But then we slowed down, settling into a pace that demanded an intimacy I hadn’t prepared for. Every stroke of his cock reached deep inside my soul. Every curl of his fingers against my clit was an emotional release I had no defenses against. When I opened my eyes to look down into his face, every wall I’d ever built came tumbling down, leaving my heart wide open and vulnerable.
This wasn’tfuckinganymore. He was making love to me, soft and aching. His hands felt my body as if trying to memorize each line and curve, his mouth trailing my skin as if I were his salvation.
I could feel my pleasure mounting and mounting, everything in me rising and coming closer, always closer. So close, until he rolled his hips and bumped into a spot so deep inside of me I cried out.
Every nerve in my body was electrified and pulsing. I moaned his name, and he bucked his hips, driving himself further inside of me and making a whine escape my throat. Roman gruntedand drove himself harder, with more purpose, and directed those tiny strokes right where I needed him.
Just when the heat flared higher, just when it felt like all I could do was hold on and enjoy the ride, my core tightened and then burst apart as ecstasy consumed my whole being.
"Oh, oh," I moaned, my body shattering, my nails digging into his chest, making him grunt with something a little less than pain and a little more than pleasure.
"Ah!" My core pulsated around him, and I writhed, then slumped over him as my body lost all energy.
All too soon, the force of his thrusts turned chaotic, and then froze, and with a final deep stroke, he poured his seed inside me, holding my hips in place, stretching the moment for eternity.
"Cassie," he gasped and let go, his head thumping on the pillow.
Slowly, my muscles relaxed, and my heartbeat slowed. I realized my forehead was resting against his chest and listened to his steady heartbeat echoing my own.
I moved up and was relieved to find a contented expression on his face. To my surprise, he smiled, his teeth all bright white in the moonlight.
I traced the scar beneath his lip and returned his smile. Roman’s eyes were intense, watching my every move. He still hadn’t softened within me, and I was surprised to find an ache from where his hips lay beneath mine.
It felt good, intimate, like maybe it could be this easy after all.
Without saying a word, he shifted us onto our sides. I could feel him softening now, but he didn’t seem eager to leave the confines of my body.
We lay tangled in the sheets, our breathing slowly syncing in the darkness. Roman’s arm was wrapped around my waist, holding me against his chest with possessive tenderness. I could feel his heart beating against my back, steady and strong, and for the first time since this whole nightmare began, I felt safe.
"Roman?" I whispered into the darkness.
"Mmm?"
"Whatever happens tomorrow—with Declan, with the family—we face it together."
His arm tightened around me. "Together," he agreed, his voice rough with emotion.
I closed my eyes and tried to lose myself in the warmth of his body, in the rise and fall of his chest against my spine. But as the minutes ticked by and his breathing evened out into sleep, my mind raced.
My hand drifted unconsciously to my lower stomach, pressing against the flat plane of my abdomen. Lying in the darkness with his seed still warm inside me, the truth I’d been avoiding crashed over me like ice water.
I might be pregnant.
The thought made my stomach lurch.
No. Not now.
Dread coiled in my throat like a living thing. A baby. Roman’s baby. The heir to a criminal empire, born into a world where betrayal meant death and love was a luxury no one could afford.
I pressed my hand harder against my stomach, as if I could somehow confirm or deny what my body was telling me. But the signs were all there, and they refused to be ignored.
Fuck.
Roman stirred beside me, his arm tightening around my waist. "You okay?" he mumbled against my hair, voice thick with sleep.
"Fine," I whispered, though I was anything but fine. "Just thinking."
"Dangerous habit," he said, pressing a soft kiss to my shoulder. "Get some sleep, sweetheart. Tomorrow’s going to be a long day."
