The door clicked shut behind him, leaving a deafening silence in its wake. My legs gave out, and I sank onto the edge of the bed, pressing trembling fingers to my lips. They still tingled, betraying me, reminding me of the heat and the weight of Roman’s kiss.
“What the hell just happened?” I muttered, shaking my head like I could erase the last ten minutes of my life.
But I couldn’t.
Every second of it was seared into my memory—the way his lips felt, the fire in his touch, the way his voice wrapped around my name like it belonged to him.
No. I couldn’t let this happen.
I stood abruptly, pacing the room as if motion could undo the chaos swirling in my chest. My reflection caught my eye in the mirror, and I froze. My hair was disheveled, my cheeks flushed, my eyes wide with… something.
Anger. Confusion. Longing. None and all at the same time.
“Snap out of it, Ruby,” I scolded myself, gripping the dresser until my knuckles turned white. “He doesn’t get to do this to you. Not again.”
But
