Chapter 5

Lena's POV

“You live this close?” I asked as Roman unlocked the door to a second floor apartment a few blocks from the party houses.

“Yeah. It’s quieter than the team houses.” He pushed the door open and stepped aside so I could walk in first. “No pressure to stay if this feels weird. We can sit outside if you want.”

I shook my head and stepped inside.

The apartment was simple but comfortable. A dark couch sat against one wall, a couple of hockey sticks leaned in the corner, and textbooks were scattered across the coffee table. It smelled clean, like laundry detergent mixed with the cologne he'd been wearing earlier.

Roman switched on a lamp and dropped his keys on the counter. “Want some water?”

“Yeah. Water’s good.”

He grabbed a bottle from the fridge and handed it to me before sitting on the opposite end of the couch.

He was giving me space. I appreciated that.

I tucked my legs underneath me and took a sip, but my mind kept going back to the party. The kiss. Tyler's face. The way I'd walked away without looking back.

“So,” I said after a moment. “You've known who I was for years, and we never actually talked. That's kind of insane.”

Roman leaned back, resting one arm along the back of the couch. “You were always with Tyler. I kept my distance. It didn't feel right crossing that line.”

“Even when your teammates talked shit about us?”

His eyes met mine. “I heard some of it. I never joined in.”

He paused.

“You showed up for every game, even when he played like garbage. You brought food for injured guys. You waited outside the medical room after bad hits. That shit told me more about you than anything people said.”

I looked down at the bottle in my hands.

“I spent two years trying to make myself easier for him to love. Softer. Less needy. Whatever version of me he wanted that week.” My throat tightened. “And apparently none of it was enough.”

Roman's expression hardened slightly.

“You should never have had to earn basic affection.”

I looked up. “That’s not how a relationship is supposed to work.”

The words hit me harder than I expected.

I was about to answer when a hard knock shook the door. Tyler's voice followed, loud and pissed. “Lena! I know you're in there with him. Open the fucking door!”

My heart thudded.

So it wasn't enough that he'd confronted us at the party and said I wasn't his girlfriend anymore. What the hell did he want now?

Roman shot to his feet, his temper rising.

“Shit. You've got to be kidding me.”

I caught his wrist before he could reach the door. “Don't. He's only here because it bothers him that I left with you. You two are rivals, right? So let's make it hurt even more.”

He stared at me. “What are you talking about?”

I stood and moved closer, keeping my voice low but steady. “I want you to fuck me. Right now. Let him hear every second. It would be the perfect revenge, knowing he's on the other side of that door while I'm moaning for you.”

Roman's eyes widened. “Lena—”

“I’m serious.” I held his gaze. “I want you. And I want him to know exactly what he's missing, especially after calling me too soft.”

He shook his head. “You don't have to prove anything to Tyler. Not like this.”

“It’s what I want, Roman.” My voice softened. “Please.”

Something changed in his expression. The surprise was still there, but beneath it was the same rivalry that had fueled years of tension between him and Tyler.

After a long moment, he exhaled. “Okay,” he said quietly. “But we do this my way. If you tell me to stop at any point, I stop. No questions.”

I nodded, but my nerves suddenly caught up with me. “I... I'm still a virgin,” I blurted out, my face burning.

Roman's expression softened.

“Tyler and I never got that far. I always thought we'd wait until marriage, and that when the time came, everything would just feel right.”

I swallowed. “I was wrong. But I want this. With you.”

Roman gently cupped my face, searching my eyes one last time. “Last chance to change your mind, sweetheart.”

I held his gaze. “I'm not changing it.”

His eyes darkened immediately then he closed the space between us, reached up and brushed his thumb along my jaw, slowly, checking to see if I'd back away.

When I didn’t pull away he leaned in and kissed me. My hands found the front of his hoodie and I pulled him closer.

Clothes came off in pieces between kisses.

His hoodie first, then my top.

He took his time mapping the skin under my bra with his mouth, waiting for every small sound I made before going further. When I tugged at his jeans he helped me, but he kept checking my eyes like he needed the green light every step.

By the time we made it to his bed the nerves were still there, but they mixed with something hotter and steadier.

He stretched out over me, weight balanced on his forearms, and kissed the side of my neck while his hand slid between my thighs.

I was already wet and a little shaky.

He worked me open with his fingers until I was gripping his shoulders and whispering that I was ready.

He rolled on a condom without rushing, then lined up and pushed in slowly. The stretch made me gasp loud enough that the banging outside paused for half a second.

“Fuck,” he muttered against my neck, moving slow at first so I could adjust. “You feel that?”

“Yes—don’t stop.”

He picked up the pace, hips snapping harder, making sure every thrust pulled a real sound out of me.

I clung to his shoulders, legs wrapping around him, and when he angled deeper I cried out exactly the way I wanted Tyler to hear.

“Roman. Oh my God. This feels so fucking good.”

Outside the door, Tyler’s fists slammed against it so hard that I flinched.

“Is that a moan I’m hearing?” he shouted. “Lena, get the fuck out of there. We can sort this out outside. You really didn’t have to fuck him.”

I went completely still.

Hearing Tyler say it out loud sent a strange rush through me. Part of me wanted to stop. The other part felt almost thrilled that he knew exactly what was happening and that the only thing separating us was the door.

Roman looked at me, his expression changing when he noticed my hesitation.

“We can stop if you want,” he said quietly.

I shook my head.

“No. Don’t stop.”

My voice came out softer than I expected, but I meant every word.

“It’s more fun knowing he actually knows we’re fucking.”

Something shifted in Roman’s eyes.

He did not say anything. He simply leaned closer and kissed me.

I kissed him back, my fingers tightening in his hair as Tyler’s voice continued from the other side of the door. I let out a louder moan against Roman’s mouth, knowing Tyler could hear every sound.

He continued going inside me, one hand braced by my head, the other gripping my hip so he could drive in deeper. Another hard bang shook the door.

But Roman didn’t care.

He fucked me through it, chasing the way my voice broke higher every time he bottomed out.

I closed my eyes for a moment.

There was something dangerously satisfying about knowing Tyler could hear us. The man who had once made me feel like I was never enough was now standing outside, forced to listen to me choose someone else.

“Scream for me, sweetheart” Roman's rough voice interrupted my thoughts, sending a cold shiver down my spine. “Let him hear exactly who you’re with.”

I did. Loud, raw, no holding back while he kept thrusting until I came hard around him.

I thought Roman would stop there, he didn't. Instead, he pulled out and rolled me on top of him. Earning a surprise gasp from me.

“Roman,” I drawled, my brows furrowing. “What are you doing?”

A suspicious smirk appeared on his face.

“I want you to ride me in a cowgirl style.”