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Rome"s attention.

Turin had just turned six when Rome left. The child he remembered was gone,

and in his place was a young man, one he didn"t know. Even though Mary Beth sent

him copies of Turin"s class pictures, Rome was never able to reconcile the boy he

knew with the teenager sitting at the dining table.

It pained him to discover he had missed so much of his brother"s life.

“But not any more.” He whispered the harsh words to no one. It was a promise

to none but himself.

All too soon the dinner was over. He watched Turin and Mary Beth and

counted down the seconds until they would disappear from his sight. Even after

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they were gone and the lights were turned down, Rome stood in the yard waiting for

something he couldn"t name.

Just when Rome was ready to admit defeat, turn, and head back to his lonely

suite, he realized he"d been spotted. He took a step back, moving deeper into the

shadows at the creaking sound of the rickety back door opening, and held his breath

as the soft sound of grass being crunched underfoot drew closer to him.

It was then that Rome admitted he hadn"t really thought through his actions.

After his mother"s visit he was plagued with this need to see his family, despite its

destructive nature. So he came home, even though he knew in his heart he could

never truly come home.

“What are you doing here?”

The strangled sound of his mother"s voice drifted to him, sluicing through the

hunger for family.

She was worried about him.

“I"m sorry… I…I couldn"t stay away.”

Mary Beth stepped from the shadows to stand before him. She glanced over

her shoulder to make sure she wasn"t followed before placing a warm hand on his

cool cheek. “You miss him.”

He gritted his teeth, hating the pain, the isolation, and the need that seemed

to be a part of him. “I never should have left him. I never should have left you.”

She shook her head as tears silently streamed down her face. “I always knew

you would leave. From the moment you started to walk, I knew I would be forced to

watch you walk away.” She gave him a soft smile filled with memories. “When you

got old enough to truly stand on your own, I started praying for you. You know each

time you left for school I prayed it would be the day you wouldn"t return.” She

clasped the hand closest to her with her free one. “You were always meant for

something more than Brushwood.”

“That still doesn"t make it right that I left.”

She turned so her back was to him. She was so close he couldn"t help but

breathe in the scent of her hair. She smelled like the happier days of his childhood.

His arms wrapped around her tiny waist of their own volition.

“He misses you.”

He snorted. “How can he miss someone he doesn"t know? I"m surprised he even

remembers my name, let alone who I am.”

“How couldn"t he? You"ll always be a part of him.”

He swallowed thickly as he silently hoped she was right. “I doubt that.”

“How could he forget you, Rome? You"re his hero. You"re his big brother.”

He couldn"t say anything in response. He didn"t have the heart to tell her the

truth.

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Chapter Six

Sela took a deep breath and let it out. And then she took a millionth one and

let it out again. “Damn it all to hell,” she growled before walking away from the door

and striding down the hall. Yesterday Rome gave her his ultimatum. The bastard

hadn"t left her mind since then. She"d left the party a little after their game of seven

minutes in heaven. That night she"d tried to relieve the ache between her thighs

and failed. The same thing happened earlier tonight. After the dinner, she went up

to her old room, undressed, and then realized she was not going to be able to sleep

that night. Rome had played her body so well she knew she wasn"t going to be able

to fall asleep without an orgasm. Unfortunately after trying, she"d discovered she

couldn"t make her body respond the way he had.

So she was there at his hotel, on his floor, moments from taking him up on his

offer. Gods, she hoped he was there! She hadn"t bothered to call and let him know

she was coming, too afraid she would back out the last minute. Determined and

aroused, Sela marched back to the door and knocked on the hard, glossy wood.

“Coming.”

She tightened her grip on her purse strap as she waited for him to open the

door. Just when she began to wonder if he was ever going to open the door, Rome

stood before her.

He blinked down at her in surprise. “I didn"t think you would come.”

She smiled at him even as her belly muscles clenched and her nerves

tightened. “I haven"t yet.”

Rome flashed Sela an answering smile and gazed into her face for several

moments. With each second that ticked by them, his eyes darkened until they

appeared to be hard jewels of shining desire. “You will…very soon,” he murmured

before stepping back and allowing her to enter the suite. The moment she stepped

over the threshold, the door closed behind her.

There was no going back. Not that she wanted to. She was aching for his touch

and knew he was the only one who could satisfy her.

“Are you sure about this?”

She stepped forward and placed both hands on his chest. “Are you—” Sela

didn"t get to finish her smart-ass retort. Rome lowered his head and captured her

lips in a dominating kiss that stole her breath. The moment his mouth touched

hers, her body temperature rose, and her heartbeat doubled. He wrapped his arms

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wrapped around her waist and tightened his hold, pulling her hard against his

muscular chest. She glided her palms up his torso until her hands reached his neck.

Sela teased the strong column of his throat with light touches before running

her hands through his hair. She loved the silky feel of Rome"s wavy, ink black locks.

Sela"d dated her fair share of men, but no one"s hair reminded her of his.

Just as no man"s touch reminded her of Rome.

She hated that his touch affected her so quickly, but there was no denying that

she responded to him like Pavlov"s dog.

Just when Sela wondered if she could take any more of his wicked kiss, Rome

ended it. He brushed his mouth against hers before pulling away slightly. “You

taste so good, but I want to take my time. I want to make this last. I will make it

last.”

Staring into his smoldering eyes, Sela felt her heart jump and skip a beat.

