34. Chapter 34
Chapter 34
L una
My body hummed, and I smiled drowsily as sleep receded. Roman had pushed my shirt up and trailed his fingers along my torso. I lay on my side with him spooning me from behind, my hips instinctively pushing back so I could rub against his hard length.
When he palmed my stomach and pulled me into him, my eyes snapped open and my body locked as it all came rushing back. Then I yanked away, jumped off the bed, and turned to face him.
He lay on his side, his head propped casually in his palm, but the angry gleam in his eyes gave him away. “Hello, wife . Do you remember your promise regarding this?” He threw my collar and ring onto the bed between us.
I stared down at them, my mind reeling. Dull pain and anger seeped through me when I thought of that video again.
“Nothing to say, hmm?” He sat up, fury rolling off him as I instinctively backed up. “What the fuck are you doing here without your wedding ring?”
His words finally penetrated the haze in my brain. “Go screw yourself, you sadistic bastard. Every promise I made became null and void after I listened to you casually discuss with your partners how you’re going to ruin my life.” My voice broke as I picked up my phone from the nightstand.
His eyes went harder, but something flickered in them. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
I pulled up the video with shaky fingers, pressed play, and set the phone down on the bed next to the collar. Then I quickly stepped back. When Ivan’s voice came on the speaker, Roman’s face went blank as he listened to the recording without moving.
When it ended, neither of us moved for several heartbeats. I turned to run, but he leaned forward and his hand snaked out to catch my wrist. “No. You are going to stay and listen.”
“And you can go fuck–” He yanked me to him, spun me around on the bed, and brought his weight between my thighs.
“Oh, I’ll be fucking you–soon. But first, we’ll talk and then you will promise me, and mean it this time , that you won’t run if we have misunderstandings or problems in the future.”
I stopped struggling but stayed stiff and turned my head away. “You planned to destroy me–before I ever walked into your office. Did you feel powerful and vindicated when you laughed and plotted behind my back with your partners?”
“Luna, look at me. I didn’t–”
“Fuck. You. Did you fantasize about getting me kicked out of law school while you fucked me? Did you think it would hurt me more to make me care for you first?” Tears gathered in my eyes, but I tried to hold them back.
He froze atop me, then carefully laid his forehead against my temple. “My plans fell apart two, maybe three days after I met you, but I was too stubborn and full of hate to admit it.”
“Just leave me alone, you’ve hurt me enough. You got your wish,” I whispered brokenly.
“No. And I’ve fantasized about you plenty. About how to get my filthy hands on you, and tie you down and fuck you until you screamed my name. Now, look at me .” He took my chin between his fingers and turned my head so his dark eyes bore into mine. “There’s nowhere you can go that I won’t find you. I’m obsessed with your sweetness and razor-sharp mind. You’ve become my addiction and salvation, and I don’t give one single fuck that you’re too good for me. I’m not letting you go, and my black heart is yours.”
“Don’t say that to me. You don’t mean it.” I struggled beneath him, and he rolled until I sat on top.
“When I finally read Ivan’s full report and found out you tried to stop your father–and the price you paid–I started planning how to keep you. And you were right, I could’ve protected you without marrying you, but I saw a chance and I fucking took it. We belong together. I would burn down the world for you, and I’ll eliminate anyone who tries to hurt you.”
Anger and betrayal still burned through me, but I knew some of what he said at least, was true. We did get along together, and we were probably addicted to each other. When I didn’t want to strangle him, he also made me happy. I sat straight and straddled his hips, glaring down at him. “Would you really have done that to me?”
“If you’d been anything like your father, then fuck yes. But I knew after spending two days with you I wouldn’t go through with it.”
“Why didn’t you let me go then?”
“Because I still wanted to make your life hell and get under your skin.”
That’s exactly what he’d done the first few months. I shook my head and smacked his chest. “You’re such an arrogant asshole sometimes.”
“I know. Come here, I want to kiss you.”
Staring into his eyes, I wondered if I could trust him. “No more secrets or lies.”
“I promise, love. Now come here.”
He flexed his hips and rubbed his hard cock against me. I wanted our clothes gone, and I rocked on his length, a moan slipping from me. “I hate wanting you this much,” I choked out.
Roman pulled my shirt off, then yanked my bra down under my breasts, pinching and pulling on my hard nipples. Jackknifing up to a seated position, he took my stiff peak between his teeth, biting down just hard enough that I screamed at the brutal pleasure.
“Then I’ll have to change your mind.” He stripped me and himself in seconds flat and flipped me onto my back. Then he crouched down over my body, nestling his shoulders between my thighs and running his tongue along my slit in long, thorough licks. My head flew back, and I moaned in delicious agony.
