My Dark Romeo: An Enemies-to-Lovers Romance(120)

He shoved his feet into his shoes. “Yes.”

My bottom lip quivered. “But…why?”

“Because all you want is for me to knock you up so you can waltz back to Chapel Falls. And all I want is to bury myself inside you and never leave your bed. You’re a weakness. An addiction. A distraction.”

I flung out of bed. The abrupt movement sent nausea spiraling down my gut. My knees failed me.

Romeo was there in less than a second, righting me in his arms. And still, his gaze remained flat and unforgivingly dispassionate.

I could liquify into a puddle of regret right then and there, at the feet of his Bruno Cucinellis.

“What you’re saying is nonsense!” I pounded his chest, furious. “No part of me wants to go to Chapel Fa—”

“Stop lying!” It was the first time he’d raised his voice at me. Ever. He ripped himself from me, plowing a hand into his messy, ink-black hair. “Stop lying to me, Dallas. I overheard you telling your sister how much you hate me. How you want me to knock you up so you can go back home.”

Oh, no.

No, no, no, no, no.

I couldn’t believe he’d overheard that.

What a disaster.

“Lord.” I tipped my head back, forcing out a laugh. “I lied to her, Romeo.”

“Why?”

“She found out we were having sex. My sheets reeked with the scent of us. I had to make an excuse for allowing you into my bed. I hadn’t confided in her. I’ve never kept a secret from Frankie. She felt deceived and pushed back. She was hurt.”

I never stopped to think he might get hurt, too, if he heard my words. But I should have. Not one of them had rung true.

He arched a brow. “And telling her we were getting along wasn’t a suitable answer?”

“No.”

“Why?”

I sighed. “Because she wouldn’t understand.”

“Wouldn’t understand what?”

That I am in love with you.

With my captor. My enemy. My beast.

“Because we’re complicated, and she doesn’t understand relationships. Trust me, Rom. I don’t want to go away. I don’t want to return to Chapel Falls. I lied to my sister, and I’ll make this wrong a right. I promise you that. But you have to believe me.”

I clutched the lapels of his shirt. If he walked out right now, I knew my life would be over. Or at least, the life I wanted for myself.

He peered down at me. I could tell he didn’t want to believe me. That his overdeveloped self-preservation instincts begged him to guard against another heartbreak.

I couldn’t believe I made him taste betrayal again. The thought sickened me.

“I have no reason to trust you,” he finally said. Deathly quiet.

“I know.” I clung to him.

We were so close, I could smell him. I wanted to drown in him and never resurface.

“Then, why should I?”

“Because I’m asking you to.” I licked my lips. “And because that should be enough.”

His nostrils flared. I knew he didn’t want to give me a chance. I also knew this was exactly why he’d ghosted me.

He wanted to step back from the intensity of our relationship. Well, I wasn’t having it.

I wanted him.

All of him.

Palming his cheeks, I lowered his face down to mine. Our foreheads met. The tips of our noses touched.

I breathed hard, my lips moving over his. “You are not the only one here with a dark corner to your soul. I will go to extreme lengths to make sure you are mine. I want you. And I won’t give you up just because you decided you want to try out life without me again.”

That was all it took for his lips to fuse with mine.

Before I knew what was happening, he grabbed the backs of my thighs, hoisted me up as my legs wrapped around his waist, and carried me across the room.

He thrust his tongue past my lips, kissing me deeply and furiously.

I moaned into his mouth, giving the kiss all I had before coming up for air and realizing we were in the hallway now. “Where are we going?”

I nipped at his chin, already working on unbuttoning his shirt. I couldn’t believe we’d gone over an entire week without sex.

“My room.” He sucked the side of my throat, moving my panties aside and fingering me with the hand that wasn’t holding me wrapped against his body. “Our room.”

“Our room?” I pulled back, staring at him, wide-eyed.

“I am fucking done asking permission to see you every night. You’re moving in. Starting now.”





The next morning, Romeo was already in his study when I woke up. He obviously didn’t bridge Christmas and New Year where work was concerned.

I splashed in his massive bed—our massive bed—grinning to myself. Somehow, yesterday had resulted in shattering a mental wall of his. I now budged closer to becoming his wife not only in name but in purpose.

My stomach growled, royally announcing it was back in business, demanding to be filled with decadent holiday pastries.

But the rest of me had more pressing issues to tend to. Like moving all my things to the master bedroom before Romeo changed his mind.

I hurried down the corridor before remembering that I needed to pee. Slipping into a bathroom, I crouched on the toilet and giggled to myself.