Page 208 of Dark Romeo

Roman grinned. “You want to climb the Eiffel tower?”

We stumbled up the skinny staircase and poured into our apartment, a tangle of limbs and ragged breaths. He barely got the door shut behind us before I was slammed up against it. Fuck, I loved doors. Doors were amazing. It was my favorite thing to be crushed between them and him. I had only to look at a door now to get wet.

He kissed me like he was drinking me in. He peeled off my clothes, taking a moment as each article was thrown aside to brush his gaze across my skin and made a small, pained growl of approval. He made me feel so beautiful with the way his eyes devoured me.

Then we were naked, skin on skin, our limbs twisted around each other, the air sweet with our heavy breaths. When he slid inside me, we lost ourselves in each other, then we found ourselves. Right where we were meant to be.

ROMAN

____________

Three months later…

I shifted myself into a more comfortable position on the pillow and tucked Julianna into the crook of my neck, sweaty and deliciously tired. She had that exhausted, satisfied smile on her face, one I loved putting there.

She was so beautiful. And she was mine. How did I get so damn lucky?

Julianna’s burner phone rang, vibrating on the white painted wooden bedside table. She went to roll over but I crushed her to me, keeping her there.

“It’s probably my father,” she said. “I have to take it.”

“Let it go to voicemail,” I whispered in her ear as I rubbed my hips against her.

She pushed at my chest, laughing. “You’re so greedy. Afterwards.”

I let out an annoyed sigh but I let her go.

She rolled to sitting, showing off her smooth violin-shaped back, and answered the phone. “Hi, Dad.” There was a pause. She twisted to look at me, a frown on her face.

“What?” I mouthed to her.

“It’s…it’s for you.” She held out her phone.

Me? Her father wanted to speak to me? He was cordial enough to me at our small farewell in Verona. He often asked Jules to pass on his hellos. But he’d never asked to speak to me.

I took the phone from her and held it to my ear, my stomach doing a flip. “Sir?”

“Roman,” the chief’s gruff voice sounded so strained. “I have some bad news for you.”

Bad news. My skin prickled.

“Your brother’s extradition request was denied by the Colombian government. I think he has bought himself his freedom. Unfortunately, that means we can’t allow you to take back your old life as we planned. If he found out you were still alive, that you took a deal with us, there’s no doubt in my mind he’d take revenge.”

The blood drained from my fingers as my life, my and Julianna’s life, dissolved in front of me. My happiness, it seemed, was just a castle made of sand. I should have known it was too good to be true. “I see.”

“I’m sorry, son.”

“Me too.”

He hung up. My heart was heavy with the weight of the world on it. Jules was staring at me with wide eyes. She knew something was wrong. I was going to break her heart when I explained. This made me more sad than anything.

I told her, my heart cracking as tears welled in her eyes. “I used to hate being Roman Tyrell,” I said. “Now I can’t wait to be him again.”

Julianna curled into my side, her hair falling over my chest.

“There’s nothing stopping you from returning to Verona, Jules,” I said. “You must miss?—”

“No.” Her head snapped up.

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