Chapter 4 – Give Us A Shot

Tuesday morning came faster than anyone would've liked. Charisma and Jimmy got little to no sleep they were literally up all night long; naked and sexing it up. Charisma swore she wasn't going to walk straight or sit down properly for the next month after all that.

Roman had gotten some sleep but with his noisy sex crazed cousin and soon to be cousin-in-law he didn't get much. He couldn't be mad at them; it was love and Jimmy had looked for it his whole life. Who was Roman to chastise his cousin for staying up all night making love to his fiancée? Jimmy had apologized a few thousand times but Roman just waved him off.

MacKenzie had gotten some sleep, but not enough. Detective Marshall Samuels had called her back and told her; her house was sealed up tight as if no one had been there. The only thing Jeff left behind was muddy footprints through the entire house, including her bedroom. Nightmare's plagued her all night long.

Roman could see the dark circles under MacKenzie's eyes and he knew her night had probably been sleepless as well. He fully enjoyed the fact that her seat was next to his and her perfume surrounded his senses. He was in heaven and enjoyed every minute he got to sit next to her. He enjoyed the fact that she would be staying in his house, but not so much the fact that she'd be in a different room. If he could get her in his room he would jump for joy…literally.

Once they got to Roman's house in Pensacola; Charisma and Jimmy decided they needed a nap. Roman chuckled as they disappeared upstairs. His grey eyes turned towards the blue eyes beauty standing at the front door with her rolling suitcase. "How would you like the twenty-five cent tour?" Roman asked.

MacKenzie looked up as a smile tipped her soft red lips. "Sure…" She watched as Roman pushed the rolling handle of her suitcase down and picked it up the carrying handle and then offered her his right elbow. Her smile turned into a grin as she let her left hand come up and rest in the crock of his right arm. She felt the way his bicep bulged out as her fingers wrapped around it.

MacKenzie allowed Roman to take her around the huge house. The floors were covered with cherry redwood through the entire house. A few rugs strategically placed under certain furniture so it wouldn't scratch the floors. A huge black leather L shaped couch and two matching recliners as well. The kitchen was huge as well as the dining room. Roman walked her upstairs and pointed out the closed door belonged to Jimmy and Char while they were there. He walked a little further down and opened a door and let her walk in first.

"This will be you're room. My room is right next door in case you need anything." Roman stated as he set her suitcase on the bed. He watched as she put her backpack and laptop. "Look MacKenzie, I know I don't know you that well, but Charisma has filled me in on a few things regarding your ex – if you need to talk about anything I've been told I'm a good listener."

Kenzie chewed her bottom lip as she looked away. "It's not your problem to have to deal with."

Roman moved over to stand in front of her. He heard her but her voice had been so quiet if the TV had been on he would've missed it. He lifted her chin with his index knuckle. "I know it's not my problem to deal with, but obviously he's put you through something. Your insecurities are showing and something tells me you used to be a confident woman before you invited him into your life. Don't you want to be confident again?" He watched as she frowned. Roman's eyes flittered all over her face her insecurities were STRONG and were winning right now; shaking his head he sighed heavily. "What did he do to you?" It wasn't really a question he was asking her; it was just a question in general.

"Believe me…you don't want to know." Kenzie stated before she turned and walked into the bathroom that was in her room and closed and locked the door. She leaned against the door as she heard Roman leave; closing the door behind him as she finally let the tears fall.

"You are a worthless pathetic waste of space. I wasted 4 years of my life on you and it just didn't get any better. You're a fat pig and we can't get married because I REFUSE to stand next to anyone who is as wide as you are. You will do NOTHING but make men look bad. I told you if you couldn't lose the ass and thighs I wasn't going to marry you. Here it is 3 fuckin weeks before our wedding and you're actually FATTER then you were when I asked you to marry me. What the fuck was I thinking? The four years we were together you never lost one pound. Maybe your next boyfriend will be a chubby chaser too, but I'm sure you'll do nothing but disappoint him as well."

