Chapter 10
Lindsay
He walks away, and I’m mouthing, “Oh my God.” I wonder what his family business is because this place is a freaking mansion. Katherine’s eyes are bugging out. We both come from a decent amount of money, but this dude is super rich. It’s unfathomable. This has to be well over a million dollars for this house.
“Wow, girl, you hit the jackpot. This guy has it all. Well almost all. You don’t know if he’s packing yet.” She winks at me.
“You are so out of your mind. Is that all you think about?” I ask, running my hands along the marble countertops. The kitchen is massive in size, larger than I’ve ever seen, but it looks unused. My mind isn’t in a much better place. I’m here with my eyes closed picturing several boys coming into the kitchen calling me mom and asking if they can help bake a cake.
She leans forward, tapping me on the nose. “Well, I know it’s what you were thinking about last night. You called out his name like six times. I hope he’s that good for your sake.”
“Bullshit,” I challenge. I hope I didn’t do that when he got there. I would die right here.
“Don’t believe me, but I’ve got the video. It only catches the middle two. I couldn’t stand around and watch you. It’s a little weird, even for me.”
“Why are you messing with me?” She walks around to my side and pulls out her phone and plays the video for me. I think I’ve just died.
We both don’t hear Roman come behind me until he utters, “Fucking hell, I want that deleted.” I want the floor to open up and swallow me whole. “But first send it to me.”
He wraps his arms around me, kissing my neck. “Come on let’s get some food. You’re going to need your strength because I plan on making you say my name over and over again until you pass out.”
We order some food, then Roman says, “Look around. I’ll be back before the food arrives.” He kisses me gently, then leaves the room.
“Seriously, if I wasn’t here, I’m sure he would have you spread out on this surface doing naughty things to you.” I roll my eyes at her, but damn, I’m thinking the same thing. She spins around the room, wistfully saying, “Dude this kitchen is insane. Tell me you’re in love with it.”
“It’s a fantasy kitchen for sure.”
“Let’s go snoop around.”
We leave the kitchen and into the main foyer. It’s almost as large as the kitchen and has two winding staircases that lead to the second floor. We decide to walk around them which leads to an open family room with one of the largest screens I’ve ever seen. The sofa was it’s equal spanning the two sides of the wall and deep enough to lay comfortably on.
“Seriously, I might be wrong about the jackpot thing. A guy with all this large equipment may be overcompensating for some not so large equipment.” She arches her brow and nods.
“Shut it.”
We keep walking and see the backyard which is enclosed by the same fencing that’s around the front. It’s huge, and there’s an in-ground swimming pool that’s calling my name. Although, I’m not going to ask to go in it with Katherine here. The stinging jealousy I’m feeling hasn’t let up, and I’m not sure why. The bell rings, and Roman comes out of the study right on the side of the left staircase.
“Ladies, the food is here. Do you want to eat in there?” he asks, pointing to the family room we were just in. “Or would you prefer in the dining room?”
“Family room for sure. It looks so comfortable,” Katherine utters, closing her eyes and smiling to herself. I give her a scowl that she doesn’t see, but Roman doesn’t miss.
“I think it’s best that we eat in the dining room. I don’t want you making a mess on my furniture,” Roman laughs and walks to the door to get the food.
We take a seat, and Roman starts handing out our meals. They have a diner that had both types of meals, so we didn’t need to order from two restaurants. Katherine digs into her food like she’s starving, but I’m around the man of my dreams, literally and I’m nervous.
“Lindsay, aren’t you hungry?” she asks. I give her a “shut the fuck up” look, but she’s not paying attention to me. “Come on, you heard your rich man here, you need your strength.”
“That doesn’t mean I have to inhale my food.”
“Well, I’m starving.” I shake my head and eat without stuffing my face.
“The house is huge,” I say offhandedly.
“Is it too big?” he questions with a bit of concern over my opinion.
I shrug because I actually love it, but I didn’t know what else to say. My nerves are on edge. All I can think about is the way he swallows his food. My eyes have moved to his neck several times. It’s totally nutzo, but I can’t stop myself. I take a drink of my pop, then say, “It’s not my house. I think it’s perfect, but it must be hard to clean.”
“I have a service come in, but I haven’t had this place long. I bought it a year ago, but I’ve only just moved in this month.”
“Why?”
“Most of my business kept me at the office, so I took forever to move out of my condo.”
“It’s a beautiful home,” I remark.
“Thanks, babe. I’m so glad that you think so.”
“Well, I’m full and feeling like a third wheel. I’m going to go lay down on that awesome sofa.
“I’m done as well.” I couldn’t eat another thing because my mind has been on Roman and how much I want him to take my innocence.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. How about we go somewhere to talk?”
“If we go anywhere to talk I’ll have your thighs around my face and I sure as hell won’t be doing the talking.”
“Ah,” I gasp, clenching my thighs. Fevering need begs me to demand we’re alone, but I have a feeling that if Katherine’s awake, she might interrupt.
