Page 78 of King of Ruin

“The thing is, I’ve spent so much of my life doing what other people demand of me. Require. That I haven’t asked myself in a very long time what I want. Who I want to be.”

Maddie’s mouth brushes across mine, the kiss light and comforting. I drink in her taste, her feel, greedy for more.

“And who do you want to be?”

Her man.

Christ, it’s so fucking simple. So ridiculously easy. The problem is every move I’ve made up to this point has made that less and less likely. “Still working that one out.”

“Me too,” she whispers against my lips. “But I think I’m starting to have some ideas.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t want to hide anymore, even if people like Mike sometimes hurt me.”

I squeeze her tighter. Everyone gets hit by other people’s prejudices, but my Maddie is extra vulnerable. “I can go back and punch him out. He deserves it.”

She laughs, her chest moving against mine. “I’m all right. Thank you, though.”

“What else?”

“I think I want to learn to balance my heart and my head.”

“Your heart is one of the best things about you.” The words come out before I can hold them back.

She shrugs. “It gets me in trouble a lot. I go rushing in…”

“Maddie, I know. I get it. But it also makes you so lovable. I…” My eyes close again and I roll onto my back, pulling her on top of me. “I love you, Maddie. I’m in love with you.”

I feel her breath catch, hear her gasp. Opening my eyes, I stare up at her shocked expression. “Roman.”

“I think I know what I want to be too,” I murmur and then kiss her open mouth closed.

“What?”

“The person who helps you realize your dreams.”

She shakes her head. “No.”

“What?” My heart stutters in my chest.

She places her hands on either side of my face. “I know what you’re doing. You’re taking care of me. Don’t. I can do it myself and you’ve got your whole business. Think about what you’re saying.”

Grinning, I kiss her again. She’s worried about me. Refusing because she wants what is best for me. “Oh. I have.” My hands slide down her back and over her ass. Hooking her legs, I pull them apart, settling them on either side of me. “I want you.”

“Roman,” my name breaks on her lips. But I don’t talk more as I kiss her again.

I don’t tell her about my fantasy. We run charities, an animal hospital all our own, a rehab center.

We fill our lives with each other, with the care and keeping of all the wounded souls we find—and together, we heal.

Instead, I grind my hips up, pushing her ass down, giving her the sort of pressure that has her frantic in seconds.

Her fingers twine through my hair, our kiss becoming hectic as I part her lips and plunge my tongue into her mouth.

I want to be inside her the way I want to take in air. My tongue, my fingers, my cock.

I want to fill her.

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