by Susan Stoker
Rin kept her mouth shut as they walked, not able to read his mood and not knowing exactly what to say. He’d draped her hand around his arm, so she was quite close to him as they maneuvered their way through the tables and chairs in the room. Once again, she could smell his unique scent as they walked. It was faint, but even after his shower, he still somehow smelled like fall.
Rin wanted nothing more than to put her head on his shoulder and snuggle into him, inhaling the comforting scent that had taken her out of her nightmares for years. But she really didn’t want him running screaming from the room, freaked out when she started sniffing him.
Roman put the slices of cake on a table and held out a chair for her. Rin sat, then watched as he pulled out his own chair and settled into it. He put an elbow on the table and leaned close, facing her.
“Let me first say that I had no ‘immediate connection’ with your sister, as you put it, and I’d much rather be sitting here with you than her.”
Rin simply nodded, fascinated at the look of irritation on his face at her family’s attempt to hook him up with Tina.
“Second, if you didn’t look exactly alike, I don’t think I would’ve ever guessed you were related.”
She ignored the looks comment. She knew she didn’t hold a candle to her prettier sister. “I’m sorry about that. My mom is really a good person; she’s just had a weird life and feels as if Tina is her, and our, last chance to be happy. She goes overboard.”
Roman didn’t look appeased. His “hmmm” was noncommittal, and Rin somehow knew he was being diplomatic and not wanting to say anything really harsh about her relatives. He went on. “And so you know, what you eat when and what time you like to go to bed has nothing to do with me liking you. Maybe your sister was telling the truth and trying to somehow turn my attention, or maybe she was lying for the same reason, but regardless, I feel comfortable with you, Rin. I’ve enjoyed talking with you. I’m attracted to you.”
“She wasn’t lying,” Rin told Roman honestly. “You don’t have to try to make me feel better for being a fuddy-duddy. I’m okay with it, honestly.”
He chuckled. “You have a hard time taking a compliment, don’t you?”
“That wasn’t a compliment.”
“I meant it as one. But obviously I’m rusty,” Roman admitted a bit self-deprecatingly.
“You said you’ve been working all day. What do you do?” Rin knew her question came out of left field, but she wanted to steer the conversation away from herself, and what time she may or may not go to bed, and the fact that it seemed Roman was trying to flirt with her.
“I’m a wilderness guide.”
“A wilderness guide?” Rin repeated, having no idea what the heck that was. The look on her face must have been comical, because Roman burst out laughing, and held out a fork to her so she could eat the cake he’d picked up for them.
“Yeah. I get hired to take people out into the great outdoors and teach them how to survive. I also run tours along the Appalachian Trail in the summers.”
“I don’t get it.”
“Don’t get what?”
“You get paid for that?”
“Yeah, Varinia, I get paid for it. You’ve never taken a tour and had a guide with you? Whitewater rafting? Hiking? Horseback riding? Anything?”
Rin laughed and took a bite of the cake. It was delicious, of course. As if Cassia would have anything less than orgasmic cake at the last-chance party for her daughter to find a man. “No. I’m not exactly an outdoorsy girl.”
“Now that’s a shame,” Roman said, clearly teasing her. “Nature is beautiful and there are so many wonderful things to do outside. You’ve seriously never been camping?”
“In a tent? No. I’ve spent the night in my car when I had to drive cross-country once, but I don’t think that counts.”
“No, that doesn’t count, and it definitely wasn’t safe.” He mock glared at her. “I’d love to take you on one of my overnight hiking trips to show you what you’ve been missing.”
“Really? Um, I don’t do nature very well.”
“Then you haven’t done nature with the right person.”
How he could say something so innocent, but still make it sound dirty, was beyond Rin. And he was so smooth she couldn’t tell if he was doing it on purpose or not. Even though she’d never had the urge to sleep outside with the bugs and in the heat, somehow she knew Roman would make it a completely different, and exciting, experience.
