Black Forever (Obsidian 4)

I was glad he was loyal to her. That was exactly how family should be. “Is she eating? Sleeping?”

“No. And no.”

I’d hoped this conversation would make me feel better, but it just made me feel worse.

“It’s gonna be a while before she’s back on her feet. She’s a strong woman, but I’ve never seen her struggle like this before. Last time, she put on a good front. This time, she’s not even bothering.”

I fucking hated myself.

“What’s the deal with Hank? Do I need to get a gun?”

I was relieved to say I wasn’t worried about that asshole. “No. I have guys tailing him wherever he goes. If he comes with a mile radius of Rome, they’ll let me know. If I can’t get there in time, they’ve been instructed to intervene.”

Christopher sighed in relief. “Well, that’s something to be grateful for. Now I can shut my door at night.”

I turned in my chair and looked out the window, noting how dark the sky looked now that Rome wasn’t mine anymore. The sky wasn’t any different, blue as ever, but to me, it was just a blanket of gray. “I wish it didn’t have to be this way. Honestly.”

“I know you love her,” he said quietly. “I can tell.”

“Thanks…” That meant a lot to me that he recognized my sincerity. I’d never doubted my feelings for Rome, just my restraint.

“I tried to explain your actions to her, but it didn’t make a difference.”

“What do you mean?”

“Basically, that all people have certain needs, and it’s not outrageous for them to leave if they don’t get what they want. I told her I would never be with a woman who was against blow jobs. Blow jobs aren’t the center of my universe, but could I really settle down with a woman who refused to give me one once in a while? No. I know it’s not the same thing, but I tried to get my point across to her. She didn’t take the bait.”

I stared at the black ring that still sat on my right hand. I didn’t have the strength to take it off. My heart was still committed to that woman. “She didn’t understand either?”

“No. She’s not gonna change her mind about the whole thing. Sorry.”

I appreciated him trying. And I appreciated him being so understanding. “Thanks for saying something.”

“I hate seeing her hurt like this. But I think she’s being a little unreasonable. I know she’s been through a lot. No one knows that better than I do. But it’s in the past, and we need to move forward. If she really gave it a chance, I think she would understand it’s not abusive. But she’s a stubborn woman…as you know.”

Just as stubborn as I was. “I miss her.” I didn’t know what possessed me to say that. When I felt the emotion, I just admitted it out loud. Right now, I had nothing else to lose. It didn’t matter if Christopher thought less of me for wearing my heart on my sleeve. I didn’t give a shit what anyone thought of me.

“She misses you too.”

I rested the back of my head against the leather chair and closed my eyes, trying to fight off the crippling sensation that just swept through me. “Keep me posted, okay?”

“Sure, man. Take care.”

It felt like I was saying goodbye to him too. In the past year of my relationship with Rome, Christopher had become a friend. In fact, he seemed like more than just a friend—more like family. Being his brother-in-law actually sounded appealing. Since that was an impossible future, I pushed the thought out of my head. “You too.” I hung up and let the phone fall to my lap, my eyes still closed like that would somehow protect me.

But nothing would protect me.

I walked to the elevator at the end of the day and was relieved I didn’t see Rome once. She was nowhere in sight now, so I didn’t have to suffer through an awkward elevator ride down to the bottom floor.

But just when I reached the elevator, Rome appeared from the right, having taken a different route to the elevator.

Fuck.

She stopped when she spotted me, obviously just as disappointed at seeing me as I was at seeing her. Her face looked pale like she’d lost most of her blood. That sexy fire wasn’t in her eyes anymore. Anytime she looked at me, there had always been a hint of desire. But now she stared at me like I was the grim reaper.

Despite her sickly appearance, I immediately got hard.

It was the first boner I’d had in over a week.

My fascination with this woman would never die, clearly.

The doors to the elevator opened, and I stuck my arm inside. “I’ll catch the next one.” I couldn’t stand inside that elevator with her. I couldn’t make small talk about work or the weather. It was too soon to be normal, to act like a typical boss with one of his employees.