She sat in the corner of the kitchen rolled into a ball as glasses and plates and glass bowls were thrown towards her. She looked up and watched with red rimmed eyes as Jeff destroyed the home they had made together. She'd done nothing but lose weight since they'd been together, in fact she had worked out to the point of dehydration and exhaustion at one point, but her body was toned, she couldn't help she had thick thighs and an ass it was bread into her genes.

"Jeff…" She whimpered softly as he continued to throw everything around and break and destroy everything in their house. Her eyes widened as he stalked over to her and grabbed two handfuls of her hair.

"You don't talk to me ever again you fuckin fat piece of shit!" Jeff growled before he rammed his knee into her face.

MacKenzie sat up with a start eyes wide trying to blink the tears she cried while sleeping away; her chest rose and fell in a fast rate. It was only a dream; well nightmare. It wasn't the first – it wouldn't be her last. She looked around at the unfamiliar room and suddenly remembered she was at Roman's. She looked down and groaned; the t-shirt she'd worn to bed was soaked in sweat. She hated night terrors they made her sweat profusely.

She threw the blanket off of her as she cringed when her room lit up from lightening. Before she'd gone to bed the night before the thunder had started rumbling the sky. She hated storms, but she'd been so tired from the traveling that once her head hit the pillow she was out and heard nothing.

She slid from bed as she discarded her t-shirt and panties and walked into the bathroom and flipped the switch on before she kicked on the shower. The cold water was enough to finish waking her up and yet also relaxing her as well. Once she washed off she stepped out and dried off her body and towel dried her hair. The curls bouncing back into place as she moussed them so they wouldn't get frizzy in the Florida heat that was sure to follow the storm.

She pulled on black cotton shorts and a black cotton tank top and decided she needed a drink of water before attempting to go back to sleep. She opened the bedroom door and padded down the stairs and into the kitchen. She jumped as the entire downstairs lit up from the silent lightening and caught herself cussing as soon as the thunder rumbled the entire house.

Grey eyes stared at the ceiling. The damn storm had kept him awake almost all night. He thought he heard the shower in one of the guest room's kick on, but he shook it off as the rain poured down harder outside. He heaved a sigh as he got up out of the bed.

MacKenzie was stuck on his mind again. The raven haired girl didn't have a clue how beautiful she truly was. She was a full figured girl and he wanted to get his hands on every curve that etched out her body. The tight little dresses she wore made her backside jump out like POW and it made his dick jump in whatever pants he had on at the time.

Roman shook his head as he pulled on a pair of track pants and yanked a black t-shirt over his head as he padded barefoot down to the kitchen. He turned the corner into the kitchen and stifled a groan at MacKenzie standing in his kitchen in her night clothes; he noted her hair was wet and he hadn't been hearing things when he heard the shower going. "What are you doing up so late?"

The deep tenor voice scared the hell out of her as MacKenzie let out a squeak; she jumped and dropped her glass of water. Her eyes wide as saucers as the kitchen light flipped on after the glass shattered at her feet. The sight of Roman standing there put her slightly at ease.

Roman held his hands up. "Don't move, I don't want you to step on the glass. Are you okay?" He watched as she nodded.

"I'm so sorry Roman; you scared the shit out of me. I wasn't expecting anyone else to come down." MacKenzie admitted as she tried to calm her racing heart.

Roman shook his head. "Don't apologize I shouldn't have spooked you like that." His grey eyes looked down and could see where the glass was as he grabbed a broom and moved it around her feet before he moved closer and lifted her to sit on the counter. He could feel her shaking. He really had scared the hell out of her.

MacKenzie's eyes widened a little more when he picked her up as if she weighted nothing. She watched as he swept the entire area a couple of times before scooping it up in a dust pan. "So you can cook, clean and hold a job. Is there anything you can't do?" MacKenzie joked; remembering he had been the one to cook dinner for all of them earlier.

