Protecting Her Pride (Renegade Love Bodyguard Novel Book 2)

by Jade Webb

  He lifts me into his arms and carries me away from the water. Once we reach the safety of the beach, he gently sets me down on the sand. He sits behind me, pulling me against his chest as he wraps his arms around me, his hands rubbing my arms to warm me.

  “You’re scaring me, Daphni,” he says, his warm breath blowing past my ear.

  “I never meant to leave you, Roman,” I say, my voice just above a whisper. “After everything that happened, I couldn’t face you again. I didn’t want you to see me like that.”

  “Like what?” he asks, confused.

  I sigh and shrug my shoulders. “Broken. Ruined.”

  Roman shifts, pulling me toward him, so that I’m facing him, no longer able to hide.

  “Daphni?”

  I swallow the salty air and force myself to look into his eyes. To trust him. To finally reveal every shattered, sharp edge that I’ve been hiding from the world. I don't know if he’ll want me after this, or if he’ll want to help put those pieces back together again. And when I open my mouth to start my story, I know it's the bravest thing I will ever do.

  “When my mom signed me to MacArthur’s label, he wanted to start recording immediately. He told me all about his special recording studio at his ranch in Beverly Hills. It all sounded so glamorous. So I went, and he insisted that in order to maintain my ‘artistic authenticity’ we needed to record just the two of us. So he led me down to his studio and my mom just drove away. Left me there. And he brought me into his studio and he…he…” I pause, clenching my eyes closed, holding in the swell of tears, and wishing that I could take all those terrible memories and drown them in the sea.

  “What did he do, Daphni?” Roman asks, his jaw clenched as he watches me.

  I open my eyes, letting the tears escape as I continue. “He forced me,” I say, the words just above a whisper. And when Roman looks at me, his eyes filling with concern, I almost hope that the sound of the waves lapping at the shore was enough to drown out my confession. But I don’t want to run anymore. I don’t want to hide. I want this to be over.

  “He raped me,” I say, my voice stronger and when I see Roman’s body tense, I know he heard me. “Over and over. For a week. Until my mom came back. I was so scared, but I finally told her on the way home. She just looked at me and asked, ‘Well, how badly do you want to be a star, Daphni?’" I shake my head and let out a bitter laugh. “And I didn’t say a word. Because I did want it. So badly, and I knew what she meant: that it meant keeping my mouth shut and giving him what he wanted. I felt so dirty, so disgusting. I was supposed to meet you that weekend to say goodbye before you deployed.” I bring my eyes up to his. “How could I have faced you? I was ruined. You would have known, and I didn’t want you to ever see me like that, especially right before you had to leave.”

  At my confession, Roman's arms wrap around me as he pulls me into his lap. His body envelopes mine, providing me the safety to let myself completely shatter, break off into millions of microscopic pieces as small as the individual grains of sand surrounding us.

  “It wasn’t your fault, Daphni. You didn’t ask for that,” he says after my breaths start to steady. His voice is so sincere, I almost find myself believing him.

  “I wish I could believe you."

  “Daphni, what could you have done? You were trapped in a house alone with a monster. You did what you had to do to survive.”

  I laugh, a hollow and bitter sound. “I could have stopped him. I could have run away. I didn’t.”

  “Daphni, you were only twenty. He was a grown man. He took advantage of you. Don’t you dare put this on yourself.”

  I look at him and offer him a sad smile. “I try so hard to forget it. Sometimes the drinking helps, but it’s getting harder and harder to forget. And seeing you again, it reminds me of everything I was forced to give up. And for what? Some shiny awards I keep locked in a closet? Awards I won for singing songs that mean nothing to me? Nothing means anything to me. I’m numb. And I’m exhausted from feeling nothing.”

  Roman's hand caresses my arm. His touch is so soft and gentle, I'm almost convinced I'm imagining it.

  “Tell me what to do. Tell me what I can say to make it all better,” he pleads.

  “I’m scared that there is nothing you can do," I confess after a long pause. "I’m terrified that I’ll be broken like this forever.”

