Coming Home Duet

by Cameron Hart

  She kisses my chest before looking up at me.

  “I can’t believe you came for me,” she says, her voice small and tentative.

  “I will always come for you, dandelion. You’re my whole fucking world.”

  “I thought…I thought you were done with me. I mean, I know I pushed you away. It was all my fault.”

  “What? No, no that’s not what happened at all. Did you get my texts?”

  “No, I ditched my old phone pretty much as soon as I left your house.” She closes her eyes as shame washes over her face at the memory of leaving.

  “It’s okay, little one. No more regrets. We’re here now, and I’m not letting you go.” She nods. “When I woke up alone, I had every intention of going over to your apartment and somehow convincing you to give us a chance. But then my dad called. My mom had a stroke and we weren’t sure if she was going to make it. I had to fly home to be with her.”

  “Oh my God, Roman, is she okay? Are you okay?”

  God, even when she’s literally bruised and broken, she somehow finds space in her heart to care about others.

  I trace my thumb over her lips, avoiding the scab forming on the lower left side of her mouth.

  “Yeah, she’s okay. Still recovering. I flew back to Atlanta two days ago and couldn’t find you. My friend Tyler and I tracked you down. Harper and Levi helped. As soon as we knew where you were, I hopped on a plane.”

  “Harper…” Her eyes fill with tears and shame again. “Does she hate me for leaving?”

  “No, not at all. She’s worried about you. We all were. Fuck, Emma, I was going out of my damn mind. I was so scared. So scared.” I close my eyes, forcing the fear down and reminding myself Emma is here in my arms.

  She rubs her hand over my heart, massaging away the tightness and reminding me she’s here with me.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispers into my chest.

  “Shh, baby. We’re okay. I’m here, I’m not leaving.”

  Emma lets out a huge breath. “I know we have a lot to talk about, Roman. I’m just so tired.”

  “Of course. Get some rest, dandelion. So strong and beautiful. Sleep, little one. I’ll be right here.” I kiss the top of her head as she snuggles closer.

  I feel her body relax into mine, her muscles releasing tension as she drifts off to sleep. I lie awake for hours, holding her and watching over her as she sleeps.

  Chapter 19

  Emma

  I wake up in Roman's arms, safe and warm. I still can't believe he found me. I don't know how all of this will play out if Mac and Craig are still out there, but I trust that Roman will take care of me.

  “Morning, dandelion,” Roman’s voice washes over me.

  I try to sit up, but my body protests. All of my muscles ache, along with the deep bruises all over my body.

  “Don’t try to move, sweetheart. Here, let me help you.” Roman props up some pillows and ever so gently guides me to lay back on them. He gets up and shuffles through a bag, retrieving some pain pills. Roman gets me a glass of water and watches as I take the medicine.

  “Thanks.” It’s a weak response, inadequate for everything he’s done for me.

  He just smiles a sad smile, one that doesn't take away from the worry in his eyes.

  “How are you feeling? Can I get you anything? Are you hungry?”

  My stomach growls at the mention of food. I laugh a little bit. “I guess some food would be good.”

  “I’ll call for room service. What sounds good?”

  “Mmm…French toast and bacon. And coffee. And eggs.”

  Roman laughs at my list of demands. I love that sound. It soothes something deep inside of me.

  “Maybe we should take it easy for now. When was the last time you ate?”

  I have to think back. Definitely before I came to Florida. “Umm…like two days?”

  “Shit.” Roman looks pained. “I should have fed you last night. I’m so sorry.”

  “I don’t think I could have eaten last night. You gave me everything I needed. You saved me. I…thank you.”

  He comes over and sits on the bed with me. “Don’t thank me, dandelion. It’s my honor to take care of you any way you’ll let me. I’m just sorry I didn’t come sooner. I’m sorry for what you had to go through. Fuck, baby, I can’t imagine…”

  He closes his eyes.

