Page 69 of From Rome, With Hate

I instinctively wrap my arms around myself, covering my breasts with my arms.

“Don’t do that. It isn’t you,” Rome clips out, irritation evident in his expression. He reaches out and pulls my arms away from my body. “Don’t hide yourself for anyone. Especially me.”

After giving him a tight smile, I open my mouth to protest but can’t. It’s the truth. I’ve done nothing but shield everyone in my life from it, and hiding from Rome is instinctual now. That’swhat happens when your heart has been broken at the hands of the same person repeatedly until there’s nothing left.

He glances past my shoulder. “Bath is ready.”

I follow his gaze. The bath is still spilling over. Once I sit in it, more water will spill onto the floor. I snort. “Yeah.”

“Come on.” Grabbing my hand, he leads me into the tub. I follow him, laughing as we both step inside. Nearly half the water sloshes out on all sides. I frantically look around at the mess we’ve made.

“This is going to be a bitch to clean.” I chuckle.

“We have plenty of towels.” Rome grins.

My heart is racing when, with his dark-eyed stare, his grin fades as he sits down in the tub.

He spreads his legs out on either side of me and leans back, resting his arms over the tub. “We should get cleaned up.”

“If I sit down, there’ll be no water left.”

His burning stare roams all over my naked body. I’m already aching to have him inside me again.

“If you don’t join me in this bathtub right now, Lark, I’ll make sure to spank you harder than I did when you were bent over this tub. You’re lucky we’re the only ones here.”

I roll my eyes, teasing. “How does that make me lucky?”

He narrows his gaze. “Because if Marcus were here, I think he might feel even more awkward than he did earlier when you’re screaming my name.”

I don’t give him the satisfaction of knowing how much I’d enjoy it as I spin around in the tub and slide backward until I land against his chest.

His hands glide over my breasts, methodically and attentively. All that can be heard is the sound of our beating hearts and heavy breathing. I close my eyes as his mouth hits my ear.

“Slide back until your hair gets wet.” My body hums with the vibration of his voice. “We need to get this mud off you.”

My heart is hammering in my chest. Although he’s hurt me in the past, I do still trust Rome. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be here still married to him.

I sink down, sliding across the plane of his chest and abs. I tip my head back until the water reaches my hairline, then I’m sitting back up. Rome squirts a dollop of shampoo into his hand before he starts massaging it into my scalp and through my thick strands.

I completely relax against him. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this at peace. At least not for a long time, anyway.

We stay silent, allowing the weight of what’s happening to settle between us. That is, until he’s rinsed the shampoo from my hair.

“I didn’t think to ask you before,” he says.

“Ask me what?”

“If you were on birth control.”

My heart stops. In fact, everything stops. Slowly, his hands fall away from my head. I slide forward until I’m able to half turn in the tub to face him. With my knees to my chest, I wrap my arms around my legs and stare at Rome. The mud is gone from his face, and water drips down his sculpted cheek bones, a drop beading along the sharp angle of his nose. Water coats his dark lashes, surrounding his penetrating stare.

The sight of him causes the protective shield around my heart to fracture like a piece of glass. It splinters, breaking off into wider cracks. His question is innocent, but the deeper meaning isn’t lost on me.

We’ve been here before.

I blow out a breath, sliding my tongue across my lips. “Um.” My eyes close on a heavy sigh. I’m fighting the demonsthreatening to steal this moment from us both. But they always return. This is how it is.

I force my eyes open and look at Rome when I finally manage to answer, “I am. I’m on birth control.”