Page 67 of Consequences
I collapse onto him, the sticky remnants of his own pleasure smearing between us. I stay there, content with the world, before everything hits me once again. I gently withdraw from him before flopping onto my back.
“Shit. Are you alright?”
His hand finds mine, threading our fingers together and squeezing. “Thank you.”
Air crystallizes in my lungs. I fucking knew it was nothing more than a way for him to get through Il Padrone’s orders, but damn. I guess I allowed myself to have more delusions than I realized. Fuck. It’s like dying from a million papercuts, my heart bleeding with no chance to stop it.
Clearing my throat, I manage to force out the words he wants to hear. “You’re welcome.”
He must sense something is off because he lets go of my hand, and for a moment, I feel bereft, before he rolls onto his side and props his head up. I try to avert my gaze, but he doesn’t let me.
Shaking his head at me, he captures my face and drops a kiss onto my lips. I furrow my brow, not understanding what he’s saying. Is it pity? Is it something else? Does he still feel the connection?
“I’ve missed you, too. I still love you,” he whispers, and my heart explodes with joy.
I wonder if I’ll get to keep him. I don’t mind sharing him with Tennant. After all, I have Roman. But damn, have I missed him.
“I—”
The door bangs open, and if I had a gun, I’d shoot whoever just entered. I curse as I force myself into a sitting position. “What the fuck?!”
“Get up. Get dressed.” The urgency in Marcus’s voice stops me in my tracks. “All hands on deck. The Amatos…”
“What?!” Benjamin snaps, but Marcus just shakes his head before turning and running out of the room.
I exchange horrified glances with my Little Mouse. It’s only a second, but it feels longer. The tension snaps, and suddenly, we’re both scrambling for our clothes. His are right next to the bed, but mine are all the way by the door, from when Il Padrone had me strip down. I dive into them, and by the time I’m hitting the door, so is Benjamin.
What the fuck happened now?
“Green isn't usually your color,” I comment lightly.
“It's for Lio. He's my friend, and I want to show my support.”
I roll my eyes, hoping whatever shows on my face is the exact expression of exasperation. Sometimes pretending to have feelings is hard. Roman never cares if I stop, but testing new expressions and emotions on him is the only way I can know if I'm getting it right, so it's a catch-22 situation.
“Does that mean you don't need me anymore? Since you're all buddy-buddy with Lio now?”
“Don't be stupid. I need you both. You're my best friend, and Lio is my stabby soulmate.”
I sigh, which makes Roman laugh. If only it were that easy…
It's not that I don't like Roman, he is just…a lot. Sometimes too much.
Before I can respond, Boston jumps up from the bed and paces over to the large window on the other side of the room. She growls, her hackles raising.
“What the hell…” I mutter. “Boston, to me.”
She whines and looks at me, before turning back to the window. Using a short, sharp whistle, I try to call her again.
The fire alarm going off overhead, paired with Boston being on high-alert, has Roman and I looking at each other wide-eyed, before jumping into action.
Roman grabs both our phones while I transfer over to my chair. “Tablet, too,” I snap.
Roman makes his way to my desk—which is under the window—or tries to. Boston lets out a sharp bark, and moves to block Roman from getting near the window.
“Stand down,” I order, but as soon as the words leave my mouth, the window explodes.
“Fuck!”
