Chapter 20: Sunday: Romi is mine!

After blowing Romi a quick kiss, I hurried to my bedroom, making sure nobody saw me.

As soon as I was safely inside my room, I threw myself down on the bed, buried my face in my pillows, and shrieked loudly, finally letting out all of the triumphant excitement I had been bottling up inside.

Oh, my goodness! I did it! I seduced Romi.

Last night had been fantastic. I couldn’t wait to continue things. I grinned wickedly at the thought.

Ouch. I stretched, feeling a slight twinge. I was still a bit sore and swollen from Romi’s treatment of me, but I loved the feeling. I smiled happily and giggled as I thought about it. I couldn’t quite believe my plan had worked.

Romi, the man of my dreams, was finally mine.

Well, almost.

Now we had to do was to convince my family that we should be together.

That was not going to be easy, but I knew we would figure it out. After all, we already had Nonna on our side, so we just needed the rest.

We were going to have to think very seriously about how to broach this with the men in my family. They needed them to accept us. If they didn’t, then I would be willing to run off with Romi. I didn’t really believe it would get to that, though. My brothers loved me. Surely they wanted me to be happy? And Romi made me happy. I just needed to convince them of that. Before they killed him. Shit!

Worry clawed at my heart, and I hugged my pillow tightly to me as if I were hugging Romi. I nibbled on my bottom lip. Romi had said how he wouldn’t be able to bear anything happening to me, and I felt the same way about him. My brothers were definitely going to be angry with us, especially him when they found out about our relationship, but the fact that they might actually be so angry they could kill him had never really sunk in before.

Would they really go that far? I didn’t want to believe that. They all had tempers, and they were all quite capable of killing our enemies; I knew that very well, just as Romi was, but Romi wasn’t some enemy. Romi was family, and although they might feel betrayed at first, surely their love for him, for both of us, would win in the end. I didn’t even attempt to kid myself that they wouldn’t punish him, maybe even both of us, but I was sure that they wouldn’t kill him.

Yes, I had to believe that. There was no reason why we shouldn’t be together except for our familial connection, but in the end, it was that connection, the closeness we shared without being blood-related, that seemed to make us so right for each other.

We would somehow persuade them to accept us. There would be initial resistance, but eventually, they would all come around.

Although it might be best to tackle them one at a time, Marco was probably the best one to talk to first. He was the closest to my age and the closest to me of all my brothers. Or maybe we should start with Uncle Maxim? He’d always been good to me, and he had a soft spot for Romi, too.

After mulling it over for a while, I decided to wait until I talked to Romi before doing anything. It might be better if we talked to people together; that way, they could see we were both serious about each other. I nodded. Yes, it was best to keep quiet for now and wait until we could tackle things together.

Together.I smiled to myself and hugged my pillow again, still pretending it was Romi. A poor substitute for my empty arms but it was better than nothing until I could see my Mr Sexy abs again. I snuggled down on top of my bed and squeezed my imaginary Romi tightly. I remembered how he’d let me run my hands across his pecs and all over his chest and all the way down to his waist, feeling every firm dip and ridge, finally making my dream of getting up close and personal with those abs come true.

He worked out just like my brothers. They all sported very chiselled physiques, but his was so sexy, just like the rest of him. I pouted. I hadn’t had enough time to explore his sexy body. I longed for the time I could lie beside him again and stroke every square inch of him at my leisure. I squirmed at the strong pulsing sensation in my core at the very thought. I needed to be with him again soon.

It was going to be so much harder for us to stay away from each other after last night and even harder to hide things from everyone else. We really needed to tackle things as soon as possible, as stealing a few moments together here and there would grow old very quickly.

My whole body shuddered in delight as I thought of the man who had stolen my heart. I was completely and utterly head over heels in love with Romi. Not just that amazing body of his that looked as if a master craftsman had chiselled a Greek god out of the finest marble and then brought him to life. It was everything. His strength that made me feel protected. That smile of his that caused my heart to stutter. His smell, all musky maleness, that made my lady parts tingle. The way we moved in sync when we danced, and his creativity that matched my own.

