ROMAN
Iget dressed in shorts and a tank top to go running. I lace up my sneakers and go to grab Sophia, only to find her hard at work in the kitchen … making a mess. She has batter all over herself, a bowl, a spoon that apparently refused to submit to the sink.
She flips her hair to the music that’s playing, and now I know why there’s a mess. She rocks a few other dance moves, wiggling her hips and ass before turning around and jumping. “Oh my god!”
Chuckling, I walk to her and drag my finger over the batter that’s on her cheek. I arch an eyebrow, and she swallows hard. “Roman.” Then her eyes widen. “Jogging, in Central Park!”
I nod once and look her over. She has on microscopic shorts and a tank top. She motions to the stack of pancakes. “I told dad I’d make pancakes. Even though it was while I was tipsy, it counts.”
“Hey, baby,” Miles says, walking in and taking a healthy stack of pancakes. He kisses the top of her head. “They look good.”
“I promise I’ll clean up.” She says.
“I’ll take care of it.” He says, stuffing a pancake in his mouth. “Roman, have some.”
Miles walks away without me answering. Sophia hesitates before she flips another pancake. Her dad’s in the next room, but I don’t care. I stand behind her breathing down her neck, and watch her squirm. It’s fun to watch her try to figure me out.
“After breakfast, I’m all yours, Roman.”
“I like the sound of that,” I murmur, then kiss her neck softly.
She turns and nearly drops a pancake on me. “Roman! He’s …”
I tug her shirt, pulling her towards me. She swallows and turns around, giving me a sly smile, then going back to her pancakes. I smirk and let her cook. I’m sure she and her dad can’t eat the entire pile of pancakes she has.
Nick takes two, Gunner takes four, and then Holden comes out as I go through the emails on my phone. Sophia looks up at him, and I see her blush. She motions to the pancakes. “As many as you want.”
He smiles, and I see him brush her hip as he walks by. A little jealousy takes over for a moment, and I feel my heart pick up the pace. She’s mine. I feel an anger rise from deep within but remember to breathe and let it pass. I can feel it but, let it go. Then I remind myself it’s Holden. He’s more like a brother than my actual brothers. He’d never hurt her. He’d only protect her, and we’d do anything for each other, including share.
Sophia cleans up a little, then runs upstairs. When she comes downstairs, she’s clean, in leggings and a big t-shirt. She laces her shoes and smiles at me while sweeping her hair up and into a sleek pony.
“I’m ready.” She bounces.
We head out and jog together. She follows while focusing on everything else but me. It’s a simple route through Central Park, but I come to a stop at my normal breakpoint – with beautiful scenery and a bench for us to rest at.
I stretch, and Sophia does the same, leaning over to touch her toes which nearly embarrasses me right here in the park. I can’t help but stare at her ass, her thick thighs, and everything in between them. Sophia stands and looks at me over her shoulder, eyeing me from feet to face. Like she’s thinking about having me for dinner.
She blushes, then exhales sharply. “You know it’s not safe to jog the same way every day, right? People could memorize your path and use it to corner you.”
I arch an eyebrow and look around. “I don’t think I have to worry about that.”
“You are pretty big, so I guess you don’t have to worry about it.” She whispers, and her cheeks go pink for me.
“A perk of being me.” I chuckle.
“Are there many?”
“Depends on the day,” I say evenly.
She nods once and then looks around. “So … more?”
Sophia has good endurance. I nod and lead her through the rest of my normal routine. Before we get back to the house, I insist on a walk to cool down. Sophia walks in silence for a bit, then clears her throat.
“So, you work late on Fridays?”
“Sometimes.” I nod. “What do you do?”
“Well, last night Gunner and Nick took me out. We danced and drank and had so much fun.” She grins. “I haven’t danced at a club in so long.”
Oh, I bet she wasn’t the only one who enjoyed it. I nod, wishing I was there for it. “Sounds like you had a good time then.”
“I did!” She bounces a little. “Do you go out often?”
I shrug. Not as often as Gunner. I haven’t seen the appeal. But I want to see her dance, sexy, hot, and wild. I want to watch her body move, feel her move against me. I catch her hand.
Sophia looks at our hands and swallows as I rub the inside of her wrist. “So … Anything you recommend doing in New York?” Her eyes catch mine, and I want her now.
“New York has its moments, but the people in it are what matters,” I answer. “There’s a movie I’ve been meaning to watch that’s on my to-do list for this weekend. Why don’t we have a movie night by the fire with some take-out?”
“So an in weekend?”
“A get to know you and spend some quality time with you weekend,” I growl with a wink.
She nods as she thinks about that and then bites her lip. “You wouldn’t mind my company?”
“Not your company.” I squeeze her hand feeling electricity between us, and wonder if she feels it too.
She pulls away before we get home which is smart considering her dad is barreling out of the house on his phone. He pauses, walks to her, and nods. “I’m sorry, honey. I have to take care of this. Apparently, shit is hitting the fan.”
“It’s okay, Dad.” She assures him. “Take care of business.”
“Tomorrow, we’ll have lunch. No phones. Just us.” He gestures between Sophia and himself.
Sophia watches him leave and shrugs. Just like that, she hops inside and goes upstairs. Holden is still eating pancakes in the kitchen. He scratches at his knee, then stretches it. I nod to him. “Feeling okay?”