  “Then let me help put you back together.”

  24

  Roman

  I pour myself a cup of coffee and walk back outside. The sun has started its descent for the evening and the sky is cast in a warm, orange hue that reflects onto the open sea. It's a much-needed reminder of the beauty that still exists in this world.

  For hours, Daphni and I had sat on the beach, revisiting her monsters as she told me about MacArthur, and the terrible things he had forced her to do. Her words had filled me with a blind rage. But I knew that she needed me to put my anger aside, to sit with her in compassion and understanding. It had been one of the hardest things I’ve done in my life, not jumping in my truck, driving to Beverly Hills, and murdering the son of a bitch.

  After a few hours, she had told me she needed to be alone and wanted to go for a walk. Every cell in my body had wanted to follow her, make sure she would be okay. But she had asked for me to trust her, so I stayed behind.

  That had been four hours ago. Now I was getting nervous. I didn't like this habit we had fallen into: me perched on the porch, anxiously watching for her to come home.

  Luckily, I’m not waiting for much longer. A half hour later, she comes into view, walking back to the house from the beach. She’s carrying her sandals in her hand as she walks along the blue water’s edge, the descending sun covering her in a soft, pale light.

  When I see her, my body reacts so viscerally: I can literally feel my heart clench in my chest. Too impatient to see her again, I jog out to meet her. When she sees me approaching, a wide smile crosses her face.

  “What happened to the pink?” I ask her as soon as I catch up to her. Her bright pink hair is gone, replaced by the familiar light blonde hair she had when I first met her, ten years ago. Falling down her back in waves, it instantly transports me back to my parents’ living room, to the moment I’d first felt my heart stop when her green eyes caught mine.

  She smiles sheepishly and shrugs. “I decided it was time for a change.” She pulls her fingers through her hair, twisting them at the end.

  I reach for her hand, holding it in mine. “Your nails are gone, too.”

  She sighs, twisting her hand so that our fingers are interlocked. “After sharing everything with you, I realized how much of myself I had locked away. I hid behind the bright hair, the makeup, the acrylic nails—all to try and convince myself that I was another person." She drags her eyes up to look at me. "I just really hated myself.”

  A tear falls down her cheek and I lean down, kissing it away. “You deserve to love yourself. Just like I love you.”

  Her breath hitches and she tilts her chin up to look at me. “You love me?”

  I smile as I run my thumb across her cheek. “Daphni, I never stopped loving you.”

  She looks at me and those eyes I spent hours of my life dreaming of—those swirling seas of passionate emerald, vibrant and deep—look back at me.

  “I love you, too," she says, her lower lip trembling as the words spill out of her mouth. I kiss her lips, a soft, slow kiss that says more than mere words ever could. Her hands reach up to my chest, her palm resting over my heart.

  “I can feel your heart,” she whispers as she breaks away from our kiss and drops her forehead to rest against my chest.

  “It’s yours,” I tell her.

  “I’ll never break your heart again,” she promises, her voice muffled against my chest.

  I lift up her chin, forcing her to look at me. “Anything broken can get fixed with time, Daphni. And with love.”

  Her eyes brim with tears as she bites down on her lower lip. She nods, a small smil
e breaking through. “Anything broken can get fixed,” she repeats as she presses her cheek back against my chest and wraps her arms around me.

  25

  Daphni

  We walk into the entryway of the large house, our hands still intertwined. The house is dark, empty, and quiet, but I can feel something like electricity buzzing in the air. It’s palpable, and it sets every inch of my skin aflame. It’s more than mere lust: it’s the promise of rekindled passion between two lovers who have found each other’s arms once again.

  I gently tug Roman’s hand, leading him up the stairs. My bare feet barely make a sound on the staircase, and all I can hear is my heart, issuing a thousand beats a minute. As we reach his bedroom, I pause. Roman stops behind me and brings his hands to rest on my waist. He pulls me back against him, so I’m leaning against the hard contours of his chest. He dips his head to kiss the top of mine.

  “We don’t…” he begins to say.

