Page 37 of Worth the Trouble

Rome ticks his head toward the stage, not taking his eyes off me, and I feel the weight of the woman’s body leave mine, drawing out the coolness of the room as we’re once more left alone on the couch.

It’s only then I realize that even though she left, I haven’t moved my hand. It’s planted on Rome’s leg, with his hand over mine, and I tighten my grip on instinct. Like at any point, he’ll pull away and this moment will snap back into focus. I’m not ready for reality. I want Rome to drag me under and make me forget how heavy this world feels all the time.

From the corner of my eye, I notice the stripper is once more twisting around the pole, but neither of us is watching.

“Why did you stop her?” I ask, gripping his thigh tighter.

If this is a game of chicken, I’m not sure who is winning, only that it feels like we’re both about to lose.

Rome reaches up and wraps his hand around my neck gently, pressing his thumb under my chin to lift my face up to him, and I know there’s no hiding my racing heartbeat with his fingers on my pulse.

“Because if someone is going to make you come apart, it’s going to be me, and me alone.”

I’m struck by the possessiveness of his statement. He’s the one who brought me to a strip club, but in this moment, all I feel is some unspoken need for him to claim me as his own.

His jaw ticks and I think he actually means it. I press my lips together and swallow, knowing he’s reading the effect of his words with his hands. His fingers might be on my throat, but I feel him through my entire body.

“Is that what you want, Lili?” He tilts his head, analyzing my reactions. “Do you still want me to mess you up like you wanted at your house?”

“Is that what you’d do?”

“It’s all I’m capable of.”

There’s a kind of pain in that statement that tells me he really believes it. And it should scare me, but it only makes me want to test his theory. I want to know once and for all if he’s right—that once you get too close to a man like Rome Moreno, there’s no going back.

“I’m not as breakable as you think, Rome.” I swallow hard, facing off with him. “I’d like to see you try.”

He grins and I feel it all the way between my legs. His eyes darken and his fingers tighten on my throat. And I want so badly for him to live up to his words. For him to have the kind of power that can change me forever, even if it means there’s going to be no putting me back together again.

12

Rome

Thegirllikestoplay with fire, I’ll give her that.

I expected Lili to put an end to this before walking into the Velvet Room, but here she is with her hand on my leg so close to my cock I swear I feel her fingers grazing it. And even if I’m the one who put us in this situation, and I know it’s a bad idea, I can’t help but push for more.

And more.

Seeing her at the party tonight was some strange form of torture. She looked like a goddess in her green dress that cut low and high in all the right places. But then there was that douche on her arm, and for some reason, I was tempted to rip his eyes out for just looking at her.

If anyone is going to wreck Lili, it’s going to be me. And I’m going to enjoy every pretty sound she makes while I do it.

She should have run by now. She should have taken the out instead of following me along my path to hell. But she didn’t, and I want to make her pay for that decision.

Why is she so determined to prove to me she can handle it anyway?

She’s better than me—than all of this. She belongs decorated at a party like the one we were at tonight. She deserves to be lavished and appreciated. She deserves all the things I’m not willing to give someone, even if I was capable.

And fuck if it doesn’t make me curious why she’s testing the waters.

I release my grip on her throat and she almost looks disappointed, telling me underneath the polished exterior there’s a girl begging to get dirty. I slowly trail my hand down her throat to her chest and rest my palm where I had my fingers earlier, in the space between her breasts.

This dress should be illegal she looks so damn good in it. A scrap of fabric that cuts all the way down in the front and all the way up her leg, showing off enough to tempt, while hiding enough to drive me insane.

Lili’s heart is racing in her chest, but it’s in sync with my own.

“You wanna fall apart, sweetheart?”

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