“Give it time, beautiful. Then I’m going to show you what you do to me.”
We clean up the mess and dump in the trash. He steals a peck, then takes my hand and leads me into the family room.
“Ooh, I love this movie.” The first Avengers movie is on, and it’s one of the best in the series, in my opinion. He sits down and pulls me to his side while Katherine rests on the other side.
By two in the afternoon, the movie is over, and Katherine is passed out on the lounging sofa. Throughout the movie, his hands have been moving up and down my arm and through my hair. All of the stimulation made me bold. I look up at Roman because somehow my head made its way to his chest. “Kiss me, Roman,” I say.
He smiles and lowers his head, claiming my mouth. I moan and deepen the kiss, sliding my hands over his chest. He growls and flips me onto my back, pinning me with his strong body to the sofa with my arms above my head. I can feel him, and yes, I must have hit the total jackpot. I arch my hips up, dragging them across his cock, wanting more and searching for a way to get it. He pops off me and stands. The loss feels instant and brutal, but it doesn’t last long because I’m lifted into his arms and being carried away up the right staircase and to the bedroom on the right.
“I’ve got plans for you, but no audience is welcome.” He sets me on the bed, gently. He crosses his arms and grips the hem of his shirt, lifting it off his body. A strange sound emanated from me. It was a cross between a purr and a moan, but he loves it. Roman moves to stand in between my thighs. His hands cup my face, rubbing his thumbs over my cheekbones, sending heat through me before he kisses me. I’m breathless, panting and hoping I can give him the pleasure I’m feeling, but our passion is to be delayed.
The sound of sirens blaring hit my ears. Roman is on his feet, throwing his shirt on and pulling me up to my feet. “Shit, come with me, baby. I need to keep you safe.” He leads me out of the room and down the staircase to Katherine.
“What’s going on?” I ask, starting to freak out. With his hand in mine, he rushes me to Katherine, waking her up with a rough shake to her shoulder. “Get up. I need you to come with me.” She groggily gets up, then seeing our frantic faces, shakes off the sleep. “Roman, come on tell me what’s going on,” I whine.
“Babe, I don’t have the time to explain.” He walks us through his study, hitting a button which opens a secret room. Once we’re in the room, he kisses me hard. “You’re safe in here.” He goes to the wall and enters a code which opens a gun safe. He pulls one gun out and cocks it, then grabs two more and packing them on his body. “I promise I’ll explain it all. I want you to know, whatever happens, I fell in love with you the second I saw you.” He’s out the door before I can say the same. I’m freaking out. Why would someone be at his gate? Then I notice the wealth and the danger must mean he’s a mobster. Fuck me, I’m in love with a freaking thug.
“What’s going on?” Katherine asks. I toss her a shrug because I really don’t have an answer. Trying to get my emotions under control, I pace the room and go to the ten screens on the wall. They’re all facing places of entrance around the property. I gasp and step back after I see Roman with a group of men. He’s safe, but at the same time what I’m watching crushes my heart all at the same time. Standing there, next to what looks like a dead animal, are several of the guys I’ve had following me. He works with them. He’s just another one of my brother’s guard dogs.
I walk away from the screens and look for somewhere to go, but they’re all outside. “I need to get out of here.”
Katherine comes up to me grabbing hold of my shoulders and looks deep into my eyes, saying, “No, we have to stay.”
“I can’t be here. I’ve been played again.” This time it’s so much worse than my ex-boyfriend cheating on me. I wanted Roman to mean everything he said to me.
“Didn’t you hear what he told you?” she shouts.
“Yeah, and he’s lied to me from the start.”
“Well, hello, you’ve known each other for a whole day. Most people don’t even get more than the first name before fucking like bunnies. They say sex makes women fall faster for a guy that she already crushes on.”
“We didn’t have sex, but we almost did.”
She throws her arms around me in a choking hug. “That’s great. You’ve finally relaxed and wanted to give it up. I mean he’s got some secrets, but they aren’t deal breakers.” I manage to break out of her clutches, and she grins.
“They are for me,” I mutter. I don’t even have confidence in what I’m saying, but it’s scary to believe his intentions were good.
“Don’t you even want to hear what he has to say?” she asks in complete disbelief. That ticks me off. I’ve been through a world of hell over the past five years, and I have the right not to trust someone who let me down in a flash.
“Why? So he can lie some more?” I challenge. I hate that she’s not on my side about this.
“No, so I can tell you the truth.” Roman is standing inside the doorway, his face expressionless.
“Is everything clear?” Katherine asks him. She’s not as freaked as she should be which begs the question, how much of this did she know about and why would she keep it from me? We’re supposed to be best friends, but she appears to be chummy with the guy who claims I’m special to him. They’re both liars. Has she been working with Brent this whole time to keep an eye on me? I know my brother is insanely in love with her even if he won’t admit it, so he’s liable to tell her anything she wanted to know.
