20. Perry

Roman and Sasha network like the professionals they are and I drift to the bar to get us both tonic water. Mine with lime and Roman's with grapefruit. I love his odd quirk for grapefruit pieces in his drink. Nothing common for my Roman.

And that's what he's become to me. Mine. But he's still not completely sold on being called that. Although I think me showing up dressed in a tux and doting on him for the rest of the night has scored me a tonne of points. Even now, when I survey the room, I find him instantly and he looks up. Smiling back at me with a soft gaze that I convince myself has to mean more.

"Hey, there. Fancy seeing you here."

I turn to find the man from the lodge earlier this year. The man who wanted Roman in his bed and turned me into the Incredible Hulk with one simple suggestive smile towards Roman.

"What brings you back here?"

The bartender places two shot glasses with red liquid in front of him.

"Nostalgia." He winks with a laugh. "Don't worry. I'm not going near your man unless it's business talk. I like all my limbs attached."

I grunt something that resembles words, and he cocks his head.

"For what it's worth, he only has eyes for you. I knew it then and I know it now." He offers me his hand to shake. "It's Bruce, by the way. And if I do a deal with these two men, you'll be seeing a lot more of me. I hope we can get along."

I take his hand with a gentle squeeze and nod. "We'll get along. And it's Perry. Nice to meet you."

He takes his shooters and I watch as he flits through the room to his partner and hands him one. They laugh and down the shot before kissing, and after a brief conversation, they leave with a much younger man.

With Roman's drink in hand, I cross to where he stands with Sasha and someone I've never met. Roman turns when I'm close, as if he senses me near, and his soft gaze almost makes me drop our drinks.

"Perry! I want you to meet someone." He takes his drink from my hand and leans in to kiss my lips. It's soft and chaste, but it still makes me smile. "This is our friend Lars. We all modelled together and went through some tough shit. He stopped by to tell us he's finally done with this PhD and leading an expedition to the Galapagos Islands for a study with…what was it again, Lars?"

"The mating habits of the marine iguana." He extends a hand and I shake it. "Nice to meet you. Thank you for making an honest man out of Roman. He's a tough nut to crack."

"An honest man? We're not married or anything."

Lars sends a quizzical look to Roman.

"My apologies. He said you lived together, and that's huge for Roman."

"Don't go rushing me down the aisle, Lars. One step at a time, but yes, we live together." He slides his free hand into mine. "And yes, it is a big deal," Roman whispers as he watches me and everyone else fades away.

Leaning down, I kiss him, soft and with reverence. Doing my best to convey to him how thankful I am that I get to share this with him. This monumental step in not only his professional life but his personal life as well.

He kisses me back, and it takes all my willpower to stop. Kissing his forehead, I whisper, "It's a big deal for me, too."

Lars and Sasha have moved away to talk, and I shake my head.

"How long were we kissing for? Your friends left."

"Do you want to get out of here?"

"You want to leave your party early? Is that a good idea?"

"I don't know, but I want you to take me home."

Roman doesn't need to say why. I feel it too, and against my better judgment, I agree. "At least tell Sasha, and we'll go."

He taps Sasha on the arm, and they whisper together. The two best friends embrace before Roman hugs Lars, and I almost change my mind and tell him he needs to stay and visit with his friends. He needs to meet the people who came here to celebrate him and make contacts to be successful. But I'm selfish. And I want him to myself.

We abandon our drink glasses as we leave, our hands tightly clasped as we make our way to the exit. He's stopped by a few people of course and Roman takes the time to be polite and nothing more before finally we step into the hallway and both of us giggle like school kids and race walk outside.

The rain that was only a light sprinkle when I first arrived has turned into a heavy rain now and I turn to Roman.

"I had to park down the block. Want me to get the truck and come back? I don't want you ruining your clothes."

"It's only water, Perry. I'm not made of sugar, for fuck's sake."

I bark a laugh. "No, you sure aren't." I tug his hand as we step into the pouring rain. "More like salt!"

He laughs as we run down the sidewalk, trying to avoid puddles and failing, splashing each other as we run. The rain sees our fun and falls harder, plastering our hair to our heads and when we finally reach my truck, we're soaked to the bone… and still laughing.

