“She’s my sister.”
“She’s an adult.”
“Elise has had a very sheltered upbringing. She’s not very worldly. I don’t want to see anyone take advantage of her.”
“I’m not taking advantage of her,” Rome said, but he knew the words were useless. Grant had already made up his mind about that, hadn’t he?
“No?” Grant crossed his arms over his chest. “I know Brenna likes you because she thinks you’re a rebel like her, but I don’t see a rebel when I look at you. I see a drifter. I see someone who uses people to get ahead, and then when it’s no longer profitable, he dumps them and leaves others to pick up the pieces. And I feel like I hand-delivered my sister into your lap. I hired you, so you must have been trustworthy, right? And instead I let you get close to a sweet, trusting, naive girl who happens to have an enormous bank account. That’s exactly the kind of victim you’re looking for, isn’t it?”
Jesus Christ, the man made him sound like the worst kind of criminal. “I don’t know anything about Elise’s bank account, and I don’t care about it. Your sister came on to me.”
“Oh, stop with the bullshit,” Grant said. “We both know that’s not true.”
“Whatever, man.” Clearly Elise was sainted in his eyes.
“I want you to stay away from my sister from now on,” Grant told him, stabbing a finger in Rome’s direction. It made Rome want to reach over and break it off, he was so coldly furious. “It’s only because we’re shorthanded that I’m not firing you on the spot. Dane’s out there busting his ass, handling double classes while Colt is out. I can’t afford to lose a set of hands right now.”
Rome’s jaw tensed. “And when Dane gets back?”
“I don’t know,” Grant said, his smile tight and bitter. “I guess it depends on when Elise plans on heading back home. I’m tempted to run a background check on you, just to see what comes up. Would I like what I find?”
Rome thought about his four years in prison. His terrible credit. His juvie records that held a wealth of minor offenses. “Most likely not.”
“That’s what I thought. You want to tell me about it?”
“Depends. You gonna tell Elise?”
“Doesn’t she deserve to know?”
He shrugged, feeling tense with anger. “It’s not who I am anymore, so does it matter?”
“It does if it can hurt my sister,” Grant snarled.
Rome said nothing. It wasn’t any of Grant’s damn business.
“That’s what I thought. I’ll leave you with this warning. Stay the hell away from my sister if you want to keep your job. One fuck-up and you’re out of here, understand?”
Rome thought about the paycheck he got on a weekly basis. He’d been so hopeful to use that to start climbing out of the hole he found himself in. Get some repairs done on his old bike, put away for a nest egg. He thought about his cabin, how good it felt to have a home again that he could call his own. How he didn’t have to sleep in shitty roadside motels with black mold on the ceiling, or crash on the couch of one of his parents’ old friends. Or worse, sleep under a bridge. He’d done all of the above, and there was nothing quite like having his own place.
And he thought of Elise. Sweet, gorgeous, shy Elise, who responded to his touch like no one he’d ever met before. Who made him feel like he could do anything when she looked at him with those big, shining eyes.
And then he thought of his family. And how he never, ever wanted to be beholden to them again.
And he thought of prison.
So he sighed, defeated. “I understand. I won’t speak to your sister anymore.”
“Good.” The hardness in Grant’s jaw eased a little. “It’s nothing against you personally, man. It’s just . . .”
“I know,” Rome said in a dead voice. “She’s your sister. I get it. I won’t even look at her. You have my word.”
Grant nodded. “Thank you.”
“Sure,” he said flatly.
• • •
When Elise stopped by the ranch that afternoon, camera in hand, Rome took one of the ATVs out into the woods and headed to the supply cabin to chop wood. He made sure he was gone until sunset, long after Elise would have left.
He was going to have to break that girl’s heart, wasn’t he? She wouldn’t understand why he’d suddenly blown so cold after their steamy sessions. He could tell her that her brother chased him off, but that would be unfair, wouldn’t it? Family was family, and her brother was just looking out for her. Rome had known he was no good for Elise from the start. No sense in dragging down another person with him.
The thing that bothered him the most about the situation was that he knew Elise would blame herself. She was growing in confidence and in her sexuality, and he worried this might crush her.
Never mind what it would do to him to have to let her go. She was the best thing that had happened to him in a long, long time.
Maybe ever.
• • •
Elise stared at her silent phone and tried not to feel hopeless. She’d told Rome to text her when he wanted to get together again, leaving the ball in his court each time they went out. And each time, he always sent her a text message the next day and they’d get together. Every day, without fail, she heard from him. But now she was going onto day three and there was nothing but silence. She thought he might wait another day. Maybe two. And she’d hoped he’d pop up with the charming, funny text messages he often sent throughout the day to let her know he was thinking about her.
She’d never assumed that he’d just stop calling entirely.
It had been three days since she’d heard from him. She’d been hurt when she’d gone out to the paintball course to take action shots and he’d been deep in the woods. But that was his job, so she hadn’t dwelled on it too much. Then she’d stopped by the Daughtry Ranch the next day to show the photos to her brother, hoping to catch a glimpse of Rome, but he never came through the lodge.
Her phone was utterly silent and the weekend was coming up. She knew Rome would have those days off. Did he not want to spend them with her? She’d . . . just assumed he would.
Was she an idiot for thinking he might want to? She didn’t know what to do. Brenna had sworn up and down that she wouldn’t tell Grant, and she believed her. Knowing Grant and his protective streak, he’d have gone nuts about the entire thing, but he’d been chipper and open the last few days, his mood great. He certainly didn’t seem like something was wrong.
No, she had to conclude that Brenna hadn’t said anything to Grant, and the fact that Rome was avoiding her was of his own doing.
And that hurt, a lot.
