Page 38 of Unstable

With a growl, she bolted upright to face him. “What do you want?” she snarled.

A grin slowly spread over his face as he folded his arms across his broad chest. “You said you wanted to go for a run at sunrise. Here’s your chance.”

She glanced at the clock. “We still have another hour.”

“Not if you want to see the best part,” he said, dropping his arms to his sides. “I’ll meet you in the kitchen in five.”

“Ten,” she countered with a yawn as she flopped back to the warm sheets.

“Irina…”

She screeched as his fingers tickled across the bottom of her foot, and she yanked it away. Glaring at him, she saw him just smile. “Five minutes, trouble, and not a second longer.”

With that, he sauntered out of the room. She couldn’t muster the ability to form a retort, and her mind was still blurry, moving too slowly to find the nearest object to throw at him. She swore the man got off on torturing her. Knowing she wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep, she reluctantly crawled from the bed. She made her way to the bathroom first, where she relieved herself, then splashed some water on her face to help wake herself up.

Roman lounged against the wall of the narrow hallway as she exited the bathroom, bringing her up short. He threw a glance at his watch before meeting her gaze again. “Two minutes.”

A low chuckle met her ears as she flipped him off, then headed back to the bedroom. Her body was still half asleep, but she somehow managed to wrangle herself into a sports bra and a pair of yoga shorts.

“Irina…” Roman’s voice floated from the living room as she tugged on a pair of socks.

“I’m coming!” she called back, shoving her feet into sneakers, then stomping out to the dining room where he waited not so patiently by the patio door.

“Took you long enough,” he remarked.

“Have I told you recently how much I despise you?” she asked as she stepped outside. The cool morning air assaulted her, and she shivered.

“You’re such a gem when you first wake up,” he teased.

She didn’t spare him a glance, but she could hear the smile in his voice. They cut across the backyard, then exited onto the soft sand of the beach.

“Let’s walk for a minute,” he suggested as he closed the gate behind them, then fell into step next to her.

She smothered another yawn as they reached the water’s edge, and she did a few quick stretches while looking up and down the nearly empty beach.

“Where to?” he asked.

“Back to bed,” she replied.

Roman rolled his eyes and gave a quick tug to her ponytail. “The pier it is.” Without another word, he turned and lurched into a long, loping stride.

“Hey!” she called to his back as she took off after him. “Jerk.”

She caught up to him within just a few seconds, and they fell into an easy rhythm as he shortened his stride to match hers. A cool breeze blew in over the ocean, and goosebumps raced down her arms and over her stomach. “Man, it’s cold out right now,” she remarked.

Roman nodded toward the horizon, which was just beginning to lighten with the first orange rays of sunrise. “It’ll warm up quick as soon as the sun comes out. By then, you’ll be thankful for the breeze.”

The sand beneath her feet was packed tightly by the tide that had come in early that morning, but it still offered a resistance she wasn’t used to, and after a few minutes, her leg muscles began to burn. She was grateful when they finally rounded the end of the island and reached the pier. “Can we take a break?” she panted.

Roman smirked at her. “Are you tired already?”

Her eyes swept over him. He looked as fresh as if he’d just stepped out of the shower, with no sign of exertion or perspiration anywhere. “Shut up,” she grumbled. “Let’s walk the pier, then we can head back.”

By the time they reached the end of the pier, the sun had lifted fully over the horizon, its reflection dancing in the rippling waves below. She stared out at the water, looking so dark and deep. On the surface, it looked so calm, but so many dangers lurked beneath. “I don’t think I could ever get tired of this view,” she said.

“Me, either,” Roman replied from behind her, and she turned. His gaze was fixed on her, and she faltered for a moment. Was he talking about the ocean, or… her? Her heart leaped at the thought of him referring to her as beautiful, but reality came crashing down again just as quickly.

Heat crept up her cheeks, and she redirected her gaze back over the midnight blue water, terrified that she was reading too much into things. She was just a job to him, nothing more. Even saying that they were becoming friends would be a stretch. They were roommates for a limited time, two people making the best of a bad situation.