The Roman's Woman (A Singular Obsession Book 4)

by Lucy Leroux

  The waiter arrived with their meal, saving her from having to respond to that. She picked at her meal, blushing awkwardly whenever she caught his heated gaze.

  He gave her a break for a little while, discussing the lab and its research. Apparently, Alan had given him a tour after she’d gone home yesterday and he was eager to discuss their recent findings and the current state of science in general.

  “I do think it’s a double-edged sword that we get so much money from private sources these days,” she said, warming to a topic that she often discussed with her colleagues.

  “So I should take my money back?” Gio asked with a glint in his eye.

  Sophia’s laugh was a higher pitch than normal. “Bite your tongue. Alan would have me drawn and quartered if he heard you teasing like that. No, I meant that it’s a shame government funding of research has stagnated in the last decade. It’s not a priority in tough economic times. Politicians forget that science funds innovation and industry. And scientists themselves have become extremely conservative when it comes to what research topics they pick since so much depends on getting the next grant. Innovation is dwindling across the board. Cash-strapped labs can’t risk being on the bleeding edge anymore. Most of the time they have to have the research half-done to obtain the money in the first place—to prove a project’s viability. At the same time, having to answer to private donors such as yourself comes with its own set of pitfalls.”

  “Like having to have dinner with your benefactors?” he asked with a wry twist of his lips.

  “If only it stopped there,” she said, choosing to take his question at face value as they finished up their meal. “Not only do we get accused of conflicts of interest—sometimes with good reason if you do pharma research—but private donor money can come with a lot of strings. The Morgese Foundation doesn’t have this reputation, by the way. I’m thinking of experiences other colleagues have had.”

  He nodded and ordered coffee from the waiter before answering. “I’m glad the foundation has good word of mouth. That work is important to me.”

  She drummed her fingers on the table. “So, since it has come up, I have to speak to you about the money. I need to know that whatever happens between us, it won’t affect the lab’s funding.”

  Gio perked up. “Does that mean you’re considering going out with me again?”

  “No—I mean I don’t know.” She bit her lip. “God, just answer the question, please.”

  He sat up straighter. “Do you honestly believe I would jeopardize your livelihood or that of the people you work with for any reason?”

  He sounded angry. Slightly ashamed, she shook her head.

  Gio’s shoulders drooped. “You earned that grant. You deserve it, and I’m not going to take it away because you don’t want to be with me anymore.”

  He sounded heartbroken.

  “I didn’t say that.”

  He leaned forward. “So…dinner tomorrow night?”

  “We’re having dinner now,” she reminded him.

  “And tomorrow night, too?” he asked in a hopeful voice.

  His boyish grin was completely disarming. Steeling herself, she took a deep breath. Despite what he’d done and her petty desire to continue punishing him, she did miss him. What if she gave him another chance?

  He would be on probation, of course, and this time she would be vigilant. She wouldn’t take anything at face value. If he lied to her again, she’d take Kelly’s advice and kick him in the balls. And she could kick really hard.

  “If we do this, we start over. You get one, and I mean one, more chance,” she said, holding up her index finger.

  Gio put both hands on the table, his shoulders dropping in relief. “Thank you.”

  “Don’t thank me yet. When I said start over I meant from the beginning.” She took a surreptitious look at their fellow diners and leaned in. “That means no sex. As of now, we are strangers who are on their first date.”

  He was unfazed, an irrepressible grin lighting up his whole face.

  “I’m serious,” she whispered. “No sex.”

  That lasted about a week.

  Chapter 12

  Damn Italian must’ve drugged me.

  Sophia gripped the counter she was sitting on with one hand. The other was busy pulling the hair on Gio’s head, which was currently buried between her legs.

  “Oh, God!” she cried, as his tongue circled her clit before biting down on it gently.

  One of his hands was stroking her pussy lips, two fingers buried deep in her sheath. She shuddered and moaned as they stroked a sensitive spot.

  She didn’t know how this had happened. They had been arguing just a minute ago in the car. Richard had been calling about her father’s Chevette again, instigating yet another argument between her and Gio when all of a sudden they had been kissing—a heated clinch with tongues and teeth that had them climbing all over each other in the backseat of his town car.

  Thank God it had tinted windows.

  Getting to Gio’s place was a blur. She barely recalled being ushered out of the car. His hands had been busy under her skirt, and she had come close to being fucked in an elevator.

  It had been a long ride to the penthouse.

  She remembered him opening the door to the place, but for the life of her couldn’t remember how she’d ended up sitting on the marble countertop in the kitchen getting oral from a billionaire.

  Gio had been lent the glorious apartment by a friend of his from university so he could stay in town to “court” her. The place was ridiculously large with a dozen rooms, including a private gym and a home theater. Last night she had watched a blockbuster new release in there snuggled in Gio’s arms.

  It had taken Herculean strength to go home to her cold bed alone yesterday. She was proud of the amount of willpower she’d displayed around him. But her resolve to take things slow flew out the window mid-fight.

  “We have to stop settling arguments this way,” she managed to say between breathy little moans.

