Page 28 of Between Us

“The cook I hired.”

“Ah.”

“What? he asked. “You want to hire someone to do it?”

“No,” she said quickly, not wanting him to think that she was lazy. “I mean, I have the time. I can clean and wash and whatever else needs to be done around the house. If Annika can give me some pointers, that would be great.”

Roman nodded. He watched her for a second longer before heading down the hall to the study, the envelope still in his hand. Alessandra watched him leave then padded quietly into the kitchen for a cold glass of water.

She was at the sink, washing a dirty bowl she’d left there in the morning when Roman entered the kitchen, the envelope from the bank replaced with a manila one.

“I won’t be home for dinner,” he told her as she closed the tap and turned around to face him.

She fought the disappointment washing over her, trying to hide it behind a smile. “Okay.”

It seemed Roman was more intuitive than she’d given him credit for. He put the envelope on the island top then grabbed her waist. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I just thought that maybe we could order pizza and watch a movie. But you’re busy, and it’s fine. I get it.”

“You want to watch a movie?”

She shrugged one shoulder nonchalantly. “One night, yeah, that would be nice.”

They were doing the whole marriage thing wrong, but she didn’t know how to verbalize that to him. Even though they were having sex every night andsometimes in the morning too, they still barely knew each other. The physical attraction was there, and it was plenty. Emotionally, they weren’t even close to forming any kind of bond.

Alessandra hated that. She’d envisioned her life as a wife a little differently. Now that she knew Roman wasn’t as bad as she’d feared, hope rekindled in her chest—timid, but it was present. She wanted to love and be loved. Shecravedit. For her sake and her future children’s, she would fight for a chance at true happiness.

“How about we do that tomorrow evening?” Roman offered. “I’ll try to get home early, and we can order takeout—whatever you want. I’ll even let you pick the movie.”

Her lips twitched a little, though she was pleasantly surprised by his proposal. “What if I want to watch Barbie?”

“Is that a movie?”

“Yeah. Guess what it’s about.”

“No trashy movies,” he said more sternly, but she could see the amusement reflecting in his eyes. “Pick something with a little action so I don’t fall asleep five minutes in.”

She rolled her eyes. “You’re such a man.”

He smacked her ass lightly. “Is that supposed to be an insult?”

“Ow. Yes.”

He laughed quietly, letting go of her with a brief kiss and picking up the manila envelope. “I’ll see you later if you’re not asleep by the time I come back.”

She let her gaze wander over the line of his shoulders, his back, and lower to his backside as he walked outof the kitchen.Damn him and his good looks. Alessandra had the sudden feeling it was going to be too easy to fall for a man like him.

She only hoped it would be worth it.

12

Dinner and a movie didn’t happen the next night, or the one after. Unsurprisingly so, Roman was busy, as his late-evening text had let her know in very few words. Trying not to get put off by that, Alessandra decided to keep herself busy in other ways. She video called Mia, did a few laps of the pool after sunset, ordered dinner and dessert, and started a new book she’d been meaning to read for a while.

On Thursday morning, bright and early, Annika arrived for her first day as their new cook. She was in her mid-forties,had cerulean eyes and a kind smile on her face. Alessandra instantly liked her.Together, they compiled a list of likes and dislikes in terms of food. Since Roman had left the house before Alessandra had even gotten out of bed, they had to settle for her preferences alone.

“Don’t worry, dear,” Annika had told Alessandra,patting her hand resting on the island top reassuringly. “Russian men are not that picky with what they eat. We’ll figure this out.”

After preparing a light lunch with whatever was available in the fridge, Annika left the house to stock up on groceries. Alessandra considered going with her just so she could get out of the house, but she didn’t want to impose, so she decided to keep that thought to herself for the time being.

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