Page 68 of Forever Fighting
“Not from that. I mean, not in that way. I’m overwhelmed. That’s what those tears were.”
“Baby…”
Oh god. Him calling me that.
“Do you regret it?”
“No. Absolutely not. I want more.”
He takes a heavy breath in and releases it slowly. “I want to go harder and deeper with you.”
That rolls through my head and my nipples tighten and my pussy clenches. They say bring it on because we’re ready to roll with it. “Okay.”
He laughs, but there’s no humor there. “Okay? Do you have any clue what you’re agreeing to?”
“No,” I tell him honestly. “But I liked what we did today, and I’d like to do more.”
He’s trembling. This guy. His heart is guarded by an army, and yet it’s the softest, most beautiful thing when you breach its defenses.
“You don’t know what you’re saying. Where my mind or even my heart is with this.”
“Will you hurt me?”
“Not the way you think and never your heart. It’s the thing I value most in this world. Above all else. And if you tell me you don’t like this or don’t want it to be like this, that you want it to be more of a typical vanilla thing, I’m fine with that. I swear it.”
I close my eyes and think about this. I have to focus on thephysical. I’m not ready to talk about relationships even if we’re married. So… sex. Sex with possibility. It’s something I can work with. For some reason, that takes a lot of the pressure off my chest while also making my insides squirm. Fuck, I’m a contradiction, but I think it’s safer this way.
“If I ask you to stop or tell you I don’t like something or say ‘Fletcher’, which still feels kind of weird?”
“I stop.” He’s almost hurt by the question. “We’d have boundaries. Safe words. One you pick. Braelyn, I’m not a sadist or anything. I just… I’m physical and dominant, and I like to make sure my partners feel safe in that space. What I want the most is your trust because you already know I’d never hurt you.”
I do know that. And I do trust him. More than anyone, really. And the idea of somehow giving myself over to him in that way doesn’t feel awful or demeaning. It ironically feels empowering. Sexy. Fierce.
But… “Roman, it’s more than the sex that has me afraid.”
“I know. Me too.” He squeezes my hands. “But it’s still us, Brae. Me and you. Married or not, it’s as you said, we’re forever. At least, that’s my hope. Are you hungry?”
I smile at that. And relax. “Famished.”
“Let’s eat then.”
He spins around and his hand is somehow on my cheek, with his blue-green oceanic eyes on mine. It’s like I’m looking at him for the first time. He’s Roman, but he’s also someone new and it’s all these things.
He dips down and kisses me. Just a sweet pressing of his lips before it’s over just as fast and he’s leading me to the table.
“Tequilaandwine?”
He laughs. “I had no clue what you’d be up for.”
“You ordered one of everything on the menu, didn’t you?”
“Not the ceviche.”
I shiver. “I hate anything raw.”
He smirks. “You seemed to love it this evening.”
I smack his shoulder and laugh. “Not yet! I have to have carbs in my stomach before I can handle your brand of sexing me up.”
