Romeo

The war inside me was over.

The tension that plagued me was gone.

Rimmel was curled up beside me. Her small body fit against mine like she was the missing piece to the puzzle that was Roman Anderson. Her breathing was steady and her body was so relaxed I knew she was asleep. Over and over, I dragged my fingers through the length of her hair, loving the way she felt in my arms.

Usually once I slept with a girl, I ushered them out of my bed. Very rarely did one stay, unless I was drunk and passed out before I could tell them to leave.

I didn’t want her to go. I wanted her again. My body craved her like some illicit drug. Being inside Rimmel was all it took.

I knew where I fell between her, the frat, and my NFL dreams. Something Braeden said before reverberated through my head like a mantra.

You don’t need them. You got more than enough talent to bring in the NFL on your own.

He was totally right. I did. I’d been playing football for more than half my life. I trained hard and I played harder. I hadn’t become starting quarterback by my sophomore year at Alpha U because I had a nice smile.

The Omegas were shady. Zach was a turd. Becoming one of them was almost a step down. Yeah, they carried a prestigious reputation and they definitely wielded power on campus. But it just wasn’t enough anymore. I’d been on the inside. I saw the way they treated each other, the competition between them.

I thought frats were supposed to be like an extended family, a team.

They weren’t.

And I already had a team. The Wolves were my family. We watched each other’s backs and we didn’t try to break down one of our over petty jealousy shit.

That shit was for women.

Rimmel sighed against me and pressed a little closer. I turned my head and touched my lips to her forehead. Maybe if she hadn’t come along, I would have put up with the shit and waltzed right into Omega. I would have enjoyed overthrowing Zach.

But I couldn’t have everything, and I wanted Rimmel.

There was no way in hell I would subject her to the Omegas.

My thoughts were interrupted when a small hand worked its way across my abdominals and curved around my side. My hand tightened on her hip, and I felt her smile. Her hand moved back across my stomach and the muscles tightened in response. She lingered on them before slowly traveling lower, dipping her fingertips into the muscles that led down to my package.

My hips rotated of their own accord, and I let out a low moan. Her hand continued lower, her silky skin causing goose bumps to trail along behind her touch. When she met the short, wiry hair just above my cock, she paused. I didn’t say anything or urge her forward. I wanted her to move at her own pace.

My heart was thumping so hard I knew she could probably hear it against her ear, and my breathing turned shallow. She started moving again, pushing into the nest of curls and sliding down to where I was already achingly hard.

Her touch was cautious at first, and it drove me mad with desire. Her palm cupped my sack, testing the weight and exploring the fine skin that stretched across it. Fingertips grazed across my inner thighs until I clenched my jaw muscles against the urge to order her for more.

Slowly she became bolder, and then she wrapped her hand around the base of my rod. My chest rumbled with pleasure as she stroked up the length. Her fingers encircled my swollen head and she rocked it back and forth. I sucked in a deep breath as she continued to feel and stroke me.

Her glasses were on the mattress beside us, so when she lifted her head and stared up at me, all I saw was her round, brown eyes. It was too dark to see what color the center was tonight, but it didn’t matter.

Her tongue darted out and wet her bottom lip as she looked at, still stroking me beneath the blanket. “Can I taste you?” she whispered.

“Baby, you can do whatever the hell you want,” I rumbled.

She slid herself down my body, her dark head disappearing beneath the covers as she settled between my thighs.

The anticipation of what she was about to do was so intense I fisted the sheets in my hands.

Her hand slid down to the base of my cock and it jutted upward, likely pointing right at her. The slightly rough, wet texture of her tongue glided across my head, and all the muscles in my body tightened.

She hesitated a little at the jerking movement of my body, but when I didn’t say anything, she wrapped her lips around me and sucked me into her mouth.

My eyes rolled back in my head and I let out a moan. She started dipping with rhythmic movements, sliding up and down, and her fingers caressed my inner thighs.

It was almost sensation overload. I’d received a lot of blowjobs over the last few years, and they were all basically the same.

But this one was different.

Everything in my world condensed down to her mouth and her hands. The little sounds she made as she tasted me made me even harder. Rimmel licked and teased until my cock started jerking and I knew I was going to blow. I reached beneath the covers and tangled my fingers in her hair.

“Come here,” I said, my voice so deep and thick I didn’t even recognize it.

When her face cleared the comforter, I could see the need in her eyes as well. I flung a hand out to the dresser and grabbed a condom.

“Wanna help?” I asked.

Her eyes went to the packet and she nodded. She was still sitting on her knees between my thighs as I ripped it open and smoothed it over my head. I took her hand and guided it down as we both rolled the latex over my length.

