by J. L. Beck
“You look tired,” Roman whispers.
“I am,” I admit sleepily. “You don’t look very alert yourself.”
“Yeah, I really need to take a shower though,” Roman announces as we enter his bedroom. He gives me a weary look as if he’s nervous about having me here. And I want to do is tell him he has nothing to worry about, because I know it was those laced pills that caused him to lose his mind and that it had nothing to do with the man he really is.
“Yeah me too.” My tiredness vanishes in an instant just thinking about getting into the shower with him. My eyes rake over his chiseled abs and muscled chest, my body reacting to the man before me as it always has. Even with the bruises starting to form on his skin, and the new stitches, need pools deep inside me. As if a few scars could ruin is perfect body. Two weeks...that’s how long I’ve waited to touch him again, to kiss him, to have him inside of me.
“Are you sure about this Sophie? I’ve missed you beyond words, but that doesn’t mean things have to go back to normal. It doesn’t mean you have to pretend that you still want me.”
“I’m sure Roman…why would you think I wouldn't want you anymore? I missed you so much. And yeah you made some mistakes, but that doesn’t mean I love you any less. It doesn’t change what we have. I still want to be with you.”
His lips are on mine before I can say another word. He tells me more with this kiss than any words ever could, still it feels good when he pulls away to speak.
“I love you too. So much. I will spend the next hundred years proving to you how much I love you. I will never let anything come between us again. I hurt you, and I want you to know I never meant to. I want you to know every time I close my eyes at night, I see what I did. It will never happen again, Sophie. I promise.”
Tears well in my eyes. This is the first time he’s admitted his feelings out loud. “You didn’t have to say you were sorry, Roman. I already knew it. If you were anyone else, I would have second-guessed your apology, but I know what happened was an accident. It wasn’t your intention to hurt me.”
“Never, Sophie. I see my hands on you every single night when I close my eyes, and it kills me. I hurt you, and the fear in your eyes from that night was enough to make me want to kill myself.”
His admission makes me gasp. I grip onto him, my nails sinking into his flesh, making it so he can’t pull away from me.
“It was an accident, Roman,” I murmur against his skin.
“It wasn’t an accident. I took the drugs and lost my shit. I lost control, and it kills me. It literally kills me to know I hurt you. I put my hands on you, and that’s not me.” Anguish coats his words. “I would never hurt you, never, yet I did. I was supposed to protect you, and instead, I turned into the monster you needed protecting from.”
I shake my head, pulling away to look up at him. He peers down at me, holding my cheeks. Tears stain my face. I look into his green depths, seeing a man who’s wounded, broken, afraid, and in need of so much love.
“I love you, Roman. Nothing you ever do will change that. People make mistakes. The important thing is if you learn from them.”
He leans down, his lips ghosting against mine once more. “I learned my lesson. I never want to go without you again. The only drug I need in my life is you.”
Closing the distance between our lips, I press mine against his possessively, relishing in the groan that emits from his throat. I’ve missed his touch, his lips, and every single inch of him. Our lips stay connected, and Roman guides us into the bathroom before pulling away for a second to turn on the shower. He adjusts the temperature, and I peel off my clothes, tossing them to the floor. When I look up at him again, there’s hunger pooling in his orbs. The pull he has on me is magnetic, captivating, something I couldn’t escape if I wanted to.
“We don’t have to do anything. We can just shower and go to bed. I’ll hold you in my arms.” He swallows and I can see his Adam’s apple bob. Doesn’t he know how much I want this...want him? How much my body craves and needs his touch?
“I want you Roman. I want you inside me,” I rasp, grabbing the top of his shorts. I push them down over his hips, and they fall the rest of the way over his muscled thighs and to the floor. Saliva builds in my mouth when his hardened cock springs free. The sight of him only fuels my desires, stoking the flames deep in my belly.
“Fuck, I want you too...I want you so bad it almost hurts,” Roman growls softly, pulling me flush to his chest. My pebbled nipples rub against his heated skin and I gasp at the sensation, a zing of pleasure slamming into my core. I’m already drenched, my pussy throbbing, begging for his cock.