Oh, and I loved his tattoos.

Like my brothers, he had the Bratva eight-point star tattooed on his body. Also, like my brothers, it was partially hidden. Romi had his tattoo on his upper right arm. It was a large black shield with a Celtic design on it, and the star was part of the pattern. He’d had it inked when he was eighteen. All the boys got one at that age to show their allegiance when they officially took on roles in the Brotherhood.

The newer one on his left hip, I hadn’t seen before, and it certainly intrigued me. It was a blank scroll, like the old-fashioned parchment they used to use when they wrote with a quill. Weird, but since I was a bit of a book nerd, I loved it. There was something really romantic about it. I’d been about to ask him about it, but he’d told me to hurry and left the room before I could. I couldn’t help but wonder what its significance was and why it was blank inside. I made a mental note to ask him about that later when we had more time to talk.

I wondered where he was right now. We’d only been apart for a short while, but I missed him already. I had been missing him a lot lately, while he avoided me, but at least I knew he wouldn’t be doing that anymore. I was sure that now he had accepted us, he would be going out of his way to make sure we spent as much time together as possible from now on, and I couldn’t wait.

There was so much more to Romi than I had realised, and I had thought I’d known all there was to know. Yet he continued to surprise me. I smiled. First with his house renovation sideline and then with his cooking skills. Who would have thought? When I’d gotten ready and went downstairs this morning, he’d had a full English breakfast waiting for me. A mindless orgasm and then a fully cooked breakfast? I grinned widely. A girl could get used to that sort of treatment.

Wondering what other hidden depths I was still to uncover, I smiled wickedly. I planned on discovering them all. Especially the sexual ones.

As I lay there, I imagined all the things we might do to each other the next time we got a chance to be alone. I was looking forward to trying out several scenes from my favourite romance books. I grinned mischievously and bit my lip as a particular scene involving ice cream and hot fudge sauce sprung to my mind. Oh my, I licked my lips, anticipating what it would taste like to lick that off Romi’s washboard abs. I was definitely going to have to try that out sometime.

Of course, we were going to have to have some more fun with tiramisu. It was our favourite dessert, after all, and it had almost led to our first kiss the last time. I closed my eyes and daydreamed about licking all of that sweet, creamy coffee goodness off of Romi’s naked body, making my body heat and my clit throb in anticipation. Down girl!

Giggling, I fanned myself, suddenly understanding Ash’s new obsession with food play. It was obvious I shared his enthusiasm, and if the way Romi had reacted to me sucking tiramisu off the spoon was anything to go by, so did he.

Romi had always been a big food fan, but I hadn’t known he liked to cook. That fact opened up lots of possibilities. An image of Romi wearing only an apron and cooking for me was definitely adding fuel to the fire of my fantasies. Oh, we were going to have some fun, messy times ahead.

Move over, Ash and Gracie; you’ve got competition! I laughed at myself for having teased Ash so badly about his messy kiss with Gracie when I was thinking some very X-rated thoughts about ice cream and tiramisu. I giggled, feeling so very happy—happy and suddenly exhausted. The tension of the last few weeks was beginning to catch up with me, and I badly needed a rest.

Clinging to my fake Romi, I closed my eyes with a satisfied smile. After all the excitement of yesterday and my naughty thoughts, I needed a nap.

The nap wasn’t very refreshing, and I woke a short time later feeling anxious. I missed Romi already and couldn’t wait to see him again. Not only that, but I couldn’t wait to have our situation out in the open. I loved Romi and felt like shouting it out to the world. But I couldn’t, and that was depressing.

It was hard to get through the day, but I spent time with Gracie, drinking wine and talking about our favourite romance books and authors. It was great to have someone else to talk to about my passion. My aunt Marta was a big romance fan, too, and we often talked about our favourite book, but she lived in Russia, so it wasn’t the same as having a face-to-face girlie chat and giggle.

