Page 73 of Bound By Blood and Lies

I bite down on my lip to stop the cry building in my throat as he finds the rhythm that makes my back arch beneath him. A strained sound leaves him, matching the quiet noises I can’t quite hold back as he moves. His hand lifts briefly from my hip before drifting to my stomach as his palm spreads there. It’s something he’s always done but the gesture feels different now.

His touch lingers with a slow, possessive warmth.

“You have no idea what you do to me,” he says through gritted teeth as his thrusts get harder. “Seeing you like this… carrying my child.”

I shiver at the possessiveness and power behind his thrusts.

“It drives me insane.”Thrust.

“My woman,” he growls.

“My baby.”Thrust.

“You’re so goddamn beautiful, Tink.”Thrust.

“I’ve missed you so fucking much,” his voice breaks as he leans down over me.

His cock keeps moving deeper, harder, like he’s trying to erase every inch of distance that ever existed between us. He hits deep inside me at the same time his pelvis brushes my clit. The intensity of it pulls a sharp sound from my throat. The rhythm of his body pressing against mine makes my head tilt back into the pillows. The sensation is overwhelming, pleasure and emotion tangled so tightly together I can’t separate them anymore as he keeps fucking me.

Tears slip quietly from the corners of my eyes.

Roman notices immediately. His mouth brushes my temple first, then my cheek, the corner of my lips, as soft kisses scatter across my skin between the steady movement of his body. When another tear falls, he catches it gently, his tongue brushing itaway with surprising tenderness that sends a different shiver through me.

“I’ve got you,” he whispers against my skin. “I’ve got you.”

I feel the first flutter deep inside me, the unmistakable pull of another climax building low in my body. The sensation rises, tightening through my stomach before spilling outward in a rush that makes my body tremble beneath him. The wave breaks over me in warm, pulsing bursts that leave me shaking.

“Ro!” I cry out.

“That’s it,” he whispers. “Just like that.”

For weeks, my body belonged to fear, to pain, to men who treated it like something they had the right to take piece by piece. Now, every movement between us feels like the opposite of that. Roman’s form shifts above me, his breathing growing heavier as the tension in his body finally starts to break. His head drops briefly against my shoulder as a low groan leaves his chest. His grip on my hips tightens painfully as the rhythm of his body falters. I feel the hot spurts of his release coat me as a shudder runs through him, even as he holds me closer, like he’s grounding himself in the feel of me beneath him.

“You’re safe,” he murmurs softly against my neck. “You hear me?”

“I know.” My fingers tighten around his.

“My girl,” he whispers.

He rolls off me and the sudden emptiness pulls a whimper from my throat before I can stop it. His hand slides back across my side, drawing me closer again as he settles beside me. His palm drifts over my stomach once more as he leans down and presses a soft kiss to my mouth.

“And our baby.”

It feels like the sun has finally found its way through the dark clouds when he pulls back and smiles at me. For so many years, I’ve been searching for somewhere to belong, somewhere thatfelt safe enough to live and come home. But as I lie beside him, it dawns on me… I never needed aplaceto call home. I just needed him.

CHAPTER 22

ROMAN

Ipinch the bridge of my nose. Being tangled up in Fae feels like a lifetime ago, even though it has only been a few hours. The absence of her sits wrong under my skin, a constant pull I can’t ignore. I grit my teeth against the headache building behind my eyes. It refuses to ease.

The element of surprise is gone. I knew it the second my father called last night. So did the rest of them. Now it feels like I’m chasing something just out of reach, trying to stay one step ahead just to keep Fae, Robyn and my mum safe. Victor sent one of his men to my Coggeshall house last night. The report came back at four this morning that the house was empty. We’ve got eyes on it in case he circles back, but I don’t expect him to.

Not now.

Dad taught me everything I know, which means I understand how he thinks. He won’t wait to be found. He’ll position himself, control the timing, choose the moment that gives him the advantage and then attack. It means I don’t get to hesitate. If I let him set the pace, we’re already behind. It’s reckless, both parties going on the attack, but what can I do?

Felix made it clear he wasn’t happy, but I understand the risk. I know it leaves us exposed, but standing stillisn’t protection. It’s permission. If Felix wants to build walls, strengthen the house and lock everything down, he can. I won’t stop him, but I’m taking this to him.