“Oh, come on, you can’t still be angry with me. It’s Christmas! Get in the spirit,” Roman encouraged, trailing after Maya as she headed over to the fireplace to take down the stockings.
“Um, it’s the day after Christmas,” she corrected him, placing the stockings into a cardboard box. “And yes, I can still be angry with you. That was an absolutely horrible joke.”
“But I’m an injured man!”
“You’re healing.” She gave him a flat look. “And you’re a boy, not a man. Get it straight.”
Roman scowled, offended. I get stabbed in the chest rescuing you and this is what I get? Of course, he wisely chose to keep that little complaint to himself.
Ok, so the joke the other day might have crossed the line by an inch or so, but it’s been five days, and he hadn’t gotten a single real kiss. That was not ok.
Suddenly, a small bark caught his attention, and Roman looked down at the floor, an exasperated expression crossing his face.
Mickey stared up at him, his big brown eyes swimming with adoration. Ever since Roman and the others saved him and Maya from that psycho James, he’d been following Roman around like a, well, like a puppy.
Mickey padded over and nudged Roman’s leg with his nose.
Roman sighed. “What do you want?” he asked grumpily. “I’m kind of busy here.”
Mickey nudged him again.
“What?”
Mickey’s ears flattened in annoyance before he backed up a few steps. He crouched down on his front legs, a determined look on his face, and began to paw the floor with its left paw.
“What the hell is he doing?” Roman asked, exasperated. He seriously rued the day he ever decided to buy Maya a dog. He should’ve just gotten her a fish. Much more manageable, and much easier to ignore.
Plus, they didn’t pee everywhere—or, more specifically, everywhere on him.
“You’ll see.” Maya’s jade-green eyes gleamed mischievously, just as Mickey tore across the floor and head-butted Roman’s leg. The tiny ball of fur immediately flew back a little from the unexpected force and landed on the rug with a thump.
Roman’s jaw dropped. What. The. Fu—
“Oh, Mickey.” Maya laughed as she picked up the puppy, who gazed at Roman with big, eager eyes. “He just wants to play with you,” she explained.
“Great,” Roman said flatly, glowering as Maya kissed the top of Mickey’s head. Oh, so she could kiss the dog but not him?
It was time to try another tactic.
“So…” He leaned casually against the fireplace. “How scared were you when you thought I was dead?”
The smile fell off Maya’s face and she glared at him with a you-did-not-just-bring-that-up expression on her face. “Who said I was scared?” she huffed, deliberately turning her back to him.
“You did.” A small smirk made its way onto his face. “In fact, I distinctly remembered you using the L word.” The smirk grew as Maya whipped her head back around, her face scarlet.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Her eyes darted nervously around the room.
“Yes, you do. Don’t bother trying to deny it.”
“Uh, if by L word you mean ‘loser’, then yeah, I know what you’re talking about.”
“Somebody’s in denial,” he sang under his breath.
“Shut up!” Maya actually stomped her foot, and he grinned at the childish antic. She was so cute sometimes.
And such a stubborn, pain in the butt the other times.
“Well, even if you won’t admit it, we both know you said it.” Roman moved closer to her and plucked Mickey out of her arms, setting him on the floor. The puppy let out an indignant yelp, but Roman shot it a stern glare. Surprisingly, that seemed to do the trick, and Mickey laid down on the floor, a doleful look on its face.
“So…don’t you think we should kiss and make it official?” He lowered his voice, gently gliding his fingers down her bare arms and suppressing a triumphant smile when he felt her shudder.
“I know what you’re doing.”
“What am I doing?” He leaned even closer, his breath causing the wisps of hair around her face to flutter softly.
“You’re trying to get me to forgive you by seducing me,” she declared, but he was gratified to hear a tremble in her voice.
“Is it working?” Man, she smelled good. Like lavender. And pumpkin. He liked pumpkin.
“Hmm…you tell me.”
Roman’s eyes widened at her flirtatious tone, just before Maya pulled him closer to her, so that their entire bodies were pressed together. Desire uncoiled itself inside him, flooding his veins with warmth. Or maybe that was just body warmth. Either way, it didn’t matter. He had absolutely no idea what inspired the sudden one-eighty in her attitude, but he sure wasn’t going to complain.
