Chapter Fourteen

Roman

After we’ve given the police a statement, I take Tessa home. We drive mostly in silence until we get to the apartment. When we step out of the elevator, she gets a message from her friend, Chelsea. She texted to say that Brendon had said a lot of shit about Tessa, and Chelsea called it off.

This just makes me more pissed. The fucker folded like a house of cards and I would have liked to inflict a little more pain before he passed out.

Tessa sets the phone down on the counter. Her hand is shaking. She looks at me with wide, frightened eyes. I’m not sure if she’s afraid of me, or still traumatized by getting jumped by Brendon and his friends. The look in her eyes sends a stab of rage through my mind.

I want to hold her, but I can barely trust myself to be in the same room with her. Keeping my distance from her was making me half-crazed before I fought this evening. Now, I’m afraid that if I touch her, the last of my self-control is going to snap. Powerful and primitive emotions tear at my restraint. I want to protect her. I want to push her against the wall, rip off her clothes and sink into her tight innocence.

“I’m going to go for a run.” My voice, rough with raw need, startles her. “I need to burn off a little energy.”

“It’s twenty-five degrees outside.”

“Good.” I cross the room, toss my coat to the couch and head to the bedroom.

She follows, her tentative footsteps echoing on the marble floor. I go to my closet, tear my shirt over my head without bothering to undo any of the buttons. I take off my belt and with a glance over my shoulder, I see her in the doorway, watching me.

Her gaze travels down my chest. Her eyes flare with surprise.

“You’re really going to go running? Now?”

“Unless you have a better idea for me to get rid of a little extra aggression.”

“Like what?”

Her expression and her words remind me of how young she is, how innocent. I shake my head and pull my attention away. Anywhere is better than looking at her. I’m amped up. Dangerously amped up and she has no idea how much she’s fucking with my mind.

“Please don’t leave me,” she whispers.

Her voice cracks with emotion. I stare at her for a long moment, wondering if she might start crying. She looks small and scared and completely vulnerable. I feel like a rampaging beast, the last impression I want to give her right now.

“I’m just going out for thirty minutes, sweetheart.” I try to tone down my response, but only manage to dial it back a notch or two. “I shouldn’t be around you when I’m like this.”

She moves closer. Her scent hits me hard, drawing a vicious growl from deep inside my chest.

“Why shouldn’t you be around me?” she asks softly.

I turn to face her. “Because the last thing I want to do right now is go running.”

“What’s the first thing you want to do right now?”

I feel my lips curl into a primal snarl. This girl is shredding my self-control. She gives me a look that’s an intoxicating mix of innocence and temptation.

“You want to know, sweetheart? You want to know what I want right now?”

She nods. I move closer. She retreats a few steps until she’s backed against the doorframe. I set one hand over her and with the other cup her jaw, lifting her chin so I can brush my lips over hers. My kiss is soft, gentle, as I hold back with the last of my strength.

“I want to fuck you, Tessa. I want you naked in my bed, under me, on top of me, on your knees while I take you from behind. And that’s just for starters. I want to keep you in my bed. Taste every inch of you. I want to hear you beg. I want to hear you give in. I want to hear you come. And then I want to start all over again.”

She closes her eyes as I lower to scatter kisses across her cheek.

“But I don’t want to hurt you.”

Her lids flutter. She looks up at me. “I’m not that fragile.”

Her words are soft and inviting. She’s trembling but she gazes at me with a sweet look, like she wants me too. Her desire warms her eyes and makes her breath ratchet up.

“Not fragile?” I whisper.

“Roman,” she sets her hand on my chest.

Electricity buzzes across my skin. Her touch is fuel to the flame. She skims her fingers across my shoulder and down my arm, brushing over an old scar. I wait. No matter how much I hunger for her, I won’t proceed until she allows me.

“I’m not… fragile,” she says softly. “And I want you as much as you want me.”

Yeah, I doubt that very much. I groan and lower my hands to undo her shirt. Keeping my eyes on hers, I watch for any sign of doubt or fear. I don’t see either, just a small glimmer of surprise as I strip her down. I’m tempted to tear her clothes off, because this is taking too damned long.

Urging her to the bed, I slip her shirt from her shoulders. Her bra is next. I undo the hook and her breasts spill free. I want to worship this body, savor every detail. Her breasts are perfect. They fill the palm of my hand. Her nipples are taut and tightly beaded. She draws a sharp breath as I cup them and kiss them.

