you know I was here?”
“I passed Bill’s office
this afternoon and overheard Paige making plans.” He grinned, gently taking the drink from my hand and savoring a long swallow before handing it back to me.
“Mmm.” He leaned in and whispered in my ear, “I’ve been craving blueberries all day.”
A shiver ran over my skin as the subtle scent of tart blueberries from the vodka he’d just tasted fanned over my jaw. I turned slightly, bringing our lips inches apart. My lungs struggled to process oxygen.
“I can’t believe you eavesdropped on Paige to find me.”
He rested one forearm on the table and gripped the back of my chair with his other hand, effectively boxing me in. If I wanted to leave, I’d have to go through him.
“I was walking by the office of my communications officer in my place of business. Hardly eavesdropping.” His words, accompanied by that sly upturn of his lips, were heartstopping.
I did my best to hide how he affected me. Opting to roll my eyes, I muttered, “Uh-huh.”
“You left me little choice. If you won’t come to me, I’ll come to you.”