“Roman?” Maya locked her arms around his neck, leading him backwards toward the couch.
“Yeah?” He eyed the cushions. They looked soft. And comfy. They would do.
“Do you think it’s working?”
Roman somehow found himself sitting on the couch, while Maya stood in front of him, the light from the flickering fireplace outlining her slender curves. In his position, he was at eye level with her chest.
Whoever invented V-necks, you are my hero.
“Uh, is what working?” He was finding it hard to speak. Or think. His mind had gone all hazy, which was actually a bit disturbing, but he forgot all about that too once Maya climbed into his lap. Another bolt of lust surged through him.
Maya laughed softly, slipping her hands under his shirt to caress his bare stomach. Roman sucked in a deep breath, tiny pinpricks dancing over his skin. “The seduction.” Her eyes gleamed with amusement and something else. “Is it working?”
“Mm-hmm.” Roman groaned as she nipped at a particularly sensitive spot right above his collarbone, and he suddenly wished they were back in his bedroom, or at least her bedroom. Thank god her parents had gone out to give them some “alone time” tonight. Of course, they probably wanted Roman and Maya to have a nice dinner, not engage in rapidly-bordering-on-rated-R activity on the living room couch.
He slid his hands up the backs of her thighs, enjoying the satiny-smooth feel of her skin.
In the corner, Mickey raised his head to look at the scene on the couch, then whined softly and plopped his head back down on the floor, covering his eyes with his paws.
In the back of his mind, Roman realized maybe they were going a bit too fast, especially considering Maya didn’t have a lot of experience in this department. Not that her inexperience showed.
“Uh, maybe—we should—um—“ He tried to get the correct words out while Maya planted a kiss on his jaw. He felt like he was drowning in her delicious scent. “Bedroom?” was all he could manage. He didn’t necessarily relish the idea of her parents coming home to find them like this.
Maya stopped what she was doing so abruptly it took him a few seconds to process the change. When he did, he nearly screamed with frustration. Why did she stop?!
She pulled back to look at him, but kept his legs pressed firmly between her thighs. One of the straps on her dress had fallen down to expose her tanned shoulder, causing certain mental images to pop up in his head when she spoke again.
“And what would we be doing in the bedroom?” There was a teasing lilt to her voice.
A lot of things. “I can show you instead of tell you,” he suggested, his head marginally clearer now that there was a bit more space between them.
“Will it include whipped cream and handcuffs?” she asked, blinking at him innocently.
Roman just stared at her, too shocked to respond, even as some very interesting ideas crept their way into his mind…
“Wh-what?” Then, catching himself, he cleared his throat, trying to regain his composure. “You’ll just have to wait and see. But I guarantee you’ll like it.”
“Well…” Maya dragged the word out, and the anticipation was killing him. Couldn’t they walk and talk at the same time?
Although maybe it was a good thing she was still straddling him, because if she moved, she would definitely see why he felt as though his jeans suddenly felt several sizes too small. Then again, she could probably feel it right now.
Her lips curved up into a small smile, and Roman realized she still hadn’t given him a kiss yet. Something that needed to be remedied, and soon.
“I don’t think so.” She slid off his lap, fixing her strap and smoothing down the front of her dress like nothing out of the ordinary just happened.
Roman just gaped at her.
Maya smirked, stepping closer to trail a finger down his chest and resting it right above the waistband of his jeans, which still felt painfully tight.
“You know, I do like whipped cream and handcuffs,” she whispered in his ear. “But you’re still on probation from that little prank you pulled in the hospital.” She stepped back again and grabbed her clutch off the table. “I guess I’ll just have to find someone else to show me what you were talking about earlier. Luckily, I have a dinner date with Rico in—“ She checked the clock. “—half an hour. If you’re hungry, there’s some frozen pizza in the freezer. Good night!”
With that, Maya blew him a kiss and flounced out the door, leaving a very angry, confused, and frustrated Roman in her living room.
* * *
“Do you really think this is going to work?” I whispered over my menu, trying my best not to move my head in the direction I so desperately wanted to.
