Page 126 of Guarded King

“Apparently, not long before I noticed her for the first time, she’d asked him to leave Mom and marry her. He laughed it off—he had no interest in getting divorced. Why would he? His marriage already gave him everything he wanted. Katherine convinced herself he’d leave Mom for her, and when it became clear that wouldn’t happen, she focused on me. I guess she thought that by continuing to sleep with him, she was hedging her bets until our engagement was official.”

The simmering hatred inside me ignites. “Why wouldn’t your dad tell you that?”

His jaw works. “He said he let me go through with that farce of a marriage because I needed to learn a lesson. I needed to understand that sentimentality made me weak. That he’d taught me better. And if marrying Katherine was what it took to drive that lesson home, then he was all for it. He said I would thank him in the end. That it would make me a better businessman. A betterman.”

Heart aching for him, I smooth my hand over his rigid muscles. “I’m so sorry he did that to you, Roman. You didn’t deserve it.”

He puts his big hand over mine, pressing it against him. “I walked out of his office and filed for divorce the next day. He may have taught me a lesson about relationships, but he also taught me to hate him. I swore to myself I would work my ass off and eventually take over the King Group. When I did, I’d prove that I was a better man than him. That I would take the company to greater heights than he was ever capable of.”

“How did Katherine react?”

He snorts. “Not well. She accused both Dad and me of taking advantage of her. She played the victim and swore she’d tell the world what I was really like—that Dad and I were cut from the same cloth. Except I made her settlement conditional on there being a gag order regarding our divorce.”

I scan his face, trying to read him. “Do you believe what your father said?”

Frowning, he dips his chin. “About what?”

“That sentimentality makes you weak.”

He swallows and looks away. “I think it can. If you let it compromise your commitment to your goals and priorities. But,” he says, his eyes focusing back on me. “I’ve seen my brothers give into it. It’s changed them, but it hasn’t made them weak.” He drifts his fingers down the side of my face. “I’ve seen you and your dad. It doesn’t make you weak.”

With warmth blooming in my chest, I smile, then push myself up and straddle him. His dick immediately stiffens beneath me.

“Sentimentality, compassion, love—those traits make us stronger, Roman. Fighting for the people and things you love takes real strength. Otherwise, you’re only fighting for yourself. It makes you an army of one. And sometimes, life is too much of a battle to fight on your own.”

He digs his fingers into the flesh at my hips. “Would you fight with me, Chloe?” The easy way he says the words doesn’t match the tension in his body or the intensity in his eyes.

My throat aches. I want to ask him to define what we’re doing. Talk about where it’s going. Will it ever be more than the two of us hiding from the light? But not now. Not when he’s just revealed such a personal and painful part of his life to me. So I keep my answer simple, hoping he hears the sincerity in it. “If you wanted me to.”

I barely have a chance to take a breath before he pulls me down, bringing my face to his for a searing kiss. It isn’t like any kiss we’ve shared before. It’s not filled with lust or even tenderness. It’s a desperate clash of his mouth on mine. Rough and demanding, his tongue sweeps past my lips before thrusting deep.

It feels like a claim.

I give into it—intohim—completely, tilting my head to give him a better angle, to let him possess me.

His big hands mold my body to his, heat rolling off him, warming me to the bone. The world around us fades away until all I can hear is the pounding of my own heart and all I can feel is him, strong and sure against me.

Finally, we break apart, and he wraps me in his arms. I cling to him, basking in the sensation.

I’m not sure if this intensity of emotion, especially so early on, is normal. None of my previous relationships have made me feel this way. Is it the secrecy of it all making every touch, every kiss, feel like more? Or is it him? The contradiction of him. How stern and aloof he is on the outside, when inside, he’s caring and passionate and naturally protective.

“I’m getting addicted to how safe I feel with you.” The moment the words leave me, I freeze. I didn’t mean to say them out loud. It’s too early to admit such big emotions.

I attempt to pull away, not sure how he might take it, but he holds me to him. “I want you to feel safe. Safe enough to take any risk you want.”

I wet my lips. “A risk like you?”

A shadow flickers across his face. “Yes, like me. But Chloe, I don’t want to be a risk you regret taking. If being with me stops making you feel safe, promise me you’ll put yourself first. I want to know you’ll do what’s best for you.”

Instead of answering, I press my mouth to his again. He may be a risk to me, but I’m a risk to him as well. And with each passing day, I feel like not taking a chance on whatever this is might be the biggest risk of all.

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

CHLOE

“We’re seeing a reversal of the inflammation, so I’d say the new treatment is working,” Dr. Clarke says, looking at us over the top of his glasses.

With a wide smile, Dad lifts his hands and spreads his fingers. The move is easier than it’s been in a long time, and his knuckles are less swollen.

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