“Then the hospital staff mistook me for your husband, and I… I should have corrected them. I know I should have. Except, everything was moving so fast, and when you finally woke up you seemed so scared. I just wanted to make sure you were okay and you had somebody to take care of you. Things got out of hand. I couldn’t find the time to tell you the truth. I don’t think there would have ever been a good time to tell you that I’m actually somebody who you hate. I am somebody you have hated since childhood, and I don’t think there was an appropriate way for me to break that news to you. Especially not after your accident because I didn’t want you to feel alone.
“And I know it’s selfish, but I was actually kind of happy for once. I was happy for once because you were happy. I have been in love with you for as long as I can remember. I was happy that maybe this was our chance at a clean slate. A fresh start. I really do love you, Charlie. I love you to the moon and back.
“I could never tell you before. I was a coward. But I'm telling you now. I love you, Charlie. It hurts not to be near you anymore. I can’t sleep. I feel like shit. And if I have to spend the rest of my life making things up to you, I will. Whatever you want, Charlie. Whatever you want, I’ll do it. I just really need to figure out a way for you to forgive me. Because not having you in my life is just too fucking painful.”
Heavy silence fills the air.
I feel like I’m watching this whole thing unfold two inches to the right of my body. Like I’m not really here. Like it’s all a dream. Who knew that a month apart could feel like forever?
Charlie hasn’t changed very much. She's still the same old Charlie. But there’s something different in her eyes that I don’t recognize. It isn’t filled with rage. It’s mostly confused innocence.
A hint of longing.
I wait for her response. She doesn’t give it right away, and it’s fucking torture. My heart is thrumming so hard I can feel my pulse in the tips of my fingers and toes, feel the rush of adrenaline screaming through my veins. The suspense is killing me, as cliché as it sounds. I don’t know how much more I can take. Charlie has never resorted to the silent treatment. She’s the kind of woman who tells you exactly what’s on her mind. So this is new and horribly different.
Charlie finally moves to sit on the armrest of the nearby couch. She slouches, something she never does. Her exhaustion is palpable. She stares at the floor, refusing to look at me.
Shit. This is it.
She is never going to forgive me, and I'm never going to see her again. She is going to send me away and leave this ache in my chest.
And I deserve it.
“Roman,” she says softly. Her voice is barely audible, a fleeting whisper. “I am still very upset with you. You lied to me.”
“I know. Charlie, I’m sorry–”
Charlie raises a hand to stop me. “Let me finish.”
Fuck. This can’t be good.
“You lied to me. That isn’t okay. You strung me along, and you made me believe we were a real couple. We even got tattoos, for goodness sake. It’s going to take a very long time for me to come to terms with what happened.”
I can feel my heart sink into my guts, which are already knotted up impossibly tight. Everything seems to be going downhill, and I don’t know how to pump the brakes. I’m in excruciating pain. Charlie is so close that I can smell her perfume. It fills my head, brings back all the memories we shared in the Caymans. She’s within arm’s reach, but I don’t dare lift a finger even though my body aches to hold her.
Charlie rubs her tattoo. I unwittingly mirror her movements, dragging my fingernails over my own red line. She takes a deep breath before starting up again.
“I have been thinking a lot about what has happened. And if I'm being perfectly honest, I am fucking miserable without you.”
I suck in a sharp breath through gritted teeth. “What?”
“I said I’m miserable without you, Roman. I fell in love with you. It wasn’t something I planned, and that’s why it hurts so much. Because even though our marriage was a lie, you were never any different than you were before the accident. You were the same sweet, considerate, caring man you’d always been. I was too shallow and stubborn to see it before. I was too short sighted and focused on my work and career to realize I had nobody else in my corner, except you.”
My head is swimming. I can hardly believe my own ears.
Charlie continues. “It took a hard hit to the head for me to realize just how wonderful of a person you are. You took care of me, you made me feel safe, and you made me happier in that short week we were together than I have been my whole life. I pushed you away before. Now I see that was wrong. I realize now nothing else truly matters unless I have you by my side. Success means nothing if I have no one to share it with. Money, fame, fortune—none of it matters if I don’t have you.”
She looks directly at me and holds my gaze. There is a fire and resolve I have never seen before hidden behind her gray eyes. She gets up and takes two paces forward, closing the gap between us. She slips her hands into mine, and the relief that fills my body almost leaves me floored. I can breathe again. My heart rate finally decides to calm down. Charlie has somehow become my lifeline, my safety blanket against violent storms.
Charlie tilts her head up and looks at me earnestly. “I love you, Roman. I know our circumstances leave much to be desired and this whole thing is so unorthodox, but if it’s okay with you, I’d really like to give this a try again. I don’t mind feeling vulnerable around you. Because I know you’ll keep me safe.”
I give her hands a squeeze. “Because I love you.”
“Exactly.”
I dip down and press my lips gingerly to hers. My heart swells, an indescribable happiness flooding through me. This is everything. This is my second chance. I am going to love Charlie with every fiber of my being because that is exactly what she deserves.