Rico smirked, dabbing his mouth with his napkin. A surprisingly refined move for someone whom I’ve always considered to be a bit of a hooligan up until a few days ago. Then again, I always forget the fact that he was still a Tevasco, which meant he was used to fine dining and its accompanying etiquette.
Not that the restaurant we were at was particularly stuffy, thank god. Yes, it required reservations, and the dining room was elegant, but the outdoor patio, where we were currently seated, was much more casual. It was a large, open wooden deck, set over a gleaming pond. I kind of felt like I was on a ship.
“Of course it will,” he said in response to my question. “Trust me. Adri did her part. Now we just have to sit and wait.”
“I suppose.” I settled back in my chair and took a sip of water.
Surprisingly, I was enjoying the dinner I’d promised Rico. He was still perverted but a lot less scary than he’d been a few weeks ago, and besides, our “date” had a bigger purpose than “thank you” on my part.
Although, the look on Roman’s face when I left him sitting in the living room earlier had been hilarious.
Warmth suffused my skin as I flashed back to the events that had led up to that moment. I’d thought of the seduction thing off the cuff, in response to his own attempt to get me to forgive him. Of course, I’ve already forgiven him, but he didn’t need to know that yet. I was determined to make him sweat a little, even though it took all of my willpower and then some to refrain from kissing him every chance I got.
The warmth increased as I remembered the scene on the couch, the way he smelled, the glazed lustful look in his eyes, how his taut muscles felt under my hand…
“Ahem. Do you need a moment alone?” Rico cast a pointed glance in my direction.
I turned bright red. “What do you mean?”
“You look like you were thinking some pretty X-rated thoughts over there.” He gazed at me suggestively. “Of course, I can always help you out if you’re feeling particularly hor—“
“No, thank you,” I swiftly interrupted. “Sorry, but you’re not my type.”
“Are you a lesbian?”
I almost coughed up my water. “Excuse me?”
He shrugged. “I’m every girl’s type.”
Oh my god. I think I found someone who’s even cockier than Roman. “No! Not that I have anything against them, but I’m—I have a boyfriend!”
“So? That doesn’t mean anything.” Rico brought a piece of fresh yellowtail to his mouth. “You know what’s weird? None of my brother’s friends ever dated seriously in the past, and then, you come into their lives and everyone’s paired off. You and Roman. Parker and Adri. And, if things go according to plan, Zack and—“
“Venice!”
I whipped around just as a loud splash interrupted the quiet atmosphere. My jaw dropped when I saw Zack standing at the only part of the patio that wasn’t guarded by a railing. At least, he was standing for about two seconds, before he whipped his shirt over his head and dove into the pond.
Rico and I exchanged baffled glances.
That was definitely not part of the plan.
* * *
“I can’t believe we’re stalking her. Again.” Venice hid her face with the side of her menu as she glared at Zack.
“We’re not stalking,” he insisted. “We’re…acting as bodyguards.”
“Against who? James is in jail.”
“Well, you never know. Rico did use to be a gang,” he mumbled, trying to make out what Maya and Rico were saying. Why were they on a date on the first place? Wasn’t she dating Roman? Was she so mad at him about the hospital prank that she’d broken up with him? Or was she cheating on him?
Zack felt a bit dizzy from all the possible reasons running through his mind. He also felt more than a little terrified at the thought of Roman’s reaction if any of those reasons turned out to be true.
“You’re always dragging me into this,” Venice complained. “I was supposed to go to the movies tonight!”
He returned his gaze to her direction. “With who?” The question came out a bit sharper than he’d intended.
“With Grant.” Venice’s eyes lit up. “You know, I got an A on my calculus test because of him? He’s so smart. It’s amazing.”
Zack frowned. Grant. That stupid skinny kid with the stupid skinny name and the stupid skinny glasses and the stupid—
“Zack?” Venice gave him an odd look. “Why do you keep saying ‘skinny’?”
He blushed. “No reason. What’s so amazing about that kid anyway?” He sniffed. “I could’ve helped you get an A on that test too.”
“But you don’t even take calculus.”
“How do you know that?” he challenged.
Venice’s cheeks turned pink. “I don’t know,” she mumbled. Then her face brightened again. “Puppy!” she cried.
He groaned. Not this again! “Venice, no!”