“That’s it, Sweetness. Let me in, take everything I give you.” He shoved two fingers inside me and pumped hard. My hips jerked as I cried out in pleasure at the burn, twisting under his assault.
Roman sucked and flicked at me until my head thrashed and I shivered and pulsed around him., an orgasm threatening. He gazed at me from between my legs. “Come for me.” Leaning back in, he continued to work my clit.
“Oh, sweet Jesus,” I breathed and climaxed all over his face, grabbing his hair and grinding myself on him. When I came down, he got on his knees and thrust deep inside.
My body slid up the bed until he grabbed my hips and held on as he pounded into me. I jolted under his brutal assault, and my pussy contracted around him.
“You can either love me or hate me because if you do, I’ll have either your head or your heart. There’s no escaping us, Luna, we belong to each other. Accept it, accept this. ” He shoved inside me one last time, threw back his head, and spilled his semen deep inside.
Our harsh breathing mingled in the still room as we came down, and Roman set my hips back on the bed when he finally pulled out. Running his hand up my chest, he carefully circled my throat and kissed my lips. Then he pulled me to him and held me until we both drifted off.
In the middle of the night, I woke as Roman rolled me over onto my stomach and palmed my pussy, playing with my clit and reaching underneath me to pinch and tug on my nipples. My mind was foggy with sleep, but my body responded to him like it always did.
He leaned over and gathered my wild hair in his hand, then he pulled my head back and licked my ear. “I want into your sweet hot cunt again. Nod for me.”
Moaning softly, I nodded unthinkingly. His legs held my thighs closed as he worked into me, causing a tight, almost painful fit. “Arch your back, take me deeper.”
I obeyed and he growled low against my neck. “Fuck, your slick little pussy always takes my cock so well. Like you were made for me.” He reached around and strummed at my clit, working his hips against me, his words and the tight fit triggering the beginning of an orgasm. Then he stilled.
“Whose pussy is this, my little cum slut?” he growled as I tried to move my hips against his.
When I didn’t answer, his fist tightened in my hair. “Who?”
“It’s yours,” I cried out. “Now move, Goddamn it!”
He chuckled darkly, slamming into me, and when he reached around and fingered my back hole with his thumb, I went off like a rocket. A few strokes later, he pinned me against the bed and orgasmed deep inside.
As I came down, tears hit my cheeks, all the pent-up pain and anger coming to a head. He pulled out, lay back on the bed, and rolled me over on top of him. I draped across his body like a rag doll as his semen and my tears leaked onto him, but I couldn’t find it in me to care. He tucked my head into the crook of his neck and kissed and licked my tears until I’d settled down a little.
Squeezing me softly, he stroked my hair. “I’m sorry you heard that conversation. It was a long time ago, and even then I knew I couldn’t do that to you. You’re mine, and you have been since you walked into The Firm. Tell me you forgive me, Sweetness.”
My lonely heart wanted to believe him, but my mind warred with the past. “I’m tired of being hurt and used. You don’t know how… worthless and disposable you made me feel.”
He stilled, then rolled me to the side. “You’re the most precious and indispensable person in my life. I’m an unscrupulous bastard, and someday I’ll probably kill your father, but I want a life with you, and I’m selfish enough to take it.”
I laid my palm on his cheek and searched his eyes in the darkness. “If you can’t care about me because I have his blood running through my veins, please let me go.”
When he brushed my hair back and kissed my mouth softly, I knew I was lost. “I’m not letting you go, and I don’t give a fuck who your father is. We’re better together, we’re a fucking family together. I need you. Come back home and be with me. Please.”
My body tightened at his words, then gradually relaxed against him. I wasn’t ready to say similar words back to him. He’d wounded me, and the instinct to protect myself was strong. “Don’t ever make me feel that way again, or I’ll find a way to make you sorry you ever met me.” I laid my head on his shoulder, then reached around and pinched his hard ass.
“If I ever do, you’re welcome to try.” He sat up and studied me, then held out his hand with the collar and tracking device in his palm, his face carefully blank. “These are yours–you can do whatever you want with them. I won’t apologize for the tracker, but I should have told you what the collar meant when I put it on you.” I slowly sat up next to him and looked down at the beautiful necklace.
When Roman first put the collar on me, I chafed at the lock, and when my friends told me what it symbolized, I wanted to punch him in his beautiful face. But now, I missed the soft weight of the collar, and I’d grown used to the subtle feel of it against my skin. Slowly, I reached up and gathered my hair in my hands, lifted it off my neck, and turned. “Put it on me,” I murmured quietly.