I hooked my hands beneath her arms and lifted her so she was straddling my waist. I could feel the slick heat of her core and I knew she was already ready for me.

“I’ve never…” Her voice fell away when my cock rocked against her center.

“I know,” I whispered. “Trust me.”

She nodded and lifted a little as I positioned myself at her entrance. I palmed her tiny waist and slowly guided her down, inch by inch.

“Ohh,” she purred.

Smug satisfaction burst in my chest when I caught the blissful look on her face. She started rocking without any kind of instruction. Her hips rolled and moved in perfect cadence with mine. Her body above me was on full display, and I ran my hands over her curves and kneaded her breasts as she rode me.

“Romeo,” she whispered, her hair falling over her shoulders and her lips swollen from my kisses.

I jerked up into a sitting position and wrapped my arms around her waist. Her legs automatically went around me, and the angle of my cock inside her changed and deepened.

Her breasts pressed against my chest and her forehead fell against my shoulder. Her fingernails cut into my back as we rocked together. I held her as tight as I could. I wanted as close to her as possible.

Tension built up inside me until my movements almost became desperate.

She moaned and made a sound, rubbing against me. I rolled, pinning her beneath me, and thrust deep. She splintered apart in that second, her cry filling the room. I followed right behind her as I spilled my seed.

Once I could think again, my arms were shaking with the effort to not crush her, so I rolled off and onto my back. “Fuck, Rimmel.”

She was silent a moment, and I turned my head.

She was chewing on her bottom lip. “Did I do something wrong?”

A groan ripped out of me, and I rolled onto my side and tossed my arm across her waist. “Not one damn thing. I just hope this wasn’t too much for your first time.”

The air around us changed. Something intruded on our moment. Something dark. Something I didn’t like.

“Rimmel?”

She looked away. “This wasn’t my first time.”

I felt like I was kicked in the gut, and tightness gripped my chest. I pushed it away because of the regret I heard in her voice. Maybe she thought I wouldn’t want her as much if I knew someone else had her first.

It drove me insane to think of anyone else touching her, but I wasn’t about to throw stones. It would be the pot calling the kettle black.

“Hey, it’s okay,” I said softly, pulling her against me. I kissed the top of her head without even thinking about it. “I’m not upset.”

She buried her face in my chest and that feeling in the air pressed in on us. It seemed a little odd that this wasn’t her first time. I had her pegged for a virgin almost since the moment we met. She was so damn shy and innocent at times. She hid herself in way too large clothes, she barely ever looked at people, and animals were her preferred company.

When I slid into her body, she was tight, so tight and small I didn’t think twice about her being inexperienced. And when I pulled her on top of me, she said she’d never…

A sick feeling twisted me up inside.

My hand on her hip fisted and my breathing became a little labored.

She must have felt the sickness and anger radiating from my pores, because she looked up. I reached over and snagged her glasses off the side of the mattress and gently slid them onto her face. I wanted her to see me clearly. I wanted to see her clearly.

“Rimmel.” I began, hating the thoughts in my head, the suspicions that would keep me up at night.

She tried to duck back into the safety of my arms, but I pulled back, unwilling to let her have what she wanted until I knew.

I caught her face in my palms and forced her to look at me. I stared into her eyes, which had turned wary and a little ashamed. “Did someone…?” I began forcing the words past the lump in my throat. “Did someone hurt you?”

Her lashes swept across her cheeks when she closed her eyes.

I made a sound and shook her slightly, and her eyes opened once more. “Did someone rape you?” I burst out, harsh and low.

She stiffened and hers eyes widened. “No!”

My entire body went weak. I sagged against the pillows and blew out a breath. “Fucking shit, Rimmel. I was already planning that scumbag’s murder.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, her hand on my chest. I picked it up and kissed her fingers. She glanced away and then back. “I wasn’t forced into anything I didn’t want to do. But I was taken advantage of, and it hurt me.”

I brushed the hair out of her face and swiped the pad of my thumb along her bottom lip. “Tell me.”

“It was a long time ago.” She hedged.

“Yet I still see the shadows in your eyes right now,” I murmured.

She scooted up and laid her head on my chest. It scared me how good it felt to have her against me like this. How complete I felt. I tucked my arms around her and rested my chin on top of her head.

“I told you my mom died when I was eleven,” she said.

“Yeah,” I replied.

“She drowned.” Her voice was quiet. “We had a pool. Everyone in Florida has a pool, it seems. One day when I was at school, she must have been in the backyard doing something and she somehow fell, hit her head, and fell into the pool. No one was home to help her.”

And that explained why she skirted around the pool in the yard and looked at it with clear fear and hate.

