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C harlotte stood in Roman’s bedroom, staring out the window, which ran the length of his room. She marvelled at the view of the bustling city lights shining against the night sky. Below was a giant infinity pool and a stunning entertaining area.

Million-dollar view , she thought absently.

She turned, looking longingly at the biggest bed she’d ever seen. It called to her, with its big fluffy pillows and black comforter. She was exhausted and emotionally drained from everything that had happened. She’d stood in Roman’s hot shower for what felt like an eternity, letting the water wash away the dirt and chaos of the last twenty-four hours. It felt amazing. Besides the pain in her ears, which had eased, she didn’t feel as bad once she’d cleaned herself up and put on a fluffy white robe she’d found hanging in the bathroom. Then, she’d had a brief look around Roman’s room, hoping she could get a better feel of what kind of guy he was.

He had some artwork of beautiful scenery adorning the walls. By the window, there sat a table and two comfy leather seats. On the wall facing the bed was a giant flatscreen TV about the size of her couch in her apartment.

Maybe I’ll watch some TV .

She made her way across the room, noticing the remote on the bedside table. She climbed up onto the soft bed when the door opened. Roman walked in quietly and shut the door behind him.

Charlotte jumped off the bed. She could feel her cheeks heat, like someone had caught her touching something she shouldn’t have. “I’m sorry. I, uh, was going to watch some TV?” she mumbled, not sure what the hell she was supposed to do or if she was even meant to be in here still.

Roman was shirtless, his chest and ribs covered in horrific bruises. He had cuts along his arms and a bruised cheekbone. He made his way around the bed, stopping so close to her she had to tilt her head to look up at him. She flinched as he leaned down, his face so close to her right cheek she could feel the warmth of his breath. His fingers brushed hers as he gently took the remote out of her hand.

“Allow me,” his deep voice rumbled as he stared at her for a second before turning his attention to the television, turning it on. “Please, Charlotte, make yourself comfortable. You must be exhausted. Help yourself to whatever you need,” he told her, holding out the remote.

“Thank you.” Charlotte shyly took back the remote. Roman gave her a small smile, then walked over to the bathroom. Her eyes raked over his back, taking in his winged tattoo as he shut the door behind him. She let out a huge breath.

Oh my god.

He was the most attractive man she’d ever laid eyes on. She could barely think straight when he was standing so close to her, especially when he wasn’t wearing a shirt. Even bruised, bloodied, and dirty, the man was sex on a stick. When he’d leaned in close, it had almost been her undoing.

Get it together , she told herself.

Never in her life had Charlotte wanted anyone as much as she craved the dark man now showering in the other room. Hell, she’d never even had sex with anyone before. Sure, she’d messed around a lot and had fun, but from a young age, her grandmother had taught her she must wait and not give up her virginity to just anyone. You will know , she would tell her with a small smile, and with that, she had made her way through life holding every man she’d been with to a very high standard. None had ever made her even consider giving it up.

Until now .

One thing she knew was that her whole body was screaming out for Roman, and she didn’t think she could hold any part of herself back, no matter how hard she tried.

She glanced around the room nervously, deciding she would hop on the bed. Her legs ached, and she was still so drained. She flicked through the channels, excited to find it had every streaming service you could think of. It was a paid TV dream. She settled for rewatching the first episode of The Umbrella Academy , another favorite of hers and Ava’s. They’d binge-watched it many times. Klaus was their all-time favorite on the show.

After what felt like an eternity, she heard the shower turn off, and the bathroom door opened. Charlotte’s breath left her body, finding Roman in the doorway with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. His blond hair was damp and dishevelled, drops of water escaping onto his muscled chest and slowly running down his tanned, bruised body. Her eyes watched them carve a path all the way down to the towel. She hadn’t even realized she’d started to bite her bottom lip as she shamelessly took in his breathtaking appearance. She felt her cheeks heat as she snapped out of it, tearing her eyes away from him, embarrassed.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to stare,” she mumbled.

“You don’t need to be sorry.” His deep voice cut into the room as he made his way over to her. He leaned over the bed as she glanced back up at him. He grabbed the remote and turned the TV off before placing it on the bedside table. When he turned back to her, he slowly placed his hand under her chin, tilting her head back a little more, his nose nearly touching hers as his piercing blue eyes gazed intently into hers. “I like it when you stare at me, Charlotte.”

His deep, raspy voice sent shivers through every part of her body. Before she knew what was happening, his mouth hungrily covered hers, and that was it. She was lost.

Losing all sense of self-control, she leaned into the kiss, opening her mouth as his tongue found its way to hers. Roman growled, the vibration running through her and causing her to moan in pleasure. She reached up, slowly running her hands over his rock-hard shoulders till they found their way to his neck and the back of his head. She pulled him closer. Charlotte wanted his warmth, his scent. She wanted it all, and she wanted it now.