She circles my neck with her arms and presses up close, deepening our kiss so our tongues slide over one another. Charlie sighs contently, easing into my touch. When we pull apart, she stands on her toes to whisper in my ear.
“Take me home.”
I smile. “Whatever you want, Charlie. I’ll make it happen.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Charlie
We stumble into my apartment, a flurry of kisses and ravenous touches and languid moans. My doorman gave us a very curious look when we arrived at the front doors of my apartment building, but he was largely ignored because I was too busy making up for the month I’d spent away from Roman. How many kisses could he have given me, or I had given him, if we hadn't parted ways? There really isn’t any way to tell, so I will settle for infinity and make my peace with it.
We don’t even make it to the bedroom.
The second my apartment door closes, our clothes are off. His shirt, my blouse, our delicate underwear all get introduced to my floor.
I drag my fingers over his hard body, re-learning every curve and muscle and inch of taut skin. The heat of his body is addictive. I try to press myself as close as I can, but it never seems to be quite enough. Luckily, Roman seems to be thinking the exact same thing because he wraps his arms around my waist and holds me as tight as he dares, leaving no space between us.
We breathe heavily through our noses so our mouths don’t have to part. The taste of his tongue, the smell of his cologne—it’s all so wonderfully familiar. I am drunk off of the sound of his moans against my lips; high off every tender touch over my shoulders, my back, my thighs.
Roman lifts me with ease and sets me down on the couch, the nearest thing to something halfway comfortable. I don’t care that we’re not in the bedroom. I don’t care that the couch is hard and a little uncomfortable. All I care about is that Roman is here, and my heart is so wondrously full.
He climbs on top of me, kissing me like he’s determined to knock the air out of my lungs. He settles between my thighs, his hard cock swelling bigger with every passing second. Pleasure pools
between my legs, leaves a wet heat there that demands to be answered. My hips buck involuntarily against him, my body’s way of teasing him into action. Roman sucks hard on my bottom lip, leaving it swollen when he pulls away.
“I love you, Charlie.” His voice is gruff and low and delicious, heavy with desire.
I hook my leg over his hip. “You're going to have to show me just how much.
Roman smirks. “It would be my pleasure.”
He mouths a trail of heated kisses down my neck, over my collarbone, down to my breasts, my navel, until he finally settles between my legs and teases my swollen clit with the tip of his tongue. He’s a master at it by now, knows exactly what I want and how I want it. He draws small circles against me while applying the perfect amount of pressure, gripping at my thighs with his big hands.
The intense tightness deep within my core becomes hotter and hotter until it’s too difficult to ignore. My whole body shudders as wave after wave of pleasure sweeps through me. His mouth is so fucking perfect that the whole experience is almost ethereal. His skillful tongue sends me to a plane of existence that seems to be in between this one and Heaven itself. Bright spots decorate my vision as my breathing becomes narrower and ragged, panting harder and harder until my whole body trembles with pleasure. My back arches in response, my legs shake under his attention, and my blood is gasoline that Roman has lit on fire.
It takes me a second or two to come back down to Earth. When I do, Roman’s already climbing back on top of me and scooping me up in his arms. We sit up, and he pulls me into his lap. I instinctively lower myself onto his cock, relishing the pleasurable burn as he stretches me open and slides inside, filling me up to the brim. I throw my head back and moan, which gives Roman the perfect opportunity to sear heated kisses against my throat. He has his hands on my hips, guiding me as I rise and fall onto his shaft, the head of his cock brushing up against my sweet spot with every pass.
“Roman,” I gasp. “Just like that. I’ve missed you so fucking much.”
“That’s it, baby. Use me however you want. You fucking like my big cock, don’t you?”
His dirty words send a shiver down my spine. “Yes! Fuck, Roman, you’re so fucking big. God, yes.”
He digs his fingers into my skin and snaps his hips upward. He keeps up a steady pace, thrusting into me forcefully in search of pleasure. My walls pulse around him, our combined heat almost suffocating, but not quite. I feel like I'm drowning, overwhelmed by sounds and smells and touch. But I know that I’m okay, totally safe with Roman by my side. So I relinquish control, something I rarely ever do even in the best of circumstances.
Because I trust him. I trust him with my very being.
And I don’t want it any other way.
He intertwines his fingers with mine, locking our hands together. I all but collapse into the crook of his neck when my second climax sneaks up on me and leaves me absolutely ruined with ecstasy.
“You’re so nice and tight for me, baby,” he hums in my ear. “I’m not done with you yet.”
Without warning, he switches our position and pins my back to the couch. I hold on for dear life as he thrusts into me, snapping his hips at a relentless pace, filling me over and over again until I feel like I’m about to break. But I know Roman would never let that happen. Even though he is spurred on by his own need, his hands are always gentle. There’s a tenderness to the way he brushes my breasts, teases my nipples with his fingers. His kisses are always so soft and deep, leaving no question as to how much he truly loves me.
“I love you, Charlie,” he says huskily. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too,” I say on the tail-end of a whimper. “Fuck, you feel so good.”