But it was too late. The tiny redhead jumped up to follow the tiny dog who had jumped out from an elegant older woman’s handbag. The woman didn’t seem to notice.
Zack couldn’t believe it. Did she have a disease or something? Because that type of fascination and blind following of puppies could not be normal.
Suddenly, he realized with horror that Venice was racing straight towards the section of the deck that had no railing.
Zack jumped up, forgetting about spying on Maya and Rico for the moment. Hadn’t Venice said something about not being able to swim? Crap.
“Venice!” he shouted.
Too late. He watched in horror as she tipped over the edge and…onto the dock. But his sigh of relief was cut short when Venice stood up, only to slip and fall into the pond with a splash, just as he reached the dock.
Without even thinking, Zack pulled his shirt off his head, jumped onto the dock, then dived into the water.
Within five minutes, he’d pulled Venice out of the water and back onto the deck, where the other diners had gathered, gaping at the scene in front of them—including Maya and Rico, who had concerned looks on their faces.
“Zack! What happened?” Maya exclaimed.
“She fell!” Obviously, his mind whispered, unusually sarcastic.
“Oh my god, she’s not conscious.” Maya’s eyes were wide. “Does anyone know CPR?”
“I got it.” With those three words, Zack leaned down and covered Venice’s mouth with his.
* * *
I had hoped Zack and Venice would end up kissing after tonight, but this was not what I had in mind. Plus, I’m not sure CPR qualified as kissing.
I instinctively gripped Rico’s hand, my heart thudding nervously. I knew Venice couldn’t swim, and though I doubted she was in mortal danger, considering the short amount of time she’d been submerged, I was still worried.
Therefore, when her eyes blinked open and she began to cough up water, I breathed a sigh of relief.
“Wh-what happened?” She struggled to sit up, water dripping down her face.
“You were chasing a puppy and fell in the water,” Zack explained.
Beside me, Rico snorted at the ridiculousness of that statement.
“Are you ok?” I asked, concerned.
Venice nodded, brushing a limp red curl from her face. “Uh, I think so.” She looked around, her face turning the color of her hair when she saw everyone staring at her. “Oh my god, this is so embarrassing,” she squeaked.
“It’s ok.” I turned to the onlookers. “There’s nothing to see here anymore. Go back to your dinners.” Everyone actually did what I said. I guess hanging out with Scions gave me a bit more confidence than I used to have. “And have a good night,” I added. I couldn’t be quite as imperious as Roman and the others were. Not that I wanted to be.
“Can you explain to me what you two are doing here?” Rico asked.
I stifled a grin. We knew exactly what they were doing here. We had set it up, telling Adriana to tell Zack she was afraid I might be leaving Roman for Rico and to urge him to “keep tabs on us.” She’d told me about how Zack and Venice had trailed James—I shuddered a bit at the thought of his name—and I at the amusement park, and figured he would bring her along this time too, since he apparently “couldn’t do anything by himself.”
I guess she was right, as always.
“Well, we, uh—“ Venice stammered, looking guilty.
“We’re on a date,” Zack blurted.
She turned so fast I was afraid she might’ve gotten whiplash.
“Really?” I grinned. “Aw. I should have guessed. You know, he’s the one who gave you CPR, V,” I added casually.
Just like that, she flushed red all over again, only this time, she was joined by Zack.
“Yeah, you should give him a thank you kiss,” Rico added, playing along.
But they were no longer paying attention. Instead, they were staring at something over my shoulder with frightened expressions.
A moment later, my hand was ripped out of Rico’s. I’d completely forgotten I was still holding onto it.
My stomach dropped when I turned to see Roman standing there, his face like thunder. “What the hell are you doing?” he demanded, a vein pulsing angrily in his forehead. “Why are you holding his hand?” His voice grew louder and louder with each word.
“Calm down, Rome, I was just nervous,” I said soothingly. “It didn’t mean anything.”
“I can’t believe you left me to go on a date with—with--” The vein was throbbing even harder now as he glared at Rico, who just looked amused. “—with a criminal!”
“A criminal who helped save me,” I pointed out, crossing my arms over my chest.
“I helped save you!” Roman roared. “I was the one who got stabbed!”
