That maybe it could be more.
All she had to do was tell him that she was willing to talk.
But when she opened her mouth, it was cowardice that won. “We can talk when we’re in New York.”
He turned to face her, his expression lost in the darkness. “Promise me that we will.”
“What?”
“Promise me that you won’t run when we get back. You’ll have dinner with me and we’ll talk.”
It’ll never happen. It sounded good in theory right now, beneath the stars and with their bodies gravitating toward one another, but once they got back to the city and were grounded in their real lives, it wouldn’t hold up. He’d get busy. She’d have to cancel a few times. They’d both lose interest and move on with their lives.
The thought made her chest ache, but she set it aside just like everything else she’d set aside since she came here. “I promise.”
Roman shifted closer, sliding his hands over her hips and up her back, fitting her body against his. He’d stripped before following her out here, and all his skin against all of hers sent a delicious thrill through her. He kept calling her beautiful, but he was a work of art. “Adonis.”
“Aphrodite.” He lifted her easily so she could wrap her legs around his waist. “Let’s go swimming.”
She didn’t protest as he walked them into the ocean. Roman didn’t go far, stopping as the water lapped the bottom of her breasts. It felt absolutely wicked to be out here in the dark with him. Even if it’d been broad daylight, no one would have seen them, but the thrill of the risk still heightened every sensation.
The water teasing her breasts. The slick slide of his skin against hers. The feel of his breath ghosting across her lips.
She arched against him, trying to take his mouth, but Roman dodged her kiss. “Do you know the legend of Aphrodite?”
She blinked. “Yes, of course. She came from the sea.” The words were barely past her lips when Roman launched her away from him. She was airborne for a single breathless second and then she hit the water and went under.
Allie surfaced with a curse that turned into a laugh. “You’re crazy.”
“Come on. You can’t skinny-dip in the Caribbean without horsing around a bit.” He splashed her and then disappeared beneath the surface.
Allie skittered back, searching the inky water for a sign of him, but the only warning she got was a hand around her ankle and then he pulled her under. They twisted beneath the surface and tangled together. She used his shoulders to shove him farther down and push herself up for a breath.
And then his arms were around her waist and he was hauling them closer to shore. His cock pressed against the small of her back and her breath hitched in her throat. “Playtime’s over.”
She laughed at the cheesy line, but the sound came out strained. “You just wanted to get me all wet.”
“Mmm.” He cupped her breasts and rolled her nipples between his thumbs and forefingers. “Come on. As much as I need you right here, right now, the condoms are back in the villa.”
She almost threw caution to the wind and said it didn’t matter. Allie clamped her mouth shut to keep the words inside and nodded sharply. Unprotected sex with Roman, no matter how much she wanted him in that moment, was the worst possible idea. “Yes. Villa. Now.”
Before she did something they’d both regret.
ROMAN CARRIED ALLIE across the sand. He ignored the tension bleeding into her body the farther they got from the waves. Too much time to think. They were being so damn careful not to edge too close to subjects that would put them at odds with each other, but he craved that part of her as much as he wanted the rest. Allie wasn’t just the beautiful siren who looked so at home in the sun and sand, with the turquoise water creating the perfect backdrop.
She was a strong woman who hadn’t let circumstances beyond her control beat her. She’d fought tooth and nail to accomplish so much in such a short time, and it was a fucking tragedy that it hadn’t gone according to plan. He didn’t want her to lose Transcend any more than she wanted to lose it, if only because he now recognized the pain it would cause.
Roman would go to extraordinary lengths to save Allie from whatever pain he could.
He padded up the porch steps and headed straight for the bedroom. She wouldn’t thank him for ruining their good mood with serious talking, and she might go so far as to leave if he tried to broach the forbidden topic. There wasn’t a damn thing Roman could do to change that, and he wasn’t used to being so effectively painted into a corner.
He couldn’t use words to reassure Allie.
But he could use his body.
“Roman?” The hesitance in her tone killed him.
He set her on her feet but didn’t release her. Naked and wet from the ocean, she really did look like a siren who’d been sent to tempt him. Allie blinked those big blue eyes. “Are we okay?”
“Yeah.” Not as okay as I want us to be. He liked Allie. He admired her strength. He wanted to bolster it, to be the immovable object she could lean on when she needed it. If there was one thing he was sure about when it came to the woman in his arms, it was that she didn’t allow herself to rest, to pass the burden on to another.
He wanted to bear all her burdens, at least for a little while.
Roman framed her face with his hands and stroked his thumbs over her cheekbones. “I want it to be just us while we’re here. No past, no worrying about the future. Just you, Allie, and me, Roman. Two people enjoying their time together.”
“That sounds good.” She bit her bottom lip. “But I don’t know if it’s possible to just put all that aside and pretend it’s not there.”
“Aphrodite.” He kissed the spot on her lip where there was still an indent from her teeth. “Nothing exists but us. The goddess of love and her Adonis.”
She laughed a little. “You know that myth didn’t end happily, right?”
“It’s Greek mythology. There are no happy endings.” He shifted to kiss her stubborn chin. “Fuck them. This is our story.”
Her hesitation was so brief, it might not have existed. “Yes. Tonight. The next three days. You and me. I’m in.”
As much as Roman didn’t want any kind of limit, he knew when not to push his luck. Allie had given him more than he’d hoped, and he’d have to be happy with it. “I’m taking you to bed now.”
“Finally.” She gave a dramatic sigh. “I thought we’d never get to the good part.”
“All of it is the good part.” He walked her back to the bed and laid her down, leaning over her. “Tell me what you want. Your wish is my command tonight.”
“Just tonight?” There it was again, the slightest hint of vulnerability.
Not just tonight. Always. Promises he had no business making rose, pressing against the inside of his lips like live things. He’d known he wanted Allie, but the realization that he had only three days left with her pulsed up inside him, desperation building with each heartbeat. He looked down at her, her open expression of need cleaving into his chest as if she’d actually struck him. I don’t want to lose you. He swallowed hard. “We’ll start with tonight and see how it goes.”
Her grin brought out an answering one from him. “Kiss me, Adonis.” She arched up, pressing all of her body against all of his. “Touch me. Hold me. Fuck me.”