A long, broken sigh escaped him, and Roman leaned over and gently draped the collar over my neck, then clicked the lock in place. “Let’s go home, wife.”
Brenna wasn't at her desk when I walked into the offices a few days later. In fact, her reception desk looked cleaned out and unused, like she’d never been there.
I walked through the doors and found Gideon. “Where’s Brenna?”
“She no longer works here.” He smiled benignly, but something hard shifted in his eyes.
“Did she quit?”
“No. She was fired and marched out of the building without references.”
“What? Why?”
“Because she recorded a private, confidential conversation here and then disseminated it.”
It hit me that Brenna had sent the recording. I rubbed my forehead as I considered her possible reasoning and the ramifications. “Gideon, it’s no secret that Brenna and I weren’t best buddies. But I think she sent it to protect me,” I admitted reluctantly.
Gideon tilted his head and studied me. “She’s been antagonistic toward you since you started here. We’ve all witnessed it.”
I waved my hand. “Yes, at first. But things changed, and I don’t want her penalized if she was only looking out for me.”
He shook his head. “Even if that were the case, she should never have recorded the conversation. We deal in confidential, sensitive information, and she used extremely poor judgment.”
“That’s true, but I don’t want her life ruined because she tried to help me. I’m going to call and talk to her.” Setting my backpack on his desk, I started digging out my phone.
“May I request that you wait and speak to Roman first?”
It had been a few days since Roman tracked me down and brought me back home, but I still ached when I thought of listening to that recording. I studied Roman’s door, avoiding Gideon’s knowing gaze.
“Do you know what was in the recording she sent me?” I asked him quietly.
Gideon winced. “I recall the conversation. Please don’t hold it against Roman and the partners. What happened at Bitter Creek was a travesty, and what we saw when we raided it was unconscionable.”
I nodded jerkily. “How about this? You call and talk to her and if she was trying to protect me, you agree to pay her a month’s worth of wages and a referral if the partners feel they can’t hire her back.”
He sighed but didn’t argue. “I believe that’s fair, but I have to inform the partners.”
“Fine, but they don’t get to veto it.”
Gideon’s mouth twitched. “Alright, we have an agreement.”
That day, I also started working with Arthur Thorgeson on water law cases. I’d gotten to know him from holidays, family get-togethers, and several of Ezra’s Monday night dinners. He’d become my uncle over the years. Arthur married into the Spade family, and he had a large, bulbous nose and wild tufts of white hair that stuck out above his ears. Artie looked like a full-size garden gnome in an expensive seersucker suit.
He grinned happily when I found him in one of the large, plush offices. “It doesn’t surprise me these boys bribed you away, but I think it’s a good move for both of us.”
I shook my head. “They didn’t bribe me. Klim changed the internship, Roman stole me, and then decided to keep me out of spite.”
Artie shrugged. “Semantics. I know Klim, and he doesn’t do anything without a good reason. In the end, I think it’s a win-win for both of us.” He cracked his knuckles. “Now, let’s get to work.”
Late in the day, Gideon knocked on my door as I contentedly researched a complex water law issue. Behind him, a stylish woman with a spiky pixie haircut and pristine makeup stood with a tape measure around her shoulders. I pulled off my headphones.
Gideon gestured to the woman. “This is Aida, our personal shopper. She’s here to take your measurements.”
“For what?” I asked.
“Clothing befitting The Firm, and other sundries.”
I leaned back and studied him. “What do you mean, exactly, by clothing befitting The Firm?”
Gideon glanced down at my plain white button-down shirt and black pants. “You’re a delight to have in the office, and I’m overjoyed you and Roman are together. But you’re now an official part of our firm, and as such we have a certain… reputation to uphold. Bespoke clothing is part of that.”
I eyed him skeptically. “Why are you the one introducing Aida to me instead of Roman?”
“He thought I’d have more luck,” he admitted bluntly.
“Luck with what?” I asked. I noticed Aida’s lip twitch, and she looked like she wanted to laugh.
“Luck with talking you into a new wardrobe.”
“What’s wrong with my clothes?” I asked.
Gideon raised an eyebrow and folded his arms. “Nothing is wrong , per se. But I believe you purposefully wear dark, drab colors to blend in and downplay your figure and looks. Am I right?”
“Is that what Roman thinks?” I asked, stung at his analysis and annoyed he was probably right.
Aida rolled her eyes and stepped forward. “Gideon, love. I adore you. But I have it from here.” She patted his arm and waved her hand.