Roman moves us into the shower keeping me against his chest, kissing my lips, shoulders, and neck. He sucks on the flesh, while kneading both my breasts as he pushes me against the tile.
“I’ve dreamt of you every night,” He croaks, his lips moving further and further south. My heart flutters inside my chest, beating against my rib cage like a bird trying to break free. Before I know it, he is kneeling in front of me.
Heat blooms in my chest as he parts my folds and kisses my sex. My knees buckle when I feel his tongue gently stroke my clit. It’s a sensual action one meant to draw out pleasure. He’s not feasting, he’s tasting me as if I’m a fine wine.
“Lean against the wall,” he murmurs into my skin. I do as he asks and lean back, enjoying how good the cool tile feels on my heated skin.
“Now hook one leg over my shoulder,” he orders. I do but almost lose balance standing on one leg. He grabs me by the hips to steady me. “Don’t worry, I’ve got you.” He looks up and winks at me, melting my heart into a puddle of mush. I situate myself so my legs are hooked over his shoulders and his hands are kneading my ass cheeks keeping me in place.
“I’ve feasted on you, but tonight I will take my time. I will make you quiver, make your beautiful pussy gush. I will love every single inch of you, and then I’ll do it all the fuck over again until you’re nothing more than a withering mess of goop.”
I sink my teeth into my bottom lip, stifling the moan as soon as he parts my folds and gives me a slow lick. I'm on fire, burning with need, my mind in a deep fog of longing. My right hand is flat against the tiled shower wall beside me, the other buried in Roman’s thick curls.
His tongue strokes my already swollen clit, and his hands travel up and down my leg, caressing my skin.
His lips close around my small bud, and he sucks. He nuzzles, teases, strokes, and fondles me with such a tender touch that tears glisten in my eyes. The way he’s touching me right now can only be described with one word...love. I can feel it in every touch, every kiss and every glimpse into his eyes. I’ve known that I was in love with Roman for a while, maybe part of me knew from the first time I had seen him. And I even knew that he had fallen in love with me somewhere along the way. Maybe he didn’t admit it out loud, or even to himself, but that knowledge had never been so clear to me.
The way his body is touching mine is more than physical...it’s a declaration. In this moment we are so deeply connected that I realize what Roman is to me. He is so much more than a boyfriend, more than a lover, protector and savior...he is my soulmate. I feel it in my bones, in every breath I take. He is the air in my lungs, the beat of my heart.
With every soft, and gentle lick I’m pushed closer and closer toward the edge. My muscles tense, my thighs shake, and my pussy quivers, literally quivers. The orgasm works through me slowly, tingling down my spine and deep into my bones. I can hear my pulse in my ears, the swooshing of blood as it passes through my body.
“Roman…” I pant, my breaths harsh. He growls into my center and my hold on his hair tightens. “Oh god...Oh god…”
My release gushes deep from within my body and Roman sucks up every drop, his tongue probing my entrance, dipping in and out with shallow thrust. Two fingers replace his tongue and he starts scissoring them deep inside me, stretching me to accommodate his cock. I can feel the distinct tingling in my belly. My
heart flutters inside my chest, and by the time he pulls his fingers out of my quivering pussy, I’m seconds away from coming again.
“Fuck, Sophie...I missed this...missed the way you taste, the way your body melts in my hands.” Roman croaks as he unhooks my leg from his shoulder, placing it back down on the tile floor. Goosebumps blanket my skin when his heated gaze meets my own. I can tell how badly he wants me with just one look. My eyes slip down his chiseled abs, and to the deep V, before slipping all way down to his cock. It’s heavy, standing at attention, the head angry and red.
Roman peppers kisses up my body, keeping his eyes on mine the entire time. Each kiss grips onto my heart, sinking its claws deeper and deeper into the fragile muscle. When he finally reaches my face, my body is shaking and tears are slipping down my cheeks. My emotions are out of control. Roman doesn’t say a word, though. It’s as if he knows my tears are out of love and nothing else.
