Page 50 of After The Storm

That made sense. In fact, changing their clothes made perfect sense now that he explained it that way.

“Oh. Well, thank you just the same.”

A few moments went by in utter silence, and all Kate could think was there had never been two people alone in a bed who had less chance of sleeping together than the two of them. Roman seemed more standoffish than ever, if that was possible, and she couldn’t imagine anything she could say that would make him warm up to her.

Just as she’d suspected, he’d found a way to make it feel like even though they sat so close on that bed their legs touched, it felt like they were separated by a million miles and a world of silence.

Dejected, she let out a sigh and slid under the covers before turning her back to him. “Good night, Roman.”

“Good night.”

That’s all he said.

She lay there feeling his left leg press against her back and her butt, chastising herself for not knowing what to say. If Eve were there, she’d already have him stripped naked and she’d be riding him like he was some wild stallion.

Kate didn’t have to wonder why she was still single. What was happening, or not happening, right before her eyes told her all she needed to know.

A million thoughts ran through her mind. Did he care one bit about her? It felt like he had back at the hotel. He seemed to when they were lying in each other’s arms on her bed then. Had she done something to turn him off?

That question itself spawned at least a few dozen more. She’d injured him, barked at him, tried to run away from him, and those were just the highlights. Other than those examples, she’d been difficult since the moment she met him, although she still didn’t know how she was supposed to act when a strange man walked into her motel room. It wasn’t every day that kind of thing happened. To expect her to just be some trusting soul without asking questions seemed a tad ridiculous and foolish.

Unable to simply lay there, she rolled over and looked up to see him sitting there just staring down at her. How strange. She’d expected him to have his eyes closed or at least to have been staring off into space and not at her as she slept.

“Why are you looking at me, Roman?”

Without missing a beat, he replied, “Why do you ask so many questions, Kate?”

His answering by asking another question, especially that one, surprised her. “Because I’m an inquisitive soul. I thought there was nothing wrong with me asking so many questions.”

“There isn’t. I just figured you might like a taste of your own medicine,” he said with smile that also surprised her.

Could it be possible he wasn’t unhappy about staying with her?

“A taste of my own medicine? I’m trying to figure out what exactly my questions cure, but I can’t find anything, to be honest.”

“Certainly not your curiosity, which seems endless.”

Kate’s mouth dropped open in shock at his teasing her. He was actually being cute and playful. “That’s the first time in nearly five days since we met that you made a joke. Well, it wasn’t actually a joke, but it was you trying to be cute. You should try to do that more often. I like it.”

“I’m not a cute kind of guy,” he said after a few moments. “Serious people tend not to do cute too well.”

Liking this side of him, she pushed on his leg with her hand. “Well, you should try it more often. You’re pretty good at it.”

Roman smiled and ran his tongue slowly over his bottom lip. “Just pretty good? I guess I’ll have to try harder next time.”

She watched as the moisture from his tongue made his lip glisten in the dim light. That right there seemed like a definite sign he liked her. Didn’t it?

Quickly, she scrambled to think of something clever to say to keep their conversation going. Of course, nothing came to her. Not a word. Not a clever phrase. Nada.

Exhibit two in the case why Kate Sheridan was still single.

“Nothing to say, Kate? No question for me to answer?” Roman asked in a tone she’d never heard him use before.

It sounded downright…flirty.

Was she completely misreading the signs, or was he flirting with her there in the bed they shared?

“None that I can think of,” she said in return, giving him her best smile in case he had any thoughts at all of making a move.