Page 55 of Between Us

Alessandra shifted in her seat, causing his hand to slide closer to the juncture between her legs. Biting her lip to hide a smile of her own, she crossed one leg over the other, trapping her husband's hand between her thighs.

“Such a fucking tease,” Roman said with a glance in her direction, amusement coloring his voice.

In the three days since he’d moved back home, things had slowly progressed to a more normal routine. There was still a residue of tension lingering between them, but Alessandra was trying her best to make it go away with every occasion she got. She'd confessed to loving him, and he hadn't yet returned the feeling, but she wasn't too worried about it. Growing up surrounded bymade men, she already knew how their minds worked. Admitting to anything resembling love was a fatal weakness in their book. Roman was still trying to hold onto that security blanked, although his actions spoke louder than any actual words.

Running her fingers over the inside of his forearm, Alessandra traced the veins she found in her path. “So, you're not going to tell me where we're going?”

He didn't let her ministrations deter him from keeping their destination a secret. “You'll see when we get there.”

Fifteen minutes later, when they pulled up in front of the Audi dealership, Alessandra gave Roman a curious look. “You're buying a car?”

He parked the Mercedes and turned to her. “I promised you one, didn't I?”

“But I don't have my license yet.”

“Consider it incentive to get it quicker.”

She rolled her eyes, though she couldn't help the grin of excitement overtaking her face. “I never told you I liked Audis.”

“Alek mentioned you liked his.”

She had indeed commented on Alek's bright-orange sports car when he’d swung by to check in on her last Wednesday. “That doesn't mean you have to get me one.”

“You're going to need a car sooner or later. Come on, let's see what we can find.”

Roman climbed out, and Alessandra followed suit. With her hand tucked into his, they made their way inside the dealership where they were greeted by a front desk clerk in a crisp suit. After a few minutes, the sales manager herself took them on a tour of the showroom.

As they walked around, Alessandra's small purse vibrated against her hip. She dug in for her phone and was surprised to see it was her brother calling. When Roman gave her a questioning look, she silenced the ringtone, deciding she would call him back later.

“Any particular model you're interested in?” The pretty redhead in high stilettos asked Roman after they exchanged some pleasantries. Her name was Amelia and her green eyes shone a little too brightly whenever they landed on him.

“No,” Roman responded, his hand resting on Alessandra's waist. “The car is for my wife; she'll decide what she likes.”

Amelia’s gaze moved from him to Alessandra. An insincere smile pulled on her lips. “Of course. Would you like a sports vehicle or something more classic?”

Irritated by the woman's obvious attraction to her husband, Alessandra inched closer to him. She felt childish and maybe a little petty for doing so, but she didn’t care enough to stop the impulse. “Show me what you have, and I'll let you know.”

“Let's start with the classics then. If you'll follow me, we have a beautiful RS5 model in pearl white on display.” Amelia headed in that direction, her hips swaying hypnotically in high heels. From her long, red strands, to her slim silhouette and the perfectly-tailored beige slacks she was wearing, everything about the woman screamed high-maintenance.

Alessandra threw a discreet glance at Roman and found him looking appreciatively at a black sedan as they passed the cars sitting in tight rows like good little soldiers. As her irritation turned to amusement, she linked her fingers with his, drawing his attention to her.

“See anything you like?” he asked.

“Mhmm.” She kept his gaze, her amusement growing.

One corner of lips lifted as he pulled her closer. “Cheeky.”

“What do you think?”

Amelia's question pulled their eyes in her direction. She was standing beside the RS5 model she’d mentioned. For a split second, it annoyed Alessandra just how spot on her choice was. The car was simply beautiful.

“Well?” Roman prompted, looking at Alessandra.

“It’s nice,” she said noncommittally, running a hand over the shiny roof.

Amelia opened the door, gesturing that she should climb inside. “See how you like the interior.”

Alessandra took the suggestion, getting behind the steering wheel to examine the luxurious leather seats and computerized dashboard. It was perfect, but she wasn't going to admit to it so readily. “Can we see something else?”

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