Roman's smiling face is all I focus on and instead of climbing out of the rain, I shove him against my truck. Taking his face in my hands, I devour his mouth. His hands clutch at my waist and pull me closer.

"Perry…I…" He smashes his lips into mine again.

When I pull away, I reach behind and open the door for him.

"Let's get home, baby."

"Home. I like that."

The drive home is slow.

Earlier, the weather issued a warning of dangerous rainfall amounts and the creek in town was already swollen. With twelve more hours of heavy rain in the forecast, flooding was an enormous concern. Our town was in a valley, but both Leaf and I were fortunate to live on high points where floods never reached. Even when my backyard river levels rose, it never put me in danger.

But it was still a danger.

Roman texted Leaf and Sasha to advise them how bad it was getting and, thankfully, the partygoers had cleared out. With a promise to inform us when they get home, we pull into my driveway and I slump in relief.

With all the rescues I've been a part of and the recoveries I've also had to bear witness to, it's always worse when there's someone in your life you care about waiting at home. The pull to do the right thing for the public is always strong, but when I think of leaving Roman behind… it's something I can't do right now.

"Let's get warm and dry."

"You need to do something, don't you?"

Roman's voice is a whisper in the truck cab and I don't need to strain over the pinging of rain on the roof. I know what he means.

"The only thing I want to do now is get you warm and dry and in my bed. That's what I need to do, Roman. The sooner the better."

With a nod, he steps out and we both jog up the front steps and into my house. Once inside, I spin him around, trapping him against the door. His ocean blues swim with a tenderness I hope is real. Because I want nothing more than to have this sometimes prickly man tell me those three words. But until then, I'll do my best to show him what I crave.

"Let me take care of you?" Dragging my lips down his neck, he thumps his head on the door and manages a nod. My fingers fumble with the buttons on his corset and he chuckles.

"Untie the back and pull it off."

"Of course, even taking your clothes off can't be easy, can it?"

Grumbling, I remove his suit jacket and spin him around to find the tie and I listen as he tells me what to do. He's unclasped the front and when I spin him back around, I can finally remove the garment I both love and hate.

"You're sexy as fuck in these things, Roman, but not gonna lie. They're a royal pain to remove and if you weren't soaking wet, I'd not have bothered."

"No? You'd just rip it off me or…?"

He raises an eyebrow as his hands reach for me, working all the buttons and clasps on my tux like a pro.

"Or I'd bend you over half dressed and fuck you to oblivion with it on."

His breath whooshes out like I just punched him.

"Fuck, Perry…you can do that the next time, then."

Our hands keep racing, shoving off the wet clothes with grunts and groans as we refuse to keep our mouths off each other. Somehow we've made it to the hallway of my bedroom and even though we shiver from the wetness, our skin is hot from the fire between us.

"Let me warm up the shower for you," I murmur against his lips and he steps away so I can turn the water on before we step inside.

Roman leans against the vanity and looks one hundred percent at ease as he waits for me to beckon him forward. Together we step under the warm water and, even in this enclosed space, we move in sync. We make it work and with only the sound of the shower, we speak volumes to each other with hungry kisses, teasing touches, and just simply taking turns showing each other care. I wash his hair and he soaps up my body.

We pat each other dry as we somehow walk, tangled together, into my bedroom and tumble on the bed with a laugh.

"How did we get here, Perry?"

"I drove you home and then we used our feet."

He doesn't laugh at my joke, and I immediately tense.

"What's wrong, baby?"

"I just…how did we go from barely being civil to each other, to me living here, to a few make out sessions where I still wasn't sure if I even liked you, to this? How did I start liking you?"

"You like me?" I nip at his shoulder and pull him closer.

"Yeah. By some grace of god, I do."

"Well, I'm pretty irresistible."

He laughs softly and I lift his chin. Those blue eyes stare back at me and they're as naked as we are. My breath catches with hope I'm right at what they say.

"I'll take care of you, Roman. Always. I don't know how we got here either, but I've never been happier to fuck up a plumbing job in my life." He laughs freely at that one and I'm glad. "And if you repeat that, I'll deny it."

