by Grace Risata
Number one, we were together. Number two, her body was familiar to me and it was by no means our first kiss. Number three, anyone trying to fuck with my lady would have to answer to me.
All the pent up rage that ate away at me on the drive here seemed to suddenly melt once my lips connected with hers and she visibly relaxed in my arms. Andi trusted me, she was relieved to see me, and all was right with the world.
Once I had satisfied my craving for a taste of her and my composure was regained, I sat down in the seat next to Duke and gently brought Andi down on my lap.
“Sorry, I’m late,” I offered calmly. “The roof job took longer than expected. Who’s winning?”
I glanced at the scoreboard to find Andi kicking ass with more strikes than anyone else, and then decided to look around and check out the reactions of my companions.
Cara’s mouth hung open and she stared at Andi while mumbling something about ‘no longer dying from the suspense,’ whatever that meant. Duke appeared confused, no shocker there because the guy was a dimwit, and my cousin was a bit pissed.
I shouldn’t use the word ‘pissed,’ because Tyler’s face was rapidly turning a very amusing shade of red while his fists clenched in his lap. I guess ‘rage-filled’ is more appropriate.
“You son-of-bitch,” he snapped, rising to his feet.
“Is there a problem?” I asked, not making a move.
“You’re damn right there is.”
“Okay, settle down,” Duke demanded, deciding to play peacemaker and try to prevent a bloodbath. “Let’s all go get a beer and we can discuss things rationally like the adults that I know we are. Obviously Tyler was unaware that Roman and Andi were together, otherwise he never would have tried to set me up with her. No harm done.”
Tyler stood, unmoving, glaring at me with a look of murder in his eyes. His friend decided that words alone weren’t working, so he physically grabbed my cousin by the arm and dragged him off towards the bar.
Shrugging my shoulders like it was no big deal, I slowly got up and followed them.
“Sorry, ladies. Duty calls.”
I never looked back to see their reaction because I’m sure they both had no fucking clue what was going on. It’s best if things stayed that way. The less Andi knew, the safer she’d be.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Tyler hissed the second I joined him and Duke at the counter. Since the bowling alley was huge, the bar area was in a separate room…sort of like a bowling alley/night club hybrid combination. One section had the normal bowling lanes and snack area, and the other half was designed to look like a pub with darts and pool tables. I was thankful for the privacy away from the watchful eyes of Cara and Andi.
“I’m just simply doing what I was told and following the plan, asshole,” I replied calmly, forcing myself to practice restraint. “You brought me on as the wingman to entertain Andi, until you realized she was the big fish. I then switched to a larger role, which I was playing the part to perfection, and now you bring Duke into the mix without telling me? Did you think that wouldn’t fuck things up completely? How do you expect the plan to go off without a hitch when you leave me in the dark?”
I’ll be damned if a good offense didn’t throw him off his game every single time. I’d honestly feel sorry for the guy if I didn’t hate him so much.
“Easy, Roman,” Duke soothed, placing his hands up in a gesture of surrender and somehow inserting himself into the conversation when he had no business being there. “Tyler had no clue things were going so well with you and Andi or he wouldn’t have asked me here tonight…isn’t that right?”
Tyler simply nodded, unable to form words, death glare firmly in place.
“Then, the way I see it,” Duke continued, suddenly taking on the role of man-in-charge, “we have no problems at all.”
“I have a big problem,” Tyler disagreed angrily. “I don’t like him going behind my back and not giving me updates about what the fuck he’s doing.”
“Nothing has changed on my end,” I admitted truthfully. I had no intention of deviating from my original plan. Yes, Andi threw a giant monkey wrench into the whole operation, but I’ll handle it. I’ve waited too long to back out now.
“See, Tyler? We’re all on the same team with one shared goal. Roman is doing his job, we’re doing ours, and it’s all smooth sailing from here on out.”
“How exactly are you two doing your job?” I asked with concern. Anytime these two morons try to ‘help,’ it usually fucks things up even worse.
Duke looked around, lowered his voice, and made a whispered confession.
“We found some untraceable merchandise that will help us when the time comes. The meeting is set for Tuesday night in a safe location.”
I raised an eyebrow, not entirely sure I wanted to know what that meant. Tyler must have noticed my confusion and offered more of an explanation.
“Duke’s buddy knows a man who can supply us with a few necessary items. All clean. All serial numbers removed.”
“Good,” I said, nodding my head, content to have another piece of the puzzle firmly in place. “Can we go back out to the ladies now, or do you want to keep bitching at me for sealing the deal with Andi and accomplishing what you couldn’t?”
“Duke would have gotten the job done,” my cousin insisted.
“Yeah, it looked like it judging by the way she refused to even sit next to him,” I replied with a smirk. “Way to work your magic.”
“Enough,” Duke snarled, clearly losing his patience. “I’m going back out there, saying a polite goodbye, and then heading home to get laid. You two are on your own. I’m done.”
The evening’s festivities ended abruptly when Tyler told Cara he was sick of bowling and wanted to leave, Duke went back to the hole he crawled out from under, and I walked Andi to her car.
