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“Ah. It’s serious?”
“It’s getting there. I’d like to see where it goes.”
“Hey, that’s fine. I’m just glad you told me before I made an idiot of myself.”
“I’m really sorry.”
“You warned me.” Ryan touched her shoulder gently. “It’s all good.”
Penny gave a wry smile. “For what it’s worth, I did have fun.”
“Me too.” Ryan returned her smile, added a pinch of lightheartedness to it. “I never told you—I had just gotten out of a relationship when we met. I probably shouldn’t have gotten involved with you so fast, either.”
“Was it serious?”
Ryan shrugged. But the cloud that drifted over his features told Penny everything she needed to know. She felt worse.
“Don’t worry about it,” he said, watching her face closely. “Maybe we were just meant to be each other’s rebound.”
“We can still be friends if you’d like.”
“Ah, the old friends line.” Ryan’s voice was softer. He didn’t sound convinced. “Is it him?”
“Who?” As soon as Penny echoed his question, she remembered the morning in her apartment when Ryan had guessed the text message on Penny’s phone had been from another man. She squeezed out a dry smile. “Yeah, it’s him. I’m sorry.”
“I figured.”
Penny hadn’t thought Ryan had paid attention when they talked, but he was turning out to be a lot more perceptive than she’d thought. He paid more attention to Penny than any other boyfriend she’d ever dated. It almost made Penny wonder if she’d made the wrong choice, turning him away in hopes that her complicated relationship with Roman would blossom into something more.
Despite Ryan’s somewhat dull nature, Penny suspected he would be the sort of man to dote on her. Buy her flowers. Hang on to her every word. Love her like she deserved to be loved. So why the hell hadn’t she taken the leap with him? The tiniest pinch of guilt tugged at her as she looked over to where Ryan’s lips were tipped into a frown.
“I’m sorry.” Penny reached out without thinking and gave his hand a squeeze. “I sort of wish things were different.”
“I’m patient.” Ryan squeezed her hand back, his frown turning into a lopsided smile.
Penny laughed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“When you need another rebound, I’m your guy.” Ryan winked. “I’ll be waiting for you, Penny Sands. You’ll come around to me, I’m sure of it.”
Still grinning, Penny gave a shake of her head. “Okay, then. I’ll hold you to that.”
As Ryan walked into the theater, she paused in the lobby. Penny was still smiling when she turned and found her lover—such a romantic, dramatic word—leaning against his office door.
Penny’s thoughts of Ryan extinguished like a wisp of smoke as she looked into Roman’s dark eyes. An intensity burned beneath, and she was reminded of the way he’d looked at her the night of the book launch party.
Her breath hitched in her throat as she stepped across the room. “Why are you looking at me like that when you’ve got students one room over?”
“You’re the only student I care about.” Roman’s eyes flitted toward the entrance to the theater, then back to Penny’s cleavage. “Why don’t you join me inside my office?”
He hooked his finger inside the V-neck of her shirt and helped her along. He slammed the door behind her, flicked the lock shut. With a grasp of his hand, he swung Penny around like a rag doll, pinning her back against the door.
She writhed against him, her feeble, half-hearted protests lost as their lips tangled together. She was powerless against Roman’s sexuality; she craved him, needed him, though she’d had him innumerable times already. He filled some deep, primal void for her, and they both felt it. He would always have his way with her, and there was nothing Penny could do about it. Nothing she wanted to do about it.
“Roman,” she gasped. “What are you thinking? Someone could walk in here any second.”
“Let them,” he growled against her neck.
“What’s gotten into you?” Penny threw her head back, then locked one leg around Roman’s waist and dragged him toward her. “I’m not complaining, but…”
