I ended the call and looked up to Rex and Kristen. "We need to get back to the house, right now. Do you have a car, Rex?"

"I do," he muttered. However, he shuffled in a way that let me know he didn’t exactly like where the conversation was going.

I turned my focus to Kristen then, getting the feeling that he would be more willing to listen to her than myself. "Roman’s going to need to hear whatever it is Rex knows. Plus, Ed and Marcus are going to need it for their case."

"Case? Are you talking about feds?" Rex asked, crossing his arms.

"Oh, don’t be a baby. Aren’t you the one that said there’s an open contract on the poor girl? The least you can do is give us a ride back and talk to whoever it is you need to. These agents are fine. They aren’t going to try and pry into your life. You’ll be an informant and nothing else."

Rex pulled a cigarette out of his jacket pocket, tucked it behind his ear, and sighed. "Alright, let’s get going."

The three of us moved through the hallway and out a side door of the club. We popped out into an alleyway, and, without even so much as a word between them or even a look, Kristen and Rex sandwiched me between them as we moved down the alley.

I could barely hear the thumping music behind us or the sound of traffic over my heart thumping in my ears. I couldn’t believe this was my life. It felt like every other day I was having that realization, but it just kept getting crazier.

We walked down the busy street, turned down a service road, and approached a small hatchback car. Kristen and I climbed into the back seat together. "Get on the floorboard, Hannah," Rex called. You could hear it in his voice that the cigarette was then between his lips.I could hear the soft clicks of a lighter before he continued. "It’ll be safer down there."

I didn’t question it. I ducked down into the floor and peered up at Kristen. Her eyes met mine and I could see the confidence that usually burned in those eyes deflating. She was scared for me, which made me even more scared. She had always been the bravest of us all. It made the danger feel all the more real.

The car ride somehow managed to feel far too long, even though Rex drove like a bat out of hell. For a man with a hatred for cops and a record to prove it, he sure drove like he wanted to have a chat with one.

"Police scanners," Kristen whispered. I guess I had a look on my face that she decoded easily. "Don’t worry, we’re almost there."

No amount of time was fast enough. In fact, I was thankful that he was driving like he was. Any slower, and I would have likely had a panic attack.

My mind was already going wild with possibilities as to what we would get home to. What if people had swarmed the place? What if there was a home invasion going on as we arrived? My heart just couldn’t take it.

And then, as fast as we had taken off, Rex was throwing the car into park. I scrambled into the seat before throwing myself from the car to realize we were at the gate with two guards.

As I turned to the house, Rex called to me. "Here."

He handed me a business card through the window, and I handed it over to Kristen. Then, without even caring how it looked like or what, I ran into my house.

I practically tackled Roman, who was waiting just inside. His arms wrapped around me and he squeezed me tightly. Then, he pulled back and glared down at me.

I could tell from the look in his eye that he was angry. I grew a little smaller, but I knew he had every right to be. I would be mad, too.

His eyes shifted behind me to Kristen, who stood in the doorway. "Please, wait around while I talk with Hannah. I would like a word with you."

"Of course," Kristen said. "Don’t be too mad, Roman. Alright? It was my idea."

"Mhm," Roman replied.

I didn’t turn around to see her face. With my arm gently in his grasp, Roman guided me down the hall and into one of the family rooms. After he shut the door behind us and locked it, he began pacing back and forth, rubbing his face.

"Just, go ahead and explain," he muttered.

I took a deep breath and did my best to gather my thoughts. I knew that, at that point, the only thing to do was to be as honest as possible.

"I want to start by saying I take full responsibility. It’s not on you or Kristen. I... I know that what happened with Jessica was for intel. And it wasn’t like you initiated the kiss. Seeing it though..."

I shook my head, forcing myself to stand strong and not to cry. I didn’t want him to think I was trying to get out of it. I was going to face the music.

"It awoke fears in me that I didn’t know I had. That I won’t be enough one day," I stated.

He looked at me with a look of mild annoyance and hurt.

"You had always been a playboy before me, Roman. There was never one woman that was enough, you know? I think it’s understandable that it would give me some doubts. They aren’t rational, I know. It’d been enough, though, that it overwhelmed me. I needed to just get away and shut my mind off. It was selfish, but I felt like speaking these things aloud would make me seem crazy and emotional. So I wanted to work through them and shake them off."

I watched as his shoulders slumped and he slowly paced back over to me. His hands rested on my shoulders.

"What we have is different, because we have love. I’ve never had that before. With any other woman it was only sex, and maybe companionship too if she could manage to hold a decent conversation. I’m not going to just get bored and start looking around. I promise you that if I ever start to have doubts, I will come to you with them. We can get a professional to help, or whatever we need."

He pulled me in tighter. "Though, I suppose we will need to up security now. Please give me your word that you won’t be sneaking off anymore. This is serious stuff, Hannah."

"I know. I promise. I’m so sorry," I breathed.

I gently took hold of his face and kissed him.

A spark was ignited. I was overcome with emotion that I was with him. That things were okay. That we were both alive. Roman felt it too—I could tell by the way his hands dropped to my hips.

Just like that, all was forgiven, and we were making out passionately. Next, he was lifting me and pressing me against the door to the hall.

My heart was fluttering, and I couldn’t help but be turned on by the fact we would be making love so close to everyone.

"You better keep quiet," he warned me in a husky voice.

I was already wet with arousal. "I’ll do my best if you do," I challenged.

"I like this look on you," he whispered as he kissed my neck and shrugged down his joggers. It took me until then to realize he wasn’t even wearing a suit as he usually did. "Once this is done, maybe we’ll go clubbing together."

"I’d like that," I moaned in a soft voice. He was rubbing his tip against my entrance, but wouldn’t press into me.

"Did you grind with anyone?" he asked, his hands exploring my sides and gripping my ass as his chest pressed into mine and held me up. "Did anyone else feel you?"

"No, I swear," I whimpered. "I would never disrespect you like that."

"Prove it to me," he said as his lips hovered over mine.

In a swift motion, he carried me over to the back of the couch. Roman bent me over and hiked my dress up above my hips.

"Remember, don’t make a sound. People are all around the house now."

He drove into me, and I had to bite down onto a cushion to keep quiet.

He fucked me hard, and I couldn’t have been more aroused. I loved it when he took charge like that, and the anticipation that anyone could find us added to it. I loved that he was mine and only mine; and that I was totally his. It made it all too good. Too soon, I reached my peak, my body clenching and vibrating from the pleasure.

"No fair," he moaned, continuing to pump into me.

In an act of defiance, I pushed away from him and turned around. He hovered over me, but I sank to my knees. I took him into my mouth and greedily sucked. Roman’s hand held the back of my head, guiding my movements. I eagerly tongued, sucked, and kissed on him until it was his turn to be quiet. I looked up at him to see him biting down on his knuckles. As I pushed back down around his base, he came. I swallowed and continued to lick him tenderly.

Once he was done, I rose to my feet and shrugged my dress back down. Roman gripped me by the waist. "You’re mine, Hannah," he said to me softly. "And I protect what is mine."

"And you’re mine," I replied.