Soulmates & Twin Flames

26 - The End Of Me

The curtains subtly move when wind thrums against my bedroom window. I need fresh air, but I'm too tired to move a muscle. Feels like we are burning as Roman and I lay side by side, watching the shadows on the ceiling.

"You'll be the end of me," he whispers, bending an arm over his head.

"Why are you even here?" There's nothing in my voice. It's empty. Maybe a little resentment, and heartbreak... Maybe.

"You texted. You needed me," Roman replies, shifting his gaze to my face. "I don't know how I know."

The howling wind fills the silence. I sigh, throwing a leg over his hairy ones. I can't hate him no matter how much I try.

"Remember the day we ate tacos at the park?" Roman asks softly, then closes his eyes. His smile seems ten times lighter now; his features rested. "I'd like to be that man. A simple man. Carefree, and full of hope."

"I liked him too," I say, holding his hand.

He parts his eyelids and starts gulping, loudly, as if he wants to swallow the rest of his words. Then drawing a long breath, he twines his fingers around mine. "I was on my way to Harvard when Dad's news arrived. When he...died. I had to go to the hospital to identify his body. Mom was a mess. Nate was a dumb teen. He was stuck at the airport—couldn't even figure out where the hospital was. We had a big funeral. The press. The board. Strangers my father had helped that we never knew about. Everyone came."

He takes a short break. His irises move rapidly as if he's looking into his own mind to retrieve the memories. "None of us understood what was happening at first," he continues. "It felt like Dad was gone for a business trip and he'd come back. But then Mom started selling the estates for a quarter of their worth. She sold everything, until all we had left was the magazine."

Roman rubs his forehead. "The lawyers, partners, banks, debts... Everything fell like dominos. I was the only one left standing." He squeezes my hand. "I had to keep standing."

He falls silent, but he doesn't need to talk. I know the rest of his story by heart. He had to build walls around him to become invincible.

"A fortress..." Roman says, echoing my thoughts. "It's a price I had to pay. I had to focus. I had to—"

"Sounds lonely," I whisper.

Roman whips a gaze at me and nods. His chest starts rising and falling faster. His jaw tightens. I hate the pain in his eyes.

"It doesn't have to be this lonely, Roman."

Grunting, he climbs on top of me again. His lips start leaving wet kisses across mine, then move to my cheek. He hums, tucking his nose under my ear, and my skin flares with instant goosebumps.

"I want to do the right thing," he says.

The determination in his voice sends a kick to my gut. "What do you mean...?"

His caramel eyes lock with mine, and capture my soul. "I'll figure things out," he says. "I'll find a way for us to be together. Just give me time."

"Okay..." I whisper shakily.

"Okay," he echoes as he brings his lips closer to mine.

His breathing gets heavier and carries me to that state of bliss every time he is near. His hand closes around my breast. And when he pinches my nipple, I whimper in need.

"I need you too," he whispers. "I need you, Abigail."

My nails dig into his shoulder. His tongue curls around the curve of my neck and trails down my cleavage. He looks down at the nipple he's pinching and then closes his mouth around my entire breast. My back arches to feed him more. The way his teeth graze my sensitive skin makes me want to scream and pull my hair. Being under him, surrendering to Roman's burning touch is the sweetest torture. And he loves being my torturer as he kneads my other breast. Then he switches to my other nipple to make me moan and twist under him all over again.