Lifting me by the hips tenderly I wrap my legs around his waist and then bring my arms around his neck pulling him as close as I can. I feel his cock probing my entrance and I want him inside me so badly it hurts.
“Take me Roman. Take me and show me how much you love me.” My voice is hoarse, but my words are clear. I want him to love me with his body. He leans into my face, water dripping from his hair and onto my face.
“I love you...I love you like I’ve never loved anyone before,” he whispers, his lips brushing against mine as the head of his cock slips inside my tight hole, stretching me in such a delicious way. Roman’s eyes close for a moment, while my pussy tightens around just the head of his cock. The corded muscles of his shoulders and biceps strain as he eases inside me, so slowly it’s almost maddening. I watch as his nostrils flare and he uses nothing but complete strength and patience to enter me.
My nails sink into his flesh when he finally reaches the end of my channel. His eyes open once more, fire blazing deep inside those green depths.
There are no words to be said, there are only actions to be done, and Roman does them, pivoting his hips upward with slow precise strokes. Each thrust hits that sweet spot at the back of my pussy and soon my mouth is opening, pleasure building deep within my bones.
Roman’s head falls forward, his forehead resting against mine, his eyes holding mine while he owns every single fiber of my body.
He worships my body as if it’s our first and last time together. Our breaths mingle together, as we both pant, the pressure builds, and continues to build until just like a pot full of boiling water, it boils over. My entire body shakes, my pussy squeezing his shaft as my orgasm crests. I reach the peak, and my lids close, euphoric pleasure wraps around me like a warm blanket.
“Heaven...that’s what you are Sophie, that’s what being with you feels like….like the sinner in me has been granted access into heaven,” Roman groans into my ear, and then I feel his cock thickening deep inside me, a second later his sticky seed coats my womb.
My heart beats furiously inside my chest, my limbs feel like jelly, and I wonder if it can get much better than this. Roman clutches onto me, as if I’m going to run away or something, but I can’t deny how good it feels to know he’s afraid of losing me as much as I am of losing him.
I unwrap my legs from around his waist and he eases me back down to the floor. We stand holding each other for a long moment, letting the pleasure seep into our pores. I can feel his release dripping down my thighs, and onto the tile below, and oh how I have missed this feeling.
“I’m so tired,” I yawn, directly into Roman’s face, earning a smile from him.
“Let me wash us and then we can go to bed.” I nod in agreement letting him scrub me from head to toe. He massages my scalp with his soap, and while I’m rinsing, he washes himself. After watching Roman fight, and being afraid that I couldn’t possibly make him see me I’m exhausted. It’s strange how being afraid can make you tired.
Roman rinses, and then shuts the water off, stepping out of the shower to retrieve two towels. Droplets of water cling to his unruly mop of brown hair and his eyes are an amazing green that reminds me of the color of tree leaves.
He returns a moment later and dries me off from head to toe, giving me a dazzling smile. His face is still bruised, and the stitches will definitely scar but he’s never looked more handsome than he does right now.
“I’m serious Sophie. If you don’t want to be with me after everything that happened I understand.” He still doesn’t understand and that’s okay...I’ve got all the time in the world.
“I want you, Roman. I’m not going anywhere even if you beg me too.”
Roman gives me a soft smile, and I know it will take some time for him to see that I’m not going anywhere. He dries my hair, wrapping it up in a towel, before drying himself off. God this man is perfection and I cannot believe that he loves me. I think back to the very first day I met him, and how he made me feel so secure and loved. I think a part of him loved me then.
I follow him out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. He walks over to the dresser pulling out a t-shirt for myself and a pair of shorts for him.
He helps me into the t-shirt, and slides on his shorts, my eyes seeming mesmerized by his body as they roam over every inch of flesh, including his still hard cock.
“You want me to fuck you again?” Roman asks nonchalantly, and I swallow, my sex becoming slick at the words.
“I do, but I also want you to hold me in your arms.” My response causes Roman’s gaze to soften and he walks over to the bed pulling back the covers.
