She wanted to be mad at him for what he said. Acting like he'd have a child with her, as if it wasn't a big deal. But she couldn't summon the energy, especially not when he was carefully cleaning her stomach causing all sorts of sensations spinning through her.

"You've already come inside me once, you know what can become of it. And I'm sure you know why I can't let that happen." She watched his eyes in the mirror. His hand stilled over her stomach and his eyes turned blank before looking away. He shrugged and dropped the washcloth, it landed with a wet splash.

"Wait," she said when he turned to leave. He looked back at her, his face passive and blank. She hated that she'd put that look there. She yearned to fix it, but didn't know what she'd said. Did he want to finish inside her to actually risk getting her pregnant? The idea was more than a little startling.

For one, Rome didn't seem like the type ready to settle down for fatherhood and a bonding ceremony. Whether out of guilt or something else, she decided to be honest with him. "If it makes any difference, I loved it when you came inside me...before." Her face flushed hot and turned to make herself busy with folding the wet washcloth into a square.

Fingers curled over her cheek, turning her face towards his. He smiled and that motion alone made her feel infinitesimally better. "I loved it, too. I also like you a lot. I want to know you better. I want to know everything about you."

Alison closed her gaping mouth and swallowed, hard. "I can't like you." She closed her eyes, but when she opened them, he was still there. God, did the man ever not look so kind and, well, roguish?

"And that, Alison, is why I want to know you better."

He turned and left the room, leaving Alison to ponder what the hell she'd gotten herself into.

Chapter 8

Some animal was growling in the room. Sleep faded at the sound of danger. Alison popped her eyes open and darted a glance around the room. She heard the noise again and looked down to see it was her stomach.

The other side of the bed was empty and cold. She told herself that it wasn't the empty, cold bedside that left her stomach feeling like it just fell through the floor. She was just hungry, that's all. It took her several minutes of searching to find her red satin nightgown.

She blushed remembering his order for her up on the bed, then licking her sex as if he liked it. No, like was didn't begin to describe it, he acted as though he had to lick her sex or he'd die. No man had ever touched her like that, made her feel such an intense orgasm. Her sex pulsed with heat, warning her that her thoughts were turning her on.

Wishing she had a baggy hoodie and jeans now, she went in search of Rome. It didn't take long. She heard the distinct clicking of typing down the hall and followed the sound until she reached an office. He sat at a long wooden desk that held stacks of paper, a large computer monitor, phone, and coffee cup. He still hadn't noticed her so she took a moment to study the room.

His desk chair was brown leather and looked worn with years of use. Only one window provided any natural light, but the blinds and curtains were closed so the only light was the dimmer overhead one. Two bookshelves nearly as high as the ceiling lined the opposite wall by his computer desk. They were packed full, some even double stacked with books blocking the others out.

Innate curiosity had her wandering to the bookcase and reading the titles. She heard the clicking stop, but didn't turn around. She heard his chair roll as he got up, but she pretended to ignore him and studied the books. It was like trying to ignore a panther in the same room as you.

Encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesauruses, contemporary science, mathematics, computer-programming books. Alison shuddered at the amount of texts before her, especially non-fiction. She hated to read, although seldom did she admit that. It was like committing a blaspheme.               People frowned at her and looked at her as if she was some malformed alien insect. So she usually lied and said she liked to read fiction. She wasn't proud of herself, but it was better than seeing the shocked scorn on people's faces. Plus it keeps from having to hear about which authors she just needs to try.

She felt heat behind her. "I'm afraid I don't have much of an interesting collection. Do you like to read?" Alison pretended to study the author of the dictionary for a moment before straightening.

"No, actually I don't." She didn't mean to tell the truth, and she really hadn’t meant to say it with such vehemence. She looked behind her to see his lips fighting a grin.

"Me too."

She gave him a look that said yeah right and rolled her eyes. "Then why do you have so many books. I mean this isn't just one bookshelf full, this is two, and they are stacked in front of each other so you have twice as many, and you have even more stacked sideways on top of those."

He laughed again and reached over her should to grab one off the shelf. "I'm a computer scientist. I kept many of my books from college, though many are outdated by today's programming standards. However as new editions come out of let's say, Java or C++, then I need to be alert of the changes. It's what I get paid to do."

"What's see plus plus?"

He flipped through the book, turned to a page, and showed it to her. "That looks like a bunch of random letters and numbers to me," she said.

"Of course, however, what I see is a basic program for creating word processing software. See, each program you use on a computer has to be created using different kinds of code. C++ is just one of them, one of the oldest too."

"So is that what you do? Make computer programs?"

He shrugged. "Among other things."

"Who do you work for?"

"Right now I have a contract with the Department of Defense. I have a deadline coming up, that's why I left the bed earlier." He grabbed her hips and suddenly she found herself crowded against the bookshelf, his mouth hot on hers. He broke the kiss and dove down to bury his face in her neck, breathing deep. "It was one of the hardest things I ever had to do."

Alison tried to ignore his words, but was afraid they were forever etched in her memory. Her stomach saved her from acknowledging his words when it growled.

He laughed and pressed a kiss to her neck. "That sounded like a bear about to kill a man."

She bit her lip to keep from laughing. "Do you like to eat?" He raised his head slowly and stared at her.

"Yes, I find food quite enjoyable”—he looked like he was fighting not to laugh—“Why don't you let me make something for you?"

"That’s not what I meant! I mean, I cook. It's what I do. Want some breakfast?" He arched a brow and nodded. She moved to pass him, but he stopped her by cupping a breast through her nightgown. She stifled a moan as her nipple instantly responded to his touch, hardening in his hot palm. He watched her expression as he pinched and tugged the peak. Only after she gasped and flushed with arousal did he let her go.

"I'm not done with you Alison, and don't forget that I have questions for you. And I expect honest answers or else." She left the room and his threatening words on quick feet.

Rome watched Alison moved around his kitchen as if she'd been his cook for years. She found all the utensils, pots, pans, and food like she’d put them there herself. She even managed to find a cheese grater he didn't even know he had.