Of course she wasn’t. I didn’t need a private investigator to confirm that. “Any evidence?”
“Nothing concrete. Nothing that will work in the court of law, if that’s what you mean.”
“Would any of these women be willing to come forward?” If they accused him on their own, I wouldn’t have to get my hands dirty at all.
“I don’t know about that either. I’m sure they’re just as afraid of him as Rome was. They would need some encouragement.”
Probably a strong man to protect them.
“Anything else?”
“Nope. Rome’s past is still a mystery to me. Talked to some contacts but didn’t get anywhere.”
I hadn’t been investigating Rome since she and I turned serious. Anything I wanted to know, she usually told me on her own. It must have slipped my mind to tell Carl to back off. “You don’t need to look into her anymore, Carl. But thank you.”
“That’s a relief,” he said. “I can’t figure out what her previous name is anyway, so I can’t track down any info.”
I kept the phone against my ear and paused when I heard what he said. When I first asked him to investigate Rome, he told me her past had been wiped clean after she changed her name. He never figured out why she did it. And the revelation slipped my mind over the course of our relationship.
“Mr. Owens?”
I forgot I was still on the line. “Keep looking into Hank. Don’t worry about Rome.”
“Alright. Talk to you later.”
I hung up without saying goodbye.
Rome told me she had a hard life growing up. That was how she and Christopher crossed paths. But something must be chasing her if she went through all the trouble to wipe away a large portion of her life.
Why hadn’t she told me?
I couldn’t help but be offended. She waited too long to tell me about Hank, and she was assaulted because of it. Did she have other skeletons in her closet that she was hiding from me? I’d committed my entire life to her. Wasn’t that enough to earn her trust?
I wanted to confront her about it, but hesitance immediately took over. The only way I would know this information was if I looked into her background without her permission. I’d known Rome long enough to understand the consequences of that.
She would be livid.
So I would need to fish it out of her some other way. Perhaps if I brought it up over dinner, it would convince her to come clean about whatever she was hiding from. I wasn’t trying to be nosy. Of course, I respected her privacy. But if I had another psychopath actively searching for her, I needed to know about it.
I never let anyone catch me with my guard down.
Or I could ask Christopher.
That would be another act of betrayal. Rome wouldn’t speak to me for a week if I pulled that stunt. In that case, I may as well just confront her about it directly. Besides, I’d rather hear about it from her anyway.
I finished my workout in the garage and wiped my face with a towel. I stepped into the house, feeling my t-shirt stick to my skin from all the sweat. I patted my face dry then threw the towel over my shoulder. Rome was standing in front of me, wearing black leggings and a pink sports bra. “What’s my woman up to?” She looked cute in work-out gear, her hair combed back into a high ponytail. The natural hourglass shape of her figure was sexy. She didn’t need to lift a finger, and her body was still unbelievable. I couldn’t say the same thing about myself. I needed muscle to be masculine. And muscle didn’t just grow on its own.
“Your woman?”
“Yes. That’s one of your many names.” Sometimes it was sweetheart. Sometimes it was Rome. But when I felt particularly possessive or aroused, it was always woman. It felt more primal to me, carnal, even.
“I was going to hit the gym.”
I tried not to smile. “Run on the treadmill?”
“Hey, I can lift weights too. I’m not totally clueless.”
“Just be careful. A lot of that stuff is heavy.”
She rolled her eyes and walked past me, shaking her hips as she went.
I smacked her ass as she moved by me, feeling that tight ass. “I’m gonna shower. You know where to find me.”
“I’m gonna get hot and sweaty. You know where to find me.”
I walked into my bedroom then got in the shower. The second the warm water hit me, I pictured Rome getting a very different workout. She didn’t need a gym or free weights. If we went to my playroom at Ruin, she would get all the cardio she needed.
My cock was hard the second I touched her ass, and now it was even harder because my thoughts turned sinister. I wanted to shove a butt plug up her ass and stare at the shiny jewel while I fucked her cunt. Feeling full at both ends would make her come so hard, she would scream and lose her voice.