Rage

Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Roman

I stare at the screen of my phone, my fingers drumming against my leg when the text finally arrives.

It’s about damn time.

Andrés has kept me in the dark for six fucking days. I’ve been crawling out of my skin waiting for word from him.

“Everything okay?” Allie asks as she steps into the room, her eyes searching my face.

Smoothing out my expression, I slip my phone into my pocket and widen my stance. “Yeah. Dom’s just bitching about shit with Kasey,” I lie smoothly.

Allie rolls her eyes. “Those two are always at it. I don’t know why Dominique doesn’t just tell her how he feels already. They’d stop fighting if he admitted he wanted her, and she could tell him she feels the same.”

I chuckle, a hollow sound. “Why don’t you tell him that and let me know how the conversation goes.”

She huffs out a laugh, and as soon as she’s close enough, I tug her down onto my lap.

“Roman—” she laughs, pushing against my chest. I wrap my arms around her tighter, holding her until she finally relents.

“You’re ridiculous,” she mutters. “I was going to sit next to you.”

“Not close enough,” I grumble. She makes a sound of annoyance, but I know it’s all for show. Allie sinks into my embrace, her body melting against my chest.

“How are you feeling today?” I press my nose into the crook of her neck, breathing her in. Cinnamon and vanilla. I’m fucking addicted to this girl.

Allie leans forward, but I tighten my arms around her. “Fine,” she says. Her fingers trace the lines of the anchor tattoo on my hand. “It’s just…” She hesitates. “I don’t know.” Her mouth curls into a frown, and I resist the urge to kiss it away, needing to hear her thoughts.

“I thought I’d feel different. Maybe happier or relieved, but…”

“I get that,” I say softly. “Give it time. You’ll get there.”

“Maybe,” she mutters, unconvinced.

With my thumb and forefinger, I turn her chin toward me and capture her lips with my own. She sighs into the kiss, her lips parting as some of the tension leaves her body. “It’s going to take time for things to go back to normal,” I remind her.

“I know,” she grumbles. “I just want to be me again, you know? The old me that wasn’t like this.” Allie makes a frustrated noise in the back of her throat.

“I like this version of you,” I tell her. “You’re perfect. And he’s behind bars. Give yourself a chance to let that sink in. He can’t hurt you.”

She nods and rests her head against my shoulder, her body curling into mine. “What about when he gets out?” she whispers, finally voicing her deepest fear.

“He won’t,” I say firmly.

She doesn’t argue, but I already know what she’s thinking. She’s thinking that he will. That Miguel behind bars is only a temporary reprieve. She doesn’t want to get comfortable. But she needs to. Because I’ve got her. I won’t let anyone or anything hurt her again.

“What’s on your agenda today?” she asks.

Running my hand up and down her thigh, I consider pushing my meeting with Andrés, but I know I can’t. This might be my only shot. “I need to swing by the field. Coach wants to talk to me about next year,” I tell her. “I won’t be gone long. Do you want me to call one of the girls to?—”

“No,” she interrupts quickly, then more calmly says, “No. I’m okay. I don’t need a babysitter.”

Allie untangles herself from my hold and stands. I scowl, disliking the distance, but I wasn’t lying when I said I needed to run by the field. It just isn’t Coach I’ll be meeting.