"Abby?" Roman's soft voice calls from somewhere around me.

Is it coming from high above? Is he next to me?

His voice echoes in the depths of my mind and trembles in my chest.

Am I dreaming? I must have fallen asleep as I waited for him. Can you blame me? His bed is enormous and smells like lavender with hints of Roman's oaky perfume.

I hear my own laughter before I blink at Roman's amused face.

The gray sky outside the window casts a faint light around Roman's figure, making him appear like a shadow as he slowly slips under the sheets. My gaze drifts from his charismatic features to his wide shoulders and slim arms, then linger around his toned chest. He is wearing nothing but a pair of black briefs.

Roman isn't built or muscled, but my heart doesn't care. It flutters uncontrollably at the sight of him. My cheeks hurt from smiling.

"You were laughing in your sleep," he says lying next to me.

"Was I?"

Roman shoots me a sleepy grin as he rests his head on my pillow. Looking into his eyes is just like staring into a mirror. Somehow my joy echoes in his pupils. And I can feel how tired he is in the depths of my mind.

The AC hits my face and blows my bangs away. I scoot closer to Roman when he shivers. He hooks his hairy leg around me and pulls me closer.

"What were you dreaming about?" he whispers, holding my hand between our bodies.

"A stone church in a meadow." I squint to remember the fragments of my dream but it's all fading away now. "There were white flowers everywhere, and salt in the air. A river was raging somewhere beyond the trees. You were there too, in the meadow."

Roman raises a brow in question.

"Yeah," I chuckle, looking deeper into his caramel eyes. God, they are beautiful... "You were busy getting some stuff out of a retro car."

Roman's blinking is getting heavier. "What were we doing there?"

My smile grows, but I shake my head. "I don't know... You looked so handsome. Freshly groomed and in a tux."

"You have a thing for tuxes." A cocky, chesty chuckle escapes his tight smile.

I have a thing for him. Not for fancy clothes, retro cars or aged Scotch. "Roman?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm in love with you."

My chest feels as if it released hundreds of hummingbirds. Neither of us can stop smiling as Roman brings his lips closer to mine. "Abby..."

There's a gentle warning in his whisper. His sweet longing sizzles on my tongue.

"I know," I say... It's too early. But from the way Roman's entire body relaxes next to mine, I'm guessing he didn't take it too badly. "I love you anyway."

Roman licks his lips before pressing them against mine. Our fingers twine stronger between my breasts. Roman deepens our kiss, slipping his tongue into my mouth, then gently pulls away.

I settle more comfortably, rubbing my legs against his. The blues in the sky seem lighter outside the window behind him.

"What time is it?" I ask.

He sighs, peering over his shoulder, then turns to face me once again. "Four...something."

"Have you been working all this time?"

"I'm taking the day off tomorrow," he explains, closing his eyes. "Tell me more about that Aston Martin in front of the old church."

"I never said it was an Aston Martin." My smile grows once again. I don't know much about cars but hearing Roman say the brand sounds right—somehow.

"Doesn't matter." Roman's breathing is evening out. The muscles on his face relax as he drifts deeper into sleep. "Dream with me..."

So I do... With my eyes open. I gaze at Roman's handsome face, carving every little detail into my memory. Random thoughts fill my mind.

The day I held Dad's hand at Mom's funeral... The lunch break in high school when I turned a corner and met Olga. That winter morning when I adopted Rocky. Two men standing at the bottom of the stairs at the movie gala. Moaning in my own bed, and something awakening in me. Meeting Roman in the elevator. The goosebumps he gave me when we touched... Our first kiss, his thin lips, and how they worked wonders between my legs tonight...

I turn over to lay on my back and stare at the ceiling.

Am I worthy of loving a man like Roman? His world is so different than mine. The gray haired lady's disgusted stare at the opera flashes somewhere in the back of my mind. I don't even know the common curtesy of wearing all black for a high-end opera. My red dress stuck out like a sore thumb. And most importantly, Roman turned away to speak to his partners and ignored me, as if he was ashamed of me.

'He's crazy about you,' the beast in my chest assures. And I'm desperate to believe her.

When the sun finally comes up, I peck Roman's lips and quietly get out of bed. Something tells me today's going to be a big day. Tiptoeing around his room, I grab my stuff and head back to my apartment to get ready.