Page 73 of Volatile Obsessions

“Unfortunately.”

“And there you go. So, yes, the power.” A genuine grin split across his face, and it wasn’t one of the evil ones he’d flashed me a time or two.

No.

This was a full-on, genuine, mega-watt smile, with a little sinister playing on the corners.

I had to look away, because if I didn’t…

“Why are you still here, Roman?” I inhaled a deep breath as I glazed over the booming city below us.

“Why do you keep asking me this question when you know what the answer will be?”

“Because I keep hoping you’ll take the hint and move on to the next place. Miami isn’t for you. Go pester some wanker in Chicago, or in Detroit, Boston, anywhere. Anywhere but here.”

“I told you that’s not happening, I’m not a man easily deterred.”

“I can see that,” I agreed, walking off a short distance.

I needed the space.

Needed to be out of his bubble. He was too close, and that was my weakness.

When he intimidated me most.

With how loud the city was, it wasn’t exactly quiet per se, but an awkward lull fell upon us. Neither one of us spoke for several minutes, allowing all different types of ideas and scenarios to play out in my mind.

“Why don’t you just get to know me?” Roman asked suddenly, rooting me to the ground beneath my feet.

Was he serious right now?

“Get to know you?” I spun in place, looking at him like he’d gone completely insane. “You’re joking, right?”

Roman shook his head. The expression on his face was entirely serious. “Not remotely. Get to know me, Lux. You’ll see I’m not a terror unless I have to be. Just a man trying to get ahead is all.”

“Yeah, off something I built. That’s not someone I want to know.”

“You might, if you knew the story behind it.”

“And that would be?” I hedged, clearly intrigued by his response.

But he shot me down, just like I should’ve expected.

“I can’t tell you. That’s part of getting to know me.”

“Well, that’s not what I came up here for, so I’m going to go ahead and pass,” I exhorted.

“What did you come up here for? And don’t state the obvious, because we both know damn well I’m not giving up that feat any time soon. I’ll play this game with you as long as you want, pigeon.”

My blood burned.

Him and that damned nickname.

It made me cringe every time. I hated it.

Shuffling over to him, I groaned profoundly to get my point across once and for all. “Can you please, for the love of all things fucking holy, stop calling me that?”

Rome chuckled. “You really hate it, don’t you?”

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