That knowledge, knowing she has that kind of power over me, doesn’t douse my feelings in the slightest. It’s not even the source of my fear.

What is starting to make me slow my kiss and my hand between her legs is the epiphany that Lexi produces feelings in me that are foreign—in a good way—and because of that I might need to give a little deference for how this is going to go down.

“Lexi, wait a minute,” I mumble into her mouth as I move my hand from between her legs and place it over her own hand that’s stroking me. I halt her movement and it causes her head to rise up so she stares down at me with hazy eyes.

“What’s wrong?” she rasps out.

“We should probably slow down…take things a bit slower,” I say thickly, my body threatening to rebel as my brain tries to take control.

“Why?” she murmurs, her eyes dropping to my lips before rising back up to meet mine. “I want this. Don’t you?”

“Fuck, yes, I want it,” I growl at her, my fingers involuntarily squeezing against her hand, making her squeeze my cock. “But…it’s moving fast. I don’t want there to be regrets.”

“Why would there be regrets?” she asks, her eyes clearing up a bit because of the serious nature of the conversation.

“There wouldn’t…not on my part at least,” I try to explain to her. “But…listen, I like you. I think you like me too. This is just different, and I’m not in a major rush for us to fuck. We can slow it down, continue to get to know each other.”

She stares at me a moment before she murmurs, “But I’m ready.”

“Are you?” I ask her bluntly. “You give me your body, that’s a big deal. For both of us.”

Damn…I’ve never said that to a woman before. Never cared if it went too fast, and never once did I worry if a woman would have regrets, mainly because I’d most likely never see her again.

But Lexi’s different.

So damn different in all the right ways, and I just didn’t realize women like her existed.

“Roman,” she says gently, her face lowering a little so she can peer at me. “You defended me once. Do you remember?”

I nod my head.

“And I asked you why, when you hardly knew me. But it turns out, you did know me. You knew me well, because you said I’m a woman who plays a ukulele in a coffee shop for tips, and you’ve never seen anyone happier in their existence.”

“I did say that,” I agree softly.

“And that right there…it gave me great insight into the type of man you are too,” she continues. “There’s something between us…you know it. It’s different. It’s mysterious. But it’s real and we’re both ready.”

Christ, this woman, lobbing common sense and mysticism at me all at once, but in my heart of hearts I know she’s right.

“You’re sure?” I ask her, giving her one last chance to slow down this barreling train we’re on.

Lexi grins at me, reminding me that there will always be some type of levity between us. “Well, after that meal you made me tonight, I told you there was a good chance you were getting laid.”

I laugh, raise my head, and give her a swift kiss. When my lips release hers, I say, “Okay. Let’s go to my room. We need a bed for what I plan on doing to you.”

Chapter 16

Lexi

Roman leads me from the living room, down a short hall to the right of the front door and to the master bedroom. He admitted to me over dinner that when he bought this house he offered a significant amount over the asking price to include all of the existing furniture and decor. The sellers hopped all over that and Roman got a very nice, fully decorated and furnished house. I suspect he really was keen on doing that because the decor is more on the masculine, or at least gender-neutral, side.

His bedroom walls are done in a rich chocolate color with palm tree prints on the walls. His bed is a massive sleigh design that sits high up off the floor and has a matching dresser on one wall and an entertainment unit on the other that holds a spectacularly huge TV. The floors are a dark hardwood and the rug underneath has a gold and brown striped design, while his comforter is in a rich, deep red with matching shams. The only thing that gives the room away as potentially belonging to a bachelor is the fact his bed is unmade, and I get a little tingle of anticipation as I see the golden colored sheets appear to be satin.

Dropping my hand as soon as we enter the room, Roman turns toward a pair of matching chairs in front of a window where the wooden blinds are pulled closed. They’re separated by a small round table with a lamp, which he turns on.

“Flip that overhead light off, Lex,” he says softly, and I like that little nickname a lot.

I take a few steps back to the switch by the door and do as he requested, which causes the room to dim with the only light coming from the table lamp now. It’s actually a lovely, romantic glow, and it makes me wonder if tonight is about romance or just pure release.

I suspect maybe both, as I’m still feeling the butterflies over Roman offering to slow things down.

Roman turns to look at me, and his voice is gruff when he says, “You’re an adventurer, Lexi. I’ve learned that much about you. I want to put that to the test.”

My skin immediately tightens and a low throb starts between my legs. I lick my lips and ask huskily, “What did you have in mind?”

Giving me a dark smile, Roman steps back and sits down on one of the chairs. He spreads his legs out in front of him and there’s enough glow from the lamp that I can easily see his huge erection outlined through his jeans. Resting his elbows on the arms of the chair, he clasps his hands over his stomach and says, “I want to watch you.”

“Watch me do what?” I whisper.

“I want to watch you,” he repeats, and just by the sexual rumble in his voice, the meaning is clear. He wants to watch me do whatever I want to do, and he intends to enjoy it.

Oh wow.

My skin now starts to tingle and my heart starts thumping erratically. I’m not shy in the bedroom and I’m confident in myself, but I’m not going to lie…the pressure is a little overwhelming, because I want Roman to really, really like what I show him.

I’ll die if I let him down.

“Don’t,” he says softly as he sits up a little in the chair to lean forward.