lori king rough ride romeo (15 page)

love.

A concerto of sexual music built between them. Her cries of pleasure

blended with his groans and the slap of skin, climbing to a crescendo that literally

filled the room with their desire.

Franki suddenly screamed out, and then clenched down on his cock with her

inner muscles, milking him until his knees were wobbling beneath him, and sweat

trickled down his brow. When she gave a great heaving sigh and her body seemed

to be one big muscle spasm he closed his eyes, and let himself fall over the cliff to

climax with her; permanently changed by the moment.

~ ~ ~ ~

The locusts and crickets had gone silent by the time Franki roused from her

sexual coma, and she found herself wrapped around a still unconscious Roman,

instinctively seeking out his body heat in the cool air of the cabin. The moon

shone brightly through the window telling her that it was well past the evening

hours, and briefy, she wished she didn’t have to think about anything but this

man and this moment. It had been earth shattering for her, and while she knew

he was a man of experience, she was hoping that it had touched something inside

of him as well. She’d had no idea the can of worms she’d been opening when she

asked him for this, and now she had no idea how to get the lid back on.

Easing away from Roman, she went in search of a bathroom, gathering up

her clothes as she went. She’d asked him for a moment of mindless pleasure, and

that’s what he’d given her, but it wasn’t fair to wake him and give him the

impression that she wanted or needed more from him. They were just two lonely

souls seeking comfort from each other. That was all.

She repeated that mantra as she took a quick shower and redressed in the

bathroom. The woman in the mirror refected her confusion and the passion

she’d just shared with a man she never expected to find. A dark brown mark was

already appearing over her left nipple where he’d nipped her, and she stared at it

as though she’d never seen a hickey before.

He’d left his mark on her body and on her soul; somehow she had to be okay

with carrying it around for the rest of her life. Even if no one else could see it, she

would always know it was there. Taunting her, and tempting her with a life and

happiness she couldn’t have.

A soft knock on the bathroom door startled her, and she slipped on the wet

tile under her feet, barely catching herself on the vanity but knocking the soap off

the counter in the process.

“Franki?” Roman’s voice sounded concerned, and he jiggled the locked

doorknob. “Are you okay, baby?”

“I’m fine. You just surprised me. I’ll be out in a minute.”

A sense of dread filled her stomach at the thought of facing him after such

an intense moment. She’d been about to sneak out, but she’d missed her

opportunity and now they’d have to struggle through the awkwardness. Stiffening

her spine, she brushed her wet hair with her fingers and then opened the door, a

wet towel in her hand.

Roman had pulled his jeans on, but they were unbuttoned, and his

gorgeously sculpted chest and abs were on display. Pink and white scars marred

the left side of his body, and she wondered what might have cause them, but she

was quickly distracted by the rest of his perfect physique. A dark line of hair

pointed the way to the very cock she’d desperately wanted to get her hands on

again, and she had to force her eyes back up to his. His shoulder length hair was

now tied at the nape of his neck in a messy knot, and his eyebrow was arched in

question.

“Where are you going?” he asked. There was no judgement in his tone, just

genuine curiosity. Like he couldn’t believe a woman might sneak out on him.

“Back to the house. I want to see if anyone is still awake. Maybe they’ve

heard from Bran.” Her eyes darted around the room; lit now by the bedside lamp

—but she didn’t see any great place to put her towel, so she hung it on the robe

hook behind the bathroom door.

“If there was news to tell they’d have come and gotten us.” Roman said,

rising to his full height and taking very slow, deliberate steps in her direction.

“No one knew where we were,” she argued, feeling like a caged animal. The

predator had his prey in sight and there was nowhere to run. Her eyes never left

his as he made his way across the short distance to stand in front of her, and she

gulped when he planted one hand on either side of her, forcing her back against

the door behind her.

“Trust me, as loud as you were when you came, everyone knew where we

were.” He said, pressing soft kisses to her forehead, temple, cheekbone, and then

lips. It was too much. Too sweet. She didn’t know how to accept genuine affection

from him. Sex she could handle, but this was more than that. He wasn’t forcing

her to stand there and kiss him, but she couldn’t tear herself away. Every kiss was

like a balm on her bruised soul, and she wanted it desperately. No, she needed it,

and that scared the ever-loving hell out of her.

Bracing her hand on his chest, she pushed at him. “Roman, stop.”

His beautiful lips turned down in a pout but he eased away. “Why? It was

good between us. Wasn’t it?” For just a moment Franki saw a fash of the young

man Roman must have been at one time. The need for approval and appreciation

was there just under his charming surface and cocky bravado. She couldn’t find it

in her to lie.

“It was amazing.”

Self-esteem soothed, Roman bent to take another kiss, but she ducked under

his arm and moved a few steps away before he could plant one on her.

“Amazing doesn’t mean we will be doing it again,” she said firmly. Looking

around for her shoes. Her socks seemed to have vanished, but she wasn’t too

worried about them. Right now she just needed distance between herself and

Roman.

“You’re running away.” It wasn’t a question. More of a statement, and a sad

one by the way he crossed his arms and leaned against the door in the very spot

she’d just been.

“No, I’m going back to the house to find out about my sister. You remember

her? The reason I’m here in the first place?”

“Of course I remember. I’m not an idiot,” Roman snapped. He ran his

hand over the top of his head like he might if his hair were loose, but it just

caused several strands to fall free of the knot he’d put it in. They fell over his

brow, giving him a rakish look. “Franki, I’m going to give you a pass because of

everything you’re going through, and because…well…because honestly, tonight

has left me feeling a bit unsteady myself. I don’t like being vulnerable, either, but

I’m not going to hide the fact that you get to me woman.”