  “Roman, hey. Look at me.” His eyes slowly open and he looks at me with pain and regret and a barely contained rage at what happened to me. “It was my first night out there. I didn’t actually, um, well, you know. Something almost happened, but I couldn’t go through with it. The guy got pissed and dropped me back off. That’s when Mac started hitting me. And then you saved me.”

  He gathers me up in his arms and nuzzles his nose in my hair.

  “Thank fuck. I’m so glad you didn’t have to go through that. I’m so sorry for everything else, Emma. So fucking sorry.”

  “I’m okay, Roman. We’re both here now. Together.”

  He nods, seemingly satisfied with my words. “So, food. Let’s start with some toast, alright? Maybe some eggs. I think anything else will make you sick.”

  “Sounds good. Though, I really, really want some French toast. With syrup. And whipped cream. And cinnamon sprinkled on top.”

  Roman smiles a real smile this time and kisses the tip of my nose.

  “I promise I’ll make you all the French toast when I get you back home.”

  Home. I give him a genuine smile, one I didn’t think I’d ever use again.

  ✽✽✽

  Roman was right, the toast and eggs were about all I could handle, and even then, I couldn’t finish it. We’re lying in bed now, neither one of us able to be apart from the other for even a short amout of time.

  “Can you tell me what happened when you were sixteen? What made you so scared that you couldn’t tell anyone?”

  I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I knew this moment would come, and I’m ready to tell him whatever he wants to know. I trust Roman completely, I’m just not sure where to start.

  "I told you my mom was a junkie. It was more than that, though. We lived in this house with a bunch of other addicts. I don't really remember much about all the people that came in and out. They did everything – heroin, crack, PCP, meth. Really, whatever they could get their hands on. I don't know when exactly it happened, but the guys in the house started cooking their own meth and distributing it. I remember Craig coming over a few times to check up on the operation. My mom, for all her faults, tried to keep me hidden when he was around.

  "One time though, some of the product went missing. Craig stormed through the house, tearing apart every room. He found me and I guess he liked what he saw. He pinned me down and tried to touch me. I head-butted him and ran away. He came after me and I just started throwing things at him, knocking over things to block his path. I ran into the kitchen. I'm not sure what all I did, but I messed up the batch they were working on. I-I…I fucking set the house on fire."

  “Oh, sweetheart.” He strokes my back, encouraging me to continue.

  “He threatened to kill me. I ran, I got out of the house. I looked back and saw that mom was on the front lawn. Most of the other people were out there too, but there was one…he didn’t get out.” I shudder at the thought. “I killed him, Roman. I’m a killer.”

  “Shh, baby, no. You’re a fighter. They made their choices, each and every person in that house. Meth labs are inherently unstable, and you were doing what you had to do to survive. My strong dandelion. It’s not your fault.”

  “I moved to Atlanta with Harper the next day. I didn’t hear anything from Craig for years. Not until the day I met you, actually. That’s when the calls started. My mom stole a bunch of drugs from him before she died. That coupled with the loss of the batch they were working on when the fire started, and then the whole house going up in flames…well, Craig thought it was time for me to work off my debt.”

  “Jesus Christ, Emma. Fuck.
I swear I didn’t run your plates through our system. I didn’t look you up in our system at all. I had Tyler do some digging, but I swear it was all under the radar. I’m sure it’s how he found you though. Fucking hell. Fuck. Emma, I’m so sorr—”

  It’s my turn to comfort him now. I rub his chest and kiss him lightly on the lips.

  “I don’t want to think about it anymore. Like you said, no more guilt or shame. Plus, now it’s all out there in the open. And Craig and Mac are going to go away for a long time, right? I can be free of them?”

  “Yeah, little one. They are going to be gone for good, I promise. Emma, I don’t know what to say. This is all my fault.”

  “No, Roman. Please don’t go there.” I try to calm him down, but I feel him spiraling. He gets up and starts pacing.