“So beautiful, baby. It’s almost too much.”

I strip her down until she wears only panties. She’s shy and wants to cover herself, but I push her hands aside. I kiss her and walk her backwards to the bed. Teasing her with my tongue, I coax her lips apart and stroke her with hard, possessive thrusts.

I’m done waiting. Done with being civilized. Coming face to face with the man who hurt Tessa has cleared my mind of all remnants of civility. She’s mine to protect, and mine to own. I’ll kill for her. Die for her. She can’t possibly understand the depths of my obsession.

As I crawl up the length of her body, I catch the scent of her arousal. I stop. Every muscle across my body tenses as I fight off a wave of lust. A growl forms in my chest. I inhale, drawing the sweet scent of my woman deeply into my lungs. I’m so far gone for Tessa. She wants me too. This is the final blow. I run my fingers along her thigh and stroke her pussy. She’s wet and swollen and ready. When I rub my finger across her swollen clit, she squirms and whimpers. I trail my hand up her hip, making her shiver.

Her gaze drifts down my body. The moment she sees my cock, her eyes widen and a small cry falls from her lips. She stares and bites her lip. When she lifts her eyes to mine, she looks at me with obvious dismay. “Roman…”

“S’okay, sweetheart. We’ll go slow.”

“I don’t think you’ll fit. It’s not possible.”

Her tone is matter-of-fact and her words are in a very distinct non-bedroom voice.

“You and I will fit perfectly, Tessa. We were made for each other.” She smiles at me. I lower to kiss her gently. “You understand me?”

“I do.”

A moment ago, she told me she wasn’t fragile, but she is. She’s so small and so delicate, I’ll need to be careful, especially her first time. I’ll take care of her always, but I want her to know that we’re doing this raw and without anything between us.

This pussy is mine. I lift my gaze to hers. “Nothing between us, Tessa. Ever.”

She blinks, not understanding, and then as she grasps my need to claim her, she nods. Her eyes shine with warmth. She submits, giving herself over to me completely as her knees part. I keep my eyes on hers and settle between her silken thighs. I rub the head of my cock against her slick, swollen folds and groan. The urge to take her is overwhelming, but I need to take it slowly. She’s so tight. I grit my teeth.

Slowly, I ease into her. Gently. The whole time, I keep my eyes locked on hers. We both feel the moment I reach her barrier. I can tell because she winces but doesn’t cry out despite the nearly impossible fit of our two bodies. I hold myself over her. She grips my forearms. A huff of air escapes her lips, and then her mouth curves into a smile as I push deeper.

“Hurting you?” I ask.

She shakes her head. “No. It’s better.”

I thrust once, twice, three more times, and when I’m fully inside her, I pause to allow her to adjust. She traces her fingers over my shoulders. I kiss her, gently at first and then more forcefully, teasing her with my tongue as she squirms beneath me. I can tell she wants more, but I need to take my time giving it to her.

“Please,” she whispers.

I love the sound of that single, small word and gently, I move my hips, rocking them and taking short strokes. Her small sounds make me want to drive into her and fuck her the way I’ve dreamt about fucking her. But not this first time. She lifts her knees and clasps her thighs around my hips just to make me fight for control that much more.

I groan. A shudder rolls down the length of my spine.

She laughs softly and tilts her hips. “Roman,” she whispers. “I’m yours.”

Little brat. Sweet brat.

I can feel her body tightening beneath me. Her fingers dig into my shoulders. Her laugh fades to something more, something needy. Her small cries become more desperate and drive me half wild with the urge to pound her small, tight body. She arches beneath me, writhing, and when her back bows off the bed, she comes with a desperate cry. I follow her an instant later as my self-control shatters. I thrust hard, coming deep inside her.

Panting and spent, I snarl as I empty my seed into her. She’s mine now. I’ve marked her. I’ve made my claim. If she doesn’t carry my baby this time, she soon will. It’s fate. The thing that binds her to me is bigger than I understand and she’s mine now. Mine.

I collapse slowly, lying across her small and delicate body. I try to keep from crushing her and linger, reveling in the way her tight pussy grips my cock. She cups my head, drawing me down to her neck, her fingers threading through my hair. I could stay inside her all night. The idea of keeping my cock buried in her sweet body, keeps me hard and sparks a new wave of arousal.

“You’re all mine now,” I growl softly.

She strokes my jaw and looks up at me, her eyes shining. “And you’re mine too.”

I nod. “It’s true. But I’ve been yours since the beginning.”