Roman’s footsteps beat a steady trail behind me down the hallway to my apartment. I haven’t said a word to him since he blabbed everything. I didn’t acknowledge when he said he would see me back at the apartment. I remained silent when he was already out of his car, standing next to my door by the time I got out of mine. When he fell into step next to me, I sped up my pace. It’s a short walk from my car to the apartment door, but I feel like I’ve walked across the country with him right behind me.

I leave the door open after I walk inside. I’m so tired, and there’s no point in fighting him. There’s never been a point in fighting him. Roman always gets what he wants. Even if I did lock him out, he’d break in. Walking straight into the kitchen, I grab a wine glass and pour until it nearly reaches the brim.

“Have anything besides wine?” Enjoyment laces his tone.

“Only for guests.” I haven’t turned to face him, but I can see his reflection in the window above the sink. He’s watching me closely with his hands in his pockets.

“I’m a guest.”

“No,” I bite out. “You’re an unwanted visitor, like a bug or mouse.”

He laughs, not even the slightest bit offended. Irritation tickles its way up my spine. Why can’t I affect him like he affects me?

“You had no right to do that.” I keep the emotion out of my voice. But my knuckles are turning white from the firm grip I have on the edge of the sink.

Roman leans against the wall, watching me through the reflection. His arms cross over his large chest and his feet cross at the ankle. Casual as can be. Not a care in the world. Not the least bit affected. Damn him.

“No right to do what?”

“Tell my friends about Rafael. Hell, you had no right to even sit at that table with me.” I whip around to face him, unable to stop my chest from rising and falling rapidly along with my heart. “And, you definitely had no right to fucking kiss me. Either time. Before we left the apartment and at the bar.”

His tense jaw twitches as he watches me yell at him, unable to keep my composure or hide just how much he gets to me. He says his words slowly and quietly. They can barely be heard, but his severe tone carries enough weight as if he shouted them from a mountain top. “I will do anything to keep you safe. There are no lines when it comes to that.”

“It is not your job,” I insist. Wine sloshes over the rim of my glass before I set it down with shaking hands. Interlacing my fingers together to force the shaking to stop, I take several breaths. My hands have never shaken so much in such a short amount of time. My nerves are completely frazzled.

“I made a promise.” His tone is rough and angry.

“What are you talking about?”

“I made a promise to your dad.”

All the air in my lungs leaves in one big rush. Time stands still in my tiny kitchen. The world stops turning. I grab the counter behind me after his admission leaves me feeling beaten to a pulp.

“You made a promise to my dad.” I’m such a fool. Roman told me when we were together that he would always be there for me. He would keep me safe. Everything a boy promises when he loves a girl. That’s not what mattered, though. That’s not why he’s here. He made a promise to my dead father. “When you left ten years ago, none of the promises you made mattered anymore. None of them.”

“It all fucking matters. Everything. Every word I ever whispered. Every vow I ever made. All of them. The ones to you. The ones to your father. They all matter.”

I brush away the tears and stare at the man in front of me, a shadow of the boy I once knew. Shaking my head and clearing my throat, I plead with him. “Please leave.”

“No,” he says, walking closer to me. “I’m not leaving.”

“He’s dead,” I scream, holding up a hand, trying to keep him away from me. If he gets too close to me now, I’ll break completely. “He’s dead. He won’t know if you break your promise. I will be fine on my own.”

He doesn’t stop moving toward me until his chest touches my hand. He doesn’t push against it to get closer to me, just stands there giving me a tiny amount of space. His hand comes up to cover mine, holding it to him, and he brushes his thumb over my skin.

“I’m staying.”

When our eyes connect, every emotion he has ever filled me with rushes to the surface. I have always fallen apart underneath his gaze. I know I could fall head over heels in love with him again. He wouldn’t really even need to do anything. If he just stood there, looking at me the way he does, I’d probably end up begging him to let me have his babies. His eyes have always been able to light me on fire.

“Fine,” I whisper. “You’re not sleeping in my bed, though.”

He smiles a devilish grin and raises an eyebrow.

“I mean it, Roman. I’m done fighting with you. You can stay but you’re sleeping on the couch and keeping your distance from me. When Rafael proves not to be the dangerous conman you think he is, you’re leaving. Packing up and heading back to Nashville.”

“Listening to every word I said tonight?”

“Your voice is like nails on chalkboard, kind of hard to ignore. You’ll be back in Nashville in no time.” That’s not true, his deep rumbling voice is seriously sexy.

“We’ll see, Sugar.”

“Don’t call me that.”

Roman pushes against my hand, his strength too much for me, leaning into me. His lips caress the shell of my ear before he starts whispering. “How can I call you anything else when I know how sweet your skin is. How sweet your pussy tastes. How sweet your noises are when I make you come. Everything about you is as sweet as pure cane sugar. I could really use some of my favorite sweet dessert, Sugar.”

I push against him, trying to rein in my breathing and irregular heartbeat. His eyes meet mine right in front of my face. The seductive smile on his face makes my toes curl. “Go get yourself a cake,” I hiss.

“Not when you can make it and I can eat it off of you.”