Gideon gave her a small, formal nod. “As you wish, my dear.” He turned to me. “Remember one thing before you start in on Aida. Clothes aren’t just for covering a body, they can also be used as a weapon and a statement.”
After Gideon walked out, I eyed the woman. “Hello, Aida. I don’t really need new clothes.”
Her berry red lips tipped up, and she pulled her tape measure off her shoulders. “Very few people nowadays need new clothing. But Gideon’s right.”
I inclined my head. “Tell me the truth. What, exactly, did Roman tell you I needed?”
“Whatever I can talk you into. He also mentioned he’s a ‘jealous bastard’ and besides lingerie and a few… select pieces, he prefers your professional style but just wants to upgrade the quality and cut.”
Her answer appeased me, and I stood to shake her hand. “Alright, I can live with that. I’m Luna Cross.”
She grinned and returned my handshake, then closed the door and locked it behind her. "Strip first so I can get accurate measurements. You’re not an emaciated stick, and with your bone structure and those green eyes, it’ll be a pleasure to cloth you.”
A few days later, clothes and shoes started arriving at the house. At first, it was fun to try on the clothes and see what Aida had picked out, but after the third enormous delivery, the novelty quickly wore off.
“I’m sending some things back, and there’s no way I can wear all this,” I informed her over the phone.
She laughed. “Even though you two haven’t been married long, you seem to know each other well. Roman warned me this would be your reaction, but let me explain a few things.”
“I’m listening.”
“The partners are some of my richest clients, and Roman is loaded . You’ll soon be a full-fledged attorney, and clothes and style are a big part of that. Lean into it.”
“Aida, I understand and don’t disagree. But I’m… overwhelmed by the sheer volume.”
“Fine, I’ll slow it down and if something doesn’t fit or you truly don’t like it, send it back. A few times a month, I’ll pick up those items and drop off a few new things. We’ll get into a rhythm. Trust me.”
I stood in our closet a few weeks later, staring at racks of beautiful, expensive new clothes. Roman walked in, and I turned to him. “Do you remember when you bought me that shimmery white gown for a charity event a while back?”
Roman’s mouth tipped up. “I do, and I’d still like to see you in it.”
“And do you remember what I told you about buying me clothes?”
He smirked and walked over, wrapping his arms around me. “Why do I feel there’s no right answer here?”
My lips quirked. “Because you’re smart, but you never listen.”
He bent down and sniffed my neck. “You were my intern, now you’re my wife , and I do listen to you, especially when you’re making those sexy little whimpers while I’m–”
I put my hand over his mouth. “If you start with the dirty talk, we’ll never make it to Ezra’s house for dinner. It also pains me to say this, but thank you for the clothes. Now I just need Aida to stop sending me things.”
Ezra had invited us to a Monday night dinner. He didn’t hold them every week anymore, but when he did, he expected me to be there. Today, he’d specifically asked that I bring Roman along.
I picked out an emerald-green maxi dress that had been delivered a few days ago. Along with the dress, a slew of delicious silky underwear and lingerie had also arrived.
Stripping off my robe, I slid into a lavender thong and matching sheer lace bra.
He watched me dress with hooded eyes. “We might have to be late,” he murmured as his hot gaze trailed down my body.
I held up a silky lavender sash that had come with the lingerie and turned to him. “What’s this for?”
He grinned wickedly. “It’s a blindfold or tie to use while you’re wearing that lingerie.” Roman fingered the strap on my lavender thong. “Or nothing at all.”
With that bit of information, I stuffed the cloth back into the drawer and held up my hands. “If you touch me, we’ll be late.”
“I can do quick and dirty.” He ran his finger over the swell of my breast, then leaned in and followed its trail with his tongue. My head fell back, and he wedged his thigh between my legs. “Is that a yes, Sweetness? You look like a fucking wet dream, and I want to tie your arms, bend you over the bench, and fuck you like you’re a porn star in a low-grade production.”
I let out a low moan and rode his thigh while he reached into the drawer and pulled out the silk tie. We walked into Ezra’s house a half hour late, and I still had Roman’s semen seeping out of me.
“Sorry we’re late,” I called out as we rounded the doorway into his dining room. When I glanced over and saw who sat next to Ezra at the table, my breath whooshed out of me, and I stopped short. Roman felt my body lock and grasped my hips, gently nudging me to the side so he could stand beside me.
I barely registered the others sitting around the table, or the uncharacteristic quiet in the room. The woman sitting next to Ezra looked older than I remembered, but she was still striking as she gazed haughtily at us. She styled her dark brown hair differently now, but the woman looked like an aged version of me. My mother sat next to Ezra at the table.