Hannah POV ...
I sat on the kitchen island, missing Roman’s presence. Yearning for his lips on mine again. I wanted to follow him into the corridor, pull him into a room, and finish what he had started.
What the hell was wrong with ? How had an innocent peck on the lips turned into a full blown make-out session right in front of his cousin?
Not wanting to be caught sitting on the kitchen island, I hopped down and made my way back to the breakfast nook. I sat nursing my cup of coffee, thinking about Roman’s lips on mine. I had never in my life been kissed like that before.
On a couple of occasions, a few of my father’s friends or clients would greet with one of those cheek-to-cheek kisses. Like an innocent display of affection between close friends, but never had I ever been kissed the way that Roman kissed .
My neck and cheeks went hot thinking about Roman’s tongue in my mouth. Why had I let him kiss like that? I was supposed to be giving this man hell for bidding on at an illegal club that catered to n who wanted to buy won as sex slaves and unwilling brides.
Now that I thought about him more, I rembered hearing rumors about the playboy Roman Thaddeus. The rumor was that he often had a string of won at his beck and call. One woman for every day of the week. I scoffed.
If Roman thought that just because he bought at an auction house that he could make one of his entourage of won with just a kiss, he was mistaken. I refused to fall into his trap, even though he was damn sexy and desirable.
I glanced out of the kitchen window that displayed a view of the backyard of the mansion.
There was a tennis court and a beach volleyball area backed by a beautiful garden. It was filled with vibrant flowers and fruit trees. I sipped my coffee, Losing my thoughts in the spectacular view of the grounds. On a morning like this at my house, I’d be in the kitchen with Lori trying to convince the staff to let us make pancakes or cinnamon rolls.
The thought made smile. Neither of us really liked cooking, and the kitchen staff always had to step in out of fear that we would overcook or undercook our food. But we made a good team in the kitchen for the most part.
Lori always mixed the ingredients and I was the one reading the cookbook because I hated getting flour on or dough under my fingernails. We just liked having fun together.
"Ms. Macalester," a man said, and I glanced up to see Geoffrey standing near the kitchen island. "Can I get you anything?"
’You can get Roman,’ I thought, dismissing the very idea of that man. "Could I get another selection of clothes to change into?" I asked Geoffrey. I could have asked Lauren, but I hadn’t thought about it while we were chatting earlier.
"Right away. I’ll have a maid bring so clothing to your room," he said.
"And is there any chance I can get access to a cell phone?" I asked him. "I actually lost mine before I got here last night." I was afraid the request was strange, but my very presence must have been strange to the staff. If it was, Geoffrey didn’t show any signs that my request was anything but a request.
"Certainly, ma’am," he said. "Anything else?"
I hesitated, biting my lip, wondering if I should ask Geoffrey my question. He waited patiently. It couldn’t hurt to ask. "Do you like working for the Thaddeus family?" I asked.
"Very much," he said. "In fact, my family has worked for the Thaddeus family for a few generations. My father, my grandfather, and my great-grandfather."
"That’s impressive," I said. My father, Court Macalester, had seen his share of butlers, but he was a harsh and demanding man. He had no qualms about hiring and firing any of the staff in his house. "What about Roman, specifically?" I asked Geoffrey.
"He is kind and fair, like his father," Geoffrey said. "I watched him grow up into the man that he is today. He’s young, but he’s reasonable, and has a good head for business."
"’So, you think he can handle running a billion dollar business?" I asked.
"He’s already doing it flawlessly," Geoffrey said. "His father taught him well, but he is also a talented young man." I nodded, taking in the information that Geoffrey had given . If the butler spoke highly of his boss, it was a good sign. I felt a little better about being stuck with Roman. According to Geoffrey, Roman truly was a decent person.
I stood and approached Geoffrey, patting his shoulder in a kind gesture.
"Thank you for your honesty," I said to him.
Geoffrey shrugged. "I wouldn’t tell you that the Thaddeus family were good people if they were not," he said. "It’s been a pleasure working for them. If you need to know anything else, just ask," he added.
I considered Geoffrey’s words as I headed back upstairs to take a shower and change. Knowing that I was being taken care of by Roman Thaddeus, a "kind and fair" man as Geoffrey described him, lifted a bit of weight off of my shoulders. I felt a little freer and a bit lighter. Or was it Roman’s kiss that made feel that way?
I thought of Roman’s lips against mine again as l undressed and stepped into the shower.
The water was hot and relaxing as I let it pour over , trying to forget the way Roman’s body felt against mine as we kissed in the kitchen. It was nearly impossible. ’d have a hard ti forgetting his kiss, especially when I saw him again.
Drying off and stepping out of the shower into the bedroom, I found three outfits lying across the desk chair and a cell phone on the desk. It was an expensive phone, and it had already been turned on and charged.
The charger lay on the desk near the embedded desk outlet.
Tapping through the phone, I found that it contained basic apps and had a data connection. If it had been owned by soone previously, it had undergone a factory reset and was like new. I needed to call Lori and my brothers to let them know that I was alright. I didn’t want them to worry about where I was, especially Lori.
This was the first ti ever that I had not shown up at ho. I was sure Lori and my brothers were curious about where I might be.
Before making any calls, I lifted each outfit and examined it, surprised to find that I was wondering which one Roman would like. The weather was sunny and clear, so I wanted to dress comfortably if I were to go anywhere.
I also had to rember that I didn’t have any undergarnts. I chose a black and white off-the-shoulder dress that fell just above my knees. It helped to conceal the fact that I wasn’t wearing a bra, and it also didn’t matter that I wasn’t wearing underwear beneath.
Scrunching my damp hair with my fingers, I decided to keep it loose and curly. Whenever I wore black, white, or a combination of the two, my red hair really stood out.
I grabbed the cell phone after I was dressed and perched on the edge of the bed. Luckily, I had Lori’s number morized, and I was sure that she could find my brothers and hand them the phone. What was I going to say? That I had randomly t a guy and was staying at his place while we made plans to get married? A guy that I barely knew? It wasn’t like at all. What had my father told them?
The thought of my father made clench my jaw. I was sure that he was counting his money, preparing for his next big client party. A hundred million dollars had to be more than enough to pay off his creditors and maintain a lavish lifestyle while he got back on his feet. If I never saw my father again it would be too soon.
I tossed the phone on the bed and paced the length of the room, wondering what Roman was telling his cousin, Lauren.
When I told her that he had proposed to last night, she seed extrely shocked.
She asked a few tis if I was joking, and I had to constantly change the subject when she tried to get details of how we t and why I had accepted his proposal.
Lauren and I had talked about everything from restaurants to the latest news and TV shows. Unlike Roman, Lauren had seen the TV show about the roommates living together in the haunted apartnt. I still couldn’t rember the na of that damn show.
I stopped pacing and grabbed the phone, dialing my sister’s number before I lost my nerve completely. Placing the phone to my ear, I listened to it ring once, twice, three tis, then it rolled to voicemail. I hung up.
Lori wouldn’t answer a number she didn’t recognize, so I sent her a text.
’It’s Hannah. Call back at this number. I lost my phone but I’m OK.’
I sat with the phone cradled in my hands and waited. Not a minute later, the phone began to chi an obnoxious tune. Lori’s number was displayed on the screen. I took a deep breath and hit the green answer icon.
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