The Procedure (16 page)

“Yes. They’re going to bring our luggage up to our room.” I realized my mistake again and almost choked on my words. Clearing my throat, I tried again. “Our
rooms,
I mean.”

Still, she refused to look me in the eye. “Okay,” she said, nibbling nervously on her bottom lip and giving me an actual physical reaction.

Shaking myself, I took a deep breath. “After you.” I motioned for her to go in front of me.

The trip had taken a turn for the awkward, and I was desperate to get it back on the right track

It took ten minutes to get to the eighth floor and not once in that entire time were we alone. There were too many damn people in New York.

Stepping off the elevator, I walked Samantha to her room before going to mine. The conference wasn’t until the following day, and it was still early. We had an entire night to spend together and regardless of how nervous she obviously was, I wasn’t about to miss my chance to spend time with her.

“Samantha.” I stopped her with a hand on her shoulder before she could go into her room.

She turned toward me and finally met my eyes. “Yeah?”

“Would you like to go to dinner with me tonight?” I made sure to ask as if it were a date. It was time I made it clear what my intentions were with her.

Her face lit up, and a knowing smile pulled at her pink lips. “Pick me up at seven?” she asked.

Reaching out, I tucked her hair behind her ear and caressed her cheek. “I’ll be here.

FALLING FACE-FIRST
onto the bed, I moaned loudly into the smell of freshly washed sheets. The entire trip so far had been nothing if not awkward. I wasn’t sure what it was we were doing, but I was positive it wasn’t supposed to be happening this way.

Rolling onto my back, I stared at the tall ceiling and took a deep breath. I had an hour to get ready for dinner with Roman, and already, my body was tingling with anticipation. The man was making me crazy. Even though I’d spent most of the day in a daze, trying to figure out what I was going to do with my life when I got back to Miami, I was always aware of him. My body craved him, and I didn’t know how to handle that. I’d never felt something even remotely like it in my life.

Once my luggage came, I pulled out a dress worthy of a date, since he’d asked me as if it were a date, and I took the entire hour showering and getting dressed. Once everything was done, I slipped on my beige dress, sheer in the back, and put in a pair of earrings to compliment it. I was slipping on my heels when there was a light tap on the door.

Smoothing down my dress and checking my hair in the mirror by the door, I opened it to find Roman standing there looking delicious. His navy, three-piece suit was perfectly pressed as if he hadn’t traveled from Miami to New York. His hair had the naturally tousled look as if he’d had a stressful day at the office and couldn’t manage to keep his hands out of it. I loved it, and the urge to tug on it was strong.

Looking into his whiskey-colored eyes, I lost myself and all the thoughts I’d had prior to opening the door. He grinned down at me as if he could hear my thoughts.

“You look stunning,” he said, reaching out and running a finger across my bare shoulder. Chills rushed down my body, making the baby hairs at the nape of my neck tingle.

“So do you.”

And it was the truth. Roman Blake was a beautiful man, inside and out, and having his eyes all over me was almost too much to bear. I could practically feel them as they moved over my dress and down my legs. The touch was soft and thrilling… sexy.

“Shall we?” he asked with a lifted brow.

Grabbing my purse from the table beside the door, I let the door close and took the arm he was offering.

He smelled like soap and sunshine and when he wasn’t looking, I let my face brush across his arm as I inhaled him. When we reached the elevator, he looked down at me and again, he grinned as if he knew everything I was thinking.

“So where are we going?” I asked.

“You’ll see,” he answered, looking away.

I followed Roman onto the elevator, across the lobby of the hotel room, and into the back of a black limo. He was ever the gentleman the entire time—opening doors for me, ushering me with his hand on the small of my back, which I loved, and always making sure were we walking together. It was nice to spend time with someone who didn’t make me feel like they were ashamed of me.

The limo drove through the city was surreal, the bright lights beaming through the tinted windows and moving across Roman’s face like a movie reel. I hadn’t been to New York in a long time, but the city was timeless and never changing, no matter how many new buildings went up or old ones came down. The city was a lot like Roman. Strong and full of mystery.

I turned away and was looking out of the window on my side of the car when I felt Roman’s hand skim mine. His warm fingers sent chills up my arm and, without thinking, I linked my fingers with his. I smiled out at the city when I felt him give my hand a squeeze.

