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“Can I try that tea?” I whisper.
Roman’s gaze softens, and he strokes my hair until my eyes flutter shut. “Of course, baby. Anything for you.”
The mattress dips with his movement. I melt against the pillows and sigh, only for him to bring the cup to my mouth.
“Drink,” he says.
I part my lips and sip the warm liquid, letting it coat my tongue. It’s spicy and sweet, and exactly what I need to soothe my throat. Peeking through my lashes, I meet his intense stare. No one could ever fake this level of concern.
“Thank you,” I murmur, my eyes heavy.
He makes me drink the entire cup before setting it aside. “There’s plenty more if you want it.”
I nod, but questions bubble up the moment the sweetness leaves my tongue. “Why did he do it?”
With a sigh, Roman slides back under the covers. “I don’t want you upset.”
“Nothing can be worse than the way I feel.”
“You really want to know?”
I turn to stare at his perfect profile. “Just tell me.”
He closes his eyes. “Dominic finally admitted that a crooked cop paid him ten grand to take you out.”
“What?” I place a hand over my mouth. “But he said Sam sent his regards. Who is Sam?”
“Have you heard of Samuel Johnson?”
“No.”
“He’s Jim Callahan’s superior.” A muscle in Roman’s jaw flexes. “They were trying to get to me through you.”
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“The woman I was accused of murdering died of strangulation,” he says, the words bitter. “If Dominic killed you, I would be the most obvious suspect. And this time, there’d be no video evidence to prove my innocence.”
I blink over and over, trying to process this new information. My mind spins, and I can hardly find my voice. “Jim’s boss wants to frame you for my murder?”
“Yes,” he growls through clenched teeth. “And I can’t believe one of my trusted men would have gone to such lengths as to hurt me through you.”
Somewhere in that sentence is the suggestion that I mean something to Roman, but this new revelation makes me tremble. “Oh, my god. What are we going to do?”
He turns to me, his features grave, his brows furrowing into a deep V. “You’re going to get better, while I’ll figure something out. While you were sleeping, I had motion sensors installed around the perimeter of your pool house. If anyone so much as thinks of coming here to fuck with you, we will both know.”
I gulp. “Do you think it will happen again?”
He laughs, the sound so low and hostile that the fine hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. “I’m going to set an example of Dominic, so anyone considering crossing me will think twice before doing it through you.”
“Alright.” I nod, my mind zipping in all directions. I don’t know how to feel. Safe because Roman can crush my enemies or terrified because I’m in the presence of someone capable of such violence?
When he presses a kiss on my temple and pulls me into his muscular chest, my body melts against his warmth. Everything I’ve seen of Roman indicates he means me no physical harm. What if there’s comfort in knowing that the man I’m with will do anything to make sure I’m protected?
I hate ping-ponging from one extreme thought to another. I hate falling back to my ingrained paranoia.
“Rest, Emberly. You’re safe with me.”
As my eyelids flutter closed, I ask, “What was in that tea apart from the honey and marshmallows?”