At one point, as we were getting a bit tipsy, Gracie told me that she thought Ash was way better than any book-boyfriend she could ever have. I was really glad she felt that way about Ash, and I understood; I felt the same about Romi. Thankfully, she didn’t go into details because that would have been weird, but I couldn’t help smirking.

“Ah,” she said, smiling wickedly, “I think you feel the same way about someone. Don’t you?”

I shut down then. I really wanted to be able to tell Gracie, tell someone, but I was afraid she would tell Ash before we were ready, so I didn’t say anything.

“It’s okay,” she informed me.

“I have seen the way you look at him and the way he looks at you. Whatever is going on, I believe it will all work out for you in the end. You look good together. As if you were always meant to be.”

She winked, but I didn’t respond. She knew there was something between us and was going to be discreet. It wasn’t the time to confirm anything, but at least I knew we had another ally. I just hoped she was right about it all working out. I had been so happy when I had gone for my nap this afternoon, but ever since I woke up, I’d felt an odd sense of impending doom that I couldn’t quite shake off. I tried not to dwell on it as I chatted with Gracie, but the odd sensation lingered at the back of my mind, nevertheless.

Romi came back later in the evening, but I didn’t get a chance to see him as he was with Ash. They both looked angry about something as they headed to Miki’s office, followed by the rest of my brothers, and a bit later, Glowacki and his son Daniel arrived and joined them. I figured there must have been more attacks or something.

Whatever was happening was obviously becoming more of a problem. I just hoped my brothers and Glowacki could handle whatever it was without it causing us any real issues. They were obviously having a serious confab about it all because, by midnight, they still hadn’t appeared.

Feeling tired, I trudged up to bed. I would have loved to wait up and catch Romi on his own, but I was tired, and frankly, they could end up talking all night. They might even have finished their discussion and been having a few shots of vodka and playing some cards, for all I knew. It wouldn’t be the first time. Either way, it would look odd if I stayed up all night waiting for them to emerge without good reason, and as much as I wanted everything between Romi and myself out in the open soon, we needed to have a bit of a plan of how to tackle the backlash first.

My thoughts were running rampant again, and even though my body felt heavy and exhausted, I tossed and turned, unable to sleep. I missed Romi. I needed to see him as soon as possible. I huffed and tutted as the covers tangled around me, squealing in frustration as I pulled at them. It was apparent that I wasn’t going to be able to fall asleep, worried about when we would see each other next. I needed to take some action.

Throwing back the covers, I jumped out of bed, shrugged on my robe, and grabbed a notepad. A few minutes later, I quietly opened my bedroom door and peered out. The hall was dark and silent. I listened intently but couldn’t hear anyone coming, so I ventured out, hoping that I wouldn’t run into anyone as I completed my errand.

A door closed downstairs, and I froze, eyes wide, unable to breathe while I waited for any follow-up sounds. I gulped, the sound seeming overly loud in the silence that ensued. I waited another few seconds before hurrying past the top of the stairs.

My heart raced, and my breaths came in short, shallow pants as I tiptoed into the part of the wing where Romi’s room was. No light spilt from under his door, and when I pressed my ear to the wood, I couldn’t hear any sounds. He was either sleeping or still in Miki’s office with the others. I guessed it was likely the latter. Pulling a note from the pocket of my robe, I slipped it under the door.

Satisfied, I hurried back to my room before anyone could see me. Once back in the safety of my own room, I let out a breath in a whoosh of relief. All this sneaking about was not good for a person. I was definitely not cut out to be a spy or anything like that. I really hoped I wouldn’t have to do this cloak-and-dagger stuff for long. The sooner things were out in the open, the better.

At least I’d accomplished my task. Now I knew when and where I would be seeing my Mr Sexy Abs again. I climbed back into bed with a contented sigh. The coolness of the sheets was far more inviting this time, and I quickly sank into a blissful, restful sleep.