  I turn to face him, perching on my toes as I place a soft kiss on his cheek. “I know,” I whisper back. “But I want to.”

  I open the door and step inside. I walk toward the bed and sit on the edge. Roman comes toward me and kneels in front of me. His arms wrap around my waist, holding me against him as he tilts his head to look up at me, his blue eyes gazing into mine. He waits until I bring my eyes to his and nod, silently confirming that I’m okay. I want this. And I fall even more in love with him in this moment. I feel so safe and treasured in his arms. I never want to lose this feeling again.

  His hands lower to unbuckle my shorts. He watches me as his fingers move, ready to stop at my word. I keep my eyes on his as he slides the shorts down my legs and I kick them to the ground. He kisses my thighs before he looks up at me again, his fingers hooked into the waistband of my panties.

  I nod again, biting down on my lip as he slowly slides the thin fabric down my legs, where they join my shorts on the floor. Bare and exposed, he gently nudges my legs apart and inhales a sharp breath.

  “You’re so beautiful,” he says as he dips his head to kiss my inner thigh. With soft kisses, he trails up toward my center, where he inhales my scent before groaning. With one long lick, he tastes me and my body shudders in response. He sucks his tongue back into his mouth, his eyes pinched closed.

  “God, Daphni, you taste so good,” he murmurs before he dips his head again to take another taste. His tongue darts out of his mouth and he alternates between long, hungry licks and suckling my hard clit in his mouth. His hands grip my thighs as he feasts. Each contact with his tongue draws another moan out of me until I’m whimpering, my legs shaking as I grind my hips against his face, urging him to take his fill.

  “Roman,” I pant as I feel every muscle in my body start to constrict.

  The sound of his name on my lips unlocks some kind of fervor inside of him. He growls and sucks my clit into his mouth, humming as he swirls his tongue around my hard nub. It’s enough to end me and I cry out as I come, blinded by a stream of flashing lights as I ride the wave of my orgasm, my body melting into the mattress beneath me.

  He lifts his head up and rises to his feet, looking down at me as I pant on the bed. He wears a satisfied smile on his face as his hand grips his stiff erection pushing prominently against his jeans.

  “I forgot how much I loved making you come,” he says with a smile. He gently lifts me, bringing me farther onto the bed as he climbs over me. He kisses me, and I taste myself on his lips and I angle my head to deepen the kiss. The minute our tongues join, Roman lets out a loud groan and he shifts himself on top of me, and I feel his large erection digging into me. I grab the hem of his shirt, tugging it upwards. Roman generously obliges and pulls himself away to tug his shirt over his head. He does the same to me, pulling my shirt over my head, then unclasping my bra. At the sight of my bare breasts, I catch the hunger and desire in his eyes. He drops down onto the bed and takes one nipple in his mouth, while his hand pinches and kneads the other. The combination of sensations on my breasts and his hard cock rocking against my core almost sends me straight into another orgasm. I thrust my hips up, eager for him to free his cock and drive it into me.

  Roman gets the message loud and clear. He fumbles with his buckle as he keeps his mouth locked on my nipple. He kicks off his pants then rolls off me to peel his boxers off next. His thick erection hits his flat belly as soon as it’s released from the confines of his boxers. I lick my lips at the sight of his hard length—the one that took my virginity seven years ago and served as the headlining feature in all my late-night fantasies every night since.

  Taking advantage of him on his back, I crawl over toward him, my eyes locked on his. Once I reach him, I dip my head and dart out my tongue to trace a long, hot path down the base of his cock. He moans at the touch of my wet tongue, and the sound inspires me to take the head of his thick cock in my mouth as I grip his shaft with my other hand.

  Roman’s eyes close as his head falls back against the pillow. I take him farther, flattening my tongue to accommodate his thick length in my mouth as I continue to stroke him. As I take him deep, I watch his chest rise and fall. He grabs the sheets at his side as he lets out a loud groan. His eyes shoot open, heating with electric desire, as he watches me, my tongue swirling around the head of his cock, causing him to shoot out a clear, salty spurt that I eagerly lick away.

