The Promise (Darkest Lies Trilogy Book 2) by Bethany-Kris (fiction book recommendations .txt) 📕

used to sport—the one that was muddled, confused and suspicious of the outside world—lay a young woman who was funny, charming, perilously sweet, and maybe needed just a little bit of help with her confidence every now and then.

He wasn’t surprised that she shined in front of others—beautiful things always did, though. Karine was certainly that. There was no doubt about it.

While Roman’s thoughts whirled in his mind, keeping him silent and unwilling to draw Karine’s attention away from the rest of the people at the table, she and Michelle were in the middle of a new conversation. Apparently, the two had found a secret trail in the woods and wanted to show him. Claire interrupted everyone’s chatter by turning on music in the room, the sound filtering out from built in speakers overhead and all around.

“Now, nobody said anything about dancing, Claire,” one of the bulls joked, making Roman’s mother reply with a laugh.

He knew the truth.

“She’s playing this music because she misses my father,” Roman said softly to Karine when she turned, and pouted those pretty lips of hers at him. “It’s their favorite thing to do at night—he listens to music, and she reads beside him.”

Karine’s pout bloomed instantly into a smile. “That’s ... sweet. You should have brought him.”

Maybe.

Some shit couldn’t be helped.

“He was busy,” Roman replied.

He wound an arm around her waist, and pulled her closer to him until she was practically on the edge of her chair. The rest of the room drifted away, even his mother’s attempts to get a shy Masha to sway to the beat with her, faded with Karine so close to him. Michelle chose that moment to head away from the table, and he was silently grateful.

“You seem happy,” Karine said in a whisper, the tips of her fingers raising to trace the smile playing on his lips.

“I am. Are you?”

She nodded. “Very. I don’t think I’ve ever had this much fun before.”

“A shame, that.”

“Doesn’t matter.”

Roman lifted a brow. “Oh?”

Karine shrugged. “It’s just better with you.”

The way she said it so unabashedly was music to his ears. Roman kissed her, then, leaning between them to close what distance remained, and he didn’t care who watched. From the way the room silenced, but for the music, of course, he didn’t doubt that everyone’s eyes were on them. Karine must have sensed it too, because she broke away from the kiss, blushing.

The prettiest pink.

All the way down her throat, too.

Goddamn.

They needed to be alone.

Soon.

“It’s too bad if you want more of that apple pie because I’m going to take you away now,” he told her, unable to tear his gaze away from the sensual curve of her mouth.

She bit down on her lip. “I’ve been waiting to hear you say that all night.”

“Really? I thought you were enjoying yourself.”

“I was.”

Roman smirked. “But you’re not even going to make me feel bad about taking you upstairs for the rest of the night, are you?”

Karine didn’t hesitate. “Not at all.”

He weaved their fingers together, pulling her toward the doorway hand-in-hand, and not bothering to check over his shoulder as he went.

Roman had some important things to say to Karine, but first, he needed to take that dress off her.

• • •

He was kissing her before they even made it through the door of his bedroom because he just couldn’t help himself. The door flung open under his chaotic, searching hand once it finally found the knob to twist, and they tumbled through the threshold in one other’s arms. Both out of breath, tangled in each other, nothing separated the two from what they wanted the most.

Roman loved the taste of Karine on his lips. All hot, and sweet. Like warm honey. She coated him, every inch of him. He weaved his fingers tightly through her hair, angling her face exactly the way he wanted to keep her still, so he could kiss her deeper.

She stared at him with heavy lidded eyes when they finally parted, their fingers knotting together. With the bedroom door still open, they could faintly hear the music filtering up the stairwell from downstairs. He couldn’t be sure if his mother had turned it up, but certainly sounded a little louder.

“You know, I might have liked to dance,” Karine whispered through a smile.

“Okay, so dance.”

Roman lifted her arm up and twirled her around, making Karine giggle before she fell on him again, pressing herself to his chest. He certainly wasn’t the type to dance, but he would for her. Hell, he’d do anything if she smiled at him like that again.

Kept smiling at him.

For the rest of her life.

Pressed tight to his chest, Karine’s one hand still weaved with his while his arm held her around the waist, they swayed on the spot to the slow melody that just barely reached their spot. But it was perfect, too.

Just him and her.

He’d missed that.

When he kissed her the next time, she stilled, wanting his mouth more than she wanted his feet to keep moving. He pulled the straps of the yellow dress down her arms to slip them off, marveling in the way his hands covered her delicate shoulders.

“I like this dress,” he said.

“I got a red one, too, but I couldn’t say no to this one on the way out. I really loved the market.”

His stare slammed into hers.

Karine lifted one bare shoulder, adding, “I heard you liked red.”

He did, yeah.

“I can’t wait to see that one, too.”

Karine’s quick grin had him ending the conversation so he could tug the dress lower until her perky, bare breasts came into view. He sunk down, enjoying the tickle of her blunt nails scratching over his scalp when he took her breasts in his hands. His lips lined dotted kisses down her chest, over her cleavage.

The softest sigh echoed over his head when he sucked on her nipples, one by one. Rosy and peaked, he used his teeth. All that breathiness of hers came out in a moan next.

Deep, and loud.

His cock throbbed