CHAPTER 12
ROMAN
Carter paces across the living room in front of the TV, stopping every so often to look at me like he can’t comprehend what I’ve told him. I sit on the edge of the couch waiting for him to ask the inevitable questions that always come from telling this story. He comes to an abrupt stop beside me and drops onto the couch, his knee pressing against mine. He looks pissed. I can only hope that it's on my behalf.
“So what you’re saying is that some grown-ass man, your teacher, made you fall for him, then the closeted bastard denied everything and hung you out to dry? He actually did that? Lied on the witness stand and said you stalked him and beat him? Ro, that’s fucking crazy.”
“Well he didn’t make me fall for him. He didn’t make me do anything. At the time I honestly believed I loved him. The way everybody loves their first boyfriend. I was blinded by him.”
“You aren’t the first person to have a crush on their teacher,” he says matter-of-factly. “He was an adult, in a position of power, he should have known better.”
I nod and drop my eyes to the floor and wring my hands together. I know he’s right, but I still feel the shame of letting him treat me like shit for so long then practically thanking him for it. I didn’t see anything inappropriate about what we did at the time. To me the age difference was irrelevant. I never considered that he was in a position of power over me and how wrong that was. It wasn’t until I got to prison and the guys I ended up making friends with pointed out that he groomed me. At first, I refused to believe that. Believing instead that he must have been confused or mistaken about who attacked him. Maybe because he remembered me being there, his mind made him think I had done it. It took a long time for the reality of what happened to sink in. Not only did he manipulate me but he threw me under the bus and stood by and fucking helped them paint me as a dangerous criminal who needed to be locked up for a massive chunk of my life. He never cared about me, he was using me and I see that now, but that knowledge doesn't take away the shame I feel for allowing it to happen.
Carter’s hand moves in soothing circles on my back and I appreciate him giving me time to work through my thoughts before continuing this conversation.
“He deprived you of your freedom for fifteen fucking years , Roman. He better hope he never crosses my path. What he did to you was so far past wrong. Not to mention the police. They failed you, the whole fucking system failed you. I just don’t understand why they assumed it was you right off the bat.”
I’m stunned, frozen in place as I just stare up at him. Absolute trust is what he's giving me right now. He barely knows me, yet he believes me without question. My eyes start to burn with unshed tears that I refuse to let free. Just like when I told Ryan and my mom, I feel a massive weight lift off my shoulders and I blow out a breath.
“There was an eyewitness apparently.” I shrug, looking back down at my feet. Even with the unwavering trust he's showing me this is still hard to dredge up. “A teenager, one of Terry’s students at the time, took the stand and told the court how he saw me going into his teacher's house, then hearing the yells and screams. He called 911 and gave them my name and everything. I have no idea why this kid would lie like that but the jury believed everything he said. His statement was enough, along with the fact my fingerprints were everywhere, including the weapon, because I grabbed the bat for protection. The smoking gun though was Terry himself swearing under oath that I had attacked him. I had no idea what had happened to Terry when I arrived. I had dropped my phone somewhere and allegedly it was never recovered so I couldn't provide any evidence to defend myself.” I’m not sure when I started shaking but the weight of Carter's hand on my thigh halts the tremors.
“Hey. Look at me, Muscles.” His whispered words have my chin lifting to meet his gaze again. “I believe you.” I’m not sure what I did in this lifetime to deserve a guy like Carter Banks. Our hands intertwine and he turns my body to better face him. “Now, tell me what happened last night. Those guys, did they know this douchenozzle?”
I smirk because of course Carter is able to make me smile during this conversation. “I’m not sure but I think they were in my class. They knew who I was and kept saying how Mr. Hobbs was a great guy and I was a monster who wasn’t welcome in this town. They threatened me but I wasn’t scared of them. I just kept thinking that this was the type of shit my mom and Ryan have been dealing with and… I think I had some kind of panic attack or something.”
