I shake my head. “Nothing much. Something about an inheritance. But I don’t know whose. Roman?”
“Hm?”
“Did I do something wrong?” I reach out to him, but he stands up before I can.
“I, uh… Sorry. Need the bathroom.”
“Oh. Okay.”
Roman disappears behind the closed door. The bathroom lights flash on, seeping into the bedroom through the crack at the bottom. The sound of rushing water fills my ears as he runs the tap, followed by some brief splashing.
I listen and wait, tucking my knees up against my chest as I reflect upon my memories.
Maloney is my lawyer. I wonder what the man looks like. Are we friends back in Chicago? Or are we strictly professional? And why does Roman seem so off now that I’ve mentioned him? Why do I get the feeling he’s hiding something?
I shake my head.
The paranoia’s trying to creep back in. I’m sure it’s nothing.
I’m sure it’s nothing.
I’m sure.
A heavy sigh seeps from my nose. I’m not sure. Not in the slightest. But I’d much rather keep a positive outlook on things than doubt everything I know, which isn’t a lot. Roman’s sweet and kind, and I’m falling for him more and more everyday. There’s no way he’d do something to hurt me. The very idea of Roman and cruelty just don’t go together, an impossibility like water mixing with oil.
The sink squeaks off.
Roman returns after a few moments and crawls back into bed, immediately wrapping his arms around me to resume with our cuddling. “Sorry,” he apologizes, pressing a kiss into my hair. “What were we talking about?”
I tilt my face up so I can kiss his jaw. “Nothing, Roman. Don’t worry. I’ll just try to close my eyes.”
“Need me to tell you a bedtime story?”
I grin. “That doesn’t sound like a bad idea, actually.”
“I could tell you about the time we found a baby bird in the back courtyard. Do you remember that?”
I nuzzle up close and shake my head. “No. Please tell me.”
“I think it was sometime in the spring. You were fourteen. Uncle Charles bought you a big paint easel and acrylic paint set, and you went outside to set it up. You were working on a landscape portrait for him as a gift.” Roman’s soft words fill my ears, replacing the anxious energy that has my heart pounding in my chest. It seems to be doing the trick because I yawn, eyes watering with sleepiness. “Dinner was ready, so Uncle Charles asked me to come get you. You refused to come inside because you were determined to finish. I knew he’d be upset with me if I didn’t come back with you, so I stayed and watched you paint.”
“When do we get to the part about the baby bird?”
Roman chuckles. “I’m getting to it. I’m trying to paint you a picture.”
I snort out a little laugh. “That was terrible.”
“Was it? My apologies.”
“Go on.”
“You were just about finished when we heard a cat meow really loud. When we both looked over, we saw the fat tabby from next door, Mister One-Eye.”
“Mister One-Eye?”
“That wasn’t actually his name. It was just the one we gave him. He was missing an eye, you see, and kids are bad at naming things.”
“I think it’s a perfect name, actually.”
“Mister One-Eye, the fat orange tabby, liked to sneak onto the estate a lot. We had a rodent problem, so he was probably looking for dinner of his own. But that was when we noticed it was about to pounce on a baby robin that’d fallen from its nest.”
“Please tell me we saved it in time.”
Roman nods. “We did. The cat scratched you up pretty good, though.”
I lift my leg an inch or two. “Is that how I got these scratches?”
“Exactly right. I wanted to protect you from Mister One-Eye, but I was a lot smaller back then. You protected me, and I’m pretty sure that’s when I fell in love with you.”
“Really?”
“Mh-hm. Anyway, you fended the cat off while I picked the bird up. Once the coast was clear, we tried putting it back up in the nest. You called me an idiot for trying to climb the tree.”
“Oh. Sorry.”
“No, you were right. I was an idiot. I returned the bird to its home, but I wound up falling and landed on my arm. Broke it in two different places.”
I close my eyes and get a flash or two of a young boy landing hard. My surroundings are blurry, incoherent, but I know we’re at the estate. I smile to myself. This is the first time I’ve been able to remember something that far back.
