Page 94 of Along Came Amor
She swallowed hard. “I wish I could see.”
“Next time.”
Reality thudded into her thoughts like the Kool-Aid Man, and Ava let out a long sigh.
Roman’s gaze flicked up to hers, doing an admirable impression of a guilty puppy. “Did I just break a rule?”
A laugh burbled out of her, but she sobered quickly. “I think we brokeallthe rules.”
He leaned toward her, his expression devious. “Are you going to spank me with a ruler, profe?”
And then his tongue darted out to lick her clit.
The move gave her a full-body shiver. “I should. You’ve been very naughty.”
A devious light sparked in his eyes. He rose to his feet and gripped her chin. “We’ll save that for later.”
All this talk of “later” and “next time” was too much for her. Ava turned, grabbing the soap to wash off again. As her system went back to normal, she couldn’t block out the doubts any longer.
What the hell was she doing?
It didn’t matter how much she enjoyed being with him. She didn’t want to be involved with someone who had any ties to her family.
And Roman definitely fell into that category.
His hands landed on her hips and slid around her belly. He hugged her from behind and rested his chin on her shoulder.
“Are you having second thoughts?”
“No,” she lied, then stuck her face in the spray. When she stepped back, he turned her to him. His brows drew together, and she was glad she couldn’t see her expression. She probably looked like a cowering mouse, about to be eaten alive by the most frightening of monsters,emotional intimacy.
“Ava, is this because we didn’t use protection? Because if it is—”
“No.” She cut him off before he could issue an offer that would make them both uncomfortable. “I mean, yes, but not—not for the reason you think.”
“Then what is it, if not that?”
Suddenly the enormous shower stall seemed claustrophobic. She tried to shrug him off, unable to explain how the lack of a physical barrier between them mirrored her emotional walls coming down. “It’s fine.”
“Ava.” He let go of her and stood naked with his hands on his hips. With the water running down his chest and legs, he looked for all the world like some kind of wet, pissed off Greek god. Or, she supposed, aRomanone. “You’re clearly not fine.”
“You’re right, I’m not,” she snapped. “I’m pissed. I set those rules for a reason, and now I’ve broken them all.”
His eyebrows twitched, his expression shutting down, and she could tell she’d hurt him. That hadn’t been her intention but fuck, she had to get out of this shower and away from him. He was too overwhelming in the best ways, and being around him made her forget all the reasons why this was never going to work.
She scrubbed herself with quick, angry movements and rinsed off. “I’m getting out.”
He caught her wrist before she could go, and the look on his face was devastating.
“Look, I understand that you’re scared and you need time to process things,” he said, and the steady patience in his voice nearly made her crack. “Let’s table this for now, call a truce, and meet with Belinda again so you can give her your feedback on the things we discussed yesterday. Sound good?”
It sounded far more reasonable than she deserved. To deny would make her seem petulant. “Okay.”
He kissed her forehead. “We’re not done here, Ava.”
She swallowed hard, dreading the conversation to come. He was going to make her own up to pushing him away again. “I know.”
“Get dressed. I’ll see you at breakfast.” With that, he grabbed a towel and left the bathroom.
