Page 129 of Lease to Love

If I was going to pace around waiting for him, I might as well do it somewhere comfortable.

Twenty minutes later, I was sitting cross-legged on my couch with a coloring book balanced on my thighs, attempting to convince myself that coloring was supposed to be relaxing.

It wasn't.

I had colored outside the lines three times.

I'd changed colored pencils because the purple I had chosen was one shade too red.

Then I'd spent five full minutes staring at two nearly identical shades of yellow like the fate of the world depended on choosing correctly.

I was reaching for another pencil when someone knocked on my door.

I practically launched myself off the couch.

The way I nearly busted my ass getting there would've been embarrassing if I didn't live alone.

I yanked the door open… And promptly forgot how to breathe.

Roman stood on the other side looking entirely too good for a man who might've been about to break my heart.

A thick rust-colored sweater hugged his arms, the sleeves pushed just enough to expose his forearms. Black slacks fell perfectly over shoes polished enough to reflect the hallway light, every crease sharp and intentional.

A bouquet of orange roses—so big it was practically obscuring one side of his body—rested in one arm, while a garment bag hung from the other.

Then he smiled.

It wasn't his big smile.

Just that small, closed-lipped one that somehow still managed to bring out both dimples.

"Hey, Sunshine."

My knees went weak.

"Roman."

That was all I managed before he wrapped the arm holding the roses around me and kissed me.

Deeply.

Decisively.

Like we hadn’t spent the last week dancing around each other.

I stumbled backward, one hand catching his shoulder as he walked me into the apartment, kicking the door closed behind us. By the time my back met the refrigerator, I realized we'd crossed half the kitchen without me noticing, and when he finally broke the kiss, I was breathless enough to laugh.

"I take it things went well?" I whispered against his lips.

"Better than." He pressed another quick kiss to my mouth. "Way better than."

He stepped back and held out the flowers.

"And I have you to thank for it."

Something squeezed inside my chest.

The roses were beautiful. Bright orange, full and velvety, their scent already filling the small space between us. Orange was my favorite color, which meant he'd remembered that, too.