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“Roman, I’m not sure about the women you’ve dated in the past,” Angela began, her gaze steady on his. “But I’m not a doormat to be stepped on.” Her expression hardened. “Or to wipe your shit on as you step over the threshold. Yes, I am yours—your partner—as you are mine. We are equals, Roman. You don’t get to order me around.”
“Why must you be so stubborn?!” Roman shouted, turning away from her. “This is a safety issue. It’s not fucking safe!”
“The world isn’t safe, Roman. It never has been,” Angela responded flippantly. “Nothing has changed.”
“Everything has!” Roman exploded, facing her once again. “I love you! I fucking love you, Angel. So yes, everything has changed in my world. Because now you’re it. Now you are my world.” He thrust a finger out, right in her face. “So you’ll do as I damn well say!”
Instead of biting his finger off at the knuckle like he thought she would, she grabbed it and placed a soft kiss on it instead. “You’re scared,” she said softly.
As Angela continued to hold his hand in hers, Roman shuddered, his breaths were coming hard and fast. “I am terrified. Motherfucking terrified. You have to understand, Angel. I didn’t know I could feel like this. I didn’t know this kind of love existed until I met you. I’ll be damned if I’ll let anyone take it away from me. Including you,” he stated. “You’re staying here where you’ll be safe.”
Angela shook her head, sending her glorious hair flying. “But I won’t be safe.”
“Of course you will,” he assured her. “This place is a fortress.”
“Precisely.” She finally released his hand, taking a step back. “I’m not talking about being safe from the Foreman or any other enemy lurking out there. I’m talking about myself. And you.”
Roman was shocked. “I would never hurt you.”
“You already are,” Angela told him. He recoiled as if she slapped him, and she hurried on to say, “Roman, I won’t be held prisoner again.”
“It’s not the same thing at all,” Roman declared. His hands were fisted at his sides, and he made a conscious effort to relax them. He didn’t want her to feel threatened.
“To you. It’s not the same thing to you, Roman,” Angela emphasized. “But to a woman who was held prisoner in a place where she was afforded luxuries like food and an education. Well...” She shrugged.
They stared at each other in silence for a long while, neither willing to budge. He couldn’t. Even though he empathized with her, he simply couldn’t relent. Not this time.
Finally, Angela stepped back up to his stiff frame, placing a hand on his chest, over the tattoo hidden under his shirt. “It’s not just you, Roman. It’s me. My mind is a dangerous place to be when I get caught in it. If I were trapped here, even with how big Omertà is, with all the amenities, my mind would slip. It would slip back into a dark place. I could shatter again, so easily, Roman. Please, don’t let that happen.”
Roman’s resolve crumbled a little. Because he knew all too well what she was implying. He dropped his forehead to hers. “I can’t lose you.”
Angela didn’t flinch, telling him honestly, “You will if you keep me here.”
He winced, pulling away. He paced for a moment, conflicted. He was not used to compromising. And since meeting Angel, he felt like that was all he ever did. But he also knew it was how real relationships worked. And he knew what he had with her was real. He also knew she wasn’t without her own compromises. An intimate relationship was a huge step for her, one she never planned on. She’d been broken. And he wouldn’t be one to fracture her again. Not any part of her.
“I’ll take precautions. Even more than I am now,” Angela said, sensing his conflict. “I’ll be careful, I promise. But I can’t be trapped here. Any more than you could be.”
It pained him, but he finally said, “Okay. I’ll make it work.”
“We will make it work,” she corrected. “We’re a team, remember?”
He nodded sharply. “Which means you’ll be happy to find a solution with me. Right? You have to give something here, too.”
“I would be happy to,” Angela agreed. “See how easy that is?”
Roman tossed her an are-you-crazy look. “You’re joking. Angel, I love you, but nothing about you is easy.”
She stepped up to him with a smile, walking her fingers up his chest. She tapped his chin before smudging his bottom lip with her thumb. “Something tells me I wouldn’t have snagged you if I was easy. You would have screwed me and moved on. You appreciate that I’m not boring.”
He looked down through half-closed eyes. The fact that she was right was as annoying as it was hot. “Perhaps,” was all he said.
Her grin widened. “I’ve got your number, Mr. Romano.” She tapped his chin again. “Now, what’s my share of the compromise?”
“Move in,” he said quickly. All she did was raise an eyebrow, but he cursed. “Sorry. Will you stay here, please?”
“I absolutely will,” Angela replied.
His heart thumped, and he held his breath. “Permanently?”
