Chapter 84 The Strongest Method Savannah I woke slow. Heavy-limbed, like someone had wrung me out and left me there, limp and useless. The sheets clung to me, damp against my skin, and every small shift reminded me of what we’d done. My thighs brushed together and I hissed softly, biting down on my lip. God. It was tender. My body ached in places I didn’t even know could ache. There was this deep, pulsing soreness in my belly, the kind that made me tremble if I tried to stretch too far. Even the faintest drag of fabric against my clit made me shudder like my nerves had been rewired. I flopped an arm over my face, groaning into the crook of my elbow. Utterly wrecked. That’s what he’d done to me. Left me raw, sore, and ruined in the most shameless way possible. Just with his mouth and fingers. The mattress dipped beside me and I didn’t need to look. I felt his heat and presence. Roman never just entered a space, he consumed it. His voice came lazy, a sound that slid right under my skin.“Mmm.” A low chuckle. “You’re sore, aren’t you?” My hand shot down, yanking the sheet higher over my chest even though he’d seen every inch of me. “Shut up, Roman.” He leaned closer, his lips grazing the shell of my ear, and I swore the lightest brush of his breath could set me off again. “Don’t bother hiding. I can hear it in your words. Smell it on your skin.” His hand slid beneath the sheet without hesitation, shamelessly resting on my thigh. “I left you dripping, my love. Did you really think you’d wake up untouched?” Heat coiled low in my gut despite the ache, my treacherous body sparking alive just from his words. I pressed my thighs together, wincing at the soreness. “You— you broke me last night, you freak.” Roman smirked against my temple, his thumb drawing lazy circles on the sensitive inside of my leg until I gasped. “Broke you? No. I’d never break you.” His voice was low and seductive. “I trained you. And now your body remembers exactly who it belongs to.” My cheeks flamed, shame and arousal tangling together until I didn’t know which was worse. A whimper slipped out before I could swallow it down, and of course he heard it. His laugh was dark, knowing, drenched in promise.“Still sore,” he murmured, his fingers inching higher, “but still hungry for more. My naughty girl.” I slammed my hand down on his with all the strength I could gather. “Stop right there, mister. I swear to God, if you try to start something this early, I’m biting my own tongue.” He threw his head back and laughed, withdrawing his hand but leaving the weight of his presence on me. “Alright, you win. But don’t forget you still owe me one.” The smirk on his face was full of filthy promises, like he already had a plan for when and how I'd pay. My breath betrayed me, quickening despite the way my body still throbbed from the night before. I tried to sit up, wincing as muscles I hadn’t used in months screamed at me. Roman’s eyes dropped immediately to my chest as the sheet slid down. I snapped my fingers at him. “Hey. My eyes are up here, sir.” He didn’t even blink. He just kept staring shamelessly. “No. They’re not.” Then, finally, he slowly dragged his gaze up to meet mine. “They’re wherever I say they are. And right now, they’re down there.” “Yeah, right,” I muttered, refusing to let him see how flustered I was. I scanned the room, looking for our luggage that had been in the center of the floor last night. “Looking for something?” he asked casually, like he didn’t already know. “Yeah. My luggage.” “Oh, that. I already sorted it out while you were asleep. You're welcome.” I blinked. “Umm… thanks, I guess? But I’m supposed to head back to my apartment today, right?” He shrugged. “Reese is still here. He's faking a migraine and probably doesn’t want to leave.” I dropped my gaze to my hands, fiddling with the edge of the sheet. “Oh. That means I’m staying put until further notice.” A sigh escaped me, but then a thought struck. “Wait. When you sorted through my luggage, did you see where I put my pill? I swear I tucked it in there.” Roman tipped his chin toward the nightstand. “Yeah. It’s right there.” I reached for it, one arm clutching the sheet to my chest while the other fumbled to grab the pack. My body protested even this small movement, a painful rawness reminding me of his claim on me. “Can I get a glass of water?” I asked, puncturing the pack to push a pill through the foil.“Sure.” His tone shifted, lighter. But then his mouth quirked. “I should remind you though, we didn’t have sex last night. You were too tired.” I gave him a look. “I know. But we have to be careful. We can’t use condoms, so it’s just down to this.” I held the pill up between us, my voice dipping into a teasing mutter. “Besides, this is the last one. And with the rate you’re going, you’ve gotta get me a fresh supply or you’re definitely going to get me pregnant.” I expected him to laugh. To smirk. To throw back something cocky. But he didn’t. Roman froze. His body went unnaturally still, the kind of stillness that wasn’t casual. His eyes darkened, brows pulling tight as if I’d struck a nerve too raw to touch. “Relax,” I said quickly, kicking his thigh. “I’m not pregnant yet.” He blinked, like snapping out of a trance, shaking his head as if clearing something heavy. “Forgive me. I just zoned out.” But the look in his eyes… it wasn’t zoning out. It was something else. Something deeper. My chest ached with a dull, unfamiliar hurt. “I was just telling you about my contraceptives. I’m on the last pill. We need to get more or—” “What’s the strongest method?” he cut in abruptly. “Like… ninety-nine point nine percent guaranteed?” His question landed like a slap. A sharp sting blooming in my chest. Is that all I was to him? Someone fun for the moment but dangerous if things got too real? Was the thought of me carrying his child so terrifying that he’d rather drown me in options than even consider it? Was there something wrong with me? “Um… the pill’s worked for me for years,” I answered quietly, trying to keep my voice steady. “But there’s also injections. IUDs. Implants.” He studied me, searching for something in my face. “Would you want to change?” I shook my head quickly. “No. My body’s familiar with the pill. I don’t want to mess with my cycle or risk my system reacting badly after so many years.” His expression softened, a shade of guilt flickering there. “Of course. Anything you want, my love.” He touched my mouth, tracing my lower lip with his thumb like he could erase the ache in my chest with a simple stroke. “I’ll make sure you never run short of those pills again. How many do we need? Five packs? Ten? A dozen? One hundred? A thousand?” The lump in my throat burned. I swallowed hard and whispered, “Two will do. For now.” “Then two it is.” He laced our hands together, pressing them against his thigh, grounding me with his warmth. “I’ll head to the gym now. Wanna work out with me?” I forced a smile, pretending the heaviness in my chest wasn’t pulling me under. “No. I’m too tired. You go ahead.” He dipped his head, and kissed me once. Then again, longer this time, lingering, like he was fighting himself not to take me back to bed. His lips brushed mine in a whisper. “You look ethereal. Even when your hair's a mess.” I managed a smile, clutching the sheet tight as if it could hold me together. When he stood, I noticed for the first time that he was already dressed in his workout gear. His presence loomed until he reached the door, then he paused, glancing back at me with that unreadable expression. “I’ll see you later, my love.” The door clicked shut, leaving me alone with the silence, the last pill clutched in my palm, and the hollow ache in my chest that no soreness could explain.