Ignited (Roman Holiday 5)

“All right,” she said to Roman. “What about the knockdown?”

“That’s it?” Roman asked. “You’re not even going to—to argue with me, or protest, or anything?”

“If I were to do that, would it make any difference?”

“Probably not, but it would feel different.”

To him, he meant. Roman was dumping her, and he wanted her to care how it felt to him.

Men were such bastards.

Noah bounded up on the porch. “Hey,” he said.

She didn’t do greetings. She’d have to tell him.

“Hey.”

“Is that Noah?” Roman asked.

“Yes. I’m at the site. We’re ready to go as soon as you give me the green light.”

“I can’t,” he said.

“Why not?”

“Because she said she saw Key deer. She hasn’t retracted it.”

“Make her retract it.”

“I made a deal with her. She takes me on this trip, and at the end, if she hasn’t changed my mind about Sunnyvale, she’ll retract it.”

“Where are you going?”

“Wherever she says.”

“How long will it take?”

“Another week, week and a half, maybe.”

“We don’t have that much time. The schedule is tight as it is.”

“I’m aware of that.”

“I want to knock these buildings down today.”

“Well, you can’t,” Roman said, and there was emotion in his voice. “They’re my goddamn buildings now, and you don’t have my permission.”

Shaken, Carmen took an involuntary step back and stumbled into the door, which Noah had unlocked and opened while she’d been preoccupied. Just like that, she was falling, landing on her tailbone, but not hard enough to really hurt. The clipboard went flying. Noah’s face creased with concern, and he dropped to one knee at once.

“Are you okay?”

“Carmen? What was that?”

“Nothing. I fell. I’m fine.” She batted away Noah’s hands. They were heavy and warm. He had big fingers. Knuckles like knobs. Hair everywhere.

Undignified hands. So why did she like them so much?

Noah picked up her clipboard and handed it to her. She took it and then followed the path of his gaze. Right up her skirt.