The Auction House Deal: Bought by A Billionaire Chapter 16: Comfort

Hannah POV ...

I heard the door open as Roman entered the room, but I didn’t look up from where I was laying on the window seat. I knew my face was blotched and puffy from crying, but didn’t care.

Roman sat down right next to and I reluctantly t his gaze.

"You had worried, Hannah," he said softly. "What’s going on?"

I scoffed and turned away from him. "I don’t want to talk about it," I said. Why had I even let him co in?

"How can I help you if you don’t talk to ?" Roman asked. "Are you OK?"

I sat up, practically sitting hip-to-hip with him now, and I glared at him. "I’m not f*cking OK, Roman, "I said, my eyes stinging with tears again. "I’m being forced to marry you because my father is a f*cking a*shole and I just want to go ho." The word ca out choked by a sob, and I covered my face with my hands as I tried to pull myself together.

"Hannah, talk to ," he said, his hands grasping my wrists gently to tug them away from my face.

I t his gaze with tear-soaked eyes. Roman’s expression was one of pure concern, his blue eyes searching my face for answers. He didn’t care that I was a sobbing wreck right now.

I drew a shaky breath and he released my wrists, surprising by cupping my face to wipe my tears away with his thumbs. When I stiffened, he quickly removed his hands and placed them in his lap. We stared at each other for a long mont.

"I asked Geoffrey for a phone to call my sister," I said, maintaining better control of my voice now. "I talked to her and told her I was OK, and then I talked to Freddy."

Roman leaned in, listening to intently.

"What did you tell Freddy?" he asked .

"I didn’t tell him anything over the phone," I said. "I tried to invite him to dinner. I was going to tell him to his face what a fcking lunatic our father is, but...but then my father took the phone."

Roman’s hands curled into fists at the ntion of my father. "Did he threaten you, Hannah?" Roman asked .

I shook my head. "No, he was trying to cover everything up because Freddy was in the room, but he let know that he would take Lori to that place if I didn’t go through with this marriage." Anger was rising in my chest now, replacing the weeping sadness that had been there. "I fcking hate him, Roman. I wish that I could hurt him. I feel so trapped because of what he did to ."

I hadn’t realized that my fists were clenched until Roman gently took my hands in his, urging to relax my fists. I did, and even though having him hold my hands felt a bit awkward, I was glad he did.

"Hannah, I get it," he said to . "I hate your father too, and I will see to it that he gets what he deserves. But I feel trapped too." I searched his face as he spoke. "You have to understand that I didn’t go there to buy a sex slave. I didn’t go there to buy anyone at all. I was actually leaving when I saw you up there, and I couldn’t let just anyone have you."

His words hit like a hamr on a nail.

He couldn’t just let anyone have . "You bought because you actually care about , even though you barely know ?" I asked him.

"I do care about you, yes; that’s why I did it, Hannah," he said, his words coming rapidly.

"I care about you. From the first ti I saw you at your father’s parties, I saw a beautiful woman, an amazing woman. A woman that your father knows is worthy of so much more than being sold at a f*cking flesh market."

His words touched my heart. I stared at Roman while he held my hands in his and finally saw him for the man that he was.

Geoffrey called him kind and fair, and he was certainly proving that he wasn’t taking advantage of . He genuinely did what he thought was right to help . "I’m really sorry, Roman," I said. "I’ve been so selfish. I didn’t listen to you."

"It’s fine, don’t beat yourself up about it," he said to . "Trust is earned."

I bit my lip and nodded. He gently released my hands and turned to put his elbows on his thighs with a heavy sigh.

"Are you OK, Roman?" I asked him.

"F*ck no," he said to , shocking with his brutal honesty. "I’m really not OK. I didn’t expect to be getting married in three months to a woman I barely know. I just wanted to free you from that place, but I got us locked into a contract." He was still leaning over, not looking at as he spoke. "I want to f*cking take that place down, but I can’t risk anyone getting hurt."

I longed to reach out and stroke his back. He was in agony. I felt like I was a confidant, seeing his vulnerable, hidden side that he kept locked from the world.

"Thank you, Roman," I said. "For what you did." He looked up at then, searching my face with his blue eyes. "I an it. I understand that your heart was in the right place." I steeled myself against his gaze, full of raw emotion and I thought he didn’t believe what I was saying to him. "I was being selfish, only thinking of myself," I said.

Slowly, tentatively, I slipped my arms around him and closed in for a hug, resting my cheek on his shoulder. "Thank you," I said again.

Without a word, Roman shifted his arm to bring my head underneath it and onto his chest. His warmth was so comforting.

"You’re more than welco," he said in a low voice. When I gazed up at him, his blue eyes were full on , dark with need. He touched my chin, tilting my head up to his.

Before I could react, his lips were on mine, pressing his kiss firmly into place. I parted my lips and his tongue imdiately found its way into my mouth, teasing the tip of my tongue.

When I reached up to cup his neck, pressing his mouth harder against mine, he shifted, pulling onto his lap. He pulled closer to him and I kissed him faster, full of need.

God, this man was driving crazy with his kiss.

I needed more of him. I needed to be closer to him. Drawing back briefly, I pulled my leg between us and across to the other side, straddling his hips.

He dove for my lips, pulling back into the kiss, gripping my waist to pull in closer to him. My hands slid up his neck and into his soft brown hair.

I was very aware that I didn’t have any underwear on, feeling the friction of his slacks between my thighs. I moaned, surprising myself as our kiss deepened, speeding up as we pressed ourselves together, creating a slow, sensual rhythm.

I began to rock my hips against his, gasping at the way my body was reacting, tingling from the slit between my thighs to my hard nipples.

Suddenly, Roman gripped my a*s and stood, carrying to the bed.

I vaguely realized what was happening, but I could barely think with the way that he was kissing . He broke the kiss and tossed onto the bed, climbing up after . " I f*cking love kissing you," he growled at before capturing my lips again.

He was lying on top of now, his hips between my thighs. We were back in a rhythm again, our bodies matching the pace of our kiss.

I was moaning loudly. I couldn’t help it. Roman’s body felt so good on top of , his weight pressing into the bed. The kiss was driving wild with passion.

Roman’s phone began to ring, vibrating and flashing in his back pocket. His hand slid under my dress, up my hip, across my stomach to land on my bare breast.

I gasped with pleasure as his phone rang. He didn’t stop kissing . I broke the kiss and pushed against his shoulders. "Your phone," I said breathlessly.

Roman cursed and pulled it out of his back pocket. He cursed again and hopped off the bed.

"I need to take this," he said before leaving the room, and closing the door behind him. He left lying breathless on the bed, staring at the door where he had been just a second ago.

I could still feel the warmth of his hand on my breast. I pulled my knees together and rolled onto my side to sit up on the bed.

What would have happened had Roman’s phone not interrupted us?

Running my fingers through my hair, I licked my lips, still tasting his kiss there. I would have to be careful around Roman Thaddeus. He was beginning to make feel sothing that had never felt before.