Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 66107 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 331(@200wpm)___ 264(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66107 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 331(@200wpm)___ 264(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
An unfamiliar look came into her eyes, a quiet expression. Her hand moved up my chest until she reached my cheek. Her fingers glided over the skin until her fingertips rested on my bottom lip. She felt the softness before I kissed her fingertips, loving the way she explored me. She didn’t say anything, but the look in her eyes showed more of her soul than she’d ever let me witness before. Wild and strong, she was a warrior underneath that petite frame. She’d suffered more than most, but she still considered herself to be lucky. She was remarkable, special. “When I’m not with you, everything hurts.” Her hand moved back to my chest where it rested over my heart.
The nightmares were less frequent, but they still came every now and then. Rome was my dream catcher and chased them away with her natural light. But tonight, her presence wasn’t strong enough to defeat my demons.
I dreamt of my father.
And my mother.
My father did a lot of terrible things in his life. Keeping women as submissives was one of the worst for a very big reason—because they were slaves. They couldn’t escape, not without retribution. My mother was heartbroken, her husband choosing to be serviced by whores rather than by the woman he once vowed to love monogamously forever. When she threatened to leave, he threatened to hurt her.
He was a dictator, silencing everyone with terrifying punishments. If we ever spoke out against him, tried to help the women he kept captive, we would experience a beating with a steel pipe.
In the middle of the night.
I remembered the sound the metal made when it crashed against my skull. Like the sound of metal on metal, it reverberated in my memory. Twelve all over again, there was nowhere for me to run or hide.
He chased me all through the house, taunting me for freeing one of his women.
I knew what would happen when he caught me.
I launched up in bed, the covers falling off of me as I gasped for breath. Drenched in sweat that traveled all the way down the back of my neck, I was scorched with heat. But once I was awake, the coldness got me. I felt sick, faint. I gripped the sheets to remind myself where I was—that my father was six feet under.
“Calloway.” Rome pressed her chest to my back, her slender arms circling my waist. The smell of roses and fresh-cut grass washed over me, hinting of sunlight and doves. My breathing was still haywire, but her comfort made my heart rate drop by twenty beats. My hand gripped her wrist automatically, needing to know she was really there. “It was just a dream,” she whispered. “You’re here with me at 3:15 a.m. on Tuesday. You have work in just a few hours—so do I. You’re a powerful man, and no one can touch you.” She pressed a kiss to my back, right along my spine. Her lips were soft and loving, chasing away the remaining visions behind my eyes.
I’d never been so grateful to have someone there.
I’d never been so comforted.
Normally, I would head into the kitchen and deplete my storage of whiskey and scotch. But that solution couldn’t compare to this one. My fingers remained wrapped around her tiny wrists, feeling her fluttering pulse. Curtains covered the windows, so it was dark in the bedroom. My eyes adjusted to the dimness, and I could see the faint light coming from the crack of the bathroom doorway. Rome’s dress and heels were on the floor at the foot of the bed.
“I’m here.” She scooted closer to me and pressed a kiss to my shoulder. She used her tongue this time, wetting my warm skin.
I closed my eyes at the touch, aroused and moved by the affection. I had spent nearly seven years sleeping alone, but she walked into my life and changed all of that. I was grateful she’d made me reconsider my ways. I wanted her more than I ever had, wanted to take her roughly against my mattress with her legs wrapped around my waist.
And that’s what I did.
I grabbed her and positioned her back on the bed. My boxers were kicked off, and her panties were ripped in half. I crawled on top of her and widened her legs, dominating her and taking what I wanted.
Rome didn’t object, her arms hooking around my neck.
I shoved myself inside her and rocked into her hard, thrusting and moaning. The cold sweat on my body was replaced with new drops from my exertion. I fucked the anger and pain out of my body, using Rome to forget about that nightmare.
I replaced my sorrow and sadness with pleasure. I replaced my loneliness with affection. I used Rome to feel good, to feel alive rather than dead.