Black Diamond (Obsidian 2)

My hands moved to her thighs, and I caressed the powerful muscles through her sweatpants. Rome didn’t hit the gym, but she walked everywhere she went. As a result, she was strong. I liked that about her.

“If you ever want to talk about it, you know I’m here.”

I looked into her eyes, my mouth immobile. There was nothing to say about my mother. She was in that facility because she couldn’t take care of herself. Obviously, I couldn’t give her what she needed around the clock. Placing her in someone else’s care was all I could do. “The doctors can’t figure out what the problem is. She doesn’t have Alzheimer’s.”

“Oh…”

“I think her mind snapped when she realized all the horrible things my father was doing. She couldn’t handle it, so she checked out. But now that so many years have passed, I suspect something else happened in her mind, something that doctors can’t figure out.”

Rome rubbed my chest gently, the pity rising. “You’re a good son, Calloway. Does Jackson visit her too?”

“Never. Says it’s pointless.”

She massaged my shoulders, her body weightless on top of mine. “I wish there was something I could do…”

“You’re doing it, sweetheart.” My hands circled her small waistline, feeling the muscles of her core.

Her hands wrapped around my wrists, and she gripped me gently, her hair falling over one shoulder. The brown strands were soft to the touch but strong. When I wrapped her hair around my fist, I could make her do my bidding.

She leaned forward and cupped my face, her beautiful eyes gazing at mine. Her features were more perfect than the stars in the nighttime sky, bright and beautiful. With or without makeup, she was gorgeous. And when she looked at me like that, like I was her whole world, I felt more like a man than ever before.

When I first saw her in that bar months ago, I’d never felt so much energy surge through my body. All I wanted to do was fuck her, but now, I respected her as a close friend. Sometimes I wanted to hold her just for the sake of it. With Isabella, there was no affection unless my cock was in her pussy, mouth, or ass.

Rome gave me a soft kiss on the mouth, her touch delicate and full of affection. When she pulled away, she had an emotional look in her eyes, feeling some kind of pain I couldn’t see. “I love you, Calloway. I don’t know when it happened, and I wasn’t sure if I could ever feel this way for someone…but it did happen.” She trailed her hands from my face back to my chest, looking at me with the same expression.

I heard what she said. It was crystal clear. But it was the last thing I expected her to say. We’d only been seeing each other for six months, and I’d told her I wasn’t looking for marriage and a happily ever after.

This was something I’d never anticipated.

She said it with such heart, such affection, and I felt like an ass for not saying it back.

But I couldn’t.

Love wasn’t in my vocabulary. Love wasn’t something I was capable of feeling. Affection and devotion were all I could offer her.

She continued to stare at me, waiting for me to say something.

I was surprised my reaction wasn’t to push her off of me and run. I was surprised I didn’t want to end our relationship then and there. Her words terrified me, but there was nothing she could say that would make me walk away. “Rome…”

Her eyes fell in sadness, catching my tone.

“A long time ago, I said I wasn’t looking for marriage and forever… I meant that.” I swallowed the lump in my throat, feeling like an asshole for rejecting her confession. She put her heart on the line and left herself vulnerable, but I couldn’t give her what she wanted, even to spare her pain.

Her eyes moved down to my chest, where her hands still rested.

A beautiful day had been ruined, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to fix it. If she walked away, I couldn’t stop her. But I didn’t want to give her up, so I hoped she would stay. I hoped she would give this a real chance because it had so much potential.

When she spoke, her voice was still strong. “It’s okay, Calloway.” She looked at me again, determination in her eyes.

“What’s okay?” Rome usually said exactly what she meant, but in this instance, I couldn’t figure it out. It was okay that I didn’t tell her I loved her? It was okay that I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life with her?

“It’s okay that you didn’t say it back. Because I know how you really feel, Calloway. It was difficult for me to come to this realization too, to take down my walls long enough to actually let someone in. You need more time—and that’s perfectly okay.”