Page 30 of Between Us

“Did I get it right?” Alessandra asked, watching his profile. “I didn’t ask you want you wanted.”

“It’s actually my favorite.”

“Really?”

He looked at her. “Really.”

She smiled. “It wasn’t that hard of a guess after youtold me you’d basically eat anything with meat in it.”

He looked like he wanted to laugh. Instead, he grabbed her wrist to pull her closer on the couch. When her thigh was pressed to his, he cupped her cheek, leaning in for a kiss. Alessandra melted into his touch, unwilling to admit even to herself how much she enjoyed this softer side of him. The kiss was gentle and all too short, and she pushed back the itch to crawl into his lap and ask for more.

“Thanks,” Roman said against her lips, brushing his thumb over her skin. “I didn’t realize how hungry I was until the smell hit me.”

“You’re welcome,” she replied quietly.

When he let go, Alessandra moved only a few inches away, just enough so they both had some space to eat without bumping elbows. They ate as they continued to watch the movie, and she couldn’t remember the last time she had enjoyed someone’s company so much.

“That’s stupid,” Roman muttered between bites of food when the main character shot one of the bad guys and his body went flying backward dramatically. “Nobody who’s ever been shot moved back twenty feet.”

Alessandra glanced at him. “I’ve never seen a gun being shot in real life.”

He met her gaze, looking surprised by her confession. “Never?”

“No.”

“You want to learn how to shoot one?”

She laughed, but all too soon realized that he was dead serious. “You’re not joking.”

“I told you before; I have nothing against you learning new stuff or pursuing your passions. If it’s for self-defense, even better.”

A feeling of warmth settled in her chest. The more time she spent with her husband, the more she was starting to realize that she liked him quite a lot. She briefly considered his proposal. “Maybe someday.”

He nodded. “Whenever you’re ready, just let me know.”

They watched the movie in silence for a few minutes, and when Roman was done with his pizza, he eyed Alessandra’s half-eaten one. “What’s on it?”

“Mozzarella and mushrooms. You want some?”

He made a face at the mention of mushroom, though he reached for a slice anyway, taking a large bite. “Mmm. Decent.”

Alessandra shook her head with amusement. “I can’t believe you have room for more.” She put back the unfinished slice in her hand. “I think I’m done.”

Roman dragged her box in front of him, continuing to eat like he hadn’t just demolished his own food. She’d never seen him eat any type of fatty foods before, but he seemed to be enjoying tonight’s choice of dinner.

“You want another beer?” she offered.

He nodded, not moving his gaze from the TV screen.

As she returned from the kitchen with his beer and another glass of juice, her phone vibrated in the back pocket of her jean shorts. She handed Roman the bottle and reached behind her for the phone. The text popping up on the screen nearly made her heart stop as she saw Luca’s name attached to it.

Hey.

It was just one word, but it was enough to strike terror into her heart. She hadn’t heard from him since the day she was officially engaged to Roman. Him reaching out after so long made her knees buckle.Not because she was still emotionally attached to him, but because he was being reckless. She feared Roman’s reaction if he ever found out that her ex-fiancé was texting her.

Without thinking too much about it, Alessandra blocked the number and deleted his text, along with all previous conversation history.

“Something wrong?”

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