“So…are you going to let me know what that was all about?” she asked once we were alone.
“I have family issues,” I admitted. “My cousin and I don’t have the best relationship. I recently moved back to Pennsylvania after living down South for awhile. Tyler and I were a lot closer when we were kids and I think he wanted to re-establish our bond, but people change over the years and you can’t force yourself to get along with someone. I can only assume that he had an attitude after the way I spoke up at the escape room. Tyler doesn’t like when he’s not running the show and can be a bit of a baby. If someone doesn’t fall in line and kiss his ass, he makes sure to retaliate. In this case, that meant going behind my back and bringing in Duke to piss me off. I quit playing his games a long time ago. In life…there are times when you have to leave the past in the past…as hard as that can be.”
I felt like a fucking hypocrite for telling her that. I was a prime example of someone unable to move forward. Pretty soon though…assuming all my plans fell into place.
Andi nodded her head as though letting my words sink in.
“I appreciate you coming here tonight, Roman.”
“I’m always a phone call away if you ever need me. I’ll try my best, but I’m no knight in shining armor.”
“Good, because I’m not a damsel in distress. Did you see the scoreboard? This beast got five strikes in a row.”
“I saw your domination of the bowling pins. I guess I was worried for nothing. You seemed to handle Duke pretty well all by yourself.”
“Well, I think we’re okay now. Cara knows I want nothing to do with the guy, so I’m sure there won’t be any more group outings set up for my benefit. Are we still on for tomorrow?”
“Absolutely. How about if I come over at noon and bring Chinese food? A fortune cookie can’t predict the future as well as your palm reading skills, but it never hurts to try.”
She playfully swatted me on the arm, I went in for a goodnight kiss, and breathed a sigh of relief that my long day was finally over. It was a miracle I managed to come out on top and placate both my cousin and my girl. If I had anything else piled on my plate, the shit wa
s going to hit the fan. A guy can only juggle so much before things start to drop.
Chapter Thirteen
Andi – Sunday Afternoon
Although the weather could not have been worse due to a thunderstorm reminiscent of a monsoon, I was having a perfectly wonderful afternoon. One of my favorite movies played on television as background noise, a few soft blankets offered some much needed warmth, and Roman cuddled up next to me on the couch while resting his head in my lap.
Life didn’t get much better than this.
After stuffing ourselves with several different varieties of fried rice, spicy chicken, and sweet and sour pork, it was time to relax.
Running my hand through Roman’s silky tresses while he closed his eyes in complete contentment, I took the opportunity to get to know him better.
“You know what?” I asked, coming to a shocking revelation.
“Hmm?”
“I literally know nothing about you.”
“You know tons,” he disagreed.
“Okay, a little. I know you work for the county fixing the roads, you have a cousin that’s kind of an asshole, you’re really awesome at figuring out escape room puzzles, and you seem to have a bottomless pit for a stomach. That’s actually all I have so far.”
“That sums me up in a nutshell.”
I paused, my hand mid-stroke of his forehead, to gaze down at the man. This was honestly the most relaxed and at peace I’d ever seen him. Once you got him away from Tyler, he seemed to drop the angry and brooding persona.
“Keep going,” he urged. “Your magic hands felt nice.”
“Then keep talking. If you want a massage, you need to share some information.”
“Is this like…you’re torturing the prisoner to get them to talk, Andi? Because you suck at interrogation. You’re supposed to do something vile to break their spirit.”
“I’m taking the opposite approach. I’m withholding pleasure.”
“Okay. I’ll crack. Keep touching me and I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”
He smiled up at me in defeat and I began my inquisition.
“Favorite memory of your childhood.” This should be interesting. I’ve found that you can tell a lot about a person based on their early years. I bet Roman had great stories to share.
Instead of happily relating some hilarious tale from his youth, he sat up and sighed deeply.
“I don’t want to talk about my past, Andi. Maybe I should leave.”
What the hell? How had such an innocent question caused things to deteriorate so quickly?
“I’m sorry if I said something to offend you,” I insisted. “I just want to get to know you better. We can change the subject if you want.”
While we couldn’t avoid the topic forever, I was willing to give him more time to open up to me. Roman obviously had a troubled past involving some demons he hadn’t yet conquered.
Turning to look me straight in the eye as though trying to decipher my intentions, the mysterious man eventually nodded and looked away.
“I never had your typical childhood, Andi,” he confessed. “My parents weren’t able to put down roots, and we moved around a lot. There was never a house that felt like home because I didn’t know how long we’d be there before I had to leave again. The same thing happened with schools and friends. Just when I got comfortable and found my footing, my parents ripped me away and we went somewhere new.”
“That sounds horrible. Where did your parents work that they got transferred so often?” I’ve heard of military families being bounced around from place to place, so his childhood wasn’t really that out of the ordinary.
“My parents…they’re not like yours. It’s obvious that you have a respectable family who love you very much judging by your dad’s birthday party and family game night. I didn’t have that. I wasn’t so lucky.”
“I’m sorry.” Really, what else could I say? I knew I hit the jackpot with my parents and sister. We were about as tight knit of a family as you could possibly imagine. I never took them for granted.