Roman steps between us, and Katherine gives him room. “Yes, for the time being. Katherine, I need to talk to Lindsay. Alone. Exit here and go to the room on your left. It’s the study, lock yourself in and don’t leave until I come to get you. Dan and Denver are out there in the hall to keep guard.”
I see a sorrowful nod come from her as she takes a step toward the door. She gives me one half-smile and says, “Okay, I hope you two can work this out.”
“Same here,” he agrees, staring at me. He blows a hard breath, then walks to the wall where the guns are. He hits a code, unlocking the door to put away the guns. He doesn’t put them all away, I notice he still has one tucked in his waistband behind his back. The room is pregnant with growing silence and mounting tension. I want answers, but I’m afraid to ask for them. Whatever is going on, it was never above board. I watch him, pressing his hands against the wall, leaning forward while trying to gather himself. I don’t know what he’s going to say, but it’s better than the silence.
He doesn’t turn around, before he starts talking, “Your brother contacted me over three weeks ago. Two days after our initial phone call and emails, he showed up in my office to talk about what he needed and the importance of it all. He wanted you to have full protection twenty-four hours a day. We rarely take on twenty-four seven personal security, but after reviewing the details of the case, I knew that you would need it. We were almost done with our meeting when I saw your picture for the first time. He had sent me two pictures. The first you were smiling with your family. So fucking beautiful and happy, but it was the second one, the one where you were standing on the beach with wisps of your blonde hair blowing with the wind out of your loose braid.”
He turns around, halting his monolog to approach me. “I fell for you right then and there on the spot. I saw you step over the pain of the past and learn to smile with all of your heart. I knew that I would do all I could to protect you.”
I’m doing the best I can to stop myself from tearing up, but it’s hard to do when I know that I’m in love with this romantic jerk. “Why did you wait to meet me if that’s true?” I need answers because all of this still doesn’t make sense to me. Since I saw him, I couldn’t back away, and yet he claims to have been interested in me for so long without even meeting me.
“I still had a job to do. You know, it’s terrible for business if we got personal with our clients. At your graduation, I nearly broke all the rules and rushed up to you. Meeting you at the concert was purely accidental.” He reaches for me, but I dart out of his grasp. My heart was a sucker for him, but I had learned what being naïve could cost me. And that shit, Katherine easily abandoned me.
“I’m supposed to believe that?” I ask incredulously.
He barks out a laugh, shaking his head. “Yes, because it’s the truth. See, the thing is… I pulled myself from watching you, and my staff made sure that I wasn’t made aware of your location unless necessary. They were surprised to see me last night, too. Truthfully, I was there to take my sister to a concert and meet with the mayor. My company handles the security for the event.”
Damn, I should have put two and two together. “Oh shit. That explains why he stopped me. He made an excuse saying that the exit was closed off. Why didn’t you tell me today?”
He drops his chin to his chest, huffing out a breath. “I don’t have much of an excuse other than I wanted you to know me better before you tried to push me away.”
“I don’t know what to believe.”
“Believe this.” He presses his hand over mine, bringing it to his chest. “I’m not sure how to go further. There’s more to say, but I know that when you find out, you’ll hate me more.”
I decided to give him a break. I understand some of his intentions, even if I don’t like it. “I don’t hate you. I’m confused and hurt. I’ve been burned before.”
He nods. “Yeah, your brother mentioned having your heart broken. I’m not that guy.”
What? Brent read that whole situation wrong, but that’s probably because I never told him the truth either. “I’ve never had my heart broken. I was hurt and feeling horrible about myself but wait…” I narrow my eyes getting mad all over again. “Does that mean my brother knows you’ve been acting like more than a bodyguard.”
“No, and he’s probably going to want to fight when he finds out. He only told me when I asked for more details about your activities. Of course, it’s because I selfishly wanted to know all I could. He brought up how you didn’t go out and date much and then the one time you did, you had been crushed by some guy.”
“There’s something I don’t understand. Why all the protection? Is it because I’m leaving for school soon?”
“Leaving? What? You still think I’m going to let you leave?” My thighs clench at the promise of keeping me with him.
“Yes, I’m supposed to start school next week.”
“We’ll see about that,” he mutters, shaking his head at me. “I’ve got lots of things I’d rather you were doing. None of them have you leaving me.” Fuck, he’s doing it again. My body is alive with need. I read his intent clearly. Suddenly an image of me in the kitchen with his arms sliding around my waist, rubbing my round belly.
I can hear a noise outside the room, bringing back to our current situation. “So what’s really going on? What happened outside?”
He doesn’t say anything for a cool minute. “Are you thinking of a new way to keep the truth from me?” I accuse.
“No, I won’t lie to you,” he says, sliding his hands around me and looking into my eyes. I wait for him to continue but it feels like forever when he explains, “Your attacker was released from his sentence. A technical error.”
I try to breathe or to even utter a word, but my world goes black.