  His laughter sent delicious little vibrations up and down her pussy. She buried both hands in his hair and held him closer, her hips pumping up helplessly. Worried that he was in danger of suffocating, she tried to back up, but his hands moved to hold her against his mouth. He sucked and licked in an aggressive rhythm that made the blood pound in her ears in a matching beat.

  When his tongue stabbed into her, she tightened and throbbed around him. A broken sob escaped and her hands trembled on his head as he snaked in and out of her channel, extending the ripples of her orgasm until she was limp.

  Gio pulled her off the counter. He was wrapping her legs around his hips, his cock probing at her entrance when there was a sudden loud crash somewhere behind them.

  She gasped and pulled her skirt down while Gio hastily zipped up his fly. He was looking over her head, his face beet red.

  “Alex!” he said.

  “Oh, God,” she moaned, her hands covering her face.

  Slowly she turned around and peeked out from beneath her fingers. There was a very tall, very embarrassed, dark haired man standing there with his mouth open. He closed it and opened it a few times, desperately trying not to laugh.

  “I am so sorry,” he said, holding up his hands. “The doorman let me up.” He looked down sheepishly at the broken lamp beside him.

  “I didn’t mean to intrude…It’s just that I haven’t heard from you, and Elynn and I were worried that it wasn’t going well…but I’m glad to see that I was wrong.”

  Gio made a choking sound.

  “Not that I saw anything!” Alex assured them before breaking out into a shit-eating grin. “Well, nothing good anyway…”

  Sophia laughed despite her humiliation, and Gio gave her the most adorably abashed look of relief.

  “Um, Sophia this is my friend, Alex Hanas. Alex, this is my Sophia,” he said, moving to stand behind her and put his hands on her shoulders.


  My Sophia.

  The possessiveness was enough to make her put her hands down to peek at the two men standing there looking so bloody handsome and…handsome.

  Damn, they were both so attractive. Of course, Alex was nothing compared to Gio, whose square jaw and light gold eyes were far more devastating than the other man’s more generic model looks.

  “Er…I am going to be right back,” Gio said holding up a finger.

  She twisted her head around to give him a don’t-you-dare-leave-me look.

  He ducked his head.

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I need to clean up,” he added pointedly and she blushed because up close her intimate scent was noticeable all over his face.

  “I’ll be right back,” he called, practically running out of the room.

  She and Alex stared at each other awkwardly, and she laughed again. He relaxed and laughed with her.

  “I am really sorry,” he said. “We were worried about him and the doorman didn’t mention he had company. Gio and I went to school together, and we’ve been pretty tight ever since. Anyway, he called last week and told us the whole crazy story. For what it’s worth, he’s never like that. Gio is the most honorable man I know. This whole thing with his ex, the bitch from hell, really messed with his head.”

  Her brows went up. “Bitch from hell?”

  “It’s her official title.”

  “Not a fan, I guess.”

  He shook his head emphatically. “We hate her.”

  She smiled. “We?”

  “My wife Elynn and I.”

  Moving from the protection of the counter, she joined him in the living room. “Does that mean you’re one of the friends that Gio’s ex…”

  She trailed off with a gesture.

  Alex wrinkled his nose. “I was. Me and our other friend, Calen. It was…bad. Horrible woman. Which is why I am so glad to meet you.” he gushed. “Gio hasn’t been serious about anyone in a long while.”

  His enthusiasm was genuine, and she was a little flustered. Alex was a forceful personality. Sophia could feel herself being carried along by it—instant relationship, just add water. The sensation was a little overwhelming, but not entirely unpleasant.

  “So, I guess he tells you everything…”

  Had Gio actually said he was serious about her, or was Alex inferring it?

  Alex put his hands in his pockets with a little shrug and smiled. “Like I said, we’re close. By the way, my wife is dying to meet you too. We’re hoping the two of you can come to dinner soon. Calen and his wife are going to come out for a visit next week and, if you come, I’m pretty sure I can convince Sergei and his wife Eva to fly in as well.” He leaned in. “They’re dying to check you out, too.”

  Her smile was awkward. “Oh, that’s great,” she said weakly.

  Who were Sergei and Eva?

  Gio hurried out of the hallway at speed. He almost skidded to a stop before Alex, moving to hug him with one of those hearty pats on the back masculine men tended to give each other. They spoke in what sounded like Greek before Gio walked to the bar and poured a glass of something brown and terribly expensive. Then he poured Sophia a glass of her favorite Madeira with a wink.

  Sipping it, she watched the two men interact. So this was Gio’s version of Kelly. Alex seemed like a nice man. She hadn’t been expecting somebody so GQ, but perhaps that was because in the back of her mind she still thought of Gio as a man of limited means.

  Which was a bit stupid of her. Looking at him now, she wondered how she could have ever believed he was uneducated or poor. Both of the men in front of her screamed money. Their wealth and breeding were obvious in the clean lines of their suits and strong masculine features.

  With a little grimace, she glanced down at her utilitarian sheath dress, one of a dozen in her wardrobe.

