Page 20 of Stick Fight

Her gaze falls to the bed as she goes silent, like she’s afraid I won’t like the truth.

“You can be honest with me.” I reach out, brush her hair from her face, and her head lifts, blue eyes locking with mine, a new kind of determination there.

“I think it’s more about me, Roman.”

My heart pounds hard against my ribs, as I lean into her, wanting to give her everything—and anything—she needs. “Tell me how this is about you? What’s going on?”

She takes a deep breath and as she lets it out, she explains, “I need to feel wanted, Roman. I…it’s been a while since I’ve been touched.”

Her confession guts me. “Gabs,” I cup her face gently, running my thumb over her cheek. “I’m so sorry.”

She leans into my hand. “Tomorrow is another day, and while I don’t know how I’ll deal with everything, tonight…I just want to feel, Roman. I want to forget.”

My blood boils with anger and protectiveness. “I don’t want to talk abouthim,” I say, working to keep my anger in check. “…but I want you to know he doesn’t deserve you.”

Her eyes flicker, and there’s something there, something that tells me there’s more going on behind the scenes—with her ex, and with me. She opens her mouth and closes it again, like she can’t find the right words. Either that, or they pain her to give voice to them.

“I don’t want you to feel used, Roman.”

Holy shit. Was her ex using her somehow? I want to ask but don’t. “Use me? Babe, I’m the lucky one here,” I say with a grin, meaning it, yet wanting to soothe her worries.

For a moment, something shifts in her and she pulls her gaze from mine, but not before I catch the vulnerability in her eyes. “I understand if you don’t like?—”

“Gabs, no,” I say quickly to stop her as I inch closer. “I like everything I see. I wasn’t saying any of those things to console you. Like I said, I don’t say things for the sake of saying them. You’re a beautiful woman, and trust me, I want you.”

She blinks rapidly. “You don’t still see me…” She trails off, the words sticking, like she can’t push them past the worry tightening her throat.

“Gabs?”

She shakes her head. “It’s just…back in high school, I was different.”

I cock my head, confused. “We were all different.”

“Yeah, but I was…”

There’s a pause, a long beat between us. I lean in, my mind racing. Where is she going with this?

She tugs on the T-shirt, her gaze flickering to mine as she pulls the loose fabric away from her stomach, only for it to billow back. “You know…my body.”

Understanding hits like a slapshot to the chest, and it takes effort to breathe. “I always liked that girl,” I tell her, offering her a smile that’s warm and genuine. “I liked everything about her.”

Once again uncertainty flashes in her eyes. “We never dated or anything.”

Jesus, her ex might have done a number on her tonight, but she’s been broken for a long time, and dammit, everything in me wants to be the guy to put her back together. But that’s insane, right? I’ve never been a guy to stick around, and healing takes time. But despite all that, I want to protect her and that fucking scares me.

But tonight…just tonight.

“That doesn’t mean I didn’t like you or liked what I saw, Gabs.” I see doubt in her expression and since actions speak louder than words, I lean in, pressing my lips to hers, desperate to show her how real this is to me, how much I want her. At first her lips are stiff, tentative, but when I moan, and deepen the kiss, her body softens and she melts into me.

My body? Oh, it’s beginning to unravel.

I slide my tongue into her mouth, tasting her sweetness, the softness of her lips sending a wave of heat through my veins. When we finally pull away, gasping for air, I murmur, “For the record, I’m not an asshole who can’t see real beauty, Gabs.”

She grips my shoulders, her voice wavering when she says, “I’m sorry. I never meant to imply you were.”

“It’s okay.” I brush her hair back, and grin. “Also, for the record. Growing up, I was a string bean. Remember? I didn’t fill out until high school when I started hitting the gym.” I wink at her. “Now that’s a guy all the girls ran away from.”

“I didn’t, Roman.” She tugs me to her.

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