I hesitated for a second.
Then nodded.
“Yeah. Fuck it.”
Nico grinned. “See, nothing really changes.”
“Shut up,” I muttered as I stood.
She led me down a hallway to a private room. Soft couches. Mirror on the ceiling. Music humming low.
I sank into the seat, loosened my tie, and let the alcohol settle.
She climbed into my lap, moving slowly, doing what she was paid to do. My hands rested on her hips, but my head wasn’t there.
The dancer slid down between my knees, waiting for approval.
I nodded once.
She slid a condom on me and went to work. I leaned back, eyes closed.
It felt good. Of course it did.
But even with her trying to pull me into the moment, my mind kept drifting.
To the reality that somebody expected me to build a life with a woman who didn’t even trust men.
By the time I finished, I sat there breathing slowly, staring at the mirrored ceiling.
If I was doing this, I was doing it right.
I wasn’t bringing chaos into a situation that was already broken.
I laughed quietly to myself. Feeling like I was lying to myself.
I had to be:
A Roi.
A husband.
A savior, apparently.
I didn’t know who that version of me was yet.
But I knew two things.
One, I wasn’t going to be able to move like this much longer.
Two, for some reason I couldn’t explain, I already felt responsible for a girl who probably hated everything about me.
I adjusted my clothes and walked back into the dark, already planning what the next move was.
CHAPTER 21
Yuna
“I Wasn’t Healing. I Was Being Held”
