Page 40 of Roman and the Hopeless Romantic
Cassie
Cade was wrong.
A kiss didn’t hold the future, but it did hold the now.
Roman groaned into the kiss, and she took that to mean she was doing something right. It felt good, right, like they should have done this a long time ago.
Neither of them knew what it meant or if it meant anything at all, but she didn’t care.
Sure, it wasn’t a declaration of undying love, but it was a moment she’d remember forever. Roman was now cemented into such an important memory.
The moment she realized she would be okay again.
The moment she learned she could still feel something, anything good.
Her fingers curled into the blond hair at the nape of Roman’s neck as she pulled him closer, his chest brushing hers. His arms wound around her back, pulling her tighter against him.
He took the air from her lungs, the thoughts from her brain.
This was the all-consuming power of a kiss her romance novels mentioned.
A sound of protest escaped Roman’s throat as she pulled away, needing to breathe. She released him and brought a finger to her tingling lips.
“You were wrong,” she whispered.
“Cass…”
“A kiss is not just a kiss.” Her eyes latched onto his in the dark, not wanting to look away. “Thank you.”
“What? You’re… thanking me?”
She nodded, chewing on her lips.Honesty, Cassie. Honesty. This was what Annie wanted, for her to reveal her mind, to share her thoughts and open herself up. “I didn’t…” She sucked in a breath. “Rome, I thought I was broken, that I could never feel the good things like others do. But I did.” A smile slid across her face. “I’m glad it was you.” She leaned forward to wrap her arms around him, marveling at the difference only a few short days could make.
She had her Roman back, her best friend.
Releasing him, she leaned back. “You’re a good friend. The best.”
He climbed off the bed and looked down at her. “I’m glad we’re friends again.”
“Me too. Night, Rome.”
He closed the door behind him, leaving Cassie to relive their kiss over and over. One day, she’d find someone who actually wanted to kiss her. She’d seen the hesitancy in Roman and wondered if for him it felt like kissing his sister.
Unlike his, her body knew he wasn’t her brother. Heat rushed down her limbs as she remembered the way he’d hugged her to him. Was that the way his girlfriends felt? Protected. Cherished. Wanted.
She rolled onto her stomach, the smile not straying from her face as she fell asleep with thoughts of Roman on her mind.
* * *
Morning came too earlywhen Cassie wanted to stay in bed reliving the night before.
Images flooded her mind of Roman in the dark, preparing to kiss her. Roman leaning forward. Roman giving her what she asked for, what she needed.
It was an experiment, a test. She swiped her finger across the screen of her surprisingly not broken Kindle, ready to forgive Cade for putting these thoughts in her mind, for challenging her.
“I shouldn’t have doubted you.” Yep, she was talking to a fictional character, but it was his fault.
He’d turned her into a sap obsessed with a kiss.
