From Frying Pan to Strange Fire

Roman didn’t know how to feel about what she had just asked. Hearing her claim the house to be hers brought him immense satisfaction. However her eyes still held so much spite for him.

He shifted his gaze to give Daniel a look and no one needed to tell the lad to disappear from the room at that instant.

With Daniel gone, leaving just the two of them, Roman moved to the bed and sat down beside Joan, eyeing the left-over food on the tray before shifting his attention to her face.

She had a glass of juice in her hand and she was sending him a wary gaze. Thankfully she didn’t move away when he plopped his butt down on the bed beside her.

“If you want company so badly, my room is right next to yours. You could have sent for me or just come to me.” Roman said, his eyes zeroing in on the area right below the side of her lips where a stray drop of juice rested. Seeing how she wasn’t bothered about it or trying to wipe it off meant she wasn’t aware of its presence.

“I don’t want your company.” Joan retorted.

Instead of responding or changing his expression, Roman moved his hand towards the exact point on her face where the stray drop was.

Alarmed, Joan moved her head away with the intention of going farther from his reach, but she wasn’t fast enough. He caught her chin, making her freeze.

“W-what are you doing?” she stuttered, stuck between trying to force her chin away from his grip or enjoying the strangely wonderful feel of his hand against her skin. In the end, she decided the latter was better. The first day she had touched him, his skin felt so good that she didn’t want to stop. She wanted to hold him forever. Why that was, she couldn’t tell.

Roman didn’t respond to her question. He, instead, kept his eyes on her, observing how confused she was, and feeling that heavenly sensation that could only be felt when one touched their destined mate.

It wasn’t this hard with his first mate. In fact, she had been over the moon when he found her, and pleasing her came easy for him since they were both into each other and the feelings were mutual. But her death had brought him lots of misfortune, turned him into someone he wasn’t and didn’t recognize, earned him a curse and hundreds of years of celibacy.

Only for him to get another mate and she doesn’t even want to have anything to do with him. He knew his method of getting her to his side was not the best. To be honest it wasn’t even good. But who would be in his position, suffer all he had suffered, and just let his second chance mate slip away when he could do something about it?

“Your eyes are beautiful.” he commented out of the blue, only now finding the chance to say it even though he had been enthralled by the pair since the first day he set eyes on them.

Taken aback, Joan knitted her brows. What was he doing? Why was he complimenting her eyes? Not that she hated it. He wasn’t the first person to compliment her eyes but his sounded different to her ears. Was he expecting her to say thank you?

Just as that thought crossed her mind, Roman shifted his gaze to her lips, then farther down to the spot where the juice drop was. His thumb moved to wipe it off in such slow motion that made Joan shiver. He let go of her chin when he was done, turning his thumb around to show her the liquid, and then moved his thumb to his lips to lick off the liquid.

His actions surprised Joanne. He could have just told her about the spill and she would wipe it off herself. Why did he decide to do that and why lick it? Wait! Was he trying to seduce her? Because if that was it, then he sure as hell was succeeding. Her body, unfortunately, was reacting positively to that simple action, and his sitting close to her, looking into her eyes and looking all gorgeous, was not helping matters.

“You are a married woman, Joan.” Roman started speaking, his expression abruptly switching to a serious one, snapping Joan out of her day dream.

“And your husband is one hell of a jealous bastard. I don’t appreciate my wife craving another man’s company when I am not dead or unable to perform my duty.” Roman said, and immediately added “Shhhh,” when he saw she wanted to retort again.

Joan swallowed her words, even though she really wanted to say them. It was surprising how he was able to make her do that by just shushing her in a soft tone.

“It doesn’t matter whether you want it or not. It’s my job as your husband and I am going to do it.” Roman continued. “I know we got off on the wrong foot. That is why I’m here to make things right. Give me a chance to make you happy. That is all I want.” Roman revealed.

“You want to make me happy?” Joan asked.

“Of course. I’ll do and give anything you ask.” Roman affirmed.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“Why don’t you start by letting me go first? That is what will make me happy.” Joan said and Roman let out a sigh, already predicting that was what she would say.

“As impossible as that feels and sounds, I would have granted that request and courted you properly, then married you the right way. But that option is now impossible. My enemies have identified you with me and will stop at nothing to hurt you knowing how much that would hurt me in return.”

“Why would hurting me hurt you?” Joan asked, confused.

“Because right now, nothing else in my life matters as much as you do. Nothing and no one is as important as you are.”