Page 22 of After The Storm
“Roman, I hope I’m not inconveniencing you in any way.”
She listened for him to answer but heard nothing but the sound of the shower running. Had he heard what she said?
“Roman, if you have something better to do, you don’t have to stay here in this hotel room with me.”
Still no answer.
Then the white shower curtain slowly opened and he stuck his head out. Water dripped off his black hair and down over his face and neck, and he stared out at her with a look of complete confusion all over his face.
“What’s wrong, Kate? Did someone come to the door? Did something happen?”
“No. I just wanted to tell you that if you have other things you’d rather be doing, don’t feel like you have to stay here with me.”
Roman ran his hand over his face to wipe away the water and the shower curtain fell away to reveal his entire upper body. Kate tried not to stare, but she couldn’t tear her gaze from his muscular chest and washboard abs that led to the defined V that angled in toward…
Damn, that’s a nice body. That’s even nicer than I imagined. That is one fine body.
He noticed her staring and smiled. “Why are you in the bathroom when I’m taking a shower if nothing happened?”
His question roused her from daydreaming about how hot he looked standing there, and she instantly felt defensive. “Asks the man who walked in on me while I was taking a bath.”
“Then I guess we’re even?” he said with a stupid grin that irritated her.
He’d probably smiled like that with Cheri from the fifth floor. Cheri who he’d spent the entire day with while she slept alone down here in the room.
Cheri who was probably a blonde. With a name like Cheri, she had to be a blonde. Women with names like that were always blonde with great bodies and men hanging off them. Good looking men like Roman.
Kate focused her attention on Roman still smiling at her like any of this was funny. “So don’t feel like you have to hang around if you have something else you want to do,” she repeated, trying to avoid looking at any part of his body but his face.
It was a nearly impossible task now that she’d seen him without clothes on. With water running over the peaks and valleys of his muscular body.
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about, but I have nothing else I want to do. I told you. I’m not going to let anyone hurt you, Kate.”
He waited for her to say something, but nothing came to her. Well, nothing she wanted to say out loud. Jealousy and arousal rushed through her like some kind of toxic mixture she knew wouldn’t end up sounding right if she spoke, so she clamped her lips shut.
“Just give me a few minutes and I’ll be done with my shower, okay?”
None of what she’d just done felt okay. None of the jealousy that coursed through her felt okay either. The only thing that was remotely okay in all of that was how incredible Roman looked standing there naked with water rolling over his gorgeous body.
She didn’t say anything else and when he closed the shower curtain, she turned on her heels and left the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Utterly sure she’d never been so stupid, she flopped down on the bed and covered her eyes with her arm.
“So dumb. Get it together, Kate. You’re losing your mind.”
Now anger folded itself into the mixture of jealousy and desire. Anger at herself, though. She hadn’t completely lost the ability to think logically. Roman had every right to do whatever he wanted with whomever he wanted. Even if the person he wanted had the name Cheri.
And the truth of the matter was he hadn’t done anything but try to help her. For that, he deserved her thanks, but even more, he deserved far better than the ridiculous scene she’d just put on in the bathroom.
Kate had no idea why she became so jealous. “I barely know the guy,” she mumbled to herself as she lay there on the bed. “What’s wrong with me?”
The bathroom door opened, and she looked up from underneath her arm to see Roman standing there fully dressed once again but looking so good with his dark hair still wet. God, did this guy ever not look incredible?
Embarrassed by her behavior, she didn’t want to say anything now. Better to let him talk first so she could gauge just how idiotic he thought she’d acted in there.
Roman ran his hand through his wet hair, smoothing it off his face, before he walked over to the dresser to get his watch. Pausing a moment, he looked down at where he’d left it and then slid it over his hand and closed the band around his wrist.
“Now that you’ve had a chance to rest, I need you to tell me everything you know about why anyone would be after you.”
She hadn’t expected those words to come out of his mouth. Kate had been preparing to defend herself for the spectacle she’d just put on for him in the bathroom, so she breathed a sigh of relief that he wanted to discuss her problems with the law instead.