Page 11 of Roman

He had nearly taken her there on the couch when the poor woman had been physically assaulted less than fifteen minutes ago.Never in his life had a woman ever made him lose control of himself.There was something about her that made him forget himself.The fact that his eyes had glowed when she’d been hurt was a clear warning that he needed to stay away from Charlotte.

I need to get her out of here before I walk back in there and rip her clothes off,he thought, and God knew that wasn’t all he wanted to do.He could still taste her and feel her warmth.

“Where the fuck is my brother?”he mumbled, running his hand through his hair, annoyed at himself.He was acting like a horny human boy.

“I’m here, brother,” Maalik said as he made his way up the last of the stairs, stopping in front of him and looking him up and down.

Roman realized what he must look like.Charlotte must have fisted his clothes.His shirt was wrinkled, and half his buttons were undone.

Don’t remember that.Must have been when I was paying too much attention to her breasts,he thought, the image instantly filling his mind.

Maalik looked about as on edge as Roman was.He had messy hair, a strained face, and blood trailing from the corner of his mouth.

“I need you to find Charlotte’s friend and take her home immediately,” Roman snapped, running his hands through his hair.“Are you alright?”

Maalik nodded stiffly.“I will get Phoenix to do it.I can’t be near her friend right now.”

Roman stared at his brother.His whole body was tense, his eyes wild and black as the night.He seemed crazed, as if he were about to snap.Roman didn’t know what was wrong, but in that moment, his brother appeared every bit the dangerous predator he had been turned into.His vampire side seemed at war with his angel side, and he was pretty sure the vampire was winning.Roman slowly nodded, pointing to the corner of his mouth, casually giving him the heads up that he still had dinner on his face.

“Tell Phoenix he is to escort them home and then get his ass back here.The others will arrive any moment.”

Maalik nodded, running his hand roughly through his hair as he wiped his mouth with the other.His eyes closed briefly as he licked the blood from his hand, his body shuddering.

Roman was stunned at this public display.Never did Maalik openly drink blood in front of people.It was something he always did on his own time, away from the others.Away from humans.Maalik finally snapped out of his momentary bloodlust, glancing at Roman.He gave his head a small shake, pulling himself back together, eyes returning to their normal color.Roman ignored his behavior.

“And tell Phoenix he is not to touch Charlotte,” he added, his anger flaring at the thought of Phoenix trying to seduce her.

Maalik nodded, taking off down the stairs.

Roman watched his brother for a few moments, concerned at the odd way he’d acted.He’d never seen him this way, he thought, glancing back at the door to his office.All thoughts of Maalik disappeared as Charlotte’s image slammed into him.He knew if he went back in there, Charlotte wouldn’t be going home, so he turned and stalked away.

I need a stiff drink, he told himself as he stormed over to the bar.

4

It was just after three a.m.when Charlotte stepped into the shower, swaying and trying her hardest to sober up.A big, handsome blond guy with scars down one side of his face, calling himself Phoenix, had given her and Ava a ride home.OnRoman’s orders,he’d told them.

Charlotte was still reeling from everything that had happened at the club.She barely gave a thought to the drunken asshole that had slapped her, her mind lingering on piercing blue eyes, sandy blond hair, and a kiss that had set her soul on fire.

That handsome, giant specimen of a man.And it wasn’t just his rock-hard body that had been large, either.The erection that had been rubbing against her thigh would make any woman blush.He had rocked her world in minutes.Now she was thinking a little clearer, her foggy mind was trying to wrap around the idea of how he could even fit.

She giggled to herself.

Seeing as Charlotte hadn’t given up herV card,as Ava liked to put it, Charlotte couldn’t believe she had been so hot and heavy with a complete stranger that she lost all common sense and had been ready to give it up like a tramp on the couch, no questions asked.

She sighed and leaned against the wall, letting the warm water run over her face, trying to wash the drunkenness away.She had forgotten she’d taken Kate’s shift and had to be at the diner in a couple of hours.There was no chance in Hell she would be sober when she rocked up for that shift.She groaned at the thought of dealing with Hal, her head starting to pound at the thought of him.

The door to the bathroom flew open, interrupting her train of thought.

“Oh my god, girl, I am so fucking wasted.”Ava giggled, staggering into the bathroom.

She opened the shower curtain, holding out a towel.There was never any privacy with Ava.Charlotte had learned to live with it years ago.

“My turn.I swear I spilled half a bottle of vodka on me.”

Charlotte took the towel, wrapping it around her as she walked out of the bathroom.Their apartment was tiny, with a small lounge room just big enough for their double-seater couch, a coffee table, and the TV cabinet their flatscreen sat on.Then, there was the world’s tiniest kitchen with enough room for one person to stand in at a time.There was no room for a dining table, so they always ate on the sofa.Off the lounge room were three doors.One was the little bathroom, one was Charlotte’s room, and the other was Ava’s.It was a crappy, rundown apartment in a crappy, rundown part of town, but it was home.

After her grandmother died, Charlotte and Ava worked their butts off to afford the little apartment and have somewhere safe to live.Charlotte had been fourteen when she met Ava, who ended up in a foster home down the street from where Charlotte and her grandmother had lived.One of the high school bullies punched Charlotte in the face on her way home one day.They teased her about her grandmother, her strange Greek accent, and the clothes her Ya-Ya wore.On this particular day, they were going to give Charlotte more than just one punch, but Ava came out of nowhere and beat the girl so badly that she, as well as her nasty friends, never bothered Charlotte again.

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