  “It’s not okay, Emma! None of this is okay. I mean, fuck, just look at you! You got the shit beat out of you, you’re fucking starving and traumatized, because of me. I did that to you. All I ever wanted to do was protect you, but I practically handed you over to those monsters on a silver platter!”

  “STOP!” I yell. “Stop, please,” I add, softly. Roman freezes in place and turns his head to look over at me. I scoot to the edge of the bed and try standing, but my knees wobble a little bit.

  He’s there in an instant, holding me up in his arms. I cup his face so he has to look at me.

  “Come back to me, Roman. Be here with me. Please. I need you to just be here with me. I need you.”

  He closes his eyes and gently rests his forehead on mine.

  “Fuck, Emma. I…I need you too.”

  I almost thought he was going to say he loved me. I feel a little sting of disappointment, but I don’t hold it against him. I put him through hell. Leaning back, I look up at him. “I thought I was protecting you. I thought of you all the time. When it all became too much, you still anchored me. I held on to all of the ways you made me feel so cherished. I felt lucky just to have had that for a brief moment.”

  He blinks away tears at my confession. I’ve never seen him look so fragile. “You can have that forever, little one. I’m never letting you go again. You’re mine. Mine to protect, mine to provide for, mine to treasure. Always.”

  I grin up at him. “So we’re back to this again, huh? You owning me?”

  “Sorry not sorry,” he shrugs.

  I narrow my eyes at him. “Well if I’m yours, then you’re mine too.”

  “Fuck yeah I am. You’ve owned me since the moment I saw you in the broken-down car.”

  He smiles a real smile, one that makes his eyes sparkle. He kisses my nose, my chin, my cheek, anywhere that doesn’t have a bruise or cut.

  Chapter 20

  Roman

  Emma made her statement and we went home the next day. She wasn’t lying when she said she didn’t like planes. Poor girl had a panic attack before we even took off.

  We’ve been home for a month now. We didn’t discuss her moving in, it just happened. The ring my mom gave me has been burning a hole in my pocket, but I know it’s not time yet. She’s still recovering physically from everything, and honestly, I’m still recovering from almost having lost her. Every time I think about all the shit that went down in Tampa, I get this overwhelming anger and possessiveness. I have a need to hold her and fuck her and claim her again and again, but she’s not ready for that yet.

  It’s fucking torture sleeping next to her every night and waking up to her every morning knowing I can’t sink inside of her the way we both want. But I’d take the worst case of blue balls any day of the week over the possibility of hurting my Emma, ever. Her needs will always come first. When I get the chance to make love to her again, I’ll make sure she’s completely ready for me.

  Today is my first day back in the office and fuck, I swear each minute has lasted an hour. I’ve been texting Emma almost every thirty minutes to check in and see how she’s doing and what she’s up to.

  Me: Have you had lunch yet, dandelion? It’s just past two.

  Emma: OMG, Roman, chill! I know how to eat and take care of myself. Been doing it for years ;)

  Me: And yet, you never seem to remember to eat until I remind you.

  Emma: Yeah, yeah, I get it.

  Me: You still haven’t answered. Have you had lunch?

  Emma: UGH. Fine. Warming up chicken & rice right now.

  Me: Good girl. I’ll be home in a few hours.

  Emma: I’ll be here…twiddling my thumbs.

  She’s been wanting to get a job, and I can’t blame her. I know she’s a hard worker and without me there she’s probably bored as fuck, especially since she dropped her classes right before all this shit happened. But I don’t like the idea of her out there on her own yet.

  It was almost impossible to leave her this morning. I made her promise to stay inside, even though she fought me every step of the way. We were eventually able to compromise. That is, I agreed that she could go out on the back porch if she so desired.

  Me: I know you’re bored, baby. We can talk about jobs when I get home.

  Emma: Really? Just like that? You wouldn’t let me leave the house earlier, and now you’re letting me work?

  Me: I thought you were a strong independent woman who wouldn’t let a man tell her what she can and can’t do ;)

  Emma: I think I like when you tell me what to do. Especially when you tell me how to please you.

