Treasure (version 2)

Chapter 24 Courage

Dread hung in the air as Roman and Trevor sat in the office after the meeting closed out. In all the years that Roman had his company being in this predicament was the most stressful. It was easy for him to tell others that things would work out. Now that he was his client it was different. Not just different but downright unnerving. The woman that he loved being at imminent risk ripped him.

Trevor patted Roman on the shoulder. "I know that none of this sounds good, but this is something that you do every day. You go after the bad guys. This will all work out."

"I'm always the fearless one. I've told my clients - 'we've got this.' " Roman slumped against his desk, stuffing his face in his hands. It was as if a dark cloud hovered over his head. "Now that the elephant is sitting in my room, it's way different."

The child that had slept through the meeting now cried. She got loud, making both the men laugh at her demand for attention. Trevor popped about trying to settle her down. First, he rocked her, and then rattled a toy in front of her face. At last, he found her pacifier and stuffed it in her mouth. That worked until she pushed it out, letting out a cry that reached the roof. "I better get this little one changed and fed."

"Look at you, super dad," Roman said. "I want one of those." Tucking Glory Rose's tiny hand into his, Roman gave it a squeeze. He helped Trevor to gather up her baby items and carried them downstairs.

"Let's get Zara's situation handled and you'll have all the time in the world to make one of those."

Roman chuckled, as a smile etched up his face. They walked to the guestroom and deposited the items. Watching Trevor change the baby's diaper stirred his heart. All kinds of thoughts formed in his mind. He imagined Zara pregnant and holding another baby on her hip. The longing for kids had gone unexpressed. But seeing Trevor in dad mode made him want to start a family right away. "Being a dad looks good on you."

"Thanks, Roman. It's been surreal, but I am enjoying every moment."

Glory settled down now that Trevor changed her diaper. She lay on his shoulder sucking her fist. They walked to the kitchen and he prepared a bottle. It wasn't long before she finished it and was on Trevor's shoulder for burping.

"Having the child has made Ava really see the dangers in your line of work," said Roman. " She's not going to be happy about you coming aboard with this."

They walked out of the kitchen and sat in the family room. The baby had already fallen asleep. Trevor laid her across his lap, stroking her back. "Nope, she won't. But she'll do this for Zara. I know Ava. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if she thought that I could help Zara, and she stood in the way."

"This is the first time I've ever been afraid over an assignment. Zara's not confrontational. I don't know if she can handle this."

Trevor beckoned Roman to follow him to the guestroom so that he could put the baby in the bassinet. He patted Roman on the back. "Courage comes when we must rise to the occasion. Not before."

"And you should know that better than anyone."

"Yes. Those night raids that we had to do in Bagdad were the most harrowing. I still have nightmares. When the time came, so did the courage." He laid the baby down, kissing her cheek. Trevor's eyes lingered, not wanting to leave Glory Rose for even a second. "Zara is angry at life right now. She feels tired of everything that she's gone through. That will help her to courage up."

***

They all had dinner together and though it was an enjoyable evening things seemed strained. After Ava and Trevor retired for the night, Zara could barely get a word out of Roman. She asked him several times if everything was okay and of course, he gave the generic answer – yes. He turned on the TV and mentally blanked out everything. This was unusual behavior that bothered Zara. She went to the bedroom to give him some space.

After it was way past time for him to come to bed, she crept across the room and creaked the door open. He still sat, burdened. Zara's heart sank. So she went to him and asked again what was the matter. Roman shrugged it off and said I have a few things on my mind and asked for a little more time alone. But after two hours and he still didn't return to their room, Zara made a plan. She would get to the bottom of the matter in a different way.

For weeks she'd watched the mistletoe hanging from the showerhead. That challenge remained open. It was a huge feat to imagine herself as one of those women she'd seen in shower scenes in the movies.

She'd never done anything in the shower - ever. Their lovemaking was hot and normal. It happened on the bed, sprawled across his desk or on the blanket. But the shower – that was different. Roman removed the mistletoe from every other place in the house but the shower. So the challenge rang out loud and clear. Heat flashed through Zara's body. The palpitations in her heart made her knees week. She leaned against the shower door. Her foot tapped against the marble floor.

She took a deep sigh and then remembered what transpired since the blizzard. The storm made it possible to be with the man that she loved in the most profound way. They had made love day and night without end. Nothing felt better than loving him. The way that she felt about herself changed. She was complete, beautiful, and sexy not because Roman said it. No, it was because she believed it about herself. After years of devastation, those words finally lived inside of her heart. Zara's steel resolved kicked in. "It's time for me to create a movie in my own head, starring me and Roman."

She pushed the shower door open, turned it on, and pulled the mistletoe off. A trail of clothes dropped across the room as she headed to the door. Peeping through the crack she could see him still sitting, this time with his head in his hands. He's so worried. Let him talk to me, God. She pushed the door open, dangling the mistletoe from her hand. "Roman."

He looked up in a steady slow gaze. It took his mind a minute to shift from trouble to temptation. He gasped, causing Zara to burst out laughing. Roman's eyes sparkled as he laughed too. His eyes raked over her gloriously naked body. He didn't need a further invitation. "I was going to leave it in there the whole year even if it dried out." In a few strides, he stepped through the door pulling her against him. She held the mistletoe up and kissed him.

***

Steam filled the shower in their bathroom, while hot, relaxing water pelted their bodies. Roman pinned Zara to the shower wall, her legs dangling over his arms, while he invaded her, thrusting vigorously. She clasped around his neck, biting into his shoulders to keep from screaming – they had company. He groaned feeling the bite that was part pain, part pleasure. Her body slipped up and down the wet wall faster, as he drove to finish the exquisite pleasure.

He pressed his mouth to her ear, "I love how you handle me."

Zara sucked the side of his neck, moaning as flames licked through her body. He dipped down, finding her mouth, melding their lips perfectly together. The kiss deepened into a vortex of intoxication.

She cupped his face, slipping her tongue inside the tangle of his. Zara moaned low and primal. The onslaught of his demanding intensity wore her out. Roman's body felt so strong and powerful. She clung to him, couldn't stop kissing him. Didn't want to stop kissing him.

Her body flushed with heat, melting her like lava. All she could focus on was the love of Roman. The desperation of the way he made love tonight was the most intense yet. It felt as if he feared to lose her. I'm not leaving you, baby – not going anywhere. His strokes were faster now – harder.

Seismic shockwaves sparked in her core. Zara couldn't cry out. She clung, and kissed, and clawed as the orgasm ripped through her. A groan of pleasure spilled into his mouth. Roman's body shuddered heavily as his relief came. Too weak to stand, they slid down the shower wall to the floor. Too spent to walk out, Zara straddled his lap, placing her head on his chest, while the water revived them.

"You're trying to tell me something, aren't you?" she whispered.

"Yeah."