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“What was the first?”
“Showing up at my gate.” And with that, he walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.
12
Eve
Everything about Roman was a contradiction.He was hot, then cold. He was danger and safety. He was hard lines and soft skin. Lust poured out of him while ice laced his veins. And I was drawn to him without reason.
The remainder of the night was restless. I couldn’t stop moving, couldn’t stop thinking about the things he said. I couldn’t stop wondering why every cell in my body reacted when he was near.
He awakened me.
Now, the room felt cold without him in it. Empty. The night was eerily quiet except for a clock on the nightstand.
Tick.
Tick.
Tiiiiiiick.
I swear it taunted me. The seconds got slower. The night grew darker. My heart hummed, and my mind raced through a thousand thoughts.
Was there a reason I ended up here? Was I meant to find him? Why did he say I should be afraid of him? What secrets was he afraid to tell?
The questions bubbled up inside until my head hurt. These were things a girl was supposed to talk to her mother about. But mine was gone. We wouldn’t talk about men or love or life ever again.
That undeniable truth made my chest seize. My stomach sank. I felt gutted. Hollow. Skinned and hung. That was the thing about death. Those who were gone didn’t suffer the loss of life. That fate belonged to the ones left behind.
My gaze drifted to the door, hoping it would swing open and Roman would walk through.
He never did.
I felt alone, and I didn’t want to be alone.
I wanted him to make me forget the pain, and I wanted to cling to the memories.
It was a constant ebb and flow between anticipation and grief. Finally, I let it all go. My body sank deeper into the mattress. My head nestled into the pillow. The clock went quiet. My eyes fell closed, and I pretended my heart wasn’t in a thousand broken pieces.
I didn’t know how long I slept or what time it was when I woke. Thankfully, my dreams didn’t drag me into the darkness again. There were no tortured eyes staring back at me or hands wiping a bloodied chin. There was only peaceful sleep the rest of the night.
I squinted my eyes, letting them adjust to the sun-filled room.
A few minutes later, I kicked the covers back and climbed out of bed. The scent of freshly brewed coffee hit me as soon as I opened the bedroom door.
Roman was in the kitchen downstairs, standing in front of the stove. The blinds were closed but the sun’s rays crept through the cracks, painting the room in warmth and light.
I stood at the bottom of the stairs, letting my gaze sweep over him. The gray pants he wore hugged his perfect ass. His white t-shirt clung to his back and biceps, making him look intimidating and untouchable.
But dear God, I wanted to touch him. The memory of his body pinned on top of mine burned a trail across my skin. I wanted to ask him why he left last night, why he thought someone needed to protect me from him. I wanted to know why he felt my coming here was a mistake when everything about him drew me in like gravity.
He must have sensed my presence because he slowly turned around. His unshaven stubble shadowed his face. His gaze traveled the length of my body and I lost my breath.
He gestured toward a set of clothes stacked neatly on the breakfast table. “They’re clean.” His voice curled around me, deep and smooth.
Our eyes locked and something fierce and hot flowed between us.
I swallowed but didn’t break my stare. “Thank you.”