The scenery began to repeat itself, confusing me a bit, but then the car pulled up at the hotel again. Stopping in front of the doors, Roman opened his door and began to get out.

“Um, Roman. I thought we were going to dinner?” I asked.

He bent down, looking back into the car at me with a smile. “We are. Come on.”

He reached out his hand, and I took it as I exited the car. Again, I took his arm as he walked me back into the hotel and onto the elevator. He pressed the number eight for the eighth floor, and I knew we were going back to one of our rooms.

Nerves worked their way up my spine and forced me to take a deep breath.

“You okay, love?” he asked.

Suddenly, his pet name felt more intimate. I’d heard Roman call women
love
many times, but now that my feelings for him were becoming more obvious, the name felt different. It wasn’t in my imagination that it sounded different coming from him when he directed it toward me.

Stepping from the elevator, we walked to his room. I stood to the side as he pulled out his card key and opened the door. I gasped when I took in the inside of his suite.

The room was illuminated in candlelight. Tall, stemmed candles and flowers covered every square inch of his room. Stepping into the space and looking around, I saw that dinner was set up at a small table for two in the corner of his room.

“It’s beautiful, Roman,” I said as I took in the room in its entirety.

And then I felt him at my back, his hot breath tickling the hairs on the back of my neck.

“A beautiful room for a beautiful woman,” he whispered.

Roman pulled out my chair, and I took a seat. When he pulled up the silver platter in front of me, I was surprised to find a meal from Mama Maria’s in front of me, including a chocolate ball for desert.

I laughed. “I can’t believe you did this for me,” I said, smiling across the table at him when he sat.

“Haven’t you figured it out yet, Samantha?” he asked.

“Figured out what?” I asked, confused.

“There isn’t much I wouldn’t do for you.”

His said those words with a serious face, his eyes taking in my expression.

There wasn’t anything I could say to that. Instead, I reached across the table and covered his hand with mine.

The rest of the night consisted of delicious Italian food, funny fortunes inside of chocolate, lots of smiles and laughter, and so much touching I was sure I’d soaked my panties. I squirmed in my chair as I waited and hoped with bated breaths that Roman would make the one big move that would leave me gasping and sweaty in the sheets that covered his bed, but throughout it all, he remained ever the gentleman.

AFTER DINNER, ROMAN
walked me to my room. I walked at his side with heat between my thighs and wine flowing through my veins. With my arm in his, I let my fingers roam back and forth over his forearm, relishing in the way his muscles would flex beneath my fingertips.

Pulling out my card key, I opened my door and turned to face Roman again. “Tonight was more than perfect,” I said, slipping my key back into my purse.

“You’re more than perfect,” he responded. Losing his hand in the hair behind my ear, he rubbed my cheek with his thumb.

When I pressed my palm into his chest, the heat of his skin warmed his jacket and my fingers. “You’re so full of it, Dr. Roman,” I joked.

He captured my hand against his chest, his eyes clashing with mine. The smile left his face, and the moment felt heavy. “Never for a minute doubt me when I say you’re amazing, Samantha.” He released my hand, but I left it there. “There are so many things I want to say to you right now, but again, I’m caught feeling like it’s not a good time. So instead, I say… Goodnight, sweet Samantha.”

Dropping his hand from my hair, he ran it down my arm, leaving chills in its wake.

It was as if he couldn’t stop touching me, and I loved it. He made me feel more desired and loved than I had been in my entire life, which made no sense because I was sure Roman was
not
in love with me. Still, a girl could dream.

Leaning in, he pressed a chaste kiss to my lips, warming them and skimming my cheek with his hot breath.

I should have said goodnight. An honest woman would have. But I wasn’t an honest woman. I was desperate and needing. I wanted to feel his hands and lips all over me—bringing me to completion in a way Michael never cared enough to. I wasn’t honest, but if I were, I would admit to myself how deeply in love with Roman I was. Sure, there was desire, but the things I felt for him deep inside made that desire burn hotter.

“Stay,” I whispered into the space between us, shocking myself.

I didn’t want him to leave. I’d spent the night imagining his hands on me. I wasn’t sure I’d make it through the night knowing he was lying in bed a few doors down from me.

