THE STRUGGLE WAS REAL.With her breath stuck in her lungs and her head in the dark, she attempted to escape the powerful grasp. She threw her elbow, hoping for it to hit something. She kicked her trembling legs, wishing for it to hit something sensitive—somewhere between those manly legs tangling with hers as she tried to run.Get off! Get...""Oh, you wouldn't want to hit that part, Cara. That would be your loss."Her knee stiffened in an instant. She recognized that voice. There was only one man in this world who could talk to her with such dangerous calmness and yet make her skin tingle like it just got licked by a flame. 'C-caro?'"Knee down."'W-What?'"Again. Put. Your. Knee. Down."She obliged, completely forgetting about how cold she was or what she was about to ask. Then slowly, she felt the thing covering her head and face move, revealing the same man whose name she had been calling until a few seconds ago."Are you alright?"'No, I'm not,' she wanted to say. But then the wo
"I STILL DO..."That kiss wasn't supposed to feel as good as it did. When those words slipped from Rome's lips and confirmed what Margaux was dreading, the logical thing for her to do was to push him away and run as fast as she could. However, how was she to do those things when her whole being instantly turned to a puddle inside his hands? Rome was kissing her the same way he kissed her before the lawyer, and all she could do was kiss him back. She moaned against his lips, and her caro took full advantage of it. He slipped his tongue in her lips and met hers, sweetly stealing her last chance to stay sane. Her lips started following his expert lead, and it didn't take long before she got his slow rhythm. Finally, their lips joined in a breathless, passionate dance. And for the millionth time since they met, Margaux was spellbound by him—again."I'm sorry, " she heard Rome whisper, brushing his lips against hers as he continued to beg. "I'm so sorry, Cara. Please forgive me. I'm--"Sh
THE AIR WAS THICK inside the room when Rome woke up. His morning didn't start as warm as Margaux's. It was cold regardless of the morning sun seeping through the cracks in the wall. It wasn't that he wasn't used to such; it was just that this scene wasn't exactly what he pictured in his dream last night after making love to her senselessly."What are these, Caro?"Still dazed from sleep, he lazily looked down at the things she had lined up on the floor. He could have laughed at how Margaux put effort into arranging what looks like a red carpet welcome for him.Had she been waiting for him to wake up? That was cute. If only it weren't his things that she scattered before bed. His key to the Ducati, his butchered wallet with all his IDs—both fake and real—circling it, a pocket-sized copy of his and his mother's photo, his metal-cased cellphone, and lastly, his gold-plated señorita gun."A perfect killing set?" he tried to joke out, ignoring her suspicious stare as he moved out of the be
"YOU LOOK LIKE YOUR MAID WHEN YOU DO THAT."Margaux bit her lips to muffle a cuss. They were driving back to the villa, and she had been neck-deep in thoughts for a while. She wasn't in a mood for jokes. More so, the things she witnessed a few hours ago.'Fake IDs?' Her teeth sank into her lips harder. She couldn't care less about the iron-like taste that slowly spread in her mouth. Something was definitely not right about what was going on, and it wasn't just numbing her; it was utterly dumbing her too. 'Who the hell carries fake IDs and a gun in his jacket?'"Listen to this, Cara. If our first baby's born looking like it ate fungus for breakfast, you are going to pay me big time.""Can't you just shut up?" Her roar shook the whole car, effectively making Rome turn to her with a hint of a smirk on his face. Compared to the overly stressed-out woman, the brute looked as if he was having the time of his life while driving. He was back in his white shirt and jeans, leaving his jacket on
'POSITIVE'Rome couldn't tell when his hand started to tremble. All he knew was that he was struggling to keep hold of the tiny plastic tab in his hand. His amber eyes were dark as they stared at the two red lines screaming from it. 'Margaux...N-no... We. We are positive.'He closed his eyes and rested his head against the couch's backrest. He was suddenly oblivious to the cold wind hitting his face through the open window. Nothing felt real to him at that time—just the tab inside his hand, the sound of Margaux's breathing as she slept soundly on her bed.'How can I protect you, Cara?" Slowly, he opened his eyes, laying his soft glare on the only woman he ever loved. Then, dragging a deep breath between his teeth, he tried to silence the lone thought that had been keeping him from running next to her and kissing her parted lips. 'What should I give to keep you and our child? Tell me. I'll give it to you. Without any questions or doubt.'His fingers gripped the test kit as his amber be
"I want to see you both in that dress, Cara."Rome felt his chest tighten just by calling her. Could he tell her what was pressing him down on that bed? Or could he at least tell her what was choking him while begging her to wear that dress again? He hoped he could. "Please...""I-I don't have that dress anymore."'This is horrible...' He closed his eyes. Finally finding the energy to move his head. He opened his eyes again and looked at her. He saw Margaux looking back at him over her beautiful shoulder. His gaze then glided down her back, mingling a bit longer on the hollow of her spine, before settling on her hips.Involuntarily, the corner of his lips lifted, although that smile didn't reach his sad amber eyes. 'My baby's growing fast.'"Stop smiling like that while staring at my butt, Caro."Margaux's irritated voice aired, forcing him to look up at her face. The same beautiful face he would love to kiss the rest of his life if he were lucky enough to have some more time left.'L
GOD WAS MOVING. He was moving his chess pieces so accurately, and no one could tell what was next."Burn it," he ordered before sipping wine from his glass. His voice was calm, just like the wide ocean before him. Santorini mornings had always been perfect anyway, more so, his mansion there. Whitewashed houses line the most beautiful mountain in the world, meeting the blue Aegean waters as they calmly hit the shore.It was heaven with a demon living in it."Burn it down and..." the God chuckled while letting the sweet breeze mess with his graying hair. "... break his other leg. Make sure that he wouldn't have anywhere else to go."...'Cazzata!'Rome's cuss remained unspoken as he watched his headquarters, 'The Romans', burn through nine different TV screens. Thick, dark smoke was rising from the same building he had worked so hard for. From the aerial shot taken by the news channel, he could see the showcase of his bar getting licked by fire. His people were screaming and getting t
DARKNESS.Not a single drop of light illuminated the heavens that night—not the moon or even a single star. There was nothing except for silent voices talking in pitch-black."He saw us watching him, didn't he?"[He is smarter than I expect, God.]"Of course, he is!" Pride dripped from that unknown voice as the speaker chuckled. "He is the one and only Romano, after all."[Okay... So what's your next order?]"Drag them back." The god yawned, sounding a bit bored, before adding, "Make sure that the Amati is there once I come..."...ALBERTA WAS CALLING...No, it was better to say that she was bombarding Margaux with her calls. Hundreds of them in the past twelve hours. Nonstop.'Should I tell Rome?' Lifting her eyes from the vibrating phone on her hand, she looked up and scanned the unfamiliar room before her—unpainted walls, grey, and way less colorful than the skin of its late owner, Tat."Why are you just staying there? Why don't you come here?"She jerked upon hearing the man sit