“When I got off the bus, she wasn’t waiting. So I walked home by myself. I searched through the house for her. I was yelling her name and she didn’t answer. I thought she was playing some sort of game with me.”

I felt her words like a knife to the heart. I pictured her at eleven, smaller than she was even now, with all that dark hair and wide eyes, calling out for her mother.

“I went out in the backyard…” She paused. “She was floating in the pool. The water had turned pink because of all the blood.”

“Baby,” I murmured, gathering her closer. Her hand curled around my bicep, and this fierce possessive feeling ripped through my chest. It was dangerous how strong the urge was to protect her from everything.

“I don’t remember what happened much for a couple weeks after that. There was a funeral and an investigation. My dad had the pool destroyed and filled in with dirt. My grandmother stayed with us for a while, but eventually she had to get back to her job, my grandpa.”

“I’m sure it was very hard for your entire family.”

“Yeah, and I didn’t make it any easier.”

“You were a kid.” I defended.

“After about a year of nothing but grief, life kind of had to go on. At least that’s what it felt like. I was so angry I was expected to just go on and leave Mom in the past. My dad worked full time. He worked a lot to cover the bills and I think because it helped him deal. But it left me sort of on my own. I spent a lot of time with my grandmother on the weekends, but after school, I was alone until he came home.”

I didn’t know what to say so I just continued to hold her and listen. I never expected any of this. I would have never known by looking at her what kind of pain she’d had to endure.

“I started rebelling. I was only twelve, but I acted a lot older. I started wearing all this makeup and obsessing over my hair. I’d cut my shorts super short.” She took a deep breath. I felt her lungs expand against my chest. “My dad didn’t know what to do. I mean, I was a teenage girl who was acting out. I had a lot of anger and rage. We fought all the time. He would throw out my skimpy clothes and refused to buy me makeup. I’d find ways to get it anyway, and I’d hide it. I’d wait ‘til he left and put it all on.”

“You were so young,” I murmured.

“Too young to realize what I was doing would affect me for years to come.” Rimmel agreed. “I felt incredibly alone. There was this hole where my mom used to be, and my dad just kind of disappeared. I think part of me wanted his attention and that was how I got it. There were these older kids that lived down the block from me… a couple guys and a girl. They used to hang out all the time, so I started hanging out with them too.”

My stomach tightened. I knew where this was going.

“One of the guys was interested in me. He gave me a lot of attention. Made me feel good. Less alone.”

“You slept with him,” I said. I just wanted to get it out there. I wanted to get it over with.

“Yeah, I did. He pressured me, and I gave in. He said he loved me.” The hurt in her voice made me pissed all over again. “He didn’t force me. I was thirteen and I gave him my virginity.”

“How old was he?” I asked. I had to know.

“Seventeen.”

I swore under my breath. That kid knew better. He damn well knew better.

“Afterward, he totally ignored me. I was confused and didn’t understand why. I mean, they had been my friends and he was my boyfriend. Then they all just stopped talking to me. They avoided me and refused to hang out. Basically, he used me. He was nice and friendly. He said the things I wanted to hear so he could sleep with me. Once I gave him that part of myself, he turned his back. He didn’t want anything to do with me.”

How was I supposed to act here? What was I supposed to say? Because what I really wanted to do was yell and punch something, to pound down a couple of beers to dull the ache I felt for her. But that was selfish. She didn’t need that. She’d opened herself up to me, let me in.

“After that, I stopped dressing slutty and wearing makeup. I started covering up and keeping to myself. I was ashamed. Once I stopped acting out, my dad and my relationship got a lot better. He started coming home before dinner, and we settled into a normal life. I studied all the time and spent a lot of time volunteering at the local shelter. I knew I wanted to become a vet, and because I studied so much and had good grades, I got a scholarship to Alpha. My dad didn’t want me to move this far away, but this was the only free ride I was offered and I didn’t want to saddle him with my college bills. Besides, part of me wanted to leave. I just wanted to get away.”

It explained so much about her. Before, I only had half a portrait of her, but her words painted the rest.

Rimmel hit rock bottom at an age no person should. What was even more remarkable was she bounced back, and she did it so well.

“I need to kiss you,” I whispered and dragged her up so she was lying across my chest. She yielded to me without the slightest hesitation.

I kissed her slowly and thoroughly until my body began to ache for more. When I looked into her eyes, they were fuzzy and unfocused. I pulled the glasses off her face and brushed another kiss across her lips. “How sore are you?” I rasped.

“Never too sore for you,” she replied.

I rolled on top of her, clasped each of her hands in mine, and lifted them above our heads.

Then I made love to her with all the tenderness she deserved.