Feeling flustered, and trying to keep herself from agreeing on the spot to go camping with him—and do anything else he might want to do with her—she blurted out, “Where do you live? You told my sister you aren’t from around here, but that could mean you’re from tons of places…”
As if he’d been around her forever rather than the thirty or so minutes they’d spent together, he followed her train of thought easily. “Not too far. I live over in western Pennsylvania. I could’ve driven home tonight, but it’s been a long day and I’m tired. I’d planned on getting a good night’s sleep and heading back in the morning.”
Rin was curious now. It wasn’t every day she met a wilderness guide. Heck, she’d never met one. “There’s not much that’s nature-y about Columbus, Ohio.”
“You’d be surprised how many hidden trails there can be in a city, but yeah, I wasn’t hiking or anything today. I spent the day with a group of Girl Scouts. The troop leader hired me to show them some of the things that the Boy Scouts are learning. Apparently, some of the members in the group found out what their brothers were getting to do with their troops, and demanded the same thing. I got to show them how to tie knots, pitch tents, and recognize things like poison ivy and oak in the woods. It was awesomely fun, but I’m beat. I had no idea ten little girls could ask so many questions. I swear if I hear the word ‘why’ one more time, I’ll scream.” Roman smiled as he said it, so Rin knew he was teasing.
Every word out of his mouth made Rin want to get to know him better. “So I take it you don’t have kids?”
“Nope. Never been married either. You?”
“No. Not even close. How old are you?” As soon as the question came out of her mouth, Rin was embarrassed. “Oh God, I’m sorry. Don’t answer that, it was extremely rude.”
Roman chuckled. “It’s okay. It’s only fair, since I know that you’re twenty-five today. I’m thirty-four.”
Rin grinned at him, happy she’d guessed his age right earlier. Thirty-four was older than she thought she’d ever be attracted to, but it wasn’t as if she wanted to jump a grandpa’s bones, so she’d take it. “Actually, our birthday isn’t for another couple weeks but Mom didn’t want to chance it.”
“Chance what?”
Lord. She hadn’t meant to say that. “That long story I mentioned earlier, involving soul mates.”
Roman relaxed against his chair. “It’s not like I have anywhere else to be. Hit me.”
“I don’t want to. I’m liking this.”
“This?”
“Us, talking normally, without you looking at me like I’m an escapee from the looney bin.”
“Come on, Varinia, it can’t be that bad. I’m sure I could tell you some things about me that would freak you out just as much.”
“Like what?”
He considered her for a moment before confessing in a low voice, as if there were other people around who would love to hear what he was about to tell her, “I used to sneak out of bed at night when I was little to watch princess movies. I don’t know why we had them, since I don’t have any sisters, but I loved them.”
Rin gawked at Roman for a moment. He looked so sheepish that she couldn’t help the guffaws of laughter that escaped her. She laughed so hard she actually snorted, then covered her face in embarrassment. Could she be any more of a dork?
At his chuckle, she looked up and sighed, still smiling. “Okay, okay. I think that’s more sweet than embarrassing though. But you fessed up, so I will too. But I’m only doing it because in an
other few weeks, it won’t matter anyway.”
Roman put his hand on her forearm and said seriously, “If you really don’t want to tell me, don’t. It’s fine. I don’t think anything you could say right now would make me think less of you. In case you haven’t realized it, I like you. It probably sounds creepy, but from the second I saw you standing behind me in the lobby, I’ve been drawn to you. And I don’t know what happens in a few weeks, but I really hope that whatever it is we have lasts longer than that. Talk to me.”
“Uh, well, okay.” Rin took a deep breath and asked what she’d been thinking since she’d first gotten close enough to Roman to smell him; again, the question seemingly coming out of the blue. “You asked me in the lobby if we’d met before.”
Roman nodded but didn’t speak, letting her get whatever it was she wanted to say out at her own speed.