“More sex tomorrow, cuddles for the rest of tonight? How does that sound?” I smile, taking my hair out of the towel and drying the wet strands once more. I toss the towel into the hamper and crawl up onto the bed. Once I’m under the covers, Roman turns out the light and slides in beside me, pulling me flush against his chest. He wraps his arms around me and I place a hand over his chest feeling the steady thump of his heart beneath my hand.
“I can’t believe there was ever a time when I lived without you,” Roman whispers into my hair, holding me tightly against his warm skin.
“I know. Neither can I. I wish I knew you years ago.” And that’s the truth. I can’t imagine how better my life would’ve been had I known Roman all along. He would have never let my family treat me the way they did. He would have protected me from everything I couldn’t protect myself from.
“We can’t go back in time, we can only go forward, and we have each other now, forever and always. That’s all that matters. Right now baby…right now…” Letting my eyes drift closed I let his words blanket over me.
Forever and always.
Roman and I have each other now. I try to let that sink in, I want that to be my only thought when falling asleep, but I can’t shake this horrible feeling that our happily ever after is still out of reach.
The thoughts escape me as sleep overcomes my exhausted body. The last thing I remember hearing is Roman whispering in my ear. “I love you.”
Chapter Thirteen
Roman
Waking up with Sophie in my arms is nothing short of a dream. I half expected what happened yesterday to be nothing but a sick, twisted joke my mind had played on me. Then I wake up to find that she is still burrowed into chest and I know it wasn’t any of those things. Sophie is back, and she wants me, she claimed me just as I had claimed her even after I lost my damn mind and hurt her. She still wants me, and I don’t deserve her, god knows I don’t, but I can’t give her up either. I’m too selfish, too in love with her to let her go.
The sound of my phone ringing on my nightstand pulls me from my thoughts, I groan in displeasure as I roll away from Sophie to grab the god-forsaken thing. Ivan’s name flashes across the screen and I hit the green answer key, wondering what the hell he could possibly want.
“She’s fine, I didn’t do…” I answer, but Ivan’s voice stops me dead in my tracks.
“I didn’t call to harass you Roman. I’ve got a lead on some of the assholes trying
to go behind my back. I know for sure now that they have been trying to get back into the flesh selling business and I want to shut them down before it gets too bad.” The blood in my veins turns to ice.
I remember Andi telling me that he was approached by some men who wanted Sophie. We weren’t certain why they wanted her at that time because the men never told him why they wanted her but it makes sense now. She wasn’t taken to auction and the men that bought her from her parents never made their money back because she was never sold. If they’re looking to sell girls again then that explains why they came to take her, to make their money back.
“That means Sophie is in danger. What the hell do we do?” My voice raises, and I try to stop the anxiousness from consuming me. Nervous bubbles of fear fill my belly. I’ve finally got her back and now fear is on the horizon, threatening to rip all the good away from us. She stirs beside me, and I know the moment her big eyes open because I can feel them roaming over my skin.
“We need to find out where they’re operating, take in any of the other girls we can...it also wouldn’t be a bad idea to go and pay Sophie’s father a visit. He sold his daughter to these men, he might have some information we can use, maybe even know where they are now.”
I grit my teeth at the thought. I’ll kill her father if I discover he’s behind this. Hell, I should kill him anyway for putting his hands on her the way he did.
“So what do we do?” Sophie pushes up into a sitting position, her eyes wild, confusion marring her delicate features.
“We wait. I need to call Xander first since that is his turf. I’m going to talk to him and see if I can set up some operations so we can shut this shit down for good. I’ll need his permission since Sophie’s parent’s live in Xander’s territory. But I highly doubt he would have anything against it since those are the same people who took Violet and Ella.”
“And if he says no anyway?” I quip. Would Ivan go against Xander’s wishes?
“He won’t say no. Xander doesn’t agree with human trafficking any more than we do, especially since this one hits so close to home. He’ll help us Roman. Don’t worry about that.”
