Her eyes fell, like she hadn’t realized her error until now.
“If you want vanilla, I’ll give you vanilla. But don’t let me even think about the darker flavor that I’m into. Don’t play games with me, Rome.”
Her eyes remained on the drain in the bottom of the shower, reminding me of the submissive I wished she could be. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”
“Well, don’t do it again.” I squirted shampoo into my hand and massaged my hair, digging my fingernails into my scalp. I didn’t look at Rome, existing in my own bubble of frustration.
Her somber expression quickly faded away, replaced by a fiery one. “Calloway, I apologized. No need to talk to me that way.”
I tilted my head under the water and let the suds drip down my body. The day had been a nightmare. Looking at Hank made me want to commit murder. And then I got a taste of dominance, a taste of the life I used to live. That short experience reminded me of everything I was missing. The fact that I could have it made me momentarily angry. And then it pissed me off that I caved to her, let her break me.
“I wasn’t thinking, Calloway. You’ve done so much for me, and I just wanted to do something for you. That’s all.”
I knew my rage was misplaced. The dominant side of me came out, unleashed and powerful. Now that he was out, it was difficult to control him. But I knew I had to box him back up, to return him to the dark depths where he belonged.
I should apologize for the vicious way I spoke to her, but I couldn’t bring myself to do that. Instead, I closed the gap between us and placed my hands on each of her cheeks. I pressed my forehead against hers and held her under the water, apologizing with affection rather than words.
Her hands moved around my wrists, and she closed her eyes, enjoying the paramount electricity that ran through us. It made my body hum to life, to feel the natural connection that formed between us the second I saw her in that bar. I could feel the solid touch of her black ring, the ring she agreed to wear so I could fully possess her. We both agreed she was mine, but that didn’t seem to be enough for me.
I moved my lips to her forehead and placed a gentle kiss there, feeling myself finally calm down now that I was this close to her. The better version of myself, the generous humanitarian, was back once more. I shut out the dark side of me, the evil one. “I’m sorry.”
When she was wet under the shower, she looked beautiful. Her makeup ran down her cheeks, the mascara dripping, but the sight was still extraordinary. Her strength and power emitted from her in small waves. She let her guard down around me, but she was still the strong woman I’d come to worship. “It’s okay, Calloway.”
Was Hank really gone?
That sounded too good to be true.
The second he looked at me, he’d seemed utterly terrified. Like a little boy running back to his mommy, he took off at nearly a dead run. He realized Rome was no longer a vulnerable woman. She had a Roman soldier for a bodyguard, a man that made the soldier in 300 look pitiful.
He couldn’t fuck with me.
If that was the solution to everything, then great. But I feared that was too simple, too easy. If only Rome had told me the truth sooner, I could have chased away her demon so easily. Even if he was a difficult opponent, I still could have made this problem go away from her. When she slept in my arms every night, I knew she felt safe. When I took her everywhere, I knew she appreciated having me by her side. She wasn’t the kind of woman to show fear. In fact, she usually objected to my protection. She had no problem staying in a sketchy apartment or taking the subway every day to work. But now that she was really afraid of Hank, she accepted my help without objection.
In fact, she wanted it.
And that made me want her more. I wanted her to want me, to need me. It made me feel more like a man. She was such a woman, the curvy one who didn’t put up with bullshit, and having a strong woman rely on me just made me hard. I liked being her champion, her protector.
Hot as hell.
We had dinner together then sat in the living room together and watched TV. Like always, Rome worked on paperwork from the office as she sat beside me, the hardest working person at the company. She took on extra projects without getting paid for the extra work, and she lightened the load of her colleagues.