“I know we haven’t, but the thing is, I feel like I know you from somewhere,” Rin insisted, putting off telling the story of her family legend.
“Wanna hear something weird? I do too, it’s why I asked earlier. But I swear I’ve never laid eyes on you before in my life. There’s no way I would’ve forgotten you.”
Ignoring the warm and gushy feeling she got from his words, Rin asked, “Maybe you met Tina and just forgot? We are twins, so even though she looks different from me, you know, with her hair and her clothes and stuff, we’re still identical.”
“No, I haven’t met her either,” Roman denied. “And while she might look different, I’d be able to tell you apart even if you had the same haircut and were wearing the same clothes. You look pretty much exactly alike, from your beautiful green eyes to your cute nose and full lips, but there’s just something about you that makes you very different from Tina.”
“Oh. Um. Thanks.”
“There goes that not-accepting-a-compliment-very-well again.” Roman reached out a hand and ran a finger over her cheek briefly before pulling back. “I’m drawn to you and it’s not about anything that Tina also has. This is gonna sound corny but…it’s as if my soul recognized yours.”
Rin could only stare at him. She felt her heart speed up.
That was it exactly.
Before she could respond, he asked the question that wasn’t all that much of a subject change since they’d been talking about souls. “Now…long story about Tina trying to find her true love?”
“Okay, um, yeah. But you can’t tell anyone here. It would embarrass both Tina and my mom.”
“Of course. I know we just met and you don’t know me at all, but I wouldn’t break your confidence.”
Rin took a deep breath and began the crazy story. “It all started thousands of years ago with a woman named Theodosia and her husband, Lucius…”
6
“It’s amazing that the ring has been passed down for hundreds of years from mother to daughter,” Roman said in awe, as if trying to wrap his mind around the possibility.
“I know. Some of the stories about my ancestors I remember, but I know lots of others are lost, which makes me sad. The thing is, though, for some reason, it’s been…broken, for lack of a better word, for the last few generations, and why my mom calls it a curse now instead of a legend. My great-grandmother, grandmother, and mother weren’t lucky enough to find their true loves by the time they were twenty-five.”
“But they still had daughters,” Roman remarked.
Rin looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “You don’t exactly have to be in love to have kids you know.”
Roman nodded his head in sheepish agreement. “Good point. So Tina has only a few more weeks to find the love of her life, otherwise she, and you, will be single for the rest of your lives?”
Rin read the disbelief in his tone and blushed. It sounded so silly when he said it out loud. This was the reason she hadn’t bothered to try to explain it before. But something about Roman had made her think he’d understand. “Basically, yes.” There was no use in expanding her answer if he was going to think she was crazy.
“That is utterly fascinating,” Roman said enthusiastically, resting both elbows on the table in front of him and keeping his eyes on hers.
Rin watched as his biceps flexed under the short-sleeve polo shirt he was wearing. She took a deep breath, inhaling his unique scent as he shifted next to her.
“And you said that you have an older half-sister who lives in England who sent the ring? Is Tina wearing it now? I’d love to get a look at it…that is, if we can figure out a way to do that without making your sister think I’m her true love.”
Roman seemed genuinely interested and Rin made a split-second decision. She brought her right hand up from where she’d stuffed it under her thigh and rested it on the table between them. “I’ve got it. I didn’t trust my mom not to do something weird with it. She already tried to get rid of it once, and I promised MacKenzie, my half-sister, that I’d keep it with me at all times.”
Roman reached out to lift her hand, but stopped, his fingers hovering over hers, and asked permission before touching her, and thus the ring. “May I?”
Rin swallowed hard and nodded. “Legend says that when the eldest daughter finds her true love, it turns crimson, but my mom says it’s been gray for as long as she’s had it.”
Rin held her breath and Roman picked up her hand. She shivered as his thumb brushed over the back of her hand as he pulled it closer to examine the ring. He turned her hand one way, then the other. Rin felt his warm, calloused fingers over hers, but couldn’t take her eyes off his face. It was extremely expressive. She could see curiosity, interest, and…confusion?