Was it her? Had he not enjoyed their time together? She thought he had. She had the box of condoms at the ready, and she’d decided that the next time she saw Rome, she’d have sex. Real, honest to goodness, sweaty, delicious sex.
Except she wasn’t exactly sure there would be a next time.
So she moped around the Peppermint House and tried to keep busy. Emily had offered her one of the guest bathrooms to set up as a darkroom, but she hadn’t bothered yet. The only pictures she had to develop were of Rome, and she didn’t feel like looking at those at the moment.
She was at a loss.
Elise stared at her phone again, wondering. Should she just call? Ask what was wrong? Was he upset over something?
After a moment’s indecision, she sent a tentative Hi to his phone.
No answer.
She waited an hour, then two. After five hours, she was pretty sure he was ignoring her text. Rome checked his phone more often than that.
She felt sick to her stomach.
TEN
Rome put the lock on the paintball shed and rubbed his lower back. It had been a long, hellish day. They were in full swing trying to get the paintball course ready to go for the big launch, which meant ordering extra supplies, testing out everything, and clearing any sort of debris that might trip someone up on the field. Grant wanted to make
sure there were no “liabilities waiting to happen,” so Rome and Pop had gone over the course repeatedly. Hell, Rome had spent an hour just jumping on the damn constructed castle to make sure it wouldn’t fall apart due to a little roughhousing.
That had been hard work, of course, but that hadn’t been the hellish part.
It was having to ignore his girl.
He’d stared at her text all day. Hi. He’d hoped that she’d send more. That she’d take the initiative and send him something even though he was ignoring her. He craved contact with her. His nights were filled with thoughts of her, and when he woke up and she wasn’t beside him in his bed, it felt wrong. She haunted him, her sweet innocence and the spark of fire that showed when she was pushed too far. Over and over, he kept thinking of their session in the salon, when he’d parted her knees and licked her pussy until she’d come. She’d been blown away. Hell, he’d been blown away, too. She’d reached for him first. She’d wanted to touch him. He couldn’t stop thinking about that.
He jerked off to it in the shower, daily, just thinking about her hands on him. She’d wanted him. Even now, his cock hardened at the thought of her. They’d never gone as far with each consecutive date, skirting around sex and just making out for what seemed like hours on end instead. That was good, too, but he was craving more of her with every waking moment.
Rome headed into his cabin. Pop was heading over to the main lodge to grab a few beers, but Rome needed time away from the others to cool off and unwind, to gather his thoughts. The last thing he wanted to do was sit around and try to act like everything was cool when he was all fucked-up inside.
Elise had to think this was her fault. Had to. And that was tearing him up. But all he needed was one wrong word said to her brother, and he’d be out on his ass, homeless. He was fucking stuck.
Frustrated, Rome opened the door to his cabin.
Elise sat there on the edge of his bed, her hands clasped on her lap. She stood up as he entered, her eyes widening. “Rome, there you are.”
He glanced around to make sure no one had seen her when he opened the door, and then slid inside. “Elise, what the hell are you doing here?”
“I-I-I-I just thought . . . You weren’t answering my texts . . .” She blinked rapidly, as if fighting tears, and her gaze dropped. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”
Rome groaned. God, he was the biggest asshole in the world. He knew he should explain himself, kick her out so her brother didn’t see her, but he found himself moving forward instead and wrapping his arms around her. “Shhh, please don’t cry, Elise.”
Her hand dashed over her face. “I’m n-n-not crying,” she said in a wobbly voice. “I just don’t understand.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Did I do something wrong?”
Oh damn. “Stop, Elise. Shh. Please don’t cry.” He kissed her brow a dozen times, pressing his mouth to every inch of her face he could touch. His hand went to her long, silky hair and he touched it, dragging his fingers through the delicious length. God, it felt so good to touch her again. He knew he should resist, but seeing her here . . . “It’s not you, okay? It’s me. I’m all fucked-up.”
She gave him a skeptical, tear-filled look that told him she clearly didn’t believe him.
“It’s true,” he repeated. “It was nothing you did. God, you’ve been nothing but great.” He held her closer, enjoying the feel of her body against his. “Don’t you know I jerk off to the thought of you every night? If you were here in my bed, I’d fuck the hell out of you constantly, just so you’d know how hot I find you.”
“But . . . then why won’t you talk to me? Or answer my texts?” Her voice was small, wounded. Afraid of what she’d find out.
“It’s just . . . complicated.” He stroked a hand down her hair. “Trust me.”
“You won’t tell me why?” She pushed away from him, suddenly frustrated. “I’m just supposed to accept that everything’s fine and it’s nothing I did and, oh yes, by the way, you refuse to talk to me anymore? What am I supposed to think, Rome?”
He raked a hand down his face. “I know it’s crazy,” he muttered. Hell, it was crazy that she was still in here with him. He should have politely but firmly booted her out before her brother saw her in here and canned him.
“You won’t talk to me, and you won’t see me anymore. You say it’s not my fault, but . . . how can I not think it’s me?” Her hands pressed to her chest and he watched her lower lip tremble again, her eyes full of tears.
Ah, shit. “Don’t cry, okay? Tears from a girl just fuck up my head something awful.” He rubbed his face again, thinking.
This was worse than not seeing her. All that pain in her eyes? It wasn’t worth the paycheck and the cabin. He’d find another job, another place to stay.
But there was only one Elise.
And as he realized that, he came to a decision. He’d promised this sweet, innocent girl that he’d help her experience life. Seemed a shame to bail out on her now. So he grabbed her hand and pulled it to his mouth, kissing the palm. “It’s been a hell of a week, and I’ve been an ass. I’m sorry. You want to get away?”
Confusion flashed in her eyes, followed by growing excitement. “Sure.”
“Great.”
He was going to give her a weekend to remember.
ELