Dragging my tired body into my apartment in New York, I freeze when discovering Melanie sitting on the steps, her usually perky demeanor heavy with empathy. I had given her a heads up that something had happened and I was coming home, but I didn’t expect to find her waiting for me in the middle of the night. Without a word, she rises to her feet and opens her arms. I fall into her embrace and finally let the events of the day crash down around me with crippling despair. Big fat tears soak into her t-shirt as anguish shakes my entire body.

When I ran into Roman’s father after all this time, his sick smile and gravelly voice triggered some serious flashbacks that I wasn’t ready to deal with. It’s like I was suddenly transported back to the brothel in Vegas, experiencing the horrific moment all over again.

Seeing him walk into the room.

His hands all over me.

His cold, calloused laugh.

The flash of a knife.

The threats that forced me to walk away from Roman.

After his father asked if I remembered our agreement, I sprinted back to the bus and vomited for what felt like a lifetime until my stomach cramped in pain. My head wasn’t on straight as I blindly threw everything into my suitcase. In the back of my mind I always knew what happened between me and Roman’s father in Vegas was the one thing that could break us apart for good, but I foolishly hoped that we’d somehow have more time before the truth came to light.

“You’re scaring me,” Melanie says, stroking my hair with one hand and clutching me tighter with the other. “What happened?”

Being reunited with the one person who’s never hurt me, my tears come harder and faster, making it impossible to form a response. I clutch her with all my might when I realize there’s only one way this can end, because Roman would never believe the truth.

I have to let the only man I’ve ever loved go—this time for good.

* * *

Vinnie’s is basically empty the next afternoon as I slink in through the back door, looking to get black-out drunk. I had turned my phone off shortly before I passed out on the couch at Mel’s side, and woke early morning to find dozens of missed texts and calls from Roman. It was impossible to miss his building desperation with each message.

The last text squeezed my already broken heart until I was sure it’d be the death of me.

I paced my room for the longest time while trying to convince myself it’s best not to respond. In the end I decided there was only one way to silence the memories that hadn’t faded since the night before. While Mel was in the shower, I sent her a text saying I needed a visit to the bar to clear my head. She replied less than a minute later to let me know she was headed to her new boyfriend’s place to help him with something, and she’d be back in a few hours unless I needed her sooner.

Of course it would be my dumb luck that Chaz would be one of three customers bellied up to the bar. “What the shit?” he asks, his gaze smothering as I head into the service area to pour myself a finger of top-shelf tequila. “Were you planning to tell me you’re back?”

“Uh, hello?” Cary steps in beside me, hand set on her hip. “Oh hey, Cary! I’m back!” she mocks in a high-pitched tone. “Did you miss me while my bitch-ass was off becoming a superstar with the hot rockstar you pointed out to me a few weeks ago?”

“Hate to burst your bubble, but Roman and I go way back to middle school,” I bite out before tipping back my drink in three large gulps. With the satisfying burn trickling down my throat and coating my stomach, I suck on a lemon wedge for a second before tossing it in the garbage.

Cary snorts as she shuffles past to help a customer.

Still staring me down in a way that sends chills up my back, Chaz lets out a dark laugh. “Didn’t expect to see you back so soon, especially after word got out about your killer performance in Chicago. Thought for sure you’d forget about me and Stew once you had a taste of fame.”

“You knew I was taking time off to explore other options. Besides, you’ve made it clear you don’t want a record deal when you know damn well that’s always been my dream.”

His eyes narrow. “What did that self-righteous asshole do to make you come back here?”

Unable to look him in the eye, knowing he’ll see right through me, I refill my glass. “You don’t know a damn thing about Roman.”

“I know something bad must’ve happened or you sure as hell wouldn’t be here, and Broken Euphoria wouldn’t have canceled last night’s shit-show.”

My heart slams to a stop. “What?” I wheeze out.

“Saw something on Facebook that said your boy was an hour late and couldn’t spit the lyrics out once he finally showed. He dropped the mic and walked right off stage.”

Oh hell. Roman stuttered on stage? Have I managed to destroy his career?

“You look like you’re going to puke,” Chaz growls, slapping his fingers around my wrist. “Don’t lie to me, Is. What the hell did he do? Answer me or I’ll hunt him down and kick his ass!”

“It’s nothing he did, all right? It was all me!”

Still not satisfied, he shakes his head while sniggering. “You know, I figured some things out while you were gone. Roman Stone is the one who fucked you over all those years ago, isn’t he?” His grip becomes painfully tight. “He’s the reason you don’t want a relationship with me, right? Answer me, dammit!”

“Yes,” a deep voice rumbles from somewhere nearby. “I am the one who fucked her over.”