“Uncle Charles scolded me,” I recall aloud. “He said I shouldn’t have let you climb the dumb thing. He was worried you hit your head.”
Roman hugs me tighter. “He shouldn’t have yelled at you. It was all on me. You even told me not to.”
“Was Uncle Charles… Did he not like me or something? Every time I think about him, I get the sense that he was… I don’t know. Cold.”
Roman kisses my forehead. “He loved us both very much. I think he loved you more, to be honest. That’s why he was harder on you because he wanted to see you succeed. It was his weird way of showing how much he cared.”
“Sounds kind of counterproductive.”
“It does. But believe me, it’s the truth.”
I rest my cheek against his shoulder and sigh contently, the last bit of residual stress finally fading away into the night. I love listening to Roman talk. I could probably do it for an eternity and never get bored. His voice is reassuring and tender, relaxing and warm.
“I believe you,” I whisper before sleep quickly drags me under.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Roman
This is crazy, but I can’t stop imaging different scenarios for when Charlie and I get back to Chicago. She still believes we’re together. I want to be together. Maybe I can make this work. I’m tired of the guilt eating me alive. I know I can take care of her, probably better than anybody else can, so why not?
The problem lies with her work and the people she knows there. I’m worried that if she goes back to Bliss Media, the stress of her job will eat away at her. Maybe it’ll reduce her into that cold, goal-oriented woman who hated my guts. Charlie’s so much happier now, and I really want to keep her that way. I swear to God I’m not trying to be selfish. I just want what’s best for her.
“Baby?”
Charlie looks up from her menu, blinking those pretty lashes of hers. We’re sitting in the hotel restaurant. Even after the whole drink spilling incident, we decided to give it another go. The food is excellent, if a bit pricy.
The thought’s kind of depressing, if I’m being perfectly honest.
I’m sure Charlie’s used to a life of luxury. She’s used to fancy name brands and good food and high quality all around her. I want nothing more than to give that to her, but I know it’d be a struggle. My work is fulfilling, there’s no doubt about it. Does it pay my bills? Of course. But if Charlie comes back with me, can I realistically give her the life she deserves?
“What is it, Roman?” she asks.
“Do you think… I was just thinking about when we get back to Chicago.”
She closes her menu and looks at me intently, hanging off every word. “Okay. What about?”
“Do you think it’d be a good idea to have someone… I don’t know. Maybe have someone take over Bliss Media for you. Until all of your memories come back. You might need more time to recover, and I don’t think the stress of running a multi-million-dollar media company is something you need right now.”
“That’s really sweet of you to say. I was actually thinking about that too.”
“You were?”
Charlie glances down at her lap. “I don’t remember everything, but what I do remember isn’t… It isn’t pleasant. I don’t think I was a very likeable person. And I like who I am with you. If it’s okay, I’d love to consider stepping down. For a little while, at least. I’d
personally love to travel with you some more. Or maybe I can help with Phoenix House.”
“R-really?” I stammer. “Charlie, that’s… I’d love that.”
“I’m sure I’ve got some transferable skills that’d be useful to the charity. I think I’m just looking for an excuse to spend more time with you, but I’d also love to relearn about what you do. I think it’s admirable, and I’d love to work beside you. If that’s okay, I mean.”
I reach across the table and take her hand, my chest swelling with warm fondness. “I love that idea, Charlie. I think you’d love the boys.”
“Have I ever met any of them before?”
“No,” I say honestly. “You were always kind of busy with your own stuff. You’re a real workaholic.”
“Oh,” she mumbles, slumping a bit in her chair. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. I admire that about you.”
“Will you tell me about them?” she asks sweetly. “About the boys. What exactly goes on at Phoenix House?”