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“It’s probably a coincidence, but I swear I’ve seen this ring before. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
“Try me,” Rin breathed.
“Later. You said the ring is supposed to be black. But it’s not. It’s a dark red right now.”
“What?” Rin looked down at the antique for the first time since she’d sat down with Roman. She gasped in surprise. She’d thought it was more red than black earlier, but now she couldn’t deny it. The ring was definitely crimson and seemed to glow from within. It was the most beautiful stone she’d ever seen in her life.
“I-I don’t understand,” Rin stammered, looking away from her finger to search the room for Tina. She saw her sitting with two of the men she’d been chatting with earlier. She was laughing and smiling at them both.
She turned back to Roman. “I think it might actually be working.”
He smiled at her with a gleam in his eye. “Oh, it’s working all right.”
Rin was too excited and flabbergasted to catch the odd tone in his voice. “I’m afraid to believe. I’m so happy for her. She’s been wanting this her entire life. I should go tell my mom—no, I should wait. I wouldn’t want to get her hopes up in case something goes wrong. Mom would love to see the ring this color though. Oh, Roman, this is amazing!”
He squeezed her hand and brought it up to his lips, kissing the ring on her finger. She could feel the heat from his lips against her skin, and shivered as a burst of energy seemed to flow from her fingers, up her arm, and settle in her chest. She felt jittery, as if she’d just downed an energy drink, and warmth spread out from her heart to all four of her limbs.
Roman didn’t say a word, but if the look in his eyes was any indication, he’d somehow felt the same thing.
“Think you could get out of here for a bit? Take a walk with me?”
He hadn’t let go of her hand and Rin couldn’t take her eyes off his lips. “I shouldn’t. This is an important—no, momentous thing for our family. But…” Rin looked longingly at the door to the ballroom. She wanted to be alone with Roman. She needed it, as if she needed to breathe. She didn’t understand it, but she wanted to say yes more than anything. However, she was also cautious. She’d just met the man tonight, after all. “A walk? Is that code for something else?”
He chuckled and put her hand back on the table
, covering it, and the ring, with his own. “No. I’d just like to spend some time with you, get to know you better, have you get to know me better. It’s loud in here and I’d love to talk to you without distractions…if you think you can leave your own birthday party.”
“I was going to cut out soon anyway. So yes, I’d like that.”
Roman smiled at her, obviously pleased she’d said yes. “I’ll make sure to keep you safe. Thank you for trusting me.” Roman stood up and kept hold of her hand, forcing her to stand as well. He dropped it, only to rest his warm palm on the small of her back as they walked toward the ballroom door.
Rin’s head spun. Roman’s scent, his seeming interest in her, the ring being crimson for the first time ever…it was all almost too much. But walking next to Roman, being by his side, felt right. She’d follow him to the ends of the earth if he asked.
7
They made their way out of the hotel and headed for the downtown area. The neighborhood was well lit and the fountains around the courthouse gave their surroundings a romantic feel. Roman had taken hold of her right hand, interlocking their fingers. Rin looked down and saw the poesy ring shining brightly in the street lamps as they walked, flanked by his fingers.
They were quiet for a while, reveling in each other’s company. Roman finally broke the comfortable silence. “Want a mint?” He’d reached into his pocket and was holding a tin of candy in his free hand, holding it out to her. “I’m totally addicted to them. My family makes fun of me, but I can’t remember a time I wasn’t.”
“Are they peppermint?” Rin asked, even though she knew the answer already.
“Yeah. I’ve tried the wintergreen ones, and cinnamon, but I always come back to peppermint.” He shrugged a little self-consciously. “It’s a quirk.”
She shook her head and let go of his hand so he could pop one of the small mints into his mouth. He immediately took hold of her hand again as soon as the tin was back in his pocket.