Almost choking on a sudden breath, I look over to meet Roman’s starry green gaze, and my hardened shell instantly cracks. I’m unable to look away as he heads in our direction, wrinkled clothing and messed hair evidence of the journey that brought him here. His overwhelming presence swallows the atmosphere of the bar and suddenly it’s just the two of us. We’ll forever be soulmates drawn together by love, but separated by unavoidable circumstance.

He dropped everything to find me. He’ll regret his decision once I tell him the reason I left.

His nostrils flare when he notices Chaz’s fingers still wrapped around my wrist. “I would suggest you let go of my girl,” he growls out, teeth bared. “I’ve had a real shit day, so I promise you don’t want to fuck with me.”

I swallow down a gasp. He’s still calling me his girl.

Chaz reluctantly releases his hand and wraps his fingers around his bottle of imported beer. “The way I see it, you’ve done a real shit job of taking care of your girl.”

“Don’t make this any harder than it already is,” I tell Chaz with a warning glare. Then my eyes swing back to Roman and I sense myself breaking all over again. “You shouldn’t have come here. You can’t just walk out in the middle of your tour.”

“That shit doesn’t matter to me right now. We need to talk and confront our issues head-on. I’m not letting you go this easily.” With a slow shake of his head, he plants his feet. “No more running, Belle.”

Eyes flickering between the two men, witnessing the tension building between them, one thing’s certain: If I don’t get Roman out of here, punches will be thrown. So I slug down the second glass of tequila before heading around to their side of the bar. When Roman slips his hand into mine, it feels so natural that I don’t fight him.

“Let’s get out of here,” I tell him.

My heart sinks when I realize it’s probably the last time he’ll ever want to touch me.

* * *

Once we’re sitting in the back of a four-door sedan, the middle-aged driver eyes Roman with recognition. I decide to hold back and not reveal anything until we reach my apartment, but the way Roman’s lips brush over the side of my head as he holds me tightly chips away at my resolve one heartbreaking second at a time. I never imagined our whirlwind reunion would end the same way it all started—holding my emotions in when all I want to do is kiss him until I can’t breathe.

Roman follows me up the stairs to our place and kicks off his shoes inside, silently waiting for me to direct him where to go. His willingness to make things right all but kills me as we enter the living room and he sinks into the armchair beside the couch.

“Brooke brought my father to last night’s show,” he blurts, leaning back against the leather material. His expression remains neutral as he adds, “But you knew that already.”

I almost miss the couch when I realize his father must’ve told him his version of how things went down. How else would he know that I had seen him? The heartbreaking truth settles with a hard lump in my throat as I blink rapidly back at him.

The man I’ll always think of as the love of my life flew all this way to tell me it’s over.

“What do you want me to say?” I whisper, swallowing against the sorrow building in my chest.

“I want to hear what happened between you and my father in Vegas. In your words.”

“What did he—”

“Doesn’t fucking matter,” he snaps with a snarl pulling at his upper lip. “I never believed a word that came out of that bastard’s mouth. You of all people should know that. I want to hear your unspoken truth.”

I press my fingertips against my burning eyelids as memories of that night once again push their way into the forefront of my conscience. My insides tremble as I recall the nightmare that separated me from the man I loved.

“You were right about my friends Tina and Shawna,” I begin. “They were prostitutes. They worked for our friend at a popular brothel just outside the city limits. When your dad took you from camp, and I didn’t hear from you that entire school year…I lost all hope. Everything in my life went to shit. Even though I knew the friends I made in Vegas were always getting into trouble and involved in some illegal things, they were nice—especially my friend that owned the brothel. Eventually I started working for him too.”

The springs in the armchair creak. I open my eyes to find Roman pacing the room. Holding his fuming gaze, I tell him, “I swear to you, I never slept with anyone. I told my friend Benjamin that I wouldn’t do anything beyond waitressing. I thought he respected that—until one day he didn’t. Two days after you left Vegas, Benjamin threatened me with a gun, said he’d throw my body in a dumpster if I didn’t meet with a customer who had paid five thousand dollars to sleep with me.”

Hands clenching the chair at his sides, redness blossoms from Roman’s neck into his thick jaw. I’ve never seen him this angry. Knowing I have to continue, fear violently twists through my stomach.

“While I waited for this customer to walk into the back room of the brothel, you were the only thing that went through my mind. I knew you’d hate me if we got back together after the fight we had. I knew I’d never be able to have sex with you again without remembering what I had done. You can’t imagine how surprised I was when a man with the same eyes as yours waltzed into the room. It took all of three seconds to recognize your father. I thought for sure someone was playing a sick joke on me. My mind was reeling—I didn’t know whether he had tracked me down, or if it was a freak meeting. Then he started talking. He was loaded, so his words were slurred and difficult to understand, but I caught the gist of what he was trying to say once I pieced everything together. He wanted to know what was so special about ‘my pussy’ that made his son want to throw everything away.”

