LOL: Laugh Out Loud (After Oscar, #2)(41)

We all just stood there, staring at it.

“Um, what was that for?” I asked.

“I was saving you from the sex fruit.”

Trevor started giggling. It was unexpectedly high-pitched and entirely at odds with his bulky frame. “Sex fruit,” he repeated under his breath, sending himself into more giggles.

I managed to keep my own laughter at bay long enough to place a kiss on Roman’s cheek. “My hero.”

“Anyway,” Trevor said loudly, interrupting the moment. “We were fucking on the kitchen floor and suddenly his family was standing in a circle around us chiming in with helpful feedback. I think one of them was chanting a spell or something. What’s a chanted spell called?”

“An incantation?” I glanced over at Roman, but he was busy spraying the counter with bleach. “Do you honestly think they haven’t cleaned this place since then?”

He grunted, distracted by his search for sex cooties.

“Yeah, an incantation,” Trevor continued. “I think they did that to us. Ever since then, my dick is actually bigger. Want to see?”

Suddenly, Roman’s attention was back with a vengeance. He held up the spray bottle as though it were a dangerous weapon. “He does not want to see your dick.”

“Speak for yourself, Bossy-Pants Man,” I corrected. “If the big sexy policeman wants me to look at his nightstick, I’m going to look at the man’s nightstick.” I was teasing him, of course, because I relished this little possessive streak he had going on.

Roman’s jaw dropped, but he snapped it closed again and turned away, taking the spray bottle back to where he’d gotten it from under the sink. “Yeah, of course. Good.”

Trevor winked at me like we were coconspirators and then started fiddling with his duty belt. “Come here, sweetheart.”

I started across the room, but instead of heading toward Trevor, I climbed on Roman’s back and placed a kiss behind his ear.

“I only want to see your nightstick right now, Sparty,” I said quietly into his ear. Roman’s entire body shuddered.

“You’re playing a little fast and loose with nicknames, Scotch Tape,” he said with a chuckle. He reached back to keep me from falling off.

“Give the nice man his police statement so we can get back to me creaming you at—”

“Hey, whoa there,” Trevor interjected. “No need to be explicit. Don’t make a man want something he can’t have, cutie.”

Roman smirked. “He means beating—”

Trevor held up his hand. “Stop it right there, cowboy.”

I hopped off Roman’s back after noticing the time on the microwave clock. “Speaking of cowboys, I need to go see a horse. Be back in a few.” I kissed Roman long and deep on the lips, making it clear he had nothing to fear about my interest in him.

“Want me to come with you?” he asked.

There was something about the way he said it that made my chest warm. There was nothing sexy or fun about mucking out a stall and feeding a horse—there was no reason for Roman to offer to join me at all unless it was because he wanted to spend more time together. As if it was just a given that he might join me. It was such a casual offer, but that was what made it feel so special.

I wanted to say yes, but I couldn’t. Because the real reason I was going out to the barn was in case my mom called. I didn’t want to risk Roman overhearing our conversation. I loved that he’d been so willing to open up and share the story about his father’s death and how that had impacted him, but I wasn’t so sure I was ready to tell him about my own past.

People tended to look at you differently after they found out you had a criminal past.

I brushed a kiss across Roman’s lips. “No, it’s fine. I just want to check on her before it gets dark.”

“Do you have your phone? Just in case anything weird happens.”

“Weird?” I asked.

He shrugged. “With Oscar’s family at the spa…”

“I still don’t think I understand what that means.”

“Just text or call if you need me, all right?”

The concern in his eyes caused my chest to tighten. “Yes, Spartacus, but you have my phone in your pocket.”

Roman’s eyes narrowed at me as he patted at his pants until he found it. “I’ve tried to return this to you all day. Why do you keep slipping it back in my pocket? I trust you, okay? Stop giving me your phone. If I didn’t take a chance on people from time to time, I’d live in an awfully lonely bubble.”

I leaned in again and kissed him softly. “Thank you,” I told him. I wanted to warn him that he shouldn’t trust people so easily. That he was too nice and one day someone was going to take advantage of him and I didn’t want to see him hurt.

Which I knew from experience. My entire life had been steeped in the art of people taking advantage.

But I liked that despite everything Roman had been through, he still had faith in people. He was still willing to trust. Especially me.

I just hoped that in the end I was worthy.

Roman’s forehead creased in confusion, but I didn’t stick around to explain what I knew about people taking advantage. After donning my winter gear, I headed out into the frigid air. My breath turned to clouds, the air otherwise still and quiet, sound dampened by the thick coating of snow still blanketing everything. I kicked my feet against the path as I cut my way through the trees, trying to ignore the cold seeping through the old cracked leather of my boots. It was well past time I replaced them, which was another reason I needed to get a job and start earning money again.