Chapter 25
What the hell was going on here?
Evelyn watched Roman put the steaks on the grill from her seat at the kitchen island. He was cooking for her. Fucking cooking for her. Who was this man?
He had been like this for hours. Talking to her, filling her wine glass, being so attentive that it was easy to forget who she was dealing with.
Was he really starting afresh now with the new contract as he had said? But even if he was, this couldn’t be good for her health. Because this was everything she had dreamed of, hoped for, since the day she had signed the contract. He was blurring the lines and smashing through all the boundaries he had set before and she knew she was going to get hurt.
Because even though his attitude had changed, it didn’t change the fact that he was paying for her company.
“Do you need me to explain anything to you?” Roman asked as he turned away from the cooker and went to the sink to wash his hands.
Her eyes strayed to the bathrobe he was wearing. Though it was long and covered everything, she couldn’t help thinking about what was underneath. He was completely naked.
He’d been naked in the hot tub and had remained that way after they had come out and dried themselves. No, she hadn’t dried herself. When she had been ready to come out after that torturous time looking at his beautiful, naked body, Roman had made her remove her wet bathing suit. And then he had gone on to dry every part of her body before he had put her bathrobe on her. Every single part.
She bit her lip as she watched him dry his hands.
He knew what he was doing to her. He always knew. She couldn’t hide it if she tried.
“Evelyn.”
She looked up and realised he’d still been talking.
“Hm?”
Roman’s lips did something they rarely did. They turned up into a smile, and it reached his eyes. She had never seen him smile as much as he had that afternoon.
“I asked if you need any help. You have to understand everything about this contract before you sign it.”
“I’m fine,” she answered, looking back at the stacks of paperwork in front of her.
She wasn’t though. Roman had been distracting her. All she had understood so far were the things they had discussed the last time he had been here. He was really going to come and see her every Thursday.
Would all Thursdays be like this? Roman had kissed her several times but he hadn’t even touched her. Before she had decided to leave him, she had wanted days like this. Just talking and hanging out. But was sex off the table on Thursdays? He hadn’t mentioned that.
She mentally kicked herself for even wondering about it. Why did that matter? She was leaving him in...
She flicked the pages until she came to the part about termination.
Four weeks. She was leaving him in four weeks. Because she would give him her notice the moment she signed this thing.
“You’ve skipped too many pages. Read it, Evelyn,” Roman said as he topped up her wine glass.
She’d lost count of how many she’d had. It was probably the wrong time to be signing anything, considering the things she had missed when she had signed the first contract when she’d been stone-cold sober.
“I’m reading,” she mumbled, and then she made the mistake of looking up at him.
He was so close. She could feel the heat from his body, and all he had to do was lower his head a little to kiss her. Would he do it? There was heat in his eyes as they lowered to her lips; so much heat that she could actually feel it like he was touching her. She couldn’t help biting them again.
But Roman turned away and went back to the cooker to check on the steaks. She felt bereft. He’d turned her into this. He’d made her dependant on his touch, on his kisses, on the hot sex he gave her every single time. She’d turned into a nympho.
It would be very difficult to replace Roman once she left him. She had come to that realisation after spending a few more nights in Brendan’s spare room and stewing over what Roman had done. But Brendan and men like him would be her lot in life. She would enjoy the fuck out of Roman until their very last night together, even if he was a controlling, cold bastard. She was resourceful; she would find a way to explain how her fees were paid and how she would afford to buy a house for her parents.
But she would stick around and let this man fuck her brains out so she had those memories to keep her warm on lonely nights.
“Dinner’s almost ready,” he said. “Maybe you can look at that after.”
“I have... I have a question,” she started.
Roman stopped what he was doing and walked back to her, and she almost kicked herself. She had already decided it didn’t matter. But still...
“So this is ‘date night’,” she asked.
“Yes.”
“And you’re okay with it?”
“It’s been rather enjoyable,” Roman answered with another smile.
Her eyes zoomed in on his lips again before she shook herself out of it.
“Is there no sex on date night?” she asked quickly before she backed out.
The smile left his lips and the heat remained. She felt scorched by his gaze.
“There can be as little or as much as you want. It’s all you, Evelyn. I’m yours to do with as you please,” Roman said, his voice low and husky.
Shivers ran down her spine and she squeezed her thighs together. Roman noticed, and then licked his lips. That was a tell. She didn’t know if he realised he did that, but every time he thought of going down on her he licked his lips just like that. Heat spread through her body and her nipples became too sensitive as they brushed against her robe.
He was going to do it now, she was sure. It had been hours of this teasing and she was ready to explode.
But Roman stepped back and went back to making their dinner.
“You have to sign the contract first, Evelyn,” he said in a gruff voice.
He could never hide how much he wanted her either.
Maybe that was what made it so good; the fact that a man like Roman could burn for her as much as she burned for him.
She looked down at the contract that was delaying her gratification and all the pages she’d yet to read. What she needed was time to get legal advice.
“I’ll take our food to the table,” Roman said. “And then we can do whatever you want after.”
He was making it seem as if she had some control here, but she knew she didn’t. A man like Roman didn’t hand over the reins that easily.
But still, she looked down at the dotted line where Roman had already put his signature.
“Don’t be silly, Eve,” she whispered to herself. “Read the damn thing first.”
She pushed it away and followed Roman to the dining room, and then had to stop in her tracks when she saw how he had set things up. Candles, flowers, the dimmed lights. The whole romantic vibe.
“It’s not the same as when you did it, but I tried my best,” Roman said with a smile. “Shall we?”
Her eyes were still wide with shock when she allowed him to help her into her chair before he sat opposite her.
“You know, I don’t know why we’ve not done this sooner. I’m enjoying spending time with you,” Roman said.
And her stupid heart fluttered and fell for him all over again.