Page 68 of After the Storm

“I’m ready. I just want to wait for a good time. But as soon as there is a good time, I think we should tell him.” His eyes light up like a Christmas tree.

“Really?” he asks, leaning down and planting a kiss on my nose. I nod.

“Yes. Really,” I confirm. His big, happy, puppy eyes turn to deep and lustful ones. He cranes his neck down once more and kisses me again, this time on my mouth. As soon as our mouths connect it’s like an explosion. I wrap a hand around the back of his neck pulling him closer to me. He bends to wrap two hands around my thighs and plants me on the kitchen island. He’s wedged between my thighs. I feel like every cell in my body is on fire.

He pulls his mouth from mine and licks a stripe down my neck and I can’t help but tilt my head back in ecstasy, also giving him better access.

“We could get caught,” I huff out.

“Good. Let them see.” He kisses a line from my ear to my collarbone, leaving me panting. He kisses back up my neck and finally to my mouth. He swallows a moan of mine as his tongue traces the edge of my lip and teases the tip of my own tongue.

“We should stop,” I breathe out. There isn’t much conviction in my words. I’m not sure even I believe that I want that.

“You want me to stop, Auds?” he asks, slipping a hand between us and trailing a feather-light touch from my knee to my mid-thigh. I can’t find the words to tell him I want him to stop. Mostly because it’s the actual last thing that I want.

“Oh God.” Another voice from the other side of the room calls out. Ravyn’s voice. Quickly I pull away from Roman and turn around to see her there. “Oh no,” she says throwing her hands over her eyes.

“We’re clothed. You don’t have to cover your eyes,” Roman says, confusion in his voice like he doesn’t know what the big deal is. I whack his arm and he throws two defeated hands in the air that screams “I was just trying to help.”

“No,” she says, peeking through the crack she’s created between her fingers.

“It’s not what it looks like,” I add. I don’t know why. I guess it’s always what they say in the movies so it seemed like it might be a good thing to blurt out in the moment. Except it’s not because it’s pretty much exactly what it looks like.

“Oh, so you guys weren’t making out and getting handsy in the kitchen?” she asks. I give her a sheepish half-smile and shrug. “No no no. Tell me Ares already knows,” she whines, throwing her head back like this is the worst thing she could have come across.

“He doesn’t know.” I sigh and she drags her hands down her face, walking over to the kitchen island where we are.

“Fuck,” she says under her breath. I jump down off the island and stand between her and Roman.

“I know this is a big ask, Ray, but please don’t tell him. Let it come from us,” I plead. She groans loudly.

“Fuck. Fine. I hate this though. Please let it be noted that I hate this,” she says, leaning up against the island.

“I’ll note that,” Roman says, pulling out an invisible notepad and pen. Ravyn and I roll our eyes in unison before both whacking his arms.

“I could kill you,” Ravyn says pointing a finger in Roman’s face. His eyes go wide and his eyebrows shoot up an inch.

“Me? What did I do?” He shrugs innocently.

“She’s supposed to be healing right now. Not falling in love with you. If you hurt her, I will kill you,” she says keeping that same finger pointed in his face.

“That’s the last thing on my agenda. I’ve been in love with her since we were kids. I’ll take care of her. I promise.” His words are sweet. Ravyn looks over at me seemingly for confirmation so I give her a nod.

“I do remember you being in love with her in high school.” There are those words again. Another person confirming that he was in love with me back then.

“Exactly. See, I won’t hurt her. This is all I’ve wanted for a long time,” he says and she lowers her finger. She gives him a nod.

“This is really a mess. Ares is going to flip his lid,” she says.

“I know. That’s why I’m waiting for a good time to tell him,” I assure her. She laughs. More of a scoff really.

“Audi, you know as good as me that there was only one good time. Right away. It doesn’t matter now when you tell him. He’s going to freak out regardless,” she tells me. I know she’s right but part of me wants to live in the delusion that if I find the right time he’ll understand.

“Shit,” I huff under my breath. “Yeah. You’re probably right,” I admit. She nods giving me a look that screamsduh.

“Do I get any input here?” Roman asks. We both turn our heads to him.

“No,” We say in unison. Then we look at each other and burst into laughter.

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