ROMAN'S P. O. VI left her.Forced my legs to walk away from her, even when my soul was trashing inside me, begging not to be separated from its mate.It wasn't about me, it was about Calista. Giving her the power to make her choices, to come or stay.She will come back home. I know she will. She just needs time to say a proper goodbye.“She will be back by tomorrow,” I muttered, walking out of the building and into the street where Alberto parked.“She'll come,” I said again, trying to convince myself. My fists balled. Callie was right here, and I was walking away. I walked away, leaving her behind a damn door with seven fúcking locks.“What was I thinking? Fúck choices,” I cursed, already turning around to go back into the building when a familiar lock of blonde hair appeared in my peripheral vision.“Roman!” He shouted.“What?!” I thundered back, my chest heaving with heavy breaths. I should have convinced her more. I didn't trust Joel; I knew he was her brother, but I wasn't su
CALISTA'S P.O.VWe lay together, savoring the warmth of our bodies tangled in a mess of tired limbs.“Come home” Roman whispered into my hair.Home.He was home. Anywhere he was, he was home. “Everyone is waiting for you” Roman continued. “Nonna is on the verge of slitting my neck. Lucas is more sober these days and Lilian...” He stalled.My head shot up from his chest “How's Lilian?” There was an ache in my chest now as I remembered my friend, Nonna, and Lucas.I had left without a proper goodbye, leaving them confused and worried.Roman let out a long breath. He took a strand of my hair and swirled his finger around it. ”She's ... She misses you, but Alberto is holding her up.”My stomach churned. I had left Lilian without even thinking to say goodbye. What kind of friend am I? She was the first friend I made in Roman's Villa. And I knew our friendship was dear to her.Who would she turn to now?The last part of Roman's words slowly registered in my head. “Alberto?”Roman huffed o
CALISTA'S P. O. VThe silence after was as loud as the moans.Roman had pulled out and finished on my thighs, his seed dripped down between us. But his hands didn't leave my waist, his eyes didn't leave mine. We stood there, in my aunt's living room, naked, pressed against the wall.He didn't let me go.And I didn't move.I didn’t want to. I wanted to savour every second of this moment. Memorize every breath and pantRoman's fingers stroked my spine soothingly. I touched his face, just noticing that his stubble was overgrown than how he usually left it.There were even bags under his eyes, like he hadn't been sleeping too. “What about Coraline” I asked. The anguish and rejection I usually feel whenever I think of her weren't there anymore. Maybe it was the sex, maybe it was Roman baring his heart open for me, but I felt more secure now.“She'll disappear. She will never be an issue again.”A warm feeling glided over my heart like honey. “Good.”He pushed hair away from my damp fore
CALISTA'S P.O.VIt was all a misconception. I didn't know where that left us, even though Roman hadn't cheated on me, Coraline was a presence in his life. She had only been able to go into his study because he let her into our home in the first place Roman had only given me one answer, but I had a dozen other questions. Is he willing to make me the only woman in his life? Is he ready to open up his heart and tell me what disturbs his sleep? Can he love me back? Questions that tangle into a whimper as he kisses the slope between my breasts, featherlight kisses, the kind that told me he was still holding back. “I want you, Roman,” I whispered to the space in between us, my nipples tightening to tiny rocks. I didn't just want Roman inside of me. I wanted him whole, I wanted the man, the one whose heart cracked enough for me to see the vulnerability, the pain, and longing from being away. I want the Roman who cares for me. “Kiss me like you mean it.” I requested, my breath comin
ROMAN’S P.O.V.Callie cried in my hands.And I let her.I didn’t speak. I held my breath while holding her, like maybe I could squeeze the pain out of her body and transfer it into mine where different emotions were rushing in like a whirlwind.Relief was the first thing that hit me. It was thick and filled my lungs in a whoosh. Like that moment of finally coming up for air after nearly drowning. Seeing her again, touching her…. it felt like coming home. I've missed home.Then came the hurt.I didn’t know if it was mine or hers. Maybe it was both. Maybe this ache in my chest was from all the days of torture we spent apart, or from the sound of her crying like something broke inside her.And the third feeling….it was the hardest to contain.I wanted to hold her so tight she couldn’t leave again. Bury myself in her skin, in her soul. If I could crack my chest open and pull her inside me, I would have done so the moment she stepped in.I didn’t just want Calista close. I wanted her insi
CALISTA'S P. O. VIt was my first time on the streets of Toledo.Day nine. Nine days with my life playing before my eyes like it belonged to somebody else.I pulled Aunt Lena's coat tighter around me. “Come on Calista.” She said with a smile as we rounded around the street. “This way”I nodded my head once, following behind her wild locks of deep blue.Toledo didn't feel much different from Chicago. Maybe it wasn't the same, but it did feel like much to me.The sky was still grey, and the breeze was still cold. Buildings lined the streets, and people moved with the same hurried focus, coffees in their hands, children in tow, babies in strollers, cars honking, dogs barking, ducks quacking, people talking, feet moving, children singing, babies crying, wind blo.....“Are you alright Calista?” Aunt Lena's nasal voice snapped me out of my thoughts I blinked, my mind snapping back to time. “Yes, yes I'm fine,” I answered. “Where are we going again?”She smiled at me like she knew I was mo