“But I meant what I said, how I’d never do anything to hurt you.”
I pulled back and stared up at him. “I know.” And I did; with every part of my being I knew that. “I love you.”
He turned to face me, keeping me close. Roman cupped my cheek with one hand, smoothed his finger along my skin, and smiled softly.
“God, I love you,” he whispered, looking at my lips. “I’ve never loved anything as hard as you, Kennedy.” He lifted his gaze to my eyes. “And I never will.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Kennedy
One week later
“Why does the girl always have to be so stupid in these movies?” Roman muttered.
I snuggled in closer to him.
“I mean, have them kick ass a little.”
Just then the girl in the movie screamed as she ran, tripping over her own feet in the process.
Roman snorted, as if he’d seen it coming.
He had his feet kicked up on the coffee table, and I had mine curled beside me on the couch. My upper body was leaning against his, using him like a human pillow. My arm was around his waist, his six-pack evident under his shirt, the ridges and hills hard underneath my forearm.
“So, you like kickass girls?” I felt a little inadequate, as I would have no doubt been cast as one of the stupid sidekicks in a movie.
He chuckled. My head was on his pectoral muscle, and his laughter had his big, powerful body shaking slightly underneath mine. I could hear the steady beat of his heart under my ear. He had his arm around my shoulder, his fingers resting on the strip of skin that was exposed when my shirt rolled up. His thumb gently moved over my hipbone, and I knew tonight wouldn’t just be about watching movies.
I was already getting turned on, and he probably didn’t even know it. All it took was that little brush of his fingers over my flesh to have me lit up like a firework.
“Damn right I like a strong woman.” He shifted. The grin spreading across his face had my heart skip a beat. “Why do you think I fell in love with you? You’re the strongest woman I know.”
God, if I didn’t love this man already, I would’ve fallen for him a hundred times by now.
Roman kissed me, but it was quick and passing, not what I really wanted … long and drawn out.
But when he pulled back, I didn’t try and make the kiss longer. Spending time with Roman was my favorite thing to do, and even if he just held me, even if we did nothing but watch movies and not speak, I was happy with that.
“What do you really think about my aunt and your father having a baby?”
I thought about his question, which I’d been doing since we’d heard the news. “I really don’t have any kind of opinion, to be honest. I’m happy for them?”
He chuckled. “You sound a little hesitant on that.”
“It’s a little weird that my father is having another baby.” I straightened on the couch, so I could see him better. “But I guess it deflected from our news, so I think the shock was more for them. How do you feel about it?”
He didn’t answer for long seconds, just staring at the TV, maybe thinking about how he wanted to word it. He leaned back on the couch, lifting his arms above his head and stretching. And then he dropped his arms to his sides and shrugged. When he looked over at me, he gave me a lopsided smile that had my heart skipping a beat.
“Is it weird if I tell you that it makes me think about the family we’re gonna have some day?”
I thought the world would drop out from under me, felt my face heat, a flush stealing over my entire body. We were still so young, had school to finish, then I needed to find a good paying job. I wanted to get married, have a career. But on top of all of that, I couldn’t help but think about having a family with Roman. Little boys that looked just like him, dark hair and equally dark eyes, being rowdy and keeping us on our toes.
He faced me more fully, his leg bent on the couch, his body now turned all the way so his chest was parallel with mine. I felt my breath catch at his expression, his eyes becoming heavy-lidded, his gaze zeroing in on my lips. And then he lifted his hand and ran his thumb along my mouth, tracing the edge as if memorizing it.
“I find myself thinking about that a lot, Kennedy.” His words were pitched low, deep. “I can’t help but picture you pregnant, your belly getting big with my baby.” He slowly lifted his gaze and looked me in the eyes. “That’s fucking crazy, isn’t it?”