Page 17 of Between Us

“I need to use the bathroom.”

He nodded, hesitating for only a second before moving to his knees and dragging his briefs over his softening cock. He stood and held out a hand to help her out of bed.

Alessandra glanced down and was horrified to see the blood smeared all over her thighs and the white sheets. Cheeks burning, she grabbed the hem of the nightie and tugged on it, trying in vain to hide the glaring proof of her inexperience. Roman’s palm closing over hers made her stop and look up.

“It’s just some blood,” he said matter-of-factly, pulling her a little closer. “Nothing to be ashamed of.”

She nodded but couldn’t bring herself to keep his gaze. “I… uh, I need to…”

She didn’t need to finish the sentence because he let go of her and she took the opportunity to rush into the bathroom and lock the door behind her. As she stood with her back pressed to the polished wood and her heart beating overtime, she closed her eyes and tried to focus on her breathing.

She had survived her wedding night. As for whatwas to come, she could only hope that her Russian husband’s thoughtfulness went beyond the intimacy of their matrimonial bed.

8

The next day, Alessandra woke up to an empty bed. For a second, she was confused as she took in the unfamiliar room, but as she became more alert, memories from the night before infiltrated her mind. She sat up, the sheet covering her body falling into her lap. The bathroom door was wide open, the lights off. She listened for any sounds that could alert her of Roman’s presence, though there were none.

Stifling a yawn behind her hand, she stood and padded into the bathroom. As she walked, a dull soreness made itself known between her legs—a reminder of her wedding night and her husband’s claim on her body. She used the toilet with a small grimace, hoping the uncomfortable feeling would go away soon. After brushing her teeth and making sure her hair looked presentable, she left the bathroom still wearing her nightie and headed downstairs with leisured steps.

It didn’t take her long to locate the kitchen as Roman had already given her a short tour the previous night. She found him perched up on a high stool at the island, bare-chested and looking as if he hadn’t been up for long himself. He frowned down at something on his phone, and Alessandra took a moment to admire the bulging muscles on his torso and arms. She’d gotten a good look during their intimate moments in bed, but in this light, he looked like some sort of modern Adonis—almost too perfect to be real.

She shifted her weight from one leg to the other and the motion got Roman’s attention. He looked up at her standing in the threshold, his eyes traveling down her body before meeting hers.

“Morning,” she said quietly, trying not to fidget under the weight of his attention.

“Good morning. Sleep well?”

She had, in fact, slept quite well, and she told him that.

“Yeah. I thought the new bed might be an issue, but once I fell asleep, it was fine.”

“It took you a while to fall asleep.”

She was surprised he’d noticed as he hadn’t moved too much in bed and she’d assumed that he was already sleeping. It had been strange to share a bed with someone she didn’t know. As much as she’d willed herself to be still, she’d tossed and turned for at least twenty minutes before sleep finally came.

“A little while, yeah.”

He kept her gaze a moment longer before pushing out the stool next to him with his foot. “Take a seat.”

Alessandra walked that way and perched herself up on the stool. She noticed the cup of black coffee sittingon the island, taking inventory of this small detail about her husband. Roman saw her looking. “You drink coffee?”

“I do.”

“We have milk in the fridge, but I’m not sure about sugar. I didn’t check the cupboards.”

“That’s fine,” she said with a soft smile, still feeling a little awkward around him. “Did you buy groceries?”

“No. Tatyana helped with that.”

“Your sister is nice.”

He didn’t comment on that. Reaching for the cup, he took a sip. “Are you sore?”

She fought a blush, not needing to ask what he meant by that. “A little.”

“I don’t think there’s any pain medication in the house, but I can buy some later.”

“I’m okay. Are you going out?”

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