“Sorry! Sorry.”
Taking himself off of me, he stumbles away from the bed with hands clasped behind his neck as he paces the room, breathing through the erection tenting his sweats.
My body cries out in need, mentally begging me to let him take care of the desire building between my legs, but my heart…
I’m just not ready.
“Roman?” I call out, watching the muscles in his back rise and fall in jerky motions.
His hand shoots out, fingers shaking the slightest bit. “It’s okay, angel.” His voice sounds like gravel in his tensing throat.
I swallow back the embarrassment and disappointment that crawls up from my stomach and nod my head, turning so my back is to him, so he doesn’t see the tears of shame slipping past my eyes.
The glowing yellow light from the lamp clicks off, then moments later, he slips into bed beside me. I try my hardest to keep my body from shaking as my cries threaten to break me, but just like a second ago, I fail at that as well.
“Don’t cry, my love. It’s okay.”
“It’s not okay. I’m all fucked up and… and...”
“And nothing. I don’t want to hear you say shit like that about yourself anymore. Fucking got me?” he asks, seriousness entering his eyes as he stares at me in the darkness. The sliver of light from the streetlamps outside allows me to see his gaze shifting across my face, a tiny pinch between his black brows as he waits for me to respond.
I don’t have anything to say, and since I don’t want to lie to him or make promises I can’t keep, I choose to keep my mouth shut.
He exhales in mild annoyance at my silence but drops the conversation entirely.
Roman opens his arms, and I slide into his comfort in an instant. Sleep is almost nonexistent for both of us, but I’ve found that once we’re in each other’s embrace, the idea of closing our eyes and letting the darkness in is almost bearable.
“I love you,” I whisper, needing him to know that before our night ends.
As I close my eyes, slowly drifting into unconsciousness, I feel the plump skin of his lips press against my forehead.
“I love you too, angel.”
CHAPTER TWO
ROMAN
The sound of Amira’s sleepy whispers stirs me awake. Her mumbled nonsense making me smile as I shift in bed to watch her.
Sunlight burns my eyes as I peel my eyelids open, but the pain is worth it when I see the slight tilt of her lips. Her soft, sleepy smile causes my chest to ache painfully.
Gently, I push the hair away from her face so I can gaze at her without obstruction.
The softness of her skin calls out for my touch, so I answer with a tender swipe of my thumb against her cheek. I’ll never get used to the feeling of her underneath the rough pads of my fingers.
I rub soft circles on her flesh until she begins to rustle with my touch. Her mumbled groans and the annoyed furrow in between her brows bring a smile to my face. I know I should leave her and let her sleep, but she needs to wake up.
“Let me sleep,” she murmurs, trying to shake away my touch.
The clock reads two in the afternoon. It’s rare when we get five hours of sleep, but ten is practically unheard of. So, as badly as I want to leave her alone, I need her to be able to sleep unbothered tonight.
“You’re not going to sleep tonight if you don’t get up now,” I warn, peppering kisses on her eyelids.
Amira releases a grumbled growl before conceding, slowly cracking open her lids to prepare for the assault of the sun.
“Hey, angel.” I kiss the tip of her nose before moving down to her lips.
She jerks back, hand slapping over her mouth, preventing me from tasting her.
