Chapter 37 Morning entanglement
CHAPTER 37
Morning Entanglement.
SCARLETT – POINT OF VIEW
I have never been comfortable with sleeping in a new place, but for some odd reason, I did.
Slowly, I wake, yawning as I do. My eyelids feel so heavy, and I just want to go back to sleep, sink into the warmth surrounding me. I groan softly and sink into the – warmth?
I wake up instantly and remember that I’m not alone.
Roman is beside me, well, on me. What the hell? Oh my God.
His legs are sprawled on my hips, and his arm is across my chest. My face is buried in the crook of his neck.
Oh God. Oh, no. What the hell? How did this happen? I always move in my sleep, but did he move too? How did we not notice? How did I sleep with all this weight on me? Probably because of the warmth.
My heart is pounding hard.
I need to unravel us. I reach for his hand on my chest and slowly peel him off me, but that seems like the wrong thing to do. Still deeply asleep, he pulls away from me, only to pull me closer, flushed against his back, with one arm wrapped around my midriff.
Oh my God.
How deeply does he sleep?
How does he not know I am flushed against his thick abs and long legs?
I need to get out of his embrace. I need to leave. I ignore how soft and warm he feels. I focus on getting free, which only leads him to pull me even closer. My eyes widen when he pulls my hips against his crotch. My cheeks flame in mortification as I feel something.
Fully desperate, I pull away from him, and he stirs softly, coming awake.
He notices our position and pulls away immediately.
His face is flushed with sleep, but I have never seen anything as beautiful.
I need to stop thinking like this. Whatever attraction I feel towards him has to die. He opened up to me last night. He told me about the people who broke his heart. Dante used Amara to get to him, and now, Dante is using me to get to him again. Dante is evil, but so am I.
I should tell him. I should tell him everything before it gets worse, but I can’t. I’m not as strong as he is. I can’t open up to him. I can’t.
“Morning,” He says, his tone rough.
Shivers crawl down my spine, but I ignore them. “Good morning. Sorry, I woke you. I wanted to … you know, take my bath before we … before we have to go downstairs.” I stammer, falling over my words like a child.
Last night settled between us like a third person in the room, an elephant. He talked about his past to distract me from my unfounded fear of the dark and thunder. He didn’t even ask why I was afraid. Instead, he comforted me.
I think I have created a faulty perception of Roman in my head. My guilt has overwhelmed me, and that has painted him in the light of an innocent. He is not innocent. He is a greedy billionaire who will use everyone to get what he wants. He’s not eighteen anymore. He’s in his 30s and still letting Dante and Amara define who he is.
Perhaps I am looking for justification for my deceit and impending betrayal.
He is not a good person, nd neither am I.
A knock sounds on the door and cuts through the tense moment, thankfully.
“Good morning. It is Diana, Mrs Whtman's housekeeper. Breakfast will be ready in thirty minutes, on the patio.” She announces loudly.
Roman and I share a look. He doesn’t respond, so I do, “Thank you. We’ll be down soon.”
“We should …” He clenches his jaw, probably remembering how I avoided his kiss last night.
I nod, “Yeah. Do you want to bathe first?” I look away from him.
“No, you can.” He shrugs and gets off the bed.
The distance between us is palpable. I try not to choke on it. He grabs his phone and walks out to the balcony. I watch him leave, and my cheeks flame. Last night was a close call. I shouldn’t have gotten close to him. I shouldn’t have hugged him. I need to widen the distance between us so when he finds out what I’ve done, he won’t be so disappointed.
Well, that’s inevitable.
I push back my nerves and grab the bag. Eve is blowing up my phone, but I ignore her. I step into the large bathroom and begin my whole routine. Nausea rushes through me as I think of what I have to do. I don’t want to do this. I don’t want to unravel the world I have been carefully building, but I have no choice.
I am tired of my choices being taken away, tired of being forced into a corner, over and over.
Something has to change. Something must change.
I stand under the water till my skin starts to prune. We are on a clock, so I walk out, holding tight to the towel.
Roman is waiting. He glances at me, looks away, then looks at me again. A double take. This time, he drags his gaze over my body, lingering at my cleavage, then at my naked legs. Something flashes over his face, but it is gone immediately.
He doesn’t speak. He grabs his bag and walks into the bathroom.
I bite back a groan and dress up quickly.
I don’t have the time to debate on what to wear, so I settle on a satin skirt and a red, sleeveless turtle neck. I make sure to wear my rings, my necklace, and then drown myself in perfume. I let my curly hair flow behind me, pair the outfit with a simple, black kitten heel, then I paint my lips red.
Satisfied with my look, I step onto the balcony, giving Roman the privacy he needs to dress.
I inhale slowly as I stare at the acres of land, the ground open before me, the beauty, and the horses in the distance. I am sure Roman has a beautiful home like this. I long for something this removed from the world. Solitude is a great companion.
“I’m ready.” I hear, turn around, and see him standing there, dashing as ever.
He walks closer to me and presses his lips against my cheeks. “You look beautiful.” He murmurs and links our hands.
This is nothing. It is just a performance.