by Geneva Lee
I had definitely never walked out naked to Roman before. He’d undressed me or I’d kept my shirt on or we’d been treading water in the ocean, but I’d never gone to him like this—bare and vulnerable.
Our wedding night seemed like a pretty good place to start.
Taking a deep breath, I opened the door. Roman’s back was to me as he poured champagne into two flutes.
“Someone knows,” he said, without looking at me. “Look what was in the fridge.”
“I suspect I know who.”
“Let me guess..” Turning then, his mouth fell open. He abandoned the champagne flutes and stepped closer to me. I couldn’t move, locked in his penetrating gaze.
“Mrs. Markson.” He wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me roughly to him.
“You’re still dressed.” My hands fisted in his shirt, pulling him down for a kiss.
“Care to remedy that?” he asked as our lips met. All my vulnerability melted away as his body pressed hard into mine. I pushed his shirt up, and he whipped it over his head so quickly I only had a second to register the absence of his kiss before our tongues tangled back together. Roman’s hands slid from my hips to cup my ass, lifting me up and around his waist. He held me there—steady and strong—while he explored my mouth. The ache in my chest built until I felt as though I was so full of him that I could float away from wanting. His lips left mine, dropping kisses along my neck, as he worked his way up to my ear.
“I’m glad we got married in the morning,” he murmured. His breath was warm, and it tickled against my sensitive skin, sending ripples of anticipation through my body.
“Mmhmm” was all I could manage past the dizzying longing pulsing through me.
“Now I can make love to you all day.” He carried me to the bed, laying me down cautiously, as though I was made of glass—something fragile and precious. My eyes didn’t leave his face, even as I heard a zipper. Roman stepped out of his pants, our eyes trained on one another. With gentle hands he pushed me up toward the pillows at the head of the bed.
“What do you have in mind?” I asked.
“I want to worship my wife. Get comfortable,” he told me, dropping to his hands and knees and pushing my legs open. “I’m going to be here a while.”
My head fell back as his tongue dipped between my legs. He paid homage there, kissing and sucking until I was on the edge. But he didn’t let me fall over it. The result left my body humming with a pleasure so intense that it vibrated through my skin. Every nerve was on alert, desperate for release and desperate for him to continue the beautiful torture.
When I couldn’t take it anymore, his mouth vanished and my eyes flew open to find him kneeling on the edge of the bed, a smug smile on his face.
“The wedding vows said “to have,” I said with a groan. “I looked it up.”
His grin widened. “Is that a hint?”
“I’m just following the rules.”
“In that case.” Roman gripped my thighs and lifted me to meet him, entering me with a smooth, powerful thrust. I gasped, overwhelmed by the moment. My husband was touching me. My husband was inside me. Nothing about that scared me, it exhilarated me. I circled against him as the pressure in my body built.
“I love you, Jessica Stone-Markson,” he said in a soft voice, sending a surge quivering through me. He pushed against me, harder, responding to the clenching need of my body and I felt another ripple.
“I love you,” I said breathlessly, “for as long as I live.”
Roman groaned, the declaration sending him over the edge. He drove deeper, releasing me in waves of pleasure that coursed through my limbs, turning my bones to jelly until I was little more than a puddle under him. Collapsing down, he gathered me in his arms and held me against his chest while the dizzying bliss dissolved. Our skin was slick with sweat and our breath came in heavy pants. I became aware of his heart, pounding against my cheek. The haze in my head cleared and I stroked a finger down his chest.
“If that’s what it means to be an honest woman…”
Roman’s eyebrow cocked up. “An honest woman, eh?”
“What would you call me?”
“A beautiful, kind, strong woman.” He nuzzled into my hair. “Although I’d be happy to make an honest woman out of you again.”
“Oh yeah?” I said, my tone ripe with challenge.
Roman’s face split into a grin as he rolled on top of me. “Oh yeah.”
I lost track of time, the day sweeping into twilight before we stumbled out of bed to replenish our bodies with food and water.
“There’s not much in here,” he said. “Want to go out? We can pop by the hospital.”
I nodded, tossing him a bag of mixed nuts from the gift basket the resort had left on the counter.
“I thought these were more your speed,” he said, waggling his eyebrows.
I groaned as I pushed up on the counter. “Very mature, Mr. Markson.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Markson.”
The name felt warm and comfortable, and I pretended to study my chocolate covered strawberry as I blinked tears out of my eyes. But Roman wasn’t so easily fooled.
“Hey,” he said, tipping my chin up with his finger. “I won’t call you Mrs. Markson if it upsets you.”
I smacked his shoulder and laughed as the tears spilled out. “Happy tears.”
“Oh,” he said, but it was clear he was confused.
“I’m still keeping my name,” I told him, “but that doesn’t mean I don’t like being reminded that I’m your wife.”
“You’re my wife,” he said with emphasis and I cried a little harder until I tossed the strawberry on the counter and wrapped both my arms around his neck. Our lips brushed softly together as we held one another, marveling in the power of small words.
The ring of Roman’s phone broke us apart and he crossed the kitchen. As soon as he saw the screen, his face paled and I was on my feet, at his side. Our hands threaded together and I whispered, “I’m here.”
His fingers tightened their grip on mine as he answered, and in that moment, I understood what I had really promised him. Saying I do wasn’t a means to a happily ever after. It didn’t mean there were no more challenges facing us. It meant we would face them together. I’d been scared of marriage until Roman, but know I knew that it was more than empty promises. It was a partnership between best friends. It was the start of our family, and as I watched Roman’s face go slack with grief, I felt his pain as acutely as if it were my own. When he laid the phone down, he opened his mouth to speak and couldn’t. I dropped a finger to his lips and shook my head. He didn’t have to say it. My hand stayed firmly in his, because we both knew we were stronger together. We always would be.
Dear readers,
Thank you for reading Teaching Roman. If you want to know when my next book releases, join my VIP list! Simply go to: genevaleebooks.com and enter your email.
Love,
Geneva
P.S. I’d love to meet you personally. Come say hello at Facebook.com/genevaleebooks or tweet me @genevaleeauthor.
To see what I’m up to check out my Instagram.
To chat with other readers, join my private Facebook group: Geneva Lee’s Loves.
Talk to you soon!
First comes love, then comes marriage…and then there’s the third wheel. Cassie Hart watched her best friends find the perfect guys. Meanwhile, she’s kissed a lot of frogs. So when she finally realizes that it’s easier to order shoes online than it is to find a decent man, she gives up. No more men. No more romance. No more waiting for true love. Naturally, life hands her a string of potential soulmates, and try as she might to avoid it, she’s about to learn life isn’t about finding love. It’s about reaching it.
Reaching Gavin, the final installment of the Good Girls Don’t series arrives on bookshelves Fall 2018.
Learn more here!
About the Author
Geneva Lee is the New York Times, USA Today, and internationall
y bestselling author of over a dozen novels. Her bestselling Royals Saga has sold over one million copies worldwide. She travels frequently with her husband and two children but calls Washington state home.
Learn more at:
www.GenevaLee.com
Also by Geneva Lee
THE ROYALS SAGA
Command Me
Conquer Me
Crown Me
Crave Me
Covet Me
Capture Me
Complete Me
THE GOOD GIRLS DON’T SERIES
Novels
Catching Liam
Teaching Roman
Reaching Gavin
Novellas
Unwrapping Liam
STANDALONES AND NOVELLAS
The Sins That Bind Us
Two Week Turnaround