Groaning, I try to roll over, but I hit a solid wall. My eyes fly open and I open my mouth to scream, but a hand covers it. I start thrashing against the person behind me, screaming against his hand. A leg hooks over my waist, limiting my movements.

“Sugar, it’s just me.”

Time stands still when the deep voice registers in my ear. Everything stops. My movements. My breaths. My heart.

No.

No. No. No.

No.

I called him and left a message. He was supposed to call me back, not show up. Roman takes advantage of my stillness by pulling me closer to his body and nuzzling my neck. The hand that was covering my mouth slides down my neck, my throat, my chest, and comes to rest on my stomach, sending chills along my skin. I close my eyes, relishing in his warmth for just one second before they fly open and reality slaps me in the face.

Ten years. Ten fucking years.

“What are you doing here?” My voice doesn’t sound nearly as strong as I wish it did. I’m still not quite convinced this isn’t a dream.

I grit my teeth to stop my whimper from escaping when his soft lips land on my neck. “You said you needed help. You need help? I’m here. Simple as that, Sugar.”

Oh my god. This really isn’t a dream. He grunts when I send my elbow into his stomach before I leap from the bed and press my back into the wall.

And, there he is. Roman fucking Marx. It’s been years since I’ve seen him. He’s filled out since he left me behind. When he left, he was still a boy. An undeniably drop-dead-gorgeous boy, but still a boy. This Roman in front of me, though, is all man. Dear fucking Lord. I will not acknowledge the rush of heat that floods my system. I will not…

My thoughts trail off as I groan, watching his naked chest emerge from beneath the covers. Roman is leaning against my headboard, an arm thrown over his head, smiling at me. The tattoos on his enormous biceps are new. His bronze skin is taut over each rippling muscle on his chest and stomach. I swallow as my eyes continue to go lower and lower.

The sheet is pulled down so low. My eyes jump back to his when I see his morning wood. He raises an eyebrow.

“Why are you here? And, why the fuck are you naked?”

He shrugs, that damn smile never leaving his lips. “I hate sleeping in clothes.”

“You don’t get in bed naked with a stranger.” I have to restrain myself from stomping my foot.

The smile on his face is replaced by an angry scowl as he spits out his words. “I’m not a fucking stranger, Harper.”

“You may as well be,” I counter.

Roman launches himself from the bed and cages me against the wall, getting so close I can feel the heat from his naked body. He leans forward, sliding his nose along my cheek on his way to my ear. My heart is tripping over itself and my breathing has turned into pants. He’s been close to me for a couple of seconds and my body is already falling apart. His voice is rough when he whispers, “Have you forgotten I know every inch of your body?”

The only answer I have for him is my deep gulp and flaming cheeks. He chuckles. “That’s what I thought, Sugar.”

The nickname sends me into a fit of rage. “Don’t you dare call me that.” I shove against his chest until he backs up. “And put some clothes on.”

Rushing past him, I head to the kitchen. I can’t be in a bedroom alone with him. His presence is too much. A few minutes later, I hear him walking toward me. I turn, handing him a cup of coffee.

“You remember how I like my coffee.” A satisfied grin takes over his face. He still doesn’t have a shirt on, but at least he’s wearing pants. Even if they are unbuttoned.

“Don’t flatter yourself too much. I spat in it.”

“You’re too sweet for that.”

“You don’t know me.”

Roman’s eyes lazily scan me from head to toe. “I know you better than anyone.”

I close my eyes, counting to ten and breathe deeply. I will not let him rattle me. I’m calm. I’m in control. “Why are you here?”

“You called.”

“That’s not an answer.” My voice is so shrill it could break glass. Okay, so that wasn’t calm. I take a breath and try again. “I wanted you to call me back. Not show up.”

He scratches his chest, calm as can be, setting his coffee on the table next to him. “This is better.”

We stare at each other, taking in everything that’s the same and everything that’s different. Oh my god. “Wait! How do you know where I live?”

“I own a security company. It’s easy to find what I want with my resources.”

“How did you get into my apartment?” I rake a hand through my hair, frustrated I didn’t realize until now that he had no way into my apartment. This should have been the first thing out of my mouth.

“Your security is seriously lacking. It wasn’t even a challenge.” He crosses his arms over his chest, raising an eyebrow, begging me to give him a challenge.

“Lovely,” I mutter, biting my lip, flicking my eyes around my kitchen, looking anywhere other than his chest.

“What do you need help with?” he asks softly.

“I don’t need help. I only have a question.”

“Shoot.”

I put my face in my hands, resting the urge to scream into them. I can’t believe after all these years, Roman is standing in front of me.

“My new landlord of my store claims he’s Santiago’s son.”

Surprise registers on his face and relief swarms through me, thankful I wasn’t the only one in the dark. “He had a son?”

“Appears so,” I respond flatly.

“Why would he contact you? I don’t like this.” His crossed arms flex over his broad chest as his face turns into a scowl.

“I didn’t ask your opinion. I only wanted to know if you knew he had a son.”

Roman’s nostrils flare. “Why did he contact you?”

“I don’t think he intentionally contacted me. He bought the building my shop is in.”

He laughs. “Yeah, right. Not fucking intentional. Stay away from him.”

I cross the room, poking my finger in his hard chest. “Don’t you dare give me an order.”

“You used to like when I ordered you around, Sugar.”

Growling, I go back to the other side of the kitchen, putting space between us. “I got what I wanted from you. You need to leave.”

“I’m going to find out who this guy is. What’s his name?”

“Just going to completely ignore my request for you to leave. Typical.” I resist the urge to pull on my hair.

“Yeah, Sugar, I am. You got your answer from me, now I want answers from you.” He cocks an eyebrow, waiting for my answer.

“Why do you want to know?” I mimic his stance, crossing my arms over my chest.

“I don’t trust him or the bullshit lie that he randomly bought the building Harper Avenue’s in.”

My heart stops. “H–how do you know the name of my store?”

“Sugar.” Roman rolls his eyes and gives me a look that says really?

“Tell me, Roman.”

He saunters across the kitchen toward me. I try to press myself deeper into the wall to avoid what I know is coming, but there’s nowhere for me to go. His body and arms cage me. “Damn. I’ve missed the sound of my name on your lips.”

I swallow. I will not let him see that he affects me. “Tell me.”

“Already told you, it’s easy to find what I want to find. You may have lost track of me, but I never lost track of you.”

A million questions pop into my mind that I want to scream in his face but I wouldn’t dare letting a single one of them past my lips. His eyes cast down to my lips and his nostrils flare before he pushes himself from the wall, giving me a bit of space again.

“Just tell me his name, Harper.”

I close my eyes, breathing in through my nose and pursing my lips. “Rafael Bazán.”

“Not Cortez?”

I shake my head, shrugging. “That’s the name he gave me.”

“He’s lying about something. Stay away from him.” He’s staring me down, daring me to argue with him. I’m not going to, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to listen to him, either.