When Roman’s hands touched my hips, fingers slipping under the lace of my panties, my eyes flew open. Before I realized it, the last barrier of fabric was gone, discarded somewhere on the floor. Roman froze, drinking in the sight of me.
His gaze was so heavy, so fervid with awe, that I almost glanced away. He looked at me like I was something sacred. It was almost too much, but I forced myself to witness it.
I let him look. I let him see everything. And instead of shame, something unexpected bloomed inside my chest. Power.
For the first time in my life, I felt like someone who deserved being taken care of. Someone precious and important.
Then, his expression changed.
He seemed almost feral, like something dark and powerful kneeling before me—some fallen angel brought to his knees.
“I want to give you pleasure, Palmer.” His voice was rough with intent. “Until you’re glowing.”
My pulse was wild as he lowered his head, his hands steady on my hips.
The first brush of his lips on my skin ignited a thrill that coursed through me.
He lingered there, pressing slow kisses along my thigh, careful and venerating even over the scars that had once made me feel broken. Each touch spread warmth through my body, anticipation curling tighter and tighter.
When his attention shifted toward my center, the first stroke of his tongue had me trembling.
My head tipped back against the pillows as a startled sound escaped me.
No one had ever done this for me before, and I lost all sense of myself as I instinctively reached for him. My fingers slid into his thick hair, clinging to the only anchor I could find. The motion pulled the tender skin of my healing burns.
“Hands back up,” Roman ordered without drawing back.
The vibrations and low command of his voice sent a sharp thrill through me. I whimpered, reluctant to let go.
“Now.”
I made a small, disgruntled sound but forced my wrists back above my head.
Roman hummed with approval, and I panted, needing more.
The steady rhythm of his attention continued, each subtle movement drawing me higher and higher until the tension inside me felt almost unbearable.
“Oh my God…” I breathed.
“That’s it,” Roman murmured.
My head spun as I lost my grip on everything. I rolled my hips, but his hands pinned them in place, holding me steady against the mattress.
“Come undone for me, Golden.”
Something inside my chest snapped loose all at once as the sensations crashed through me. “Roman—” His name left my lips on a broken gasp.
My back bowed off the mattress, my wrists pressing into the pillows above my head as the intensity rolled through me. Every nerve was alive, every inch of my skin vibrating as if I’d been set alight from the inside out.
“That’s it,” he repeated, his voice low and satisfied. “Just like that.”
I barely heard him over the rush of blood in my ears. My chest rose and fell as I struggled to orient myself, the last ripples fading slowly through my body.
For a moment, I was weightless, like the world had tilted off its axis.
Eventually, the haze began to clear. My eyes fluttered open—I hadn’t realized I’d closed them—and the first thing I saw was Roman watching me.
He seemed stunned, as if he couldn’t quite believe what he’d seen.