There was so much emotion in his gaze, a promise she found impossible to ignore.

Then there was the way he drew out the word “last.” Sela couldn"t help thinking

there was something more he wanted to say after it.

Something like forever.

The thought frightened her.

Sela lowered her head and broke his gaze. “This is just sex, Rome. You started

something, and I need you to finish it. Nothing more.”

The very air swirling around them seemed to still at her words. Rome moved

closer to her and grabbed her chin. His fingers bit almost painfully into her flesh as

he lifted her head. “Let me get this straight. You just want me to fuck you?”

“Yes,” she whispered as wanton heat filled her veins at his harshly growled

question. There was no doubt in Sela"s mind that her words had angered Rome, but

she wasn"t worried. Rome would never hurt her. At least not physically.

His anger gave him a little bit of a hard edge.

And there was something attractive about a dangerous man.

He must have realized what his words did to her. His gaze tightened, and in a

low, almost menacing voice, he spoke. “You want me to give it to you, hard and

deep, all night long?”

With every word he said, his voice deepened and became huskier. She couldn"t

help but close her eyes at the sound. It was bitter, decadent, dangerous, and utterly

intoxicating.

“God, yes,” Sela sighed as she lifted her right thigh. Rome was apparently

thinking along the same lines, because he grasped her leg and notched it to his hip.

Her pelvis was intimately pressed against him. His cock, hard and heavy, brushed

against her mound. Sela lifted her head for his kiss as she rolled her hips against

the thick ridge of his erection.

The moment his lips pressed against hers, Sela knew she had done the right

thing in coming to his hotel. His mouth was hard and insistent. It coaxed her lips to

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Tuesday Morrigan

open with deliberate pressure. She parted her lips and sighed into his. Rome"s growl

of satisfaction echoed between them just before he thrust his tongue deep into her

mouth.

Sela lifted her hands and threaded her fingers through his silky hair as she

stroked her tongue over his. It was as though the feel of her tongue touched

something deep inside Rome. The flavor of the kiss changed, became deeper, and

more unrelenting.

Rome released her thigh and sifted both hands through her hair. She

shuddered against him and gasped into his torrid kiss as the fingers in her hair

caressed the suddenly sensitive skin of her scalp before traveling down to her nape.

He teased the flesh there, pleasing and exciting every nerve ending until she felt

the sparks deep in the folds of her sex, and when Sela thought she couldn"t take any

more of Rome"s devastating kiss, he broke it off.

“Look at me, Cupcake.”

She blinked at the sound of the nickname. It took her back to a time long gone,

a period she didn"t want to remember. Staring into his amorous eyes, she bit out,

“Don"t call me that. I"m not her anymore.”

Rome"s gaze hardened and his grip tightened. “With me you are. I gave you the

nickname, and I"ll decide when you"ve outgrown it.”

She tried to jerk out of his arms, but he refused to let her go. “I said—”

His eyes softened, and he shook his head as he pulled her closer.

Understanding shone in his gaze, and she didn"t like it one bit. “I know why you

don"t want me to call you that, Sela. And I promise one day I"ll earn the right.” He

took a step closer and pressed his cock more intimately against her sex. “But we

both know you never stopped being my Sela…my Cupcake.”

Rome lowered his head and kissed her hard before Sela could release the

protest sitting on her tongue. She knew the act had been on purpose, that he"d

kissed her to keep her mouth shut, but Sela couldn"t find the strength to be angry

with him as his tongue plunged into her mouth.

The man kissed like a lust-starved god.

Breathing hard, Sela broke off the kiss. As much as she enjoyed his kisses, she

needed more from him. “We"re no longer in high school, Rome. We can go further

than first base.”

His answering smile was brittle. A slight chill of caution traveled down Sela"s

spine. She ignored it and lifted one eyebrow in silent challenge.

“How far are you willing to go, Sela?”

“As far as it takes.”

His smile became a little softer, but no less dangerous. Rome lowered his head

and brushed his lips against her ear. Sela couldn"t help the shudder that ran

through her. “Good,” he whispered.

“And you don"t want me to make love to you…just fuck you?”

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The way he said the words “make love” made Sela shift her thighs anxiously.

Rome spoke the words as though he was making love to them as he whispered

them. It was so sexual. As if that wasn"t devastating enough, he paid just as much

consideration to the words “fuck you.” The attention was harsher, rough, but no less

devastating to Sela"s mind. It took her several moments to work through her body"s

response and answer his question. “Yes, I want just sex, Rome. I"m not looking to

relive the past.”

“Good.” He took a step away from her.

She opened her eyes immediately. Her gaze caught his but only for a moment.

His eyes raked over her figure as he reached out and placed his hands on her

shoulders. Sela closed her eyes, sure he was going to give her what she"d asked for.

The best sex of her life.

Instead, Rome spun her around and pulled her back hard against his chest.

Her eyes widened as her breath whooshed out of her lungs in surprise. His hands

moved over body, skimming and teasing every inch of her body with his touch. She

groaned his name as his talented fingers left a fire burning wherever they touched.

When his palms reached her hips, Sela automatically opened her legs. One of

Rome"s hands delved between her thighs to cup her sheath.

“This pussy belongs to me tonight.”

Oh, God
! She nodded.

“Whatever I say goes.”

She sucked in a harsh breath and nodded her head in agreement.

Lord, she was three seconds away from on an orgasm, and they hadn"t even