  “Fuck, Daphni,” he moans as his hands dig into my hair. I take him deep again, and he lets out a loud groan before pulling me off him. “I can’t have the first time we’re back together be me coming in your mouth.” He pulls me on top of him so I’m straddling him with his cock against my stomach. “When I come, I want to be buried deep inside of you.”

  I nod, happy to accommodate his request, and rock my hips, raising myself over his length. With my hand, I stroke his cock as I position it beneath me. With our eyes locked, I sink myself down, sheathing his cock within me. The minute we join, him fully filling me, we both moan. I pause a moment, enjoying the satisfying sensation of his hard length filling ever inch of me, before I press my palms on his chest and lift my hips again. Immediately, my body feels empty without him inside of me and I lower myself again, encasing him in my hot, slick heat. Over and over, I continue to ride him, grinding my hips as I rock against his hard cock, addicted to the feeling of him inside me again.

  He pushes himself up to take my nipple in his mouth as I ride him, swirling it with his tongue and causing every nerve ending in my body to spark with need. With his hand, he finds my clit and he rubs slow, tantalizing circles with his thumb on my hard center and I don’t even bother to fight the increasingly louder moans escaping from my lips. Roman knows my body, knows exactly how to bring me to the climax that I need. The years didn’t seem to erase his memory and his fingers, mouth and cock inside of me work in rhythm, bringing me closer and closer to my release.

  As I feel myself get closer to the precipice of my orgasm, I increase the speed. Roman’s free hand reaches out to cup my ass, encouraging me faster, his fingers digging into my flesh. He’s so close and I can see the heat in his eyes when his face drops from my breast and his eyes lock on mine.

  “I want you to come with me,” he says, his voice gravely and almost unrecognizable. I nod along mindlessly as I continue grinding against him; any coherent thoughts are long gone. We’re both so close, our breaths in sync as I grind against him. All I can focus on is the feel of Roman inside me and how close I am to the earth-shattering, life-altering orgasm I know is coming my way. Sensing how close I am, Roman increases the pressure of his thumb on my clit. He presses harder and faster and with each touch, I feel my breath hitch in my throat. My body is so tight, so ready to explode.

  When I feel myself reaching that edge, I fall forward against him, my hips still continuing to move up and down his hard length, my body still moving despite my brain turning to absolute mush.

  “I’m…I’m coming,” I gasp just as I feel my body shatter around me. My body shakes as I feel my inner walls tighten an
d squeeze around Roman’s thick cock, bringing him closer to his own release. And with a loud grunt, Roman thrusts his hips, angling his cock deep inside me and growls when he comes, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me tight against him.

  When I feel his hot liquid release fill me, I collapse on top of him, panting as I come down from my orgasmic high. Beneath me, I feel Roman’s chest rise and fall as he does the same. Suddenly, I hear a loud chirping sound by my ear. I look around, and chuckle as I see the small heart on my bracelet light up in red.

  “What is that sound?” Roman asks.

  I slide off of him, my body already missing the sensation of feeling full with him inside of me, and tuck myself into the crook of his arm. I wave my bracelet over his face. “Melissa bought this for me. It’s like an activity tracker. I think when the heart lights up like this, it means my heart rate is really high.”

  Roman chuckles and places a kiss on the inside of my wrist.

  “She synced the thing to her phone, so the poor woman is probably getting a text alert right now that I’m having a heart attack or something.” I giggle at the idea of her waking up to see that.

  “I like this little thing,” he says as he plays with the small heart charm. “It’s nice to have scientific confirmation that I just gave you the best orgasm of your life.”

  I roll my eyes and playfully slap his chest. “I don’t know if this was the best orgasm…”

  His eyes darken and he flips himself over, pinning my arms in his hands as he lies on top of me. “Liar.”

  I bite back a smile. “Best orgasm is still reserved for the Mustang in Napa Valley,” I say, bringing a devious smile to his lips.

  He falls back down on the bed, pulling me toward his chest. “I forgot about that,” he says.

  “Well, that particular encounter has fueled many exciting nights for me,” I tell him.