His eyes examined my face, looking for a crack in my positive exterior. “Are you sure?” he asked, his voice strong and steady.

I loved that about Roman. No matter what he was feeling inside, he was always so calm on the outside. It made feeling safe in his arms that much easier.

“Yes.”

The heated word bounced from my mouth seconds before he leaned in and pressed his lips to mine again. Heat surged in my core, sparking something inside that made me moan against his mouth. His body pressed against mine, pushing us both inside the room and making the door click shut behind us.

I opened for him, letting his tongue swipe against mine, and again, a tiny moaned slipped from the back of my throat and landed against his lips.

Pulling away, he exhaled through his nose as he pressed his forehead to mine and closed his eyes. “Those sweet little noises are going to be the death of me.”

Swallowing hard, I breathed the taste of him in. “I’m sorry,” I apologized as I licked my lips.

Using his thumb, he wiped away the moisture from my bottom lip. “Don’t ever apologize for being sexy, Samantha.”

And then, he kissed me again softly, his sweet flavor rushing over my tongue. Pulling me closer, his hands moved around my sides before resting on my hips. The fabric of my dress tightened across my ass when he fisted it.

Moving from my mouth, his lips skimmed my cheek before he nibbled my neck. I leaned back, enjoying the feel of everything he was doing. Then he lost his fingers in my hair and kissed me harder. The sense of urgency in what we were doing was growing by the second, and his kisses were becoming more desperate.

Pulling away, he took a deep breath before moving in again. His tongue worked mine, and he sucked on my lips and tongue. I’d never been kissed the way Roman kissed me. It was soft and sweet, yet wild and sexy at the same time.

His fingers moved from my hair and down the sides of my neck. He continued until he was fingering the collar of my dress and slowly tugging it down. Moving back, his eyes devoured every exposed piece of my flesh he revealed. It was as if I were a gift he’d wanted all of his life, and he was finally allowed to unwrap me.

“If you want me to stop, say so now. I can’t promise I’ll be able to once I taste you.”

The sleeves of my dress fell down my arms, trapping them at my sides and revealing my silk bra. His lips touched my shoulders, his tongue skimming my bra strap.

“Samantha?” He breathed my name against my skin. “Tell me to stop, love.”

In the back of my mind, I knew I should tell him to stop, but I couldn’t make the words leave my lips. Instead, I stepped away and began to peel my dress from my body. His eyes moved from my bra, down over my stomach, and continued until he was looking back up and gazing into my eyes.

Once my dress was around my ankles, I stepped out of it and stood before him in only my bra, panties, and thigh highs.

“Samantha.” He said my name with an exhale and a prayer. “You’re so lovely.”

And then he moved closer, pressing his body to mine. Running my hands up his chest, I relieved him of his coat. It fell to the floor at our feet. Tilting my head up for more, I pressed my lips to his and kissed him as if he were mine to kiss.

I fiddled with his tie until it was loose enough to pull over his head. He smiled down at me with a boyish grin, effectively melting my heart and leaving a scar in my soul.

My fingers went to work on his buttons as he pulled down the straps of my bra and littered my shoulders and neck with kisses. And then my bra was gone and Roman sucked my nipple in between his lips, making me cry out in pleasure. He alternated between soft flicks of his tongue and suction, and I felt as if my body was coming alive.

Forgetting about unbuttoning his shirt, I pulled it apart. Buttons clattered to the floor, and Roman chuckled softly against my breast. Coming up, he kissed me hard, sucking my bottom lips into his mouth as he nibbled it.

Turning us, he walked me to the bed and laid me down. He plucked my heels from my feet, tossing them to the floor, and then he climbed over my mostly naked body, placing kissing on my body in random places he passed.

Losing my hands in his messy locks, I held his mouth to my body, gasping every now and again when he licked my skin or bit softly. Opening my legs, I let him fall in between them, pushing my thighs out and pressing the hardness tucked behind his zipper into my soaked panties.

Slowly, he worked his hand past the elastic waist of the silk, running his finger across the throbbing bundle of nerves at my center. I lifted my hips, thrusting for more.

“Please, Roman,” I said, biting into my bottom lip.

“Please what, love? Tell me what you want,” he said against my neck as he continuously kissed and sucked.