“It’s not your fault,” he said quietly, pondering his misfortune. “I’d like to believe that my mother and father were a product of their environment and didn’t know any better, but that’s becoming harder and harder to justify as I get older. Everyone has a choice in what decisions they make in life.”
I nodded my head, not wanting to force Roman down memory lane since it was obviously not a happy trip. While I certainly couldn’t erase his bad memories, I didn’t have to pry into his past either. The last thing I wanted was to cause him pain. Much to my surprise, he kept talking as though the floodgates had been opened and there was no turning back now.
“My father is a drunk, and my mother only cares about herself and maintaining her image. If you’re not useful in some way, then she wants nothing to do with you. Basically, I survived my upbringing and that’s about it. There were more than a handful of times when I stayed with Tyler and his mom. Now there’s a firecracker. My aunt was the true matriarch of the family even though she’s the youngest out of all her siblings. That lady was something else entirely.”
Roman actually cracked the barest hint of a smile, so I figured it was a safe topic.
“Why? What did you like about her?”
“Everything. She had to be dressed to the nines and all blinged out no matter where she went. Tyler has five younger sisters and there was constant chaos at their house. One time we were all having an epic water balloon fight in the backyard when my aunt came home from the grocery store. Her hands were piled full of plastic bags, she stuck her head around the corner to ask for help unloading the food, and a water balloon accidentally whacked her in the face. Needless to say, the shit hit the fan and she chased us until the heel snapped off her brand new pair of shoes. It was quite a scene.”
“It sounds crazy! I feel like I missed out on some of the fun by only having one sister instead of a bigger family. Do you have any siblings?”
“No. I used to pretend I was adopted and my real family might come back and get me one day, but that was foolish on my part. I’m the spitting image of my deadbeat father. There’s no denying I’m one hundred percent Boswell. Tyler’s mom is my dad’s sister. They also have seven more siblings, so it’s pretty insane whenever there’s a family reunion. The last one was probably eight or nine years ago. If you think the relationship between me and my cousin is bad, you should be front and center during some of the family feuds. It’s a full on brawl.”
Even though that sounded completely horrible, for some reason Roman seemed delighted at the thought of his huge extended family all coming together.
“Was the food at least good?”
“It was fantastic.”
And that was the end of that conversation. Roman put his head back down onto my lap while I continued to play with a lock of his hair. I became engrossed in the movie and must have lost track of time. Before I knew it, the closing credits were rolling and light snores were coming from the weary man that had somehow completely stolen my heart in a very short time.
Gazing down adoringly like a sentimental fool, I tried my best to memorize every single aspect of his beautiful face. From the long and thick eyelashes that fluttered as he dreamed…to the way his hair curled around the ear in a spot that had grown too long and needed a trim…to the perfectly regal upturned nose in excellent proportion with the rest of his features. The man was breathtaking. Softly stroking a wayward lock of brown hair, I sighed in happiness over the serene moment.
Unfortunately, he chose that exact second to open his eyes and find me watching him like a psycho stalker plotting ways to murder her next victim.
“Is it creepy that I was touching you while you slept?” I asked in complete mortification.
“That depends where you were touching me,” he replied with a smirk. “I’m sorry I fell asleep on you, Andi. It’s been a long week and I guess I needed a nap. I actually have a plan to make it up to you. What are you do
ing on Tuesday?”
“Nothing. What did you have in mind?”
“It might have come to my attention that there’s a certain event that would greatly interest you,” he explained cryptically, not giving any details to clue me in on what he was talking about. “How about if I pick you up at eight and let it be a surprise as to what happens next?”
I bit my lip in contemplation of his offer. Obviously, I was going to accept no matter what it was, so I quickly responded.
“The last time someone tried to surprise me, I got stuck with Duke. So you can understand why I’m hesitant…”
“No Duke. No Tyler. No Cara. Just me and a night out with no drama.”
“In that case, I will be honored to accept your invitation, sir.”
Roman showed his gratitude by pulling me into a passionate embrace, and we took the opportunity to get to know each other better on a physical level. Hands unbuttoned shirts, clothing was cast aside, and I found myself topless and braless in a record amount of time. Thankfully, Roman was also half naked and I got to revel in the sight of his washboard abs.
“You are absolutely spectacular,” I mumbled, tracing the hard lines of his chest and appreciating the firm muscles flexing under my fingertips.
“I feel the same way about you,” he admitted, pausing to come up for air after a thorough ravaging of my chest with his tongue. It was abundantly clear that Roman enjoyed a woman with a nice pair of breasts…and I enjoyed letting him enjoy them. Every touch, every lick of his tongue, sent a wave of pleasure coursing through me. Closing my eyes and leaning back, I let go of all conscious thought and focused solely on the man doing his best to drive me wild.
“Yes,” I moaned, running my hands through his hair and urging my skillful lover to continue as he took a nipple in his mouth and bit down just enough to tease me. Suddenly the insatiable beast moved back up and began kissing me as though he was on fire and needed relief that only I could provide.
