Satisfaction Guaranteed (33 page)

offered.

He turned away from her. He was all too aware of the scent of her skin and the

promise of pleasure that lay in her arms, of the fact that she could pacify him. And

the last thing he wanted to do was calm down.

His anger was comforting.

His rage cleansed him. It took away everything but the reality of the pain his

father had inflicted for almost two decades, until he gathered the strength to leave

the hellhole his home was.

That would be taken from him if he let Sela convince him to let his father"s

words go.

“Don"t you dare walk away from me!” she yelled.

He turned and gazed at her over his shoulder. His fingers clenched and

unclenched with the burning rage that threatened to consume him.

Rome was not in a good place, and if anything, his emotional state was getting

worse with each moment.

He heard the staccato clicking of her heels as she strode across the suite"s

marble floor. He ran his fingers through his hair and opened his mouth to tell Sela

to leave him the hell alone when her hands curled around his upper bicep. He fully

turned to gaze at her, taken by surprise by her touch, as she pulled him against her.

“Don"t shut me out, Rome. Let me be there for you when you need me.”

“What makes you think I need you?”

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The words burst free from his mouth before they even entered his mind. He

immediately regretted the caustic words that came from a dark place he"d tried to

ignore most of his life.

The anger inside him was deep, dark, and almost hypnotic with its acidic

nature. He wanted to hurt something. Someone. The violent hunger frightened him.

But the most frightening part was the fact that he didn"t care who he hurt. He was

terrified he would hurt Sela just to appease the desire. He just wanted someone to

feel as badly as he did.

“Don"t do this. Don"t make the same mistake you made ten years ago.”

He swiftly turned around and grabbed her arm, pulling her closer to him.

“What the hell do you mean by that? I wasn"t the only one who made a mistake

when we were younger!” he yelled, angry at her accusation.

Sela"s bottom lip quivered, and the beginning of tears shone in her eyes, but

she didn"t back away from him, from his anger. She looked him over for a moment.

Then her jaw tightened, and she lifted her head. The tears and fear he saw in her

gaze was gone, replaced with determination. “I know you"re angry as

hell…frustrated…and confused. I just need you to tell me these things. I need you to

let me in. Let me love with you with something stronger than words, Rome. Let me

be the woman we both need me to be.”

Rome dropped his hands, feeling the scalding warmth of Sela"s body heat. She

was suddenly too warm, too near. He took several steps away from her.

Rome took a deep breath and tried to get a handle on his emotions. When it

felt like the feelings inside wouldn"t be contained, Rome gave Sela his back and

lowered his head.

He wanted to be alone and angry. He did not want to be this.
Weak and

emotional. So fucking needy!

He felt the first tear slide down his cheek when she wrapped her arms around

his waist and pressed her chest to his back. He welcomed the darkness of the dimly

lit room as he let the pain he carried around for decades run free. He let go of it all.

He couldn"t pretend he wasn"t vulnerable after the years of abuse, the anger, and

disillusionments. He released all the pain as Sela held him in her arms. For once

Rome let someone see through to the core of him and didn"t fear her response. He

knew Sela loved him, the good and the bad.

Rome wasn"t sure how long they stood in the darkness. He only knew that Sela

was very patient with him, not saying a thing until the last tear had fallen.

“Thank you,” he whispered hoarsely. It wasn"t quite enough to convey just how

much he appreciated her, but it was better than nothing.

She ran her hands up his torso, to the middle of his chest. He tilted his head

backward and brushed his lips against her face. “I love you.”

She stilled. He knew what she was thinking. He had told her in a million

different ways that he wanted her, that she was something more than a sexual

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conquest, and even that he was emotionally attached to her. But never before had

he actually said those three simple words.

And he knew they made all the difference.

He turned and found her staring wide-eyed. The shock on her face brought a

smile to his face. For that reason alone his affection for Sela deepened.

“I love you, Sela Newton.”

“Rome…”

He shook his head and pressed his index finger to her lips, stopping her before

she could give him an excuse to reason away his declaration. “I mean it, Sela. I

wasn"t man enough to admit it before, but I"m saying it now. I love you. I think I"ve

always loved you. You"re the one. There was no one before you. And they"ll be no one

after you. You"re it, Cupcake.”

She dropped her head. Rome watched her feeling the tick of the clock

thundering in his head as each second passed. And then he saw the single silver

tear slid down Sela"s cheek.

She took a step forward and wrapped her arms around him. “I never

thought…”

“Please, Sela, put me out of my misery.”

She lifted her head and gazed at him. A slow smile spread across her lush

mouth. “I"ve said it before. I"ll say it again. I love you, Rome Vicenza. I loved you

yesterday, I love you today, and I"ll love you for all of our tomorrows.”

“Thank God.” For a moment there, as the silence grew between them, he was

afraid she"d changed her mind and no longer felt that way. He lowered his hands,

running them over her shoulders, down her arms, until he reached her waist. He

lifted Sela off her feet and into the air. She automatically wrapped her legs around

his hips.

Rome kissed her hard and swiftly. She giggled against his mouth before

kissing him back. The second time their lips met, things were different. There was

passion to the meeting of flesh. Rome tangled his tongue with hers and threaded his

fingers through the strands of her hair. He slid his right hand down her back to cup

her bottom. Almost tenderly, he tightened his grip on the full cheek. She groaned

into his mouth and rubbed her breasts against his chest.