“Are you really going to use that as your trump card now? Come on, Rome.” Rico rolled his eyes. “Besides, it’s not like you’re traumatized. You definitely recovered enough to joke around with her at the hospital.” He slung an arm over my shoulders. Roman’s eye twitched dangerously. “I hate to break this to you, but Maya told me that she’s beginning to have feelings for me.” He sighed. “It’s been a long time coming, really. Ever since we first saw each other that night at my house…we knew. And her near death experience only confirmed it.” He gazed pityingly at Roman, even though I could tell he was struggling not to laugh. “She didn’t want you to find out like this, since you just got de-hospitalized and all, but…she doesn’t want to be with you anymore.” Rico squeezed my shoulder. “She wants to be with me.”
I couldn’t help but giggle a bit at his horrible acting skills. No wonder he’d been in a gang. He sure as hell wouldn’t have made it in Hollywood.
However, my smile fell away when I saw Roman’s face. His cheeks were drained of color, and his eyes were wide with…hurt?
Wait. He didn’t actually believe what Rico said, did he?
“Is that true?” he whispered, staring at me with a pleading look that broke my heart. As insufferable as an angry, possessive Roman was, I would’ve much preferred that version than this one.
“What? No!” I blurted, trying to wriggle out of Rico’s grasp, but he was too strong. I glared at him, and he just gazed back with a mischievous look in his eyes. “Don’t listen to him. He’s just joking.”
“It’s ok, baby, there’s no need to keep acting anymore. Tell him the real reason why you haven’t kissed him since he left the hospital.”
If looks could kill, Rico would be six feet under right now. I cannot believe he just said that. I stomped on his foot, and he let out a sharp yelp. I took the opportunity to escape his grasp and moved over to Roman, who hadn’t moved an inch.
“So that’s why you haven’t kissed me.” He crossed his arms defensively over his chest, which rose and fell heavily, like he couldn’t get enough air into his lungs. “When did this really happen, Maya? When did you decide you didn’t want to be with me anymore?”
My face felt hot and splotchy. Was he serious? How stupid could he be? How could he really think I would leave him, especially since he knew I’d said the L word to him in the hospital!
“I do want to be with you—“ I began.
“Since the first time she saw me, probably,” Rico cut in blithely. “Honestly, Rome, it’s much better this way—“
“Shut up.” Roman’s voice was tight.
“—and hey, now you’ll be free to go date those models you like so much, while Maya and I get it on—“
The sound of a fist connecting with a face ripped through the air, causing more than a few people to scream, including myself. All I saw was a red-faced Roman throwing Rico onto the ground, but even in my shock, I was stunned to see Rico wasn’t really hitting him back. I flashed back to the carnival in Hawaii. Talk about déjà vu.
“Roman! Stop!” I grasped the back of his shirt and desperately tried to yank him off to no avail. He didn’t even budge. “Zack! Help!” I gazed pleadingly at the blond, who didn’t seem to hear me as he gaped at the scene on the ground.
“Why do you even care so much?” Rico asked tauntingly. “You can find another girl in a second. Just leave Maya to me.” He smirked, even though blood was smeared on his face. I suppose it’d take more than a little bleeding to faze an ex-gang member. “I’ll take good care of her.”
“I said, shut up!” Roman roared, pulling back his fist to punch him again.
At the last minute, Rico threw Roman off of him, and I squeaked as he stumbled back into me.
“Why are you getting so worked up?” Rico’s voice hardened. “You’re probably going to dump Maya soon, aren’t you? Right after you get what you want.”
Roman’s face was drawn in the most terrifying scowl I’d seen yet. “You’re delusional,” he spat.
“Am I? You just want one thing from her. You don’t really want to be with her.”
Roman’s hands clenched into fists. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Then enlighten me.”
That seemed to make Roman snap. “Of course I want to be with her! I’m in love with her!”
The entire deck fell silent. Rico smirked, giving me a smug, you-owe-me-yet-again look Venice squealed happily. Zack’s jaw grazed the ground. But all I could focus on was Roman, who suddenly looked like he wanted to disappear.
Was—what—did he just say he loved me? No. Not even that. Did he just say he was in love with me?
And then, as if the night couldn’t get any more dramatic, I pulled a Venice and fainted.