Page 147 of Guarded King

Hips bucking, she lets out a stifled cry, the sound urging me on.

I double down, groaning, sucking, tasting, teasing her. Hands gripping her thighs, I pull her harder against my face. I can’t get close enough.

Aware that time is running out, I force myself to concentrate on her clit, alternating between flicking it and sucking it between my lips. Then I slide my fingers inside her, stroking her in tandem with my mouth, curling them against her front wall.

“Oh my god, Roman.”

Even now she remembers to keep her voice low. A part of me wishes she wouldn’t. A part of me wants to claim her right here, right now, and let the world know she’s mine by making her scream my name.

“You’re so fucking tight.” I slide my fingers in and out. “So fucking perfect.”

Her pussy flutters around me and she writhes in my chair, arousal dripping onto the leather between her legs.

“That’s it, sweetheart. Soak my face, soak my chair. I want you all over me, all over my damn office.” I add another finger and flick her clit hard and fast.

Her hips jerk and she comes with panted breaths. I groan, the sound vibrating deep in my chest, but I don’t stop working her through her orgasm until she goes limp.

I lick her and my fingers clean, then wrap my hand around her nape and pull her in for a kiss, sliding my tongue into her mouth so she can taste how fucking delicious she is.

As she clutches at my shirt, I let myself forget, for just a moment, that there’s anything else in this life that matters but her.

CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

CHLOE

Iremain a few steps behind Roman as the group crosses the grass, resisting the urge to reach for his hand. In the distance, cameras flash. Each click makes me nauseous. It’s disgusting, the way the paparazzi have intruded on the funeral.

Cole and Tate, along with Delilah and Violet, walk a little behind us. Even Roman’s mom has a man at her side. He’s the man she was with at the gala. Maybe he’s her boyfriend.

I glance at Roman. He hasn’t mentioned anything about his mom seeing someone. My heart twists as the space between us yawns wider. When we’re together at his apartment, and even in his office, we’re in a little bubble. Just like we were in France.

Away from the eyes of the world, he belongs to me, but outside, in the light of day, it’s a different story.

Sadness washes over me, but I quickly shake it off. I’m here for one reason and one reason only, to support Roman. Even if I have to do it from the sidelines.

Sophie and Samson approach, dressed in black, just like me, their expressions somber. Roman said he’d find a way for me to be here, and he did. Since Samson and Sophie were around when Roman’s dad was CEO, having them here to support Cole and Tate, both personally and professionally, makes sense. Andalthough I never met the man, my presence doesn’t seem so strange when they’re in attendance.

As we stand around the gravesite, listening to the minister, I can’t help but steal glimpses of Katherine, who stands opposite us, looking glamorous, even in all black.

Though she’s wearing dark sunglasses, I swear her eyes are fixed on Roman the whole time. I itch with the need to put my hands on him. To claim him. But I can’t.

Instead, I stand tall, hoping that he can sense my support, even if we’re not touching.

As the minister speaks about Maxwell King’s successes, neatly skirting any mention of the man’s many flaws, Roman’s shoulders remain stiff. He hasn’t opened up about his feelings following his dad’s death. God, I wish he would. I don’t know how to help him when he won’t let me in.

As much as he might deny that he’s hurting, his turmoil is obvious. At least to me it.

After the service is over, the brothers and their mom speak with other mourners, while Sophie and Samson disappear to coordinate with security, and I find myself standing with Delilah and Violet.

I can’t resist asking Delilah if I can hold Lottie, and she happily passes the baby to me.

My heart swells at the sight of her little face. It’s bittersweet, knowing she’s Roman’s niece. He’s a part of her, like the rest of his family.

It only makes me feel like more of an outsider.

“You know,” Delilah says, her eyes shimmering with sympathy. “I never thought this would be where I ended up. The first time I met Cole, I couldn’t have imagined that he would change my life. Sometimes it felt impossible for there to be a happy ending for us.”

My heart lurches, but I do my best to rein in my reaction. Does she know? I shift my focus from her to Roman, then to Violet, who looks equally understanding. Did he tell them?

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