All at once Roman stops pacing the room. “Stop! I’ve heard enough!” Pulling his hair away from his face, he bends in half. “Jesus Christ, Belle, I can’t fucking stand this!”

“I didn’t sleep with him.”

His eyes snap back to mine, hope swimming through their sea green depths. He visibly fights against sucking in a breath like he’s afraid he heard me wrong.

“We didn’t have sex,” I clarify, standing along with him. Wrapping my arms around myself, my shoulders stiffen with the memory of that night. “He tried forcing himself on me, but I fought him with everything I had. I vowed to myself that I would die before I’d give the sick bastard the satisfaction of being able to tell you that he had fucked me. It was surprisingly easy to fight off someone of his size—I guess because he was so drunk.”

I pause to pull in a stuttering breath. It still wasn’t easy enough. His father stripped out of his pants and tried shoving a hand down my jeans. Even though his dick was placid and I was still dressed, he tried shoving it between my legs until I kneed him in the balls. If I tell Roman every detail of what went down that night, it’ll break us both.

“Before he gave up, he pressed something sharp against my neck and threatened to tell you where I worked if I didn’t stay away from you. Then he cut me and said he’d come back to finish the job if I didn’t heed his warning.” The warm burn of tears tumbling down my cheek surprises me. Looking away from Roman, I wipe at them before running my fingertips along the scar his father left behind as a reminder. “I never wanted to leave you, Roman. But I didn’t think I had a choice. Knowing what he had done to you over the years, I was scared to death he’d follow through.”

“That motherfucker!” Hands curled into fists in front of him, he shakes his head. “Why didn’t you tell me what he did?”

I close my eyes as more tears fall. “Because you had already accused me of lying about my virginity. And Chris knew I was working there. Months before you came, he showed up with a couple of his buddies. I caught him coming out of a back room after having sex with one of the girls. He threatened to tell you and Joey that I worked as a prostitute if I told her that he had been there. In my seventeen-year-old mind, I decided there was no way in hell you’d believe that I only worked there as a waitress when Chris and your father would both swear otherwise.”

With the feel of his hands on my waist, I close my eyes and lean back against his warm chest. “Belle,” he whispers in my ear, his voice heavy with regret, “I’d do anything for you. I’ll even quit the damn band if that’s what it takes for you to understand how much I fucking love you. I would’ve protected you from him. You must’ve known that.”

“I knew if I didn’t walk away, your father would keep making your life miserable. And I think a part of me always knew you’d be better off without me dragging you down. Our lives were so different—they still are.”

“You couldn’t be more wrong.” Then he’s spinning me around to tenderly stroke the wound his father gave me. His eyes burn with unshed tears when he whispers, “The only time I’ve ever been happy is when you’re in my life. I love you so damn much, baby. I’m so sorry he tried to break you.”

“He tried to break us both.”

“This time I can promise you with absolute certainty that he won’t ever come between us again.” Taking my face in his hands, a chilling darkness spreads through his gaze. “He’s dead, Belle. Last night, before the concert, I went to visit him at his hotel. He was drunk and tried to attack me. He hit his head…I watched him bleed to death on the floor.”

A sharp gasp falls from my lips and a tingling sensation rises in my stomach.

He’s really dead?

And I wasn’t there when Roman needed me.

Just like the time his father almost killed him.

But his father won’t ever threaten us again.

“Oh my god,” I whisper with heat rising behind my eyelids. “Roman…”

But what else can I say? I’m not sorry he’s dead, and I know damn well Roman isn’t either.

“I didn’t call the cops at first,” he continues. “I just left his room and returned to the stadium. I was so fucking numb. But when I started singing, you weren’t there and I couldn’t get a handle on my damn stutter. So I walked out, had Luke take me directly to the police station. They weren’t exactly excited about me leaving the state.” Eyes flipping back and forth between mine, his thumbs stroke my face as a sad smile tugs his lips upward. “But I told them there wasn’t anything that could stop me from coming back to find you.”

With a hiccuping cry I seal my lips over his, clutching his hair in my hands and tasting him like it’s for the very first time. He grips my hair and deepens the kiss even more while lowering me to the couch.

The sorrow in the pit of my stomach becomes something more primal, more urgent.

“I love you more than I ever thought was possible,” I rasp out. “I’m so sorry I left you again.” A sob rips from my throat as I clutch him tightly. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you, baby.”

We undress each other with deft fingers, each moment that passes becoming more intense. His fingers stroke over my tingling heat as he stares down on me, his beautiful eyes shining like the most brilliant stars in the sky. “You’ll always be mine, Belle. Nothing will ever change that.”

And as he enters me, slow but firm, and kisses me with eager, hot strokes of his warm tongue, I know deep down in my heart that Roman Stone will always be mine. Even after years of anguish and heartache, we survived his father’s cruelty. We’ll survive anything else that tries to get in our way of a happy ending.