  She might need to do a little shopping. It wouldn’t kill her to buy a few outfits that fit a little better. The idea had made her uncomfortable for years. But it was doubtful anyone in the lab would call her a slut if the outline of her breasts were visible for a change. She was a fully grown woman with a high-level research job. The days of falling victim to a few cruel taunts were behind her. You hope…

  Stop that. Besides, Gio loved her curves.

  You can do the sexy librarian look. She could probably pull that off…and Gio would go nuts. He’d already asked her to wear her reading glasses for him when they made out last night, so it was a pretty safe bet he was a fan.

  As the men caught up, she only replied when spoken to. She was silently planning the marathon shopping trip that would be required to overhaul her wardrobe. Gio seemed thrilled to hear that his other friends were coming to town.

  She loved the boyish eagerness he displayed as the pair regaled her with stories from their old University days.

  Don’t go there. It was way too soon to be using the word love in any context.

  Alex left soon shortly after, but not before making her promise to attend dinner. Gio closed the door behind him and gave her a commiserating smile.

  “I apologize for that,” he said. “Alex owns this place, and several others, all over town. He and Elynn used to stay here, but now that the baby is walking they commute from their country estate.”

  She collapsed back onto the sofa, a little dizzy. “A country estate? How very Jane Austen.”

  Exactly how rich were these people? A penthouse was a big apartment, but a whole estate? Did Gio have one of those? Probably several. B is for billionaire.

  Oh Jesus, her head was starting to spin.

  Gio sat next to her. “It’s just a house,” he said softly, reading her mind.

  “Yeah…I get that. But it’s an adjustment, knowing you have obscene amounts of money.”

  She’d been worried about the opposite—how he would fit in with her friends. Now she was concerned about how she would fit in with his.

  Gio laughed. “It’s not obscene amounts. And most of it is not mine. The money belongs to my family. I’m simply this generation’s caretaker of it.”

  Yeah, that did not make her feel better.

  She stood up and went for her purse. “Right. Uh, I should go.”

  His face fell. “Already?”

  “I need to pick up a few things at the store.”

  Lingerie. She should buy lingerie. Hope it comes in plus sizes. It was always hell for her to find a decent bra with enough support, let alone a pretty one.

  The disappointment on his face lightened fractionally. “You know I can send out for anything you need. I can have my UK shopper give you a call. He’ll even do grocery runs if you need him to.”

  Wow. Gio had someone to shop for him? Probably more than one…

  “You have a personal shopper for every country, don’t you?”

  Gio stood too, following her to the door. “Only the ones I do business in a lot.”

  “How many is that?”

  “Well, it’s in the ballpark of a dozen or so.”

  There went her equilibrium again. “Damn. Um, okay. Have your UK guy give me a call.”

  As much a she hated the idea of taking advantage of Gio’s wealth, she was going to need professional help finding lingerie that wouldn’t make her look like a parade float.

  “I will,” he promised, still looking at her wistfully. “Are you certain you don’t want to stay?”

  “I’m sure,” she said decisively, picking up her coat and clutching it protectively in front of her.

  “All right. I’ll call down and have the driver take you home.”

  She paused halfway out the door. “Really, it's not necessary. I’m going to hail a taxi.”

  He folded his arms in mock disapproval. “Absolutely not. Sam is an excellent chauffeur. You never know about taxi drivers.”

  “Gio—”

  “If you’re leaving me to sleep alone tonight, at least give me that.”

  Slumping visibly, she conc
eded defeat. “All right.”

  “Good…and I’m sorry for letting Alex railroad you into dinner. I was going to give it a few more weeks, but with Calen and Maia coming into town—”

  She held up a hand. “I’m good. I want to meet your friends,” she said, hoping they were as friendly as Alex appeared to be.

  He beamed at her. “Excellent. I want them to get to know you, too. Goodnight.”

  Leaning in, he stole a hot hard kiss before she could summon the willpower to leave.

  On the way home, she called Kelly. Shopping for attractive form-fitting clothes was going to require major reinforcements…and several bottles of wine.

  Chapter 13

  Gio smoothed a covetous hand over Sophia’s ass as they rode in the elevator to the penthouse.

  He was proud of his restraint all through dinner. Sophia’s new dress was simply too tempting. He’d been unable to keep his hands to himself the whole night. But he’d kept it G-rated when they were in company—waist and hips only.

  He had to give his UK shopper, Gavin, a bonus. Of course, he wasn’t supposed to know that Sophia had used him to buy clothes. She swore the man to secrecy, but Gavin knew which side his bread was buttered on. As a result, Gio had secret approval of Sophia’s new wardrobe. Without her knowledge, he had been able to make several suggestions she had ended up loving. One of them was this velvet dress.

  Unable to restrain himself, he nuzzled his woman’s neck, running his fingers against the nap of the luxurious fabric.

  “I love you in velvet,” he murmured, intensely disappointed when another couple joined them in the elevator.

  Sophia gave him a pointed look and pinched his hand. He refused to move it, though. It was her fault for wearing the velvet instead of the wool.

  Dinner with the gang had been a resounding success. Calen and Sergei had joined Alex in his effusive approval of Sophia. Everyone had loved her, although he’d had to smack Sergei a few times for making an hourglass figure with his hands behind the women’s back and mouthing “wow.”