Page 23 of Marked By Him

Roman.

Roman was holding me down.

Roman was lying on top of me; his body crushing mine.

Roman was pressed against me, body to body. He was shirtless and at some point in the night, I’d thrown the covers back.

I tried again to free my hands, but his grip only tightened around my wrists.

His head fell into the crook of my neck. His breath tickled my skin.

I squirmed underneath him, bucking my hips upward—my first mistake. His body moved the slightest bit, wedging his erection between my legs, right above my clit.

Holy. Fuck.

I felt every thick inch of him, lined up perfectly between my pussy lips, and my entire body shuddered. My belly clenched. My skin blazed. Every cell hummed with need. It rippled down my spine, pulsed in my core. My nipples pebbled against his t-shirt. We stared at each other. Neither one of us moved. Neither one was ready to acknowledge what this was, what it had turned into.

It was quiet. Silent, except for the short, quick exhales of our breath. We were standing in a field of landmines. A single movement and this would all blow up. There would be no turning back.

I swallowed. “Did I scream? Is that what woke you?”

“Yes.” His voice was guttural and low, strained as if he had to make himself remember how to speak.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

He cut me off. “Shhh, it’s okay. It was just a dream.” He slowly rolled off of me and onto his back, then stared up at the ceiling.

Why did I hate that? Why did my body miss the feel of his?

“No.” Guilt swept over me. Guilt for feeling things and wanting things when my parents would never feel or want again. My heart seized. My mind screamed how wrong this was. “It was a memory.”

“It’s over now. You’re safe.” He breathed out. “The demons won’t find you here.”

“Demons?” I turned my head to face him.

Our gazes collided. He licked his lips. Goosebumps pebbled on my skin, my body fully aware of just how close we still were.

“The vampires. They aren’t a threat to anyone inside these walls.” He propped a hand behind his head and looked back at the ceiling.

“How can you be sure?”

“Because it’s my job to be sure.” He turned his head, only slightly, but it was enough for his stunning blue eyes to lock with mine. “Nothing can hurt you here, Eve.”

The line between right and wrong was blurred. The only thing that was clear was that he was here, and I was here. He was alone. I was alone. Tension pulled us together. Heat coiled around us. We were two bodies craving attention, two souls seeking connection.

He sat up, then eased off the bed, snapping the invisible cord that tethered us.

“Wait,” I said when he started walking toward the door. I wanted more of his warmth. I wasn’t ready to be left alone in the cold again. “Stay with me, just for a little while. Until I fall asleep.”

“It’s better if I don’t.”

I sat up. “You said you’d make sure I was safe.” I sounded like a pouty child.

“Yes, fromthem. There’s no one here to protect you fromme.” His tone dripped with blackness.

“I’m not afraid of you.” Even though every part of my body told me I needed to be.

He scoffed. “Then, that’s your second mistake.”

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