“Well, like I mentioned before, we mostly try to give kids a place to stay. Temporary housing. It’s better than sleeping out on the streets, and a hell of a lot safer too. A lot of what I do is take care of the day-to-day fundraising to make sure that we can feed them, clothe them. Most of them are really jumpy, and I don’t blame them, so if they decide not to stay, we try to put together backpacks full of supplies they can use. Toothbrushes, toothpaste, tissues, extra clothes, snacks and the like.”
“What do you think I could help with?”
“You’ve always been really business savvy. Maybe I could convince you to teach an intro to finance course for the kids? Like, how to budget and things that’d be super helpful to teach them how to manage their money. Lord knows you could do it a lot better than me.”
Charlie beams. “I really like that idea.”
“Yeah?”
She nods. “Do you think they’d like me?”
“I’m sure they will. They come from rough backgrounds, but they’ve all got hearts of gold. I’m sure I’ll be fighting them for your attention by the end of the day.”
She giggles. “I promise you’re the only guy I’ve got eyes for.”
I smirk. “Well, I’m glad to hear it.”
“I’m not going to lie, this is kind of exciting. I think I was kind of miserable at Bliss Media.”
“What makes you say that?”
Charlie shrugs a shoulder. “I just remember being … suffocated, I guess. That’s the only way I know how to describe it. Everybody wanting something from me, expecting things from me. I can’t remember one good thing about working at that place apart from being the boss. But that’s a headache in and of itself, you know? Everybody’s problems are my problems. And when people want to point a finger, they point at me. And that sucks. Maybe taking a step back will help me figure out what I really want. A fresh start.”
I swallow at the lump that’s lodged in the back of my throat. I’m overjoyed to hear her say this aloud. I always knew deep down that succeeding Uncle Charles wasn’t what she actually wanted. It was never her dream to be a CEO. It was something that had been forced onto her. She had no choice in the matter, no say. And I’d been far too young and naïve to think of anything to actually help her.
But now she’s thinking for herself. She’s breaking free from the mold Uncle Charles shaped her in. I get to see more and more of the wonderful young woman beneath the façade, finally thinking for herself in the truest sense of the word.
“Whatever you want,” I tell her. “I’ll make it happen.”
“I like a man of action.”
I chuckle. “That bodes very well for me, I hope.”
“Oh, definitely.”
We order and eat dinner, talking about everything and anything. Charlie mostly listens to what I have to say as I recount story after story of all the kids I’ve managed to help over the years.
“I think my most successful boy was Matteo. He was thirteen when he came to us. I know I’m not supposed to have favorites, but between you and me, he’s probably my favorite. Sweet kid. Super bright.”
“What happened to him?”
I smile. “He worked his ass off. Went to school during the day and helped keep our stockroom organized. We paid him, of course, because I’m not about exploiting kids for free labor by calling it volunteer work. That’s just BS, in my opinion. Anyway, he said he was dead set on getting himself into college, so I tutored him in my spare time.”
Charlie leans forward, enraptured. “Please tell me this has a happy ending.”
“It does. I told him to apply for every single scholarship he could. His grades were so good that he wound up getting a full ride to UCLA. He graduated two years ago from the sociology program, and now he’s off in California setting up our second Phoenix House location.”
“That’s seriously amazing, Roman.”
The glimmer in her eyes says it all. There’s nothing but adoration in her smile and a soft tenderness in her gaze. And it makes me feel good. It makes me feel good to know Charlie’s actually listening to me. I used to have to beg for her time to get a word in, only to be brushed off with excuses of being too busy. And now she can’t seem to get enough. The way she looks at me makes me feel important and strong and better than I really am.
I don’t want it to stop.
I’m a fucking goner because I know. I know the way she looks at me is real, even if it took a hard reset to get there. Charlie cares about me just as much as I care about her. There isn’t anything wrong with that.
After dinner’s over, we walk hand in hand back to the room. Our honeymoon is supposed to be over day after tomorrow, but I’m more than happy to spend another week, month, year with Charlie in the Cayman Islands if she says she wants to. Once we get back to the room, door shutting behind us, I open my mouth to tell her that we should probably pack.