He rewarded her by deepening the kiss. As he pushed her down into the soft bed, his hand pulled open the robe, exposing her naked body. Slowly, he ran his hand up her stomach, then higher till it claimed her breast, another moan escaping him. Everything blurred together: the pleasure, the intensity of it all, his hands and tongue burning blazing paths across her body. He was everywhere, kissing and sucking her breasts, whispering and mumbling her name as he slowly but purposefully made his way down till he was between her legs. She gazed down at him, breathless. No one had ever made her body come alive like this. The pleasure was almost killing her. He paused, gazing up at her, his eyes slowly glowing with crimson fire.

“Roman?” she whispered breathlessly.

He smiled wickedly at her, his eyes glowing brighter. Before she could say anything else, he kissed her between her legs. Charlotte fell back on the bed, arching her back, her hands getting lost in his hair as she held him in place. He began kissing, licking, sucking, and she couldn’t keep up. The pleasure was unlike anything she’d ever felt before. His hands still roamed over her body. She thought she couldn’t handle any more, but then he slowly pushed one of his fingers inside her.

“Oh god,” she gasped as he moved it in and out, warmth pooling between her legs. Charlotte twisted and moaned, her sounds growing louder as he introduced another finger and then another, all the while wickedly licking and kissing her. Never had she been so wet, so turned on. She burned for him like she’d never burned before. She was so close she could feel her body ready to burst into flames. Charlotte almost whimpered when he released her, crawling up her body, eyes glowing as if he would devour her.

“So beautiful,” he whispered, claiming her mouth hungrily. “I’ve thought about this so many times,” he rasped in her ear as he gently nipped it before devouring her mouth again.

He positioned himself between her legs, and she could feel his erection, hard, big against her stomach as he grasped it in his hand, ready to push into her. Just as he was about to thrust into her, she panicked.

I’m a virgin. He’s too big.

But it was too late. Roman, lost in the moment, thrust into her, groaning aloud in pleasure. Charlotte let out a cry as pain hit her, and she dug her nails into his arms, tears welling in her eyes. Yep, too big. The thought kept repeating as he stilled, the pain shocking her.

“So tight. Ah, god, you’re a virgin.” He sounded horrified as he stared down at her, his eyes wide, no longer glowing. When he noticed her tears, a look of torment passed across his handsome features. “I didn’t know,” he said, trying to pull out of her.

“No, stop,” she said, and he stilled. “Just let me adjust.” Charlotte looked away, humiliated. “I’m sorry.”

His body was trembling as he tried not to move. His face strained. He slowly leaned down, gently kissing a tear away from one eye, moving to kiss the tears from the other. His warm lips traveled down, lightly kissing a trail over her cheek to her mouth.

Tenderly, his lips met hers, kissing her gently at first. Charlotte melted into his kiss, slowly relaxing. Her need for this man, for the desire his lips wrung out of her, increased as his lips moved hungrily against hers, no longer gentle but harder, greedily tasting her. Warmth flooded between her legs once more, her longing for him taking over as her body melted around him.

Charlotte moaned against his lips, her body once again coming alive. She slowly rocked her hips, testing the feel of him inside her, and the pain slowly ebbed away, replaced by raw erotic pleasure. She moved again and again, slowly thrusting her hips against his, sliding up and down his penis, the pleasure so intense she was sure she would catch fire.

Roman let out a growl and claimed her mouth, falling on her and pumping his hips into her. She gasped aloud, calling his name. This feeling was unlike anything she’d ever felt before. With every one of his thrusts, pleasure shot through her body. She wrapped her legs around his waist, holding on to him tight for fear he might take this feeling away from her, this feeling of ecstasy, of feeling alive. Charlotte was sure if he stopped, she would die.

She clung to him as he moved faster and harder, both of them now moaning, gasping, calling each other’s names. She couldn’t get enough of him as she dug her nails into his back, urging him to ride her harder.

“Charlotte, my god,” he gasped, moving faster, his lips leaving a burning trail as he kissed her neck.

She was going out of her mind, moving with him, faster and faster, until everything became too much for her. The pleasure rose and intensified as shooting stars seemed to speed through every inch of her body. She thrashed her head, feeling as though she was about to fly to the heavens as an eruption exploded inside her body. Charlotte screamed Roman’s name, holding on to him for dear life as pleasure, unlike anything she’d ever experienced, took over, drowning out the world. Nothing existed in that moment but the intense, mind-blowing ecstasy that kept going on and on. It was utter euphoria. Nothing would ever compare to this feeling right now, she thought, as she began to fall back down to Earth.

Roman threw his head back, roaring her name before collapsing on top of her. Both of them tangled together, gasping for air. Never in her life had Charlotte experienced something so intense and soul-consuming. All she knew was that she wanted more, and Roman had to be the one to give it to her.