“I might,” I replied, and I supposed that might be true. He wasn’t as physically wrong as I first thought, and if my body had been attracted to him once, I could fall for him again.
But he turned and gestured up to somebody who was descending after him. I saw the other guy’s feet, legs, waist, and chest; by the time we got to his face, I already knew.
“Hey there,” the new guy said, flashing me a smile, and then I was sure. “My name’s—”
“Rome,” I finished for him and pushed Alexander out of the way to leap into his arms. “I’d know you anywhere.”
Of course, I would. He was the love of my life.
CHAPTER4
Rome squirmedand held his hands out as if he was afraid to touch me. His deep green eyes narrowed, and his chiseled face twitched with annoyance.
“Whoa, Willow, what’s gotten into you?” he exclaimed as I tried to embrace him. His tousled jet-black hair fell over his eye as he shook his head no. He brushed it back with irritation, and I fought the urge to brush it back for him. My hand contained muscle memory, like I’d done it a thousand times before.
“Willow, what the fuck!” Alexander yelled and reached for me. He took hold of the back of my shirt and pulled me towards him. I stumbled and wound up in his arms. He held me tightly so I couldn’t get away. “Why are you literally throwing yourself at Roman? He’s my best friend!”
“Rome’s your best friend?” I asked with a dumbfounded fog settling in around my head again.
“It’s Roman,” Rome replied with irritation threading through his words. “I’m sorry, but it’s not exactly a good idea to make out with me right in front of the man you’re going to marry.”
He was so standoffish that it was like a knife to the heart. I knew if I pushed it, if I just got him to let his guard down, he would understand how good it felt when we touched. How our bodies were made to fit together.
He was tall, taller than Alexander and broader, too. His shoulders were massive, and he was almost six and a half feet. His arms were corded with thick muscle, and his thighs were absolutely divine. And his ass. It was incredible. I could go on and on about his perfect physique all day, but I was confused as hell at the moment.
I loved him, and I was sure of it. I wasinlove with him, and he was with me. We were made for each other and completely devoted to each other, but he was looking at me like I was a lunatic.
I couldn’t stand it. The feel of Alexander’s arms around me, choking off my breath and crushing the air from my lungs as he clung to me possessively. As if he was sending a message to everyone present that I belonged to him and him alone.
“You’re embarrassing yourself,” Alexander grunted in my ear, and I finally went limp as I realized he was right. I was confused. I didn’t understand what was happening, and I needed to step back before diving headlong into these things.
“You look psychotic,” Victoria said through gritted teeth. “Settle down, or we’ll get caught.”
I took a deep breath, focused on where I was in the here and now, and felt Alexander’s arms loosen up at last.
“I’m sorry,” I said, and hot tears threatened to spill down my cheeks if I let them. I blinked rapidly, dispersed them, and straightened up. “I don’t know what came over me. I’m so, so sorry.”
“This has all been too much for you today,” Alexander said and spun me around slowly to look up at him. He brushed the back of his knuckles across my cheeks, drying the droplets there, and continued. “I should have insisted you stay in bed for the day. You need to dip your toe in the pool and get in slowly, babe.”
I hated the way he said babe, but I suppressed a shudder.
“You’re right,” I said. I looked over at Rome.Roman. “I’m sorry, too. I was being weird.”
“It’s all good,” he said, and he flashed me that smile that warmed my belly and melted my resolve. I fought the urge to leap into his arms again like I was sure I’d done a thousand times before. “You’ve been through a lot. It’s not every day somebody comes back from the dead.”
“What do you mean,the dead?” I asked, my face turning to Alexander. “What does he mean?”
“I’m sure he means the coma, don’t you, dude?” Alexander said amicably, but there was a threatening undertone. As if he was warning Roman to keep his mouth shut.
“Yeah, for sure,” Roman said. “Just the coma. It is like being dead, isn’t it?”
“I guess it is,” I replied, and I opened my mouth to release a large yawn.
“See? You need to go lay down,” Alexander said, and he kissed my cheek. “I’ll see you for dinner.”
“Are we allowed to eat together?” I asked.
“What do you mean?” Victoria asked with a sneer.