The words sat on the edge of my tongue, but I couldn’t say them. I felt the sensation deep inside my soul, the raw feeling of devotion. The emotion rushed through my entire body, but my mouth still wouldn’t react. The feeling was so foreign and so powerful I didn’t know how to assuage my fear.
So I didn’t say it.
But I certainly felt it.
“I love you too, Calloway.”
I opened my eyes and looked at her, seeing the love written on her gorgeous features. Her emerald eyes lit up like gems. They reflected the fluorescent lights from the ceiling, so they were even brighter than usual. She looked so strong and so vulnerable at the same time.
Words left me in that moment, so I did the only thing I could do. I kissed her on the forehead and rested my lips there, continuing to stand in the public restroom with her. If someone walked in, I couldn’t care less.
And neither could she.
At the end of the evening, we left the ballroom and entered the main lobby of the hotel. Rome’s hand was in my grasp as she walked in her heels. Even with the extra five inches added to her height, she was still nearly a foot shorter than me.
“I can’t wait to go home,” she whispered near my ear.
“Yeah?”
“These shoes are gorgeous, but they’re killing me.”
“I could always carry you.”
“No, I’ll manage.”
We walked outside, and I texted my driver to come get us.
Hank walked out with another attorney from the office, a guy I recognized but couldn’t recall by name. When he noticed us nearby, he purposely veered off to the left to avoid being close to Rome and me.
I stared him down the entire time.
It was safe to say Hank wouldn’t be a problem anymore. He used to torture Rome because it was easy, but now that I was around, his taunts were no longer effective. He didn’t want to go head-to-head with me because he would lose.
But I still wanted retribution.
I wanted him to pay for what he’d done to Rome. He knocked her around and put her in the hospital for two days. We both needed justice for that. I wanted to unleash my vengeance physically, but I understood the risk of doing that. As one of the best lawyers in the city, he could easily use the justice system to his advantage. If things didn’t go well for me, I could be locked up for a short amount of time. And if that did happen, Rome would be completely vulnerable on her own.
So violence wasn’t an option for me.
I would have to learn to let my rage go. The important thing was, he was finally leaving her alone. If he made a false move, I would document every little thing he did and take it to court. So we were both waiting for the other to make a mistake and incriminate himself first. I suspected we were both too smart for such stupidity.
The car arrived, and I opened the back door for Rome, allowing her to get in first. I gave Hank a final threatening look before I joined her in the back seat. Even once I was in the car, I continued to stare him down. The windows were tinted so he couldn’t see me, but I was certain he could feel the target trained right on his chest.
The car pulled away, and we headed home.
Rome slipped off her heels then massaged her feet. “If I had to wear those any longer, I would have chopped off my feet.”
I grabbed her by the ankle and moved her feet to my lap. Just in case my driver saw more than he should, I hit the button and rolled up the divider between us so we would have privacy. My hands worked the soles of her feet and the arch in her foot.
“You don’t need to do that…” She lay back and immediately closed her eyes, her words meaningless.
“I like touching you.”
“Mmm…” She rested her head on her folded arms and didn’t say anything else during the drive home.
I continued to use my thumbs to massage her petite feet, loving the way they felt in my hands. I was never a feet kind of guy, but when it came to Rome, I loved everything. From her fingers to her toes, she was perfect.
We arrived at the house moments later, and Rome had to force herself to sit up. “You can do incredible things with your hands, Calloway.”
I chuckled then got out. “I’ve heard that before.” I grabbed her hand and helped her out. She carried her heels in one hand and stepped on the sidewalk barefoot. I scooped her up effortlessly then walked to the front door. She was light enough that I got the door unlocked with one hand and carried her over the threshold.