My fingers curled around the back of his neck; they no longer needed bandages as the blisters on my palms were almost healed. My nails brushed lightly into his hair.
I smiled when the small shiver rippled through him.
Something I had learned over the last four days of sharing his bed was that Roman liked his hair played with. His entire body would relax when I ran my fingers through those dark strands.More than once, he had fallen asleep with his head resting on my chest as I did so.
“Are you nervous?” he asked softly.
My smile faded, though I didn’t lift my head yet. The pulse of his heart quickened.
“Nervous?”
“About tonight.”
Oh. Of course.
Tonight was the night they’d been planning for all week. The night his brothers—especially August—had been preparing for in one way or another for months.
“Should I be nervous?” I asked.
Roman’s fingers flexed on my hip.
“Everything’s in position?” he asked.
I nodded. His chest was so warm against my cheek.
“The team arrived shortly after you left. August seemed confident.”
“That’s good.”
There was a small pause.
“Are you nervous, Roman?”
“Yes.”
I lifted my head in surprise.
We didn’t stop our gentle swaying, but his eyes were locked on mine—the slate-blue burning with an intensity that had always made me feel both strong and fragile at the same time, like he believed I could handle the weight of the world, even when I wasn’t so sure I could.
“But I trust my brothers,” he continued.
I nodded. “And I trust you.”
Roman drew me in, his arm snaking around my waist and pulling me even closer.
“When this is all over,” he murmured in my ear, “when Amos Anderson is behind bars—or in the ground—and can never hurt anyone again…I want you to stay with me, Palmer.”
My breath caught.
“And not just as Hailey’s nanny,” he continued. “I want to be with you.”
My heart leapt straight into my throat.
A thousand thoughts rushed through my mind at once—but none of them really mattered. I already knew what I wanted.
“I want to be with you too.”
Roman let out a long breath like a sigh of relief, but didn’t loosen his hold on me.