Roman chuckled softly as he threw the broken glass away and put the broom back in the pantry. "You know you're awfully quiet for someone who can crack jokes with Char and Jimmy." He watched as she rolled her lips and her eyes went from him to the floor. Roman walked over and lifted her chin with his index finger until her eyes came back up and locked with his once more. "Stop looking down." It was an order not a request. "I'm not scolding you. I just want you to keep eye contact with me." He watched as she swallowed hard.

"I really don't like the fact that you're scared of me MacKenzie." Roman stated as he let go of her chin and watched as she chew her bottom lip again.

"I'm not really scared of you; just your size." MacKenzie admitted as she continued chewing her bottom lip.

"My size; was your ex a big guy?" Roman questioned.

"When you've been beaten within an inch of your life and nearly been blinded so you can't defend yourself by a guy who is 6'4 325lbs of muscle. You tend to get scared of the bigger guys. So no I'm not scared of you per say just your size." MacKenzie stated before she hopped off the counter.

"6'4" 325lbs; I thought that asshole was a lawyer? I don't know any lawyers that big." Roman stated with slight annoyance and anger.

MacKenzie frowned. "He started out as a body builder in Venice California and decided he needed to get an education so he went to Harvard University and graduated and passed the bar. He works for the next biggest law firm in Stamford Connecticut; I work for the biggest. Jeff is highly intelligent and has a mouth and knows how to use it to argue in court, how to use it to his advantage and how to use it to drag you down until you are physically and mentally at your lowest."

MacKenzie shook her head. "I know I'm skittish and scared of everything. But I can't help it. I wasted four years of my life on Jeff and allowed him to drag me from the beautiful self-confident woman I was when I met him; to the shell of a piece of crap you see before you. I allowed him to beat me down physically, mentally and verbally because I loved him so much; because I thought that was how guys were supposed to treat the love of their life. Until the night he almost killed me."

Roman could see the tears in her blue eyes as they gather and slowly started sliding down her tanned cheeks. Why did he feel like if he was really Superman; she was his kryptonite? "What happened that night?" He knew he was being bold by asking.

"From the minute we got engaged Jeff pushed and pushed for me to lose weight. I joined a gym, I lost 50 pounds and when I couldn't lose anymore; I started building muscle mass. I've always been thick in the hips and rear; it's just part of my 85% Italian genes. I've been measured and plucked and tested. I don't have an ounce of fat on me anymore. I got home late from the gym and Jeff exploded. He called me every fat name in the book and then broke off our engagement while I coward in the corner as he destroyed our home that we'd made together. I remember whimpering his name and he told me to never speak to him again before he slammed my head into his knee." She sniffled softly. "When I woke up in the hospital, I had a severe concussion numerous contusions and broken bones and both of my retinas were detached and I could barely see anything. The next few months were healing for me. My law firm will never do another merger with Jeff's again among other things. I'm still having a hard time adjusting to everything; even after a year."

"It's not like I have amnesia or anything. But I can't remember who I was before Jeff. I don't remember a single confident moment in my life. All I can remember is always trying to change myself for him; making me look the way he wanted me too and in the end it wasn't enough for him. At this point I don't care, but at the same time I just want to be me again."

"Maybe we can get you there together; with Char and Jimmy. If you'll trust us enough to give us a shot."

MacKenzie nodded. "I'll try anything at this point." She watched Roman grab two bottles of water before he walked over and turned the kitchen light off and MacKenzie's breath caught in her throat when he placed his hand in the middle of her back and guided her down the couple of steps into the den.

They sat on the couch watching stupid infomercials until about 4 AM, when Roman laid down with his head in her lap his hair was draped over her legs. He looked up at her and a sleepy smile was on his face. "Play with my hair please it relaxes me." Roman sighed softly as he felt her gentle fingers comb through his long raven mane.

This he could get used to.

Both of them soon fell asleep.