Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 74291 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74291 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
“I love you, Roman. I love you,” I whisper. “I’ll always love you.”
Chapter Fifty-Six
Roman
She’s destroyed me. I thought she had before, but I had no idea. As I’m left sitting here with Ana resting against my chest and the final aftershocks of my orgasm finishing, I know now. She’s destroyed me. The cries of her telling me she loved me are still echoing in my ears. What the fuck am I supposed to do with that? I give myself a couple moments before I pull her off of me. I can’t breathe. I need to distance myself from this. From her. She stands, almost falling. I stand up, zipping up my pants and needing to get away. Needing to get away from her body… Fuck, I’m choking on the scent of her.
“Roman?”
I can’t look back at her. I can’t. “I can’t do this, Ana. I’m not giving you an opportunity to betray me again. I’m not a man who does love. That doesn’t exist. The only instinct that matters is survival,” I tell her when I reach the door, my back to her.
“Let me in, Roman. I promise you I’ll make sure you never regret it. Please, don’t shut me out.”
My hand trembles with the need to give in. She’ll never know how much I want to do exactly that.
“Goodbye, Ana.”
“Goodbye, Roman,” she says, her voice hoarse with tears. I hear them and I feel like a bastard for being the cause of them. I am a bastard. I’m pushing her out of my life. When I found out about her betrayal, something inside of me broke. I’ve always managed to be detached in life. Ana stopped that. Her betrayal nearly brought me to my knees and that is unacceptable. No one will have that control over me again. No matter how much I may wish it was different.
I walk out of the room and keep going. Allen stops me at the door, I know he’s worried about his sister, but I can’t talk to him. Right now, I don’t think I can talk to anyone. If I did, the only words I’d want to say would be begging Ana not to leave.
“Take your sister home, Allen. Make sure she doesn’t come back,” I growl, opening the door. When the night air hits me, it does nothing to drive away Ana’s scent. I have a feeling nothing ever will.
It’s over.
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Ana
Three Months Later
* * *
“What are you two doing? I can’t believe you kidnapped me! Do you know there are laws against this?” I cry, my heart still racing in my chest.
I’m in the back of Roman’s limousine with Bruno. Allen is driving. Apparently, the mole on the inside of Roman’s business was Robert, and he used the maid Mayra as his personal spy. No wonder the bitch had it out for me from the start. Allen told me that a month ago. It surprised me, but I was glad that Roman finally knew who the guy in his organization was. I was relieved even though it had nothing to do with me anymore—which is why I’m panicked at the thought of being in Roman’s car.
I made a clean break from Roman. I even moved to Georgia to start my life over again. The last thing I need is to be anywhere near him right now. My hand goes to my stomach—my very pregnant stomach. There’s definitely no hiding the baby bump now. No, at almost six months pregnant, there’s no hiding. I pull the heavy coat I’m wearing tighter around me. At least Allen gave me this coat. I don’t know what he’s doing, but I need something to hide the fact that I’m pregnant from Roman if I see him again.
“The boss needs you,” Bruno says, or rather, repeats. That’s all he or Allen have been saying since they broke into my house before dawn this morning and manhandled me into the limo. Okay, carried—and rather delicately, really, considering I’m getting so fat.
“And I told you, I doubt Roman would want me anywhere near him. Whatever is going on, you need to find someone else to help him,” I respond, not bothering to ask what in the world he needed me for, since they haven’t answered the other hundred times I’ve asked.
Silence.
I didn’t expect anything else. It’s evening now and, except for a few quick stops for restroom and food breaks, we’ve driven all day. In fact, I figure in an hour I’ll be at Roman’s house. With each mile that we travel, my nerves and panic kick up. When we turn into Roman’s private driveway, I can literally taste my fear.
“Allen, please don’t do this. Take me back home.”
“Sis, Roman—”
“I don’t want him to keep me because he knows I’m pregnant, Allen. I deserve better than that,” I tell him, and then it hits me. “Oh, God. Is that it, Allen? Does Roman know I’m pregnant and wants to take my baby?” My hand goes to my stomach, wrapping around it as if to protect him from the unknown threat.