“I should be saying that to you,” I whispered back.
He leaned closer, his eyes dropping to my mouth. My entire body tensed with anticipation, and fear. All I could think was that he didn’t know that he’d saved me that night…
“I’ll see you again,” he said with certainty. “But until I do, I want something to remember you.”
My breath caught as he lowered his face toward mine. He moved impossibly slow, like he was waiting for me to stop him at any moment.
I didn’t, even though I should have.
My mouth parted, and he was close enough I could practically taste him. My skin heated enough that the cold night was hardly a thought now.
Then, his lips touched mine.
They were soft at first, tentative and sweet.
But then my heart exploded with a feeling I could not contain.
What began as a gentle, exploring kiss deepened, growing hungry as our mouths moved together. I stepped closer, relishing every touch of his lips and brush of his tongue as we opened to each other.
He was big and solid. I felt small and fragile against him, like he could crush me if he wanted to.
But I knew he never would. I was safe with him. Secure.
I didn’t know how long we kissed like that, but eventually Roman groaned and pulled away, leaving the both of us breathless.
“I think we’ve given my brothers enough of a show,” he rasped.
I whimpered, only now remembering where we were. The reality slammed into me, making my heart pump even harder than it was.
I’d let him kiss me. I’d kissed him back as if I had a right to.
Tears sprang to my eyes, and Roman immediately frowned. His thumb was soft as it brushed away a tear from my cheekbone.
“What’s wrong, Golden?” he said softly, the concern in his tone crushing me. “Was that—not good for you?”
I made a choking sound, something between a sob and a laugh. Of course it was good.
“It was perfect,” I croaked.
Confusion creased his brow. “Then what is it?” He let go of my wrist, cupping my face in both his hands.
The tears continued to fall. This was the worst time to confess this, but I couldn’t leave without him knowing. After that kiss, hehadto know.
I leaned forward, pressing my forehead to his as I wept. “Roman,” my voice broke, “I was in the dorm fire that night.”
He went perfectly still.
“I—I think that you saved me.”
He stared at me blankly for a few seconds that had my stomach twisting in knots.
“What?” he eventually said, his voice strained.
Roman wasn’t comprehending, His mind was turning, but the pieces weren’t fully in place and I wished I was able to explain myself better.
“The dorm fire,” I said, tears slipping continuously from my lashes. “It was my building that caught fire that night. It was old and I was planning on moving out the next school year…” I trailed off as he continued that blank stare.
“I’m so sorry. I was stupid and I tried to get to the stairs, but there was too much smoke and I—I couldn’t. I thought I was going to die, Roman, and then—” A sob bubbled up from my chest because I didn’t know what he would think of me after this. “You were suddenly there. You pulled me out of the fire and saved me.”
