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His eyes dart over my face, lingering on my forehead, so I swivel my wrist in his grip and take his hand instead.

“Please?”

“Okay.” Roman nods slowly. “Okay. Good plan. But you first.”

“I didn’t get stabbed.”

Roman rolls his eyes and groans. “Fine.”

I pick myself up from the floor as he stands and slowly unbuttons his shirt. As he tosses it aside, revealing his gorgeously muscular back, something catches my eye that makes my heart stop dead.

Both arms are heavily tattooed with black ink that sweeps together and caresses around his pecs to join together at his breastbone.

But … I know those tattoos.

One is a dragon winding around his bicep breathing fire, another is a phoenix. There’s a long snake and an elegant deer leaping over a line of forest trees. Hundreds of butterflies trail from his elbow all the way up to his shoulder.

I know those. I know them all by heart.

“Oh my God,” I gasp, my voice barely a whisper as everything about Roman suddenly crashes down around me. “Oh my God, it’s you!”

17

JASMINE

“What’s me?” Roman’s brow knits together as we stare at one another.

A deep yearning of lust pulls through my body, my pulse quickens, and heat flashes through me from head to toe. Roman is him. My mystery rescuer from all those years ago. I’d recognize those tattoos anywhere because I’ve thought about them nearly every day since he saved my life.

How is this possible? How is the son of my enemy actually the man who saved me from such a hellish ordeal? Is this some kind of trick?

No, if it was, Roman wouldn’t have shown something so recognizable, and he wouldn’t be this kind to me. He would have left me to die at the hands of Alto’s men, and that would be the end of it. This is different.

This is really him.

“You…” I step forward slowly, reaching out for him, but his injured state makes me pause. I want to touch him and kiss him and feel his body against mine. I need to run my fingers through his hair and kiss him until my chest aches. I need to feel every ridge of his muscles against me, feel the stretch of his cock deepinside me, and hear the sweet sounds he makes when pleasure takes him.

Every fantasy I’ve ever had about him flits through my mind like a kaleidoscope of color, and my pulse races faster.

“Jasmine?” Roman’s concern is so genuine, flooding his eyes as he walks forward to close the gap. I almost pull away from him because if he touches me, I won’t be able to stop myself.

“You saved my life,” I whisper, and a swell of emotion in my chest brings tears to my eyes.

“Yeah,” Roman nods, clearly oblivious to what I’m talking about.

Does he not remember?

Why would he? I was just some random girl back then, and given everything he’s done, I was probably just another job in a long line of whatever he did back then. But to me, he’s everything, and my heart beats out of my chest.

Roman takes my hand in his, and I lose all sensibility.

“You saved my life—” Our mouths collide like a clash of thunder.

Roman stumbles onto his back foot, but he’s very receptive to the kiss. One arm circles around my waist and pulls me snugly against his bare chest while his other hand cups the side of my neck with his thumb sliding along my jaw.

There are no words. Not now. I need to show him how much I need him, how grateful I am, and it doesn’t matter that he won’t understand.

I’ll make him understand.