He backed up, heading to the area that held the bed.

Sela broke off their wicked kiss and glanced behind him. “Two more little

steps,” she whispered into his ear before nipping his earlobe. He shuddered as the

simple act echoed through the full length of his body to settle at the already swollen

head of his cock.

Rome took the two steps and dropped to the bed with Sela in his lap. He

reached for the button on her dress shirt even as he moved his hips against hers,

grinding his straining erection against her sheath.

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“Yes, just like that,” she gasped as she raked her nails down his back. The

slight sting turned him on, igniting the fire in his blood.

“Fuck,” Rome growled before grabbing the sides of her blouse. He pulled and

was gratified by the sound of buttons popping off the fabric. He stared down at her

rapidly rising breasts encased in eyelet and lace.

The bra was so demure. It made the wicked, sensual things he wanted to do to

her appear all the more carnal. He grabbed the straps, pulled them off her

shoulders, and shoved them down her arms. Her bra cups folded down, and breasts

sprung free. For a few moments, Rome simply stared at her, drinking in the beauty

of her cocoa skin and milk-chocolate nipples.

She rocked her hips against his, pushing her sheath hard against his cock,

almost pushing Rome past his point of control. “I need you. God! Please, touch me.”

“Beautiful,” Rome whispered harshly before descending on one breast. He took

his time enjoying her. With slow, tantalizing, torturous licks, the velvet heat of his

tongue lapped at her flesh.

She squirmed beneath him, rolling her hips and rubbing her sheath against

his belly.

Rome cupped her breast and suckled the firm bud of her nipple. The second his

mouth descended on her flesh, she cried out his name. Encouraged by the sound of

need, Rome sucked on the tip with more enthusiasm, determined to give her more

pleasure before turning to the other nipple to give it the same love play.

With every lick, every suckle, her moans of delight grew louder until they

seemed to be coming from within him. The throaty sounds of her desire sluiced

through Rome, spurring him on.

Sela knew about the darkest corners of his soul, and still she wanted him. Her

faith in him, in their relationship humbled him. And with their lovemaking he

hoped to show her just how much he appreciated and loved her.

He released her nipple, only to replace his mouth with his hands. He plucked

her nipples as he kissed his way across and down her softly rounded stomach. He

flicked his tongue into her belly button. “Oh my goodness,” she groaned and thrust

her fingers into his hair. Sela held him to her as she gasped for mercy.

Nothing had ever sounded so sweet.

Rome released her nipples to make his way farther down her body. He grabbed

her thighs and lifted them so they were flush against her body. He looked up the

length of her curvaceous body until he reached her heavy-lidded gaze. She licked

her lips slowly and smiled at him. “Don"t you dare play with me,” she growled.

The pulse of pleasure humming through his veins seemed to explode at her

throaty, demanding words.

He grinned up at her and held her gaze as he lowered his head to her slick

flesh. “But the games are the best part of lovemaking.”

She laughed. “Smart-ass.”

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“Your smart-ass,” he qualified.

Eyes bright, she smiled down at him. “Yes, most definitely mine.”

Knowing he couldn"t tease her any longer, Rome lowered his head and brushed

his mouth across her mound. She jerked beneath him and opened her legs more,

telling him without words that she needed more of his touch. He gave it to her.

Using two fingers, Rome parted the lips of her sex to reveal her wet and

swollen inner flesh. He placed his other hand on her hip, holding her still. He

slipped one finger into her sex to caress her. He tightened the grip on her hip and

added another digit.

“Hmmm, just like that,” she moaned. He pumped his fingers in and out of her

sheath while his other hand stroked her upper thigh. When she was good and wet,

he removed his fingers.

“Rome?”

“I want to feel you when you come,” he said in reply as he knelt upon the bed.

He grasped her legs and widened he space between until he could comfortable kneel

between them. He leaned over her to open the top draw on the bedside table. He

grabbed a foil from the drawer with his left while his right hand cupped her sheath

and stroked her clitoris. He straightened, tore the wrapper open, and quickly

sheathed himself. When he finished he lifted his gaze to find Sela watching him.

“You"re so fucking sexy,” she whispered. She sat up a little, wrapped her arm

around his neck so her hand could cup the back of his head, and pulled him down

for a heated kiss. He followed her lead and thrust his tongue deep into her mouth

and devoured every delicious inch of her he could reach. It still wasn"t enough.

His hands drifted over her body, caressing her shoulders, back, the lower

curves of her breasts before moving south. He gripped her thighs and pulled her

close so their bodies were aligned. Then he took hold of his cock and pressed it to

her entrance. She groaned something inaudible, but he felt her sweet affection

against his throat in a breathy caress.

Rome jerked his hips forward and slid deep into Sela"s sheath. She felt so good,

so damned right. There weren"t words to really convey how he felt while inside her,

but the feeling was magnified this time by the realization that she loved him.

It was empowering and humbling. It was all he could ask for and more than he

deserved.

“Lord! Rome, give it to me. Don"t stop now.”

Rome blinked and looked down, surprised by Sela"s statement. Apparently he

was thinking so hard he stopped moving. “Never,” he growled and placed pressure

against her shoulders. She lowered until she was lying on the bed and he was above

her. He dipped his head until he his face was just above hers. “I want to see your

face, look into your eyes, when you"re coming.”

Her breath hitched and her eyes widened. Her tongue tentatively ran along

her bottom lip. “O-okay.”