Carter's bulk lifts from the couch beside me and is suddenly on my lap. His hands bracket my face. “You listen to me, Roman Hilson. Ain’t nobody gonna take you away from me. Let them come, let them try and run you out of town. You are not alone anymore. I don’t know if Ryan had to deal with shit like that but I do know he's a tough guy and if you told him what you just told me there is no way that he can hold any of that shit against you.” His lips slowly descend to mine, giving me time to back away but there is nothing I want more. My life has spun on its axis in a matter of weeks. I never could have dreamed that I would be able to reconnect with my brother, meet new friends and find a guy who accepts me and is willing to help me carry the baggage from my past.
“What did I do to deserve you?” I whisper against his lips as we share a soft, almost soothing kiss.
“Karma, Muscles, it’s all thanks to Karma.”
CARTER
My heart hurts, it physically fucking hurts for Roman. What he went through is so fucked up. He never had the chance to just live, do idiot things because they sound fun. To get black-out drunk on his twenty-first birthday and wake up with a tattoo of Marge Simpson on his ass or to even just spend hours trying to decide what he's going to do with his life. He had all of his choices ripped away from him just because he fell for a fucking predator who didn’t give a fuck about him. I have no idea what he went through in prison and I’m sure it's as horrific as I can imagine, but right now is not the time to bring up any more trauma. I'm not sure I could take finding out anything else right now either. My protective instincts are on high alert right now. He has opened up enough old wounds for one day.
The fact that Roman is still standing after all these hits, and he’s fighting to find joy and passion in life again is mind-blowing. It's clear he has no idea just how strong he is. He didn’t deserve the life that was handed to him but he hasn’t let it make him jaded. That just proves that he has a pure soul and Karma has decided to bring us together. I don’t plan to waste a single second of time with this man. If he wants to travel the world to find his joy then I guess I'll pack up my kit and hit the road.
He is looking at me now like I hung the moon, like I am the one to be revered when in fact he is the one who somehow came out stronger despite the cards he’s been given. All I did was listen and choose to believe what he told me. I like to think I’m a good judge of character and I knew from the moment I met Roman that he was a lost soul but not a bad soul. He oozes goodness and the fact he is Ryan's brother really does confirm that. I’ve known Ryan for a long-ass time and he's such a great guy. His mom raised him right so I have no reason to think Roman was raised any differently. It almost makes me sad to see the admiration in his eyes. I haven't done anything to deserve it. I treated him with basic human decency and he thinks that I've handed him the world.
“Thank you for telling me, for trusting me with this. We will figure it all out,” I assure him then cover his mouth with mine again. With my hands still on the sides of his face and my legs bracketing his hips I feel his whole body melt below me. I sit back and offer him a wide smile. “Feel better? Wanna play Fortnite and eat cookie dough ice cream?” I ask, shifting my body to stand up in front of him. I want to cheer him up. Distract him from the heavy feelings and make him laugh and feel lighter.
Apparently he has a different idea for distraction.
My eyes widen when he sits forward on the couch, moving his legs to the outside of mine and his hands reach around to rest on my jean-covered ass.
“Come shower with me, Tatts. Let me get lost in this body.” Roman’s eyes have changed from awe and adoration to carnal desire. I nod quickly and step back to give him room to stand. I do not need to be asked twice to take a shower with a sexy-as-fuck guy who I happen to be slightly obsessed with. The smile that spreads across his face suggests he has more than hygiene on his mind. I climb over the back of the couch instead of walking around it and he chuckles at my eagerness. Fuck that, this way is faster. Work smarter, not harder, my friend.
I take the stairs two at a time, shedding my clothes along the way. I hesitate for a second in the hallway outside my bedroom trying to think which shower is bigger. Hearing Roman’s heavy footsteps behind me makes my heart beat faster with excitement. Making a sharp turn into my bedroom I throw open my bathroom door and switch on the shower, stepping under the spray then shuddering because it's not hot yet. What is hot, though, is the image that Roman will see when he catches up. No man could resist my body being all slippery and wet. The cold water has my dick trying to retract back inside my body so I quickly spin around giving him my tattooed ass to admire while the water warms and my dick gets back in the game.
I hear him stepping into the room and when I look over my shoulder my mouth instantly starts to water. Roman is walking toward me, his eyes glued to my ass. He’s naked, gloriously naked with one inked hand stroking up and down his fat cock. I don’t even have ovaries, yet I can feel them exploding at the mere sight of him.