Chapter 007: Closer
1660 Words
Emmalee
I've just experienced the most mind-blowing feeling in the world, which is unlike anything I've ever felt before.
Romain's eyes are on my face, watching me as I catch my breath. He's breathless, too, but not like me. His hand—the one he'd been using to pleasure me—is on my inner thigh. I don't know what has come over me.
Never did I think that this evening would end this way.
"Are you okay?" he asks me.
I look at his face, smile, and nod. "Yeah. More than okay. Are you?"
"I have to change," he says. "I'll be right back."
I sit up as I watch him head into his bathroom before closing the door. I feel strangely elated, despite everything that has happened with my father. Right now, I don’t want to think about it too much.
I’m here with Romain, and that’s all that matters.
Romain doesn't take long in the bathroom, but he does return wearing different clothes. His shirt has been replaced with a short-sleeved one that I know he wears to bed all the time and pajama pants. He gets in bed next to me, and I curl next to him while his arm rests around my waist, pulling me closer.
I've never been happier in my entire life.
"What's wrong?" I ask him after a few moments have passed in absolute silence.
"I don't know," he says. "I guess I'm waiting for you to tell me what happened."
My heart sinks a little at his question. I really didn't want to tell him. Then again, I didn't think he'd notice the bruise. It's so faint now compared to how it was the whole afternoon. He must have the eyes of a hawk.
“Does it really matter?”
“Why do you think it wouldn’t?” he asks, shifting slightly. When I look up, I see him staring down at me, and I sigh. Already I’m coming down from my high, and he’s forcing me to recount what happened this afternoon which altered my way of thinking entirely, especially where my father is concerned.
I’ve never seen him as someone selfish before, but that’s exactly what he is.
“I had an argument with Dad,” I state.
He sits up, his eyes wide and his brow furrowed. “He did this to you?”
I have this urge to downplay what happened, mostly because I don’t like the way he’s looking at the bruise at all, and the last thing I want is for him to get in even more trouble. So, I say, “I kind of yelled at him.”
He brushes my cheek with his knuckles lightly, and then his jaw tenses. I place a hand above his, and say, “Really, Romain. It’s nothing. I guess you could say I deserved it.”
“You didn’t deserve this,” he says through his teeth. “It’s about Soren, right?”
I wait for a beat, then nod.
Romain exhales sharply. “I knew it.”
“It’s not like I’m marrying him tomorrow,” I argue. “We have more than enough time to get rid of him. What if he gives up on marrying me? Then, Father won’t be able to say a single thing.”
Romain says nothing. His lips are pressed tightly together, and he’s staring at a spot on the bed almost like he’s in a trance. I place my hand on his cheek, forcing him to look back at me. “Come on, Romain. Don’t shut down on me.”
“I think this is a bad idea, Emmalee.”
“No, don’t say that,” I say. “Why should it be a bad idea when we feel the same way about each other and always have. You love me, don’t you?”
“I’m not going to let you get hurt because of me,” he says through his teeth. “I don’t see what more I could do here, Emmalee. How do I love you and keep you safe at the same time? The options aren’t easy. You should know this.”
I know exactly what he means because there’s no way he can fight Father, not without it being bad. Really bad. He’s the Alpha, and nobody in White Mane would ever let it slide.
“We have time,” I insist.
Romain looks my way, and in his eyes, I see the truth. He doesn’t believe me. He doesn’t think that this will end well. His hopelessness is contagious. There’s a heaviness pressing down on my chest, and it’s making it hard for me to breathe.
“Romain?”
His eyes settle on me again, and then he forces a small smile on his lips. “You should be heading back, yeah?”
“No, I’m staying here with you,” I claim before lying back down. After a few beats, he lies down with me. I want to cry. By the goddess, I do. There has to be a way for us to be together. I don’t care what my father says. He can hit me and even kill me if it gets to that.
I’m not marrying Soren.
Romain’s arm goes around me, and I inch closer to his body. I inhale his scent. I’ve always loved it. He wears no cologne, but he’s always had a very clean, masculine scent. He’s not like Cade, who smells like absolute crap every time I’m near him.
I feel sleepy and tired, mostly because of how relaxed I am. I really don’t care about going back inside. I want to stay out here with him forever.
His hand travels up and down my back. He doesn’t venture lower, even though I really want him to. I can’t seem to get what happened earlier out of my mind, and I’m overwhelmed with this feeling of wanting more. I want so much more.
Romain doesn’t say anything. I know him, so I know that he’s doubting this whole thing. He goes quiet when it comes to things he can’t resolve, but there has to be a way out of this.
“I’ll take care of this,” I tell him before pressing my lips against the base of his throat.
He stiffens against me, and because of how close to him I am, I can feel him hardening against my thigh. The same thing happened earlier, and I feel that neediness pooling between my legs again. I crave his touch, in other places, too. I keep my lips pressed to his neck and I inch closer to him. My n*****s harden, and I hook my leg over his.
“Emmalee,” he says in a low, pleading voice.
“Let’s…let’s make the most of this,” I suggest, and I hate how my voice cracks. My true feelings are betraying me, and the truth is that I feel helpless, too.
Romain lowers his face so it’s hovering over mine, and then he kisses me deeply after brushing his lips against mine. He’s on top of me now, his weight crushing me but in a good way. His body is super warm compared to mine, and I’m growing dizzier with his kisses.
We move against each other, and that delicious sensation travels down my spine lazily. It just feels so good. I can’t imagine anything being better than this.
His hands are mostly curled in my hair and moving down my waist, but I need his touch in other places, so I grab his hand, and move it so it’s directly on my breast. He breaks the kiss and stares into my eyes.
He palms my breasts, and it feels great, but I think it would feel better if there wasn’t a barrier between our skin. So, I ask him, “Do you want me to take it off?”
His throat bobs. “Take what off?”
“The dress?”
His pupils dilate, and he stares at me with a stunned look on his face for a few seconds. Then, he nods.
We both sit up, and I glance at his pants and see how he’s straining against them. My mouth never fails to get dry whenever I think about his p***s. I haven’t seen it yet, but I want to.
There are so many things I want to do with him. Things I can only ever imagine doing with him.
I wouldn’t want Soren to look at me naked.
But Romain is a different matter entirely.
I pull the straps of my maxi dress down. The length of it is already bunched around my waist, exposing my legs. I’m not sure about taking it off, but I want him to see more of me.
I’m not wearing a bra, so when I pull the dress down, my breasts are exposed to him.
The way he looks at me makes me blush, and my n*****s feel even more tight. They’re just small little buds now. I keep on watching him, gauging his reaction, and when he reaches over to brush his fingers over them, I whimper.
His throat bobs again, and then he forces himself to look away.
“What’s wrong?” I ask right away.
“Nothing’s wrong,” he says, though he practically forces the words through his teeth. “It’s just that…I don’t trust myself when you’re like this.”
“How so?” I ask.
“I…I don’t trust the things I want to do to you,” he admits.
“I do,” I state.
Romain sighs, and I take the opportunity to move closer to him. I bring the dress up, covering my breasts, and then place my hand over his rough cheek. “We’ll take things slow, then. Okay?”
His eyes settle on my lips, and he says ‘okay’ before he kisses me one last time.
- Writer