“I should be used to it after this long.” He murmurs.
“No judgment,” I say evenly.
We stand there in silence for a while. He doesn’t judge me for not wanting commitment. I don’t judge him for being secretive about his scars and … losses. I clear my throat and get through a quick shower. I drop onto the couch and stretch out.
“Join me for a movie?” I ask Holden, who’s still in the kitchen, now drinking a beer.
Holden rolls his eyes and shrugs. Just like that, he heads back into his room to do whatever he does on weekends. I’d love to pull him out of there more, help him get back into society. But it’s up to Holden to do that.
Nick is nowhere to be seen all day, and when I get ready for the movie, only Sophia comes out to join me. She has on a simple dress which shouldn’t grab my attention the way it does.
But I’m learning that Sophia breaks all the rules when it comes to what I’m used to. Her bare shoulders, long legs, all free and tempting. I need to touch her right now, and she sits as far as possible from me.
Once the movie starts, I lose my patience. I don’t need to have her on top of me, but I want her close. I slide to the middle of the couch and let the back of my fingers graze her knee. Sophia jumps, and her eyes flick to me.
She makes eye contact, smiles, and tries to refocus on the movie, but when my finger strokes along her soft knee, I see her legs spread ever so slightly like an offering. One I can’t resist. I rub my hand along the inside of her knee.
“Roman.” Her voice is a low rasp.
I glance at her, and she squirms. Her mouth tastes amazing. I bet her pussy tastes even better. And this game – trying not to get caught while testing her boundaries, letting the heat sink into her skin until she’s obedient and sweet for me – it’s fun but damning.
“Sophie.” I purr.
She leans towards me, then her eyes lift and go over my shoulder. Holden comes in eyes on the TV. I pull my hand away and move to the corner of the couch, guiding Sophie to the middle. Holden sits on her other side without a word.
Sophia beams at him. “Holden! You came.”
He nods once, pulling his eyes from the TV to look her over. His gaze lingers on her chest before he refocuses. She pats our thighs. “I think we need popcorn.”
Holden is up before I am. He walks to the kitchen, and even though it’s not far, it’s far enough. I grab Sophia’s thigh and drag her closer to me, kissing along her shoulder and neck slowly.
Shivering, she turns to look at me. It would take next to nothing to kiss her right now. I lick across my bottom lip, and she leans forward slightly. “Don’t tease.”
“Or what?”
“I can’t handle more teasing. Not now.” Her hand rubs over my thigh, high enough up that my cock stirs.
I groan and shake my head. Fucking hell, it’s always something, isn’t it? I exhale and shake my head, my nose brushing hers. “You can end the teasing when you’re ready to beg me Bambina,” I growl into her ear.
“If only I wanted to beg.” She smirks slightly, pulling away from me. Teasing me.
What a brat. I grab the back of her neck and kiss her, hard, hungry, demanding. She melts against me. All her sass evaporates once I have my mouth on her. I rub my fingers up her thigh, teasing under her dress until she gasps.
I brush fabric and bite her bottom lip, sucking it before releasing her mouth. “I think you just like teasing me, dolcezza.”
“Roman.” Her breathy voice, the way her thighs spread further for me as she rolls her hips against my hand. “You don’t know everything.”
I tap her underwear, watching color flood her face. “Maybe I should be talking to your pussy instead of you.” I can tell she’s wet. “Seems to be more eager.”
“That’s wishful thinking.” But her voice wavers, and she can’t meet my eyes.
“Is it?” I run my finger along the hem of her panties. She’s warm and soft against my finger as I dip it just inside her underwear. I groan and let out a string of curses in Italian while kicking off my shoes. “Maybe we should find out.”
I nip the inside of her shoulder. “I think you’re wet, Soph.” I rub over her panties, teasing her with the lightest touch. “Soaked for me.”
“You’re killing me.”
“Beg, and I’m yours,” I whisper. “We can find an excuse to leave right now and take care of you the right way.”
Her breath wooshes out of her, and she shivers as I stroke over her panties one more time. She bites her lip and finally meets my eyes. “Please?”
“Barely a beg,” I growl, but I can’t resist any more than she can. I slip a finger inside her panties and find her wet, hot, and perfectly shaved. I groan and bite her shoulder as her head falls back. I circle her clit lazily. “Give me more, and you get more, Sophie.”
All she has to do is admit that she wants me as much as I want her. She swallows. “I want your fingers inside me, stroking me, please, Roman. Please.”
Her husky voice is straight lust. I groan and push my fingers inside her. She covers her mouth with her hand, but that doesn’t hide a damn thing. Fuck she feels so good. She leans back, and my eyes follow, seeing Holden watching just on the other side of the couch, rubbing the bulge in his pants.
I smirk and pull my fingers out of Sophie so I can shift to my knees and drag her panties down. She gasps and looks between us, then nods. “Please?”
“The magic word.” I tease, jerking her forward as she drags her dress up. She watches as I kiss up the inside of her thigh. I can’t stop the words pouring out of me as she reveals more and more, spreading her legs wider and wider for me. The Italian whips off my tongue as I toss my cashmere shirt to the side and finally lick across her pussy.