She felt her lips curl up in a smile, and she tossed her wet hair over her

shoulder. “It’s good to know I’ve still got it after all these years.”

“All these years?” Roman’s eyes narrowed, and he cocked his head, “Exactly

how long has it been, sweetheart?”

Glancing away, she shook her head. “Doesn’t matter.”

She turned her head back only to find he’d moved into her personal space,

and he reached up to brush her bangs from her forehead, stroking his fingers

down her cheek. “It does or you wouldn’t have mentioned it.”

She hesitated wondering if she’d be revealing too much of her own heart

and soul by telling him, but he deserved to know. “I’ve only been with one other

person. It was right after my mom died, and it wasn’t…a pleasant experience.”

Roman’s eyes went wide with shock, and a bit of fear. “You should have told

me! I would have taken more time, or been gentler. I didn’t know you were

basically a virgin!”

Shushing him, she put her arms around his waist and hugged him to her,

relishing the warm embrace and the feel of his skin under her cheek. “It was

perfect, Roman. You were perfect.”

They stood there quietly, each lost in their own thoughts for several minutes.

It was so tempting to sink back into the intimacy of this stolen time. To ignore

reality and hide in this fantasy. But Vivi was out there somewhere, waiting to be

rescued. Imagine how she’d feel if she knew that her sister was having the time of

her life with a North Dakota cowboy while she was being forced into prostitution.

The image of someone hurting her dear little sister was a blast of icy cold disgust

in her brain, and she pulled free of Roman’s grip.

“Thank you Roman, for giving me tonight.” With that, she turned and

booked it out the door without a backwards glance. She might have been brave

enough to ask for what she wanted, but she had no idea if she was brave enough

to live with it.

~ ~ ~ ~

Roman was fighting to keep his temper in check as he dressed and put the

small guest cabin back to rights. He’d never felt so used in his life. For al intents

and purposes Franki had just blown him off like he was nothing but a Band-Aid

to stop her guilt from bleeding into her brain all night. What a shitty way to treat

a man.

The back of the main house was dark, but he could see one particular

window still lit and he made a beeline in that general direction. The creak of the

back door sounded exceptionally loud in the heavy silence of the night, but as

irritated and confused as he was, it just made him want to slam the door shut and

wake the whole house up. Wouldn’t that just serve her right? It wasn’t like they’d

tried to hide their attraction from everyone—well, maybe she’d been trying to

hide it from herself—but he sure as hell hadn’t.

Light spilled from the study door, and he found it comforting to see Vin

slumped on the chaise lounge, his large form dominating the fragile looking piece

of furniture, and a massive book in his hands. Vincent Rhone was a beast of a

man, with shoulders wider than most standard doorways, and head shaved bald

as a cue ball. His demeanor screamed military, but his family knew that wasn’t

just a bruiser. He was intellectual, and wel spoken, even if he was quiet about it.

The depth of his knowledge was wel beyond Roman’s own, and Vin was almost

always the man with the right piece of advice when he desperately needed it.

“Hey Vin.” He called out softly as he stepped into the room.

Lifting the book from his chest, Vin peered at him through heavy lidded

eyes. “Romeo?”

“Yep.”

The big man pushed himself to a seated position and carefully marked his

page in his book before asking, “I take it your night didn’t go as planned?”

Roman heard himself laugh, but he felt anything but humor over the

situation. “Not exactly.” Flopping down in the leather wingback opposite his

brother, he ran his fingers through his hair and rubbed at the tension in his

temples. “I mean, it did, but then it didn’t. She freaked out and ran out faster

than a hound on the first day of duck season.”

“Not cool.” Vin murmured. He was quiet for several moments, and Roman

began to wonder if he’d fallen asleep. His older brother was a man of few words,

but this was seriously ridiculous. Finally, Vin leaned forward, propping his elbows

on his knees and pinned Roman with his gaze. “What did you say?”

“Huh?”

“When she put her clothes back on? What did you say?”

“Not much. She didn’t give me much of a chance to say anything. She kinda

gave me the whole “it’s been fun, but I’ll call ya” spiel.”

“Oh, you mean the one
you’re
usually giving?” Vin hadn’t moved a muscle.

Roman ground his teeth together and gave a sharp nod of begrudging

agreement. “Sucks, doesn’t it.”

“This was a waste of time.” He surged to his feet and headed to the door,

more pissed than ever and damn near ready to storm his way into her room and

demand answers. Before he could implement his ignorant plan, Vin stopped him

with just four words.

“You scare her, Romeo.”

Frozen in place, Roman fisted his hands and turned back hissing, “What the

hell? I haven’t done anything to scare her. I’m not the one who took her sister.

Hell, I’m the one trying to help her find the woman.”

Vin chuckled, making Roman’s skin crawl even more. “It doesn’t have shit to

do with her sister. Franki seems to have some issues with affection, and

relationships. She stiffens up every time you touch her, but I’m assuming that’s

only in the presence of others.” At Roman’s nod of agreement, he continued,

“She also refuses to talk much about her past. The only thing we really know is

that she doesn’t like to interact with people much. Do you know why?”

He shrugged, and swallowed a ball of guilt. That was probably something

he should have asked before he made love to her. The urge to down a dozen beers

was burning in his gut, but he forced himself to resume his seat across from Vin

instead.

“She’s not exactly an open book.”

Vin smiled, “Neither are you, but every book has a story to tell.”

“So I need to learn her story? Do you think she’ll stop running away from

me if I do?”

“Nope. I just think it’s important that you know the person you’re sleeping