LOL: Laugh Out Loud (After Oscar, #2)(64)

“I don’t do dishes, darling,” Lolo said with an indulgent smile. “This sweater is Dale of Norway.”

“I don’t care who your sweater is,” I said, standing up and collecting my own plate. “You’re cleaning up after yourselves.”

“It’s okay,” Diana said, waving a hand. “I don’t mind.”

“You’re not doing the dishes,” Earl insisted. “I’ll clean up.”

“See?” Lolo said, flitting toward the door. “Problem solved. Thanks bunches, handsome.” He blew Earl a kiss. “We’ll be in charge of dinner to make it up to you. How’s that?”

“Roman takes his filet medium rare,” I called out to their backs. “And the girls want ice cream. With sprinkles!”

The girls started cheering and chanting about ice cream with sprinkles. It seemed anything worth cheering for was worth chanting about too. When the door finally closed behind the two freeloaders, I turned to Diana. “I’m so sorry,” I told her, collecting empty dishes from the table.

“What for?” she asked with a laugh. “You’re not responsible for the actions of others.”

Earl also started to gather up dishes, but Roman waved him away. “I’ll help Scotty. Why don’t you head on out to the barn and get things set up for the lesson?”

The girls shifted their chants from demanding ice cream to wanting to go meet the horsey.

“That okay with you, Scotty?” Roman asked me. “Or would you rather go with them? I don’t mind handling all this on my own.”

I was touched by the offer, but it wouldn’t be fair to leave Roman with the mess. Plus, I liked being around him. “No, I’ll stay and help.” I turned to Earl. “Feel free to go on out and meet Nugget. That horse has never met a stranger, so you’ll be fine.”

The girls made little fists with their hands, pumping them in the air. “Nug—get, Nug—get,” they shouted, emphasizing both syllables of the name.

Diana glanced between us and winked at Roman. “I’ll get the girls out of your hair.”

The family left in a flurry of coats and scarves and hats and laughter. Once they were gone, the house seemed oddly empty and quiet.

I gathered another load of dishes from the table and carried them to where Roman had already beat me to the sink. “It was so nice of your sister to do this.”

Roman waited until I set the dishes down before drawing me into an embrace and kissing my cheek. His scent still carried traces of sleep mixed with coffee, and I imagined sneaking back to bed with him for another hour or so of snuggling under the covers and feeling him up at leisure.

“I’m glad you’re okay with the surprise,” he said, threading his fingers through my hair. “I probably should have warned you before inviting them—the girls can be a handful.”

I leaned into his touch. “A wonderful handful,” I told him. “They have so much energy.”

Roman let out a laugh. “Tell me about it. It’s from visiting them that I realized nap time is for the adults more than the kids.”

I nuzzled my face into his neck and wrapped my arms more tightly around his back. I loved the feel of him—so strong and solid and comforting. And sexy as hell. “I’m looking forward to nap time with you today,” I said, trailing a kiss along the column of his throat.

Roman hummed in appreciation. “Are you now?”

“Mmm-hmm.” I let my hand drift to his waist, my fingers dancing just under the lip of his pants. “Maybe I can put my riding lessons to good use.”

A laugh rumbled through his chest. His touch danced down the center of my back before splaying wide over my ass. “I’m definitely looking forward to that.”

I pushed up onto my toes, pressing a kiss to his mouth. His lips parted, and I tasted the sweetness of syrup and the bitterness of coffee. Roman sucked in a breath, tightening his arms around me and deepening the kiss. I lost all thought, my only awareness his touch and taste and smell. The sound of his breath catching in his throat when my teeth nibbled at his bottom lip.

His hands circled my hips, lifting me onto the counter. Roman stepped between my legs, and I wrapped them around his waist, digging my heels into his back to pull him closer. I let out a whimper, wanting more. Wanting the feel of his skin under my nails and his cock pressed against my own. God I could never get enough of this man.

I pulled my mouth from his, panting heavily. “Roman—” I gasped. There was so much I wanted to say, but I couldn’t find the words. Even for myself. I just knew that I wanted him and not just physically. I wanted all of him. I wanted to know him. Be a source of comfort for him, a refuge from the relentless pressure. I wanted to be the one he came home to, the one he confided in, relied on.

I wanted to be the one he wanted.

But it felt like too much to ask. And so I said nothing, just sat there, trying to catch my breath and keep my emotions from growing so large they choked me.

Roman must have seen something in my eyes because he reached out and drew his fingers down the side of my face and then cupped my cheek in his palm. “Are you happy, Scotty?”

It was obvious in the way he asked it that the question was important to him. And the answer was so complicated. So much in my life had fallen apart recently: I was homeless, jobless, broke, with a mother getting released from jail who needed help I couldn’t give. It should have all been so overwhelmingly awful and yet, I realized, I’d never been happier.