“I’m close, baby. I’m really–”
I hold him tight, drive my heels into his backside to push him even further inside. “Come on, baby.” I spur him on. “Come inside me. I want all of you. Fill me up, baby. I know you want to.”
A massive shiver snakes its way down my back as Roman groans loudly, slamming hard into me as he spills over. We lay there, a sweaty bundle of legs and arms and wet kisses, overheating but perfectly content to stay where we are. There isn’t any need to fill the quiet. I am perfectly happy to listen to the pounding of Roman’s heart, the heaviness of his breathing. I relish his weight on top of me, a solid anchor for me to use as proof that this is my reality.
At some point, I’m not too sure when, we make it to the shower. We aren’t too concerned about getting clean, though. We simply hold each other under the spray of hot water. I rest my head against Roman’s hard chest while he kisses my damp hair. We breathe in the smells of shampoo and body wash, holding on to one another for support. It’s like someone's glued us together. Neither of us wants to be the first to move away, so we stand there in the spray for a good hour or so and watch as our fingers and toes go all pruney.
We immediately start kissing again when we get in bed together, crawling under the sheets like it’s the most domestic fucking thing in the world. It’s perfect. Absolute bliss. Cool sheets against warm bodies and strong arms wrapped around me so I can cuddle up against his chest. It feels so routine despite the novelty of it all.
If someone had told me a month ago that I would be so head over heels in love for Roman Howard, the boy I used to always be so jealous of because I thought he held Uncle Charles’ affections, I would have told him they were crazy. Now I can’t imagine it any other way.
Night falls over Chicago. The sounds of busy traffic eventually fade out. People all go home, join their families for dinner and recount their day and everything they got up to. It occurs to me this is the first time in my life I've looked forward to going to bed. Because this time, I’m not alone. This time I have somebody to talk about my day to.
Roman and I gaze into each other’s eyes like it’s the first time, but also like it’s the last. Now that he’s here, I don’t think I can ever doubt that he loves me. There’s a glimmer, a spark behind his dark browns that makes me feel lighter than air. I trace circles into his biceps with the point of my finger while he plays with my hair.
“So,” I whisper.
“So.”
“What now?”
He chuckles softly. “I don’t know. This is all new to me too.”
I mull things over for a moment. “I have a couple of ideas.”
“Do tell. I’m all ears.”
“Well, I’d firstly like to consider stepping down from Bliss Media.”
Roman props himself up on an elbow. “Are you serious? You love your job.”
“Loved my job,” I correct. “I don’t… I don’t know. It just isn’t the same. It was never what I wanted, you know? It was what Uncle Charles wanted. I was so eager to make him proud that I never questioned it.”
“What are you going to do?”
I nibble my bottom lip. “Do you think that offer to help Phoenix House still stands? I’d really like to work with you and help expand your charity.”
Roman looks dumbfounded. “Are you sure?”
I nod and smile. “Those kids… Knowing what you do for them, it’s inspiring. I want to be able to make a difference in people’s lives. I’ve been so concerned about personal gain that I didn’t realize how many I could have helped along the way. I don’t want to end up being cold and alone like Uncle Charles.”
Roman brings my hand up to his lips and kisses the back of my fingers. “You’re not alone.”
“I know that now.”
“Good. I’ll remind you every day, so you don’t forget it.”
“So is that a yes?”
“I would love to have you working with me, Charlie. I seriously think the charity will flourish with you on the team.”
“The team,” I echo, amused. “That sounds really nice.”
He gives my fingers a squeeze. “Yes, it does.”
Five Months Later
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Roman
The estate is massive. Even t
hough I grew up on its grounds, I don’t think I’ve explored every inch of it. There’s always something new to discover, a new corner to run into. The entire property is technically under Charlie’s name, but neither of us have stepped foot on the land since Uncle Charles’ passing. Even by Charlie's standards, the estate is way too big to feasibly live on. She described it as a dead weight, a whole lot of space serving very little purpose. The grand mansion we grew up in has over a hundred rooms sitting around doing nothing. From her business perspective, it’s a zap on resources.
Her solution?
Use it to house the kids of Phoenix House.
Our old home is now bustling with life. Laughter and lively conversation echoes down the grand halls. The kids love it here. They spend their days running up and down the halls, outside in the grand backyard playing just as children should. There is no shortage of beds, it’s always warm, and Charlie’s taken it upon herself to organize the household culinary staff to make sure the kids have three nutritious square meals every single day.
It was a little chaotic for a while when Charlie announced she was stepping down as CEO of Bliss Media. She wound up selling the entire company for a cool billion dollars. Business journalists ate up everything she said. Some news outlets were more forgiving than others. But as with anything, there were those who were saying Charlie just wasn't fit for the role because she was too sensitive for this male dominated industry. With a snap of the finger, I had Mister Maloney send these particular reporters a rather intimidating cease and desist or face libel charges, and that shut them up pretty quickly.
Forgotten Inheritance (Inherit Love Book 6) Page 15