Black Obsidian(33)

“You really don’t have to hang out with him,” Rome said. “It’s not a big deal—”

“I want to.” Rome clearly wanted to keep us apart, but I wanted to get closer. The best way to dig up dirt on her was from someone who knew her better than anyone else.

Christopher nodded in agreement. “Rome, I really like this guy. Keep him around, and give him a real chance.”

A real chance, huh? That was interesting. “She doesn’t have a choice. She’s stuck with me.” I wrapped my arm around her shoulders in the booth, keeping her tucked under my arm like I owned her.

Rome’s cheeks tinted, and she tried to hide her smile.

She should take my words literally—because that was exactly how I meant them.





9





Rome




“You need to chill out.” I brought the bottle of wine to the tiny table in front of the couch in my apartment. I popped the cork and poured two glasses, sitting on the floor while Christopher sat in the chair.

“Me? No.” He swirled the wine before he took a drink.

“I’m serious. I like this guy.”

“I know.” He waggled his eyebrows. “He’s a stud.”

“Stop checking him out.”

“I’m not. I just have a healthy respect for good-looking people. If he wasn’t seeing you, I’d ask him to pick up girls with me. Dude, we would dominate every bar in Manhattan. Women with their best friends would be lining up to take a ride on the pony express.”

Vomit filled my mouth like lava from a volcano. “Don’t be gross. I’m your sister.”

“I’m not being gross. Just being myself.”

Christopher meant well, and I knew he had a heart of gold, so it was impossible to be mad at him. His talkative nature and constant need to make a joke made him endearing, despite how annoying he could be. In spite of everything he’d been through, he still saw the world in a positive light. People were innately good, and he chose to believe people would do the right thing when faced with a difficult decision. “Just don’t talk about me when you go out with him tonight.”

“How am I going to do that?” he asked incredulously. “The whole reason we’re hanging out is because of you.”

“I just mean, don’t tell him anything too personal. We’re still pretty new, and there’s a lot he doesn’t know about me.” I didn’t want to talk about the past because it was bleak for both of us, but I had to get my point across.

“He doesn’t know?” His eyebrow arched toward the ceiling, and he held his glass in his hand. It was half-empty, and he would need a refill in about a minute.

“No.”

“Why?”

“We’ve only been seeing each other for a few weeks. I don’t want to dump my emotional bullshit on him.”

He stared into his wine then swirled it without taking a drink. When he sighed and put the glass down, I knew a serious conversation was coming. “Alright, you know me. I don’t like to get all serious and crap. But there’re a few things I gotta say to you. First of all, this guy is seriously into you. How do I know that? Believe me, I just do. I’m a guy, and I understand guys.”

I hoped Calloway was into me, because I was really into him. My thighs wanted to squeeze his waist while his cock rammed into me. My body hummed to life anytime he was near, and he made me come so hard that I felt like the sexiest woman alive. On top of that, he was sweet and kind, and his heart was in the right place. There was nothing sexier than a generous man who committed his life to helping other people. He was so perfect I questioned if he was real. There must be something missing, some skeletons in his closet.

“Second of all, you can’t have a relationship unless you’re totally honest with him. So don’t hide your past like you’re ashamed of it. Shit went down, but you got out. Look at you now. You’re the strongest chick I’ve ever met. If anything, it’ll just make him admire you more. And if it doesn’t…he’s not man enough for you.”

“He’s definitely man enough.” There was no doubt about that. He was the strongest and most confident man I’d ever come across. It was no wonder why my knees grew weak for him. I’d been searching for someone like him my entire life, and the idea of finding him scared me deep inside.

Because what if I was wrong?

“That’s sweet of you to say, Christopher.” He picked on me like every brother in the world, but once in a while, he complimented me in a way no one else ever did. He never lied to me, so when he did say something sweet, it was from the heart. “But it’s really early in our relationship, and he’s not even my boyfriend.”