"I just…it's a big step for me and…shit. When you showed up in that tuxedo? And you were late because you drove two hours each way to make it happen just for me? That's a pretty big deal to me. You might think it's shallow for me to be happy you did that, but I was. Not because you looked hotter than a burning building, but because you cared so much about ‘fitting into my crowd,' as you put it. You could have showed up in sweatpants and a T-shirt, and I still would've been happy to see you there."

"I wanted it to be the best day for you, Roman. I wanted to blend in with you."

He pushes me over and climbs on top of me. His blond hair still drips and a water droplet runs down his cheek. I wipe it away and he leans down, pressing his lips to mine and taking my breath away with one kiss.

"Thank you." He whispers across my lips. "Let me show you how much I appreciate you."

He moves down my body, my legs still dangle off the side of the bed and he slides to the floor. He tugs on my legs to move me closer, and I slide down.

"This is perfect." He purrs before swiping his tongue across my balls.

"God…Roman…what are you—"

And just like that, poof, the inability to speak has disappeared because Roman is feasting on me like a starving man. Propping myself up with my elbows, I stare down at the sight.

I can't see his face because it's buried in my ass but his blond head is there and when he pulls away, the blue eyes I get lost in stare up at me, just as wrecked as I feel.

"Why'd you stop?" My hoarse voice sounds foreign.

"I want to be in you. Fuck…I need to."

He hurries up my body and presses his lips to mine. "I want to lose myself in you. I want to feel you from the inside when you come."

"God…yes."

We reposition ourselves up on the bed and my heart feels like it might shatter against my ribs. He grabs the lube and condoms from the drawer and pauses.

"This isn't your first time, is it? Being topped? Is this okay?"

"Not my first time. But like you…it's been a long time." I reach over and stroke his cock. He closes his eyes with a hiss. "I prefer not to, but for you? Anything. I want you to mark me on this inside. Would you do that?"

He swallows hard, throat bobbing as he pins me with a tender gaze.

"You want it bare?"

How can I tell him I want him and all the most intimate things he can offer me without telling him I'm so fucking in love with him that my heart leaves my body every time we part? I want this pure and unfiltered Roman. And I want him to have me.

"Yeah. I have no reason to use protection. There's nobody else."

He runs a trembling hand through his hair.

"I've not been with anyone since I moved here. I've never… I'm always…"

"I trust you, Roman. Please?"

"What are you doing to me, Perry?" Draping himself over me, he nudges his nose next to mine and trails his lips down my jaw. "I don't do this kind of thing and you have me all…I'm…fucking gone for you."

And that's pretty close to being in love. Arching my back, I invite him to take it all from me. To hold nothing back and know that I feel the same way.

Every inch of my skin he covers in kisses so tender I quiver. The cap of the lube clicks and he coats my aching dick. Slow and measured, he strokes me while I only want him to get lost in me.

"Roman…."

I'm so breathless I should worry about passing out, but I don't care.

Everything is so much. The thunder picks up outside and I'm reminded briefly there's a storm. My body is limp as his fingers work magic until I'm a whimpering mess.

"I got you. Shh…"

He kisses my lips before the head of his cock breaches me, and I hiss at the sensation. But he waits and twists his hand around my dick again in the slow, slippery way I love. And bit by bit I relax until Roman's lips are on mine again and his balls touch my ass.

"You feel fucking amazing, Perry. I can't…wow."

"Make me yours."

His eyes close as he rocks his hips at a gentle pace, and I cling to him. Every muscle in his back pops with the strain and his breath, ragged pants, crosses my skin and leaves shivers in its wake.

"I'm already close. Fuck, Perry. This is…"

He pushes up on his knees and adjusts to rock harder into me, and I cry out.

"Just like that. Yesss…"

My balls tighten, and I lock my gaze on Roman. His focus is gone and the ultimate bliss on his face is breathtaking. It's my undoing.

"Roman!"

God, it just comes out of nowhere. My orgasm isn't just a runaway train. It's a nuclear blast. Roman's thrusts stutter and he readjusts to lie over me again.

"Fuck, fuck…"

He kisses me wildly. Like it's his last night on earth and pumps through his orgasm. All finesse is gone as the act of claiming takes over. Finally, he stills and wraps his arms around me.

Our laboured breathing struggles to be heard over the thunder booming outside. Roman rests his forehead against mine and I press a kiss to his lips.

"Perry, I…I think I—"

With a thunderous crack, the power goes out.