  Me: You can’t say shit like that to me.

  Emma: Oh? Am I making it HARD for you to concentrate at work?

  Me: Emma…

  Emma: I can practically hear you growling right now. I wonder what other sounds I can get out of you through text…

  No sooner am I done reading that text when a picture comes through…of Emma on the bed, topless, with her arm barely covering her perfect little tits.

  Me: What are you doing to me, woman?

  Emma: This is the kind of trouble I get into when I don’t have a job to occupy my time!

  Me: I already said we can discuss it when I get home.

  Emma: But until then…

  She sends another picture of herself, from the waist down, in nothing but a pair of red lace panties.

  Fuck it.

  Me: I’ll be home in fifteen minutes.

  I almost splinter the wood of the front door as I swing it open, needing to find Emma and have her do something about my rock-hard cock. I don’t think she’s ready for me to fuck her yet, but she’s certainly well enough to suck me off.

  I walk into the bedroom and find my Emma in nothing but those red lace panties.

  “I missed you,” she purrs.

  “I could tell, my little siren. Sending me dirty pictures while I was at work. How the fuck was I supposed to resist that?”

  “You weren’t,” she replies, a sexy smirk spreading across her face.

  I walk towards the bed, shedding all of my clothes except for my boxer briefs along the way. She crawls to the edge of the bed and sits up on her knees as I approach. Emma attacks my mouth with hers as soon as I get close enough. I’m trying to be gentle, but she sucks on my tongue and devours me, threatening to swallow me whole.

  I break the kiss and we both pant for air. “Slow down, dandelion. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “You won’t,” she shakes her head. “I need you. I ache for you. Please, please fill me up, Roman, please.”

  “Fuck, sweetheart. You’re not making this easy.” I rest my forehead on hers, trying to regain control of my body before I snap and fuck her like I’ve been wanting to ever since I woke up to an empty bed all those weeks ago.

  “Oh, really? I thought I was being pretty easy. Let me simplify. I want you to fuck me, Roman. I want to feel you deep inside of me, stretching me and marking me. I want you to remind me what it means to be yours.”

  My body is vibrating with need, my cock leaking pre-cum all over the fucking place. My hands ghost up her body, feeling her ribs, her tummy, her perky tits. I flick her hard nipples and she moans so sw
eetly.

  “Goddamnit, Emma. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “You won’t. I need you, Roman. Please,” she whimpers. I look at her and see her need. I recognize that look she’s given me before, the one that tells me it’s more than lust, it’s more than hunger, it’s a need for connection. She needs me to anchor her, to be the man to bring her back down to earth.

  I dip my head to her neck and begin sucking and nibbling her sensitive skin as my hands slide down her back to grip her ass and pull her closer to me. I pull her earlobe through my teeth, causing her to gasp.

  “Tell me to stop, little one,” I growl.

  “Never. Don’t stop, Roman. I need this. I need you.”

  “I’ll be gentle,” I tell her. I don’t know how, but I will. I’ll restrain myself and only give her what she needs.

  “No, I want you. All of you.”

  I have to take a step back before I fuck her into the mattress. She has no idea what a temptation she is, but I won’t hurt her. I won’t.

  She suddenly covers herself, one arm going over her breasts while the other wraps around her tummy. Emma sits back on her heels, putting more distance between us. Tears shine in her devastating blue eyes.

  “Oh God, do you not want me after…after everything?”

  “What? Emma, no. I want you all the time. Come here, dandelion.” I hold out a hand to her and she reluctantly takes it. I pull her into my arms and bury my face between her neck and shoulder. “It has been torture to have you so close and not be inside of you.” I nip her neck and lick away the sting. “I wake up with a throbbing cock every goddamn morning after a night full of dreams about taking you on every available surface in this house.” I move my lips down to her collar bone and nip and lick her skin. “I want your sweet pussy wrapped around my cock twenty-four seven.” I move lower, flicking one nipple with my tongue and then the other.