But we end up kissing instead.
Charlie kisses me, sweet and slow and delicious, pressing up against me so that my back’s against the wall. It’d be easy to pick her up and carry her to bed, but I kind of like her in control. She’s always been the kind of person to have the last say, to make sure things are exactly to her liking. So if she wants to wrap her arms around my neck and roll her hips against me while sighing contently into every kiss, there’s no way I’m going to stop her. It’s a blessing just to be here with her. She can have whatever she wants from me, and I’ll gladly give it.
Charlie begins to work her way down, peppering feverish kisses down the line of my jaw, neck, and chest. She slips down onto her knees, kissing my stomach over my shirt all the way down to the front of my pants, which are already growing uncomfortably tight with arousal. Charlie’s nimble fingers make quick work of my button and fly, dragging fabric down roughly to free my throbbing cock. I suck in a sharp breath through clenched teeth as Charlie’s tongue teases my slit, already dripping with want.
“Charlie,” I manage, voice tight. “Charlie, you don’t have to.”
“But I want to.” She sounds downright pouty, and I can’t help but find it endearing.
Charlie wraps her mouth around the head of my cock and swirls her tongue around, humming contently. The vibrations of her voice travel down my swollen shaft, igniting my blood and setting off jolts of electric pleasure in my nerves. It’s all new and exhilarating and my wildest fantasy come true.
If only teenage Roman could see me now.
She hollows her cheeks and takes even more of my cock into her mouth. The slick wet heat surrounding me drives me absolutely wild, unleashes something animalistic that I didn’t think was possible. I can’t get enough of her. Every inch of my body, every single cell that makes up my being craves for more of Charlie. She haunts every single one of my thoughts. She blesses every single one of my motivations. The world could end tomorrow in a flaming ball of fire, but I’ll be fine with it so long as Charlie is mine and she knows I’m hers.
She takes me all the way in until th
e head of my cock hits the back of her throat. A jolt of ecstasy shoots through me, knocking the air straight from my lungs. She picks a steady pace and sucks, sloppy and wet and utterly perfect. The tight coil inside my gut builds with more and more intensity until I can’t hold on any longer.
“Charlie,” I rasp. “Charlie, I’m going to–”
She doubles down, pressing forward and sucking harder than before. The added pressure sends me flying over the edge, spilling into the back of her throat.
My vision blanks. My mind quiets.
Charlie looks up at me with her big eyes and swallows, wiping the back of her hand across her glossy lips. She rises and kisses me tenderly, looking downright smug that it’s contagious. Charlie helps me out of my shirt and drags her hands across my chest, kissing my collarbone and down my pecs.
“Anything I can do for the missus?” I ask, voice hoarse.
“I’m actually fine. I just wanted to give you a treat.”
“Are you sure, Charlie? I don’t mind.”
She nods and smiles contently. “I’m kind of beat. Can I persuade you into some late-night movies and cuddling in bed? Maybe a little room service champagne?”
I chuckle. “Whatever you want, baby. Whatever you want.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Charlie
The courtroom is mostly just wood paneling. The walls, the judge’s bench, the divider separating the main floor from the observation gallery. Ugly as fuck.
It’s cold too, but I like it that way. I purposefully keep my office at a harrowing sixty degrees so that any meetings I have are quick and to the point. Nobody likes to freeze to death, after all, and I find that keeping people in a state of uneasiness is the best way to get right down to business. The faster they talk, the sooner they can escape to the warm safety of the hallway just outside, and the sooner I can get back to work.
Maloney’s dressed in a pressed designer suit, along with a silk tie, and bespoke leather shoes. He’s a tall man. A statue, and just as unfeeling. That’s what I like about him. In many ways, he’s the slightly inferior version of myself. We want things done the right way the first time, and second attempts are simply not acceptable. Business and law are vicious like that, and only sharks like us really know how to navigate its frigid waters.
Forgotten Inheritance (Inherit Love Book 6) Page 10
