Morning After

Roman POV ...

I woke with a beam of sunlight in my eyes.

Groaning, I rolled over in bed and grabbed my phone. There were a few texts, but the most important text was from Lauren.

'I'm here,' she had texted.

That had been forty-five minutes ago. Weird that she didn't come up and bang on my door. I rolled out of bed and slipped off my boxers on the way to the bathroom. After showering, I brushed my teeth and got dressed in a pale green button down with a pair of slacks. It was always good to see Lauren, but today it was particularly good.

As a female, I was hoping she could help Hannah with anything that she needed to talk about, and as my closest cousin, I trusted her with anything.

As I left my room, I was met by a maid who gave me a couple of messages regarding the business. Things I could deal with later.

When I stopped at the elevator, I glanced down the corridor to the Emerald Room where Hannah was likely still sleeping, and resisted the urge to go check on her. She needed time and space.

Once I reached the main floor, I made my way toward the kitchen and was caught off guard by the laughter of women. I stopped just outside the kitchen doorway and peeked around the corner to see Lauren and Hannah seated together at the breakfast nook, chatting and laughing like old friends.

I briefly wondered if Hannah had slept well or if she was just an early riser. I stepped into the kitchen. Lauren and Hannah glanced up at me, looked at one another, and laughed heartily.

"I see you two have met already," I said, wondering what had been said between them. "Talking about me?" I asked, opening the refrigerator to grab a protein shake.

"Probably," Lauren responded while Hannah sipped her mug of coffee, eyeing me with an unreadable expression. I was happy to see Lauren this morning, especially after such a stressful night, but Hannah took my breath away. Her red hair was in a ponytail, and she wore a sporty tank top with tennis shorts.

Her breasts pushed against the fabric of the top, begging to be let free. She was partly blocked by the breakfast nook table, but could see one of her bare thighs, leading all the way up to the shorts that left just enough to the imagination.

"I'm proud of you, Ro," Lauren said, pulling my attention from Hannah's body. Lauren was the only person on the entire planet that I allowed to call me Ro. "You finally got a good catch," she added.

"You think so?" I asked Lauren, taking a sip of my shake. I glanced from Lauren to Hannah, trying to contain my curiosity.

"She's not just hot," Lauren said, "she can hold an intelligent conversation."

Hannah was smiling when she met my gaze. It was refreshing to see, but I still couldn't read her.

I needed to know what she was thinking and what had been said in my absence.

"I'm surprised that you can hold an intelligent conversation," I said to Lauren, grinning. She balled up a napkin and threw it at me, but I swatted it away with one hand.

"Seriously, congrats, Ro," Lauren said.

Hannah quickly stood from the breakfast nook and joined me at the kitchen island, noting my raised brow. Her body screamed out for me to touch her as she approached, but I kept my hands to myself.

"I told her about our engagement," Hannah said, holding my gaze with her bright, green eyes. As I was processing this information, Hannah lifted up on her tiptoes and planted a sweet kiss on the corner of my lips that caught me off guard, but my body kicked into high gear. I wrapped an arm around her without thinking, pulling her closer to me.

Her green eyes went wide as I slipped my hand behind her head, caressing her neck as I pressed my lips against hers. The warmth of her body against mine made me want her badly.

Hannah's hands slid up my chest until she found my neck, cupping her hands there. She parted her lips and I kissed her hungrily, darting my tongue into her mouth for a second, tasting her sweetness.

Hannah responded by nipping at my bottom lip, nearly driving me wild. I tilted my head, deepening the kiss, pulling her closer to my body.

Lauren cleared her throat. Reluctantly Hannah and I pulled our lips apart, but our eyes met, sharing a look of deep longing.

She removed her hands from my neck, and slowly released her, chuckling at the surprise kiss. "I need to speak with my fiancée alone," I said to Lauren, but I couldn't take my eyes off of Hannah's green gaze.

Lauren stood. "Clearly you do," she said. "I'll meet you in the study." I glanced up and watched Lauren leave before turning my attention back to Hannah.

"You told her we're getting married?" I asked Hannah in a low voice.

"Look, I'm sorry," Hannah said, moving away from me to the other side of the kitchen island. "I didn't mean to offend you, but the contract threatens the lives of you, me, and our friends and families if anyone finds out about it."

I ran a hand over my hair. "But I trust Lauren," I said. "I trust her with my life. I can tell her anything."

"Which is exactly why you shouldn't tell her," Hannah said. "She'll be a target just knowing that the place exists. We need to go about this delicately."

I walked around to the other side of the kitchen island to join her, leaning against the counter directly in front of her. "Don't worry, Hannah. I'll protect Lauren just like I'm going to protect you."

"Fine" Hannah said, raising her hands in surrender. "You do what you think is right. I'm sorry I got involved." She moved to step around me but I gently caught her by the shoulder and pulled her back in front of me.

Her green gaze pierced mine. I could see the fire in her, glowing just as brightly as her red hair.

"Don't be sorry" I said, holding her gaze. "I'm glad you and Lauren are getting along."

"She seems like a lot of fun," Hannah said, holding my gaze.

"So was that kiss," I told her with a smirk.

Hannah bit her lip and something in her expression changed before she lowered the veil, hiding her emotions.

"The kiss was fine," she said, shrugging her bare shoulders.

I smiled at her. "Maybe we should try it again, just to be sure," I said eagerly, slipping both hands around her waist and pulling her close to me.

Hannah didn't resist. She clasped her hands behind my neck and I lowered my lips to hers. We both parted our lips and tasted one another, our bodies pressed firmly together. I lifted her onto the counter, not breaking the kiss. She spread her legs so that I could stand between her thighs.

I pulled her body into mine, deepening our kiss, feeling her breasts against my chest. Hannah moaned softly, barely loud enough for me to hear it, but it nearly drove me over the edge. I had to stop or things might get out of hand. Reaching behind my neck, I unclasped her hands and broke the kiss, stepping back to leave her sitting on the countertop breathing heavily.

"You're right," I said, smiling at her. "The kiss was fine." I turned away from Hannah, leaving her perched on top of the kitchen island.

I took a deep breath as I made my way down the main corridor. I had to clear my head from the kiss that Hannah and I had just shared. If that happened again, I couldn't promise that I'd behave myself.

Damn, Hannah was hot. Just thinking about her body beneath that tank top and shorts made me want to go back to the kitchen and finish what I had started. Not only that, but Hannah was also officially my fiancée, at least as far as Lauren knew. I turned down a side corridor that led to various rooms, including the study. I was going to tell Lauren everything. I had to. This was not a situation to sleep in; I needed Lauren's help to get out of the situation I had put myself and Hannah in.

Hannah's words ran through my mind. 'She'll be a target just knowing that the place exists,

Hannah had pointed out.

I paused in the corridor just shy of the study. Hannah was right, but what choice did I have? Who else could I trust to help me? The answer was that I didn't trust anyone else with this information. I meant what I said to Hannah; I was going to protect her and Lauren at all costs. With my decision made, I turned the corner into the study where Lauren waited.