own father in cold blood. I have no idea why and right now I don’t care. She and Lorenzo got away safe and this is all that matters. Right here. The love transpiring despite complete and utter chaos. That even among disaster, love will always prevail. Mason and Lindsey, smile at one another across the road with the kind of adoration and love happily ever afters are made of. Cassidy holds Elias’s hand trying to hide her worry and concern as they close them into the back of an ambulance to get Elias off to the hospital. I smile up at Roamyn. He grins back, dimples peeking out. My muscles relax with that look. The smirk. It calms my racing heart and everything becomes a little easier. I sigh and turn around. Tilting my head to the side, I lean on his shoulder. His arm comes around me.
And then there’s us.
Me.
Roamyn.
Caught in the middle of two worlds colliding.
Silence.
It could be remedial. Or just the opposite. Some people love it—crave it. I can’t think of anything worse. At least, when I’m not high. The silence sets free the voices inside my head and there’s no place more dangerous than living in the abyss of my own mind.
And now is no exception.
The walls are caving in around us. The air, dwindling. Roamyn’s living room has never felt smaller than what it does in this defining moment where silence has become the only thing separating us. The only thing keeping our worlds intact before one of us loses all patience and the ability to think clearly through the lust induced haze we’ve been swimming in for far too long.
One word. A movement. A look. Is all it will take to change everything and nothing all at the same time because it’s always been Roamyn for me. He runs as deep as the scars etched into my skin and blood in my veins. Once he’s wrapped around me, on top of me, inside of me, I’ll never be able to ever let him go. Which is why my fingers are squeezing the counter so hard my knuckles are turning white and why my mind is screaming at me with every possible reason why being here with him now is the worst idea I’ve ever had. Angry hazel eyes pin me down. Roamyn’s broad chest rises and falls fast as he stands with his hands clenched into fists at his sides, Hulk-like in all his muscled glory. Wide shoulders tower over me, even from a distance. His presence fills the room and steals my breath.
“Ali.”
A shudder rolls through me at the gruff sound of his voice. When he says my name it’s like nothing else. I close my eyes and let it soothe me in a way only he’s capable of doing. Off balance, still imagining his face behind my eyes, words fall from my mouth without thought. “Thanks for letting me stay over tonight. I’m exhausted, though.” I reopen my eyes and point to the lounge taking up most of the living room. “I think I’m just gonna go to sleep.”
A few giant footsteps in my direction and Roamyn’s all but a touch in front of me.
Nerves swallow my words and I gulp, my throat bobbing with the movement. His frown deepens, jaw ticks. Hands slide to the back of my neck, pulling me in before I can stop him from getting dangerously close. My body stiffens at the firmness of his touch. Pleasure spirals through every crevice of my body because this is heaven and hell. Pleasure and torture. Familiarity. This is Roamyn. Strong and firm. Always.
He lowers his head to mine, so close I feel his breath warm my face. “I nearly lost you today, babe. Are you really gonna pretend after the day we had… after the past seven fuckin’ years of this… us.” He gives my neck a gentle squeeze. “That you don’t want to know what it would feel like to have my lips kissing your skin? My cock deep inside of you while I give you everything I should have a long time ago?”
His words become whispers of truth in my ear. I do want it. I’ve wanted it since I was fifteen years old. Warmth trails against my skin as Roamyn’s nose caresses my cheek before bringing his face back to mine.
“I want to feel you, Ali. I want to feel us together just once before you shut me out.”
My chest tightens at the pain cutting through