I scooped her up in my arms gripping her tight like she was my most cherished possession because she was. I nosed against her cheek, my pulse hammering insanely. “You’ve always had my heart too, Theodora, even when I thought I hated you. Now I know the hate was only an outlet for the love I had. Even though it sounds absurd, or insane, maybe unstable on my part to think like that, it’s the truth. But in the end, it was always love because whatever happened you were always engraved in my soul, in my blood, and you were always meant to be mine.”
Theodora
The sunlight warmed my face as I blinked my eyes open greeted by yellow rays and felt myself cocooned in delicious warmth and security. My knight. My protector. My eternal love. My Roman.
I drew my finger over his tan skin, tracing the dip and slope of carved muscle in his bicep. Soon, I heard a deep groan and felt nibbles on my lobe. “Theodora,” he whispered like a prayer against my ear.
I stroked his well-stubbled cheek. “Good morning.”
He lifted his head while his teeth glistened bathed in light with a rakish grin. “It is isn’t it? A good morning. A fantastic morning. Soon to get even better.” He tucked his head in my neck again.
“I’m hungry.”
“Me too.” His lips traveled over my skin as he nipped a trail down to my collarbone.
I curled my fingers in his thick hair. “You have a fetish with my neck.”
“I can’t help that it tempts me all the time. Besides, that’s not the only body part I have a fetish with.” He slid over me like a muscular blanket. His arms strained beside me to keep him from crushing me. “You’re my favorite meal and like I said, I’m hungry.” His lips roved over the slope of my breast. Then, his finger touched the raised skin of the newly healed scar over my heart from the jagged stem of the broken champagne glass. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t prevent this from happening.” He trailed soft, feather-light kisses over my skin. “I only wanted to keep you safe.”
My heart ached hearing the anguish in his voice. I lifted his chin, drawing his attention. “You did everything you could. Don’t ever apologize for the sins of your brother.”
He nuzzled my palm closing his eyes as though feeling a mixture of relief and absolution. His throat bobbed before he spoke. “It’s just.” His eyes met mine. “Your pain is my pain. Seeing you suffer nearly killed me. I used to think your pain would be my salvation. But it wasn’t. It never was. I would rather die than see you ever come to harm again.”
“I know.” I smiled softly. “I know, but I’m here. I’m alive, and I’m not going anywhere.” The strain on his face lightened as his eyes flashed with the love I knew he felt for me.
“You better not go anywhere because I’ll always find you,” he quipped. “You’re stuck with me forever.”
“Forever,” I agreed. “Now, where were we?”
“I think I was right here.” He lowered his head down. His erection was already sliding down my clit.
“Roman.” I sighed relishing his sweet torture as he twirled his tongue around my nipple. Would he always make me crave him? It was only a few hours ago that it seemed we’d taken the gold medal in the bedroom Olympics. Last night, the guys had thrown their usual after game party celebrating another victory. Roman and I had spent some time amongst the guys too, watching Axel and Nick do their usual back-and-forth banter until cash was being thrown down and the challenge of Xbox was too much for them to ignore. Not a surprise. Dmitri was over at the bar charming two brunettes with a chilled bottle of vodka in his hand pouring the liquid in three shot glasses giving a spiel about Russian vodkas and why they were the best.
Roman never left my side, and soon he tugged me against him and growled in my ear, “It’s time we celebrate, alone. Finally, I want to relish in this victory and collect my spoils.”
I giggled and told him he sounded like a pirate from an old-school romance novel.
He didn’t disagree and may have thrown in an argghhh before he tossed me over his shoulder in front of a crowd of drunk college kids catcalling raucously to my embarrassment and slapped my butt when I protested before carrying me off to his room.
Anyway, back to the present, he thrust into me in one fell swoop, filling me to the brink. I gasped as he threw my legs over his broad shoulders. Pulling back and pushing in deeper with each pass. The muscles in his abs constricted with each motion. His eyes darkened as short breaths expelled from his lips. Soon, my legs were close to my ears as he leaned closer; his mouth hovered over mine. “Say it, Corazón.”
“Say what?” I moaned fighting to keep my eyes from rolling back from the pleasure, never wanted to break away from his steady gaze. I was close to setting off like confetti.
“Say you love me.”
“I love you.” My thighs shook with intensity, and pleasure mounted at my core. Building and building, higher and higher. “I love you, Roman!”
As I began to burst into a billion pieces and stars flittered in my vision, he buried his lips in mine growling, “Forever.”
After our hearts slowed down and our breathing settled, I could feel my stomach was about to grumble in protest. “Roman, I’m really hungry…for food.”
“Well, whatever my baby wants, she gets.” He crawled over the edge of the bed and stepped over to his dresser. I got up too and bent over finding my clothing on the floor. As I pulled on my shorts, Roman pulled a T-shirt out of his drawer tossing it to me. “Here. Wear this.”
I held it up eying the Falcon’s logo on the front with his last name and number on the back. I shrugged the ginormous tee on as it almost hung to my knees. I bunched up the hem tying it in a knot at my waist.
“That’s the best look of the day,” Roman stated giving a nod of approval.
“Me wearing your number?”
“Yeah.” He threw on some shorts and strolled up to me with that possessive gleam in his eye. “It makes me want to see you naked again.” He pressed his forehead to mine and clasped me in his arms. I knew that look well enough, he was about to strip me down and toss me on the bed again. Roman had an unquenchable appetite and had no qualms feeding it.
“Babe,” I plead while my stomach threatened to sucker punch me. “Food.”
“I know.” He kissed me and grinned against my lips. “I love you, you know?”
“I do know.”
“Good, so get ready to hear it every fucking day until those are the only words ingrained in your head. In your heart.”
“It’s already there.” I covered his left pec with my hand like I’d done all those years ago in his backyard. “You’re my heart, Roman, always.”
Cue another deep kiss and an almost tumble in the bed before my stomach growled loudly.
“Damn girl, let’s get you fed.” He dragged me across the room like two people trying to escape a burning building.
“Roman?” I rushed out trying to keep up with his long legs as we flew out the door. My voice echoed across the spacious, silent hall. It was still early morning, and the party had gone on well into the night.
“The quicker we eat, the more time I have with you in bed. Now what do you want? We could pick up kolaches, breakfast tacos?” Just before we cleared the hall, I heard the click of a handle a few feet away and saw Kenzie tiptoeing out of Nick’s room wearing a skintight dress. What? She was here last night? I didn’t see her, but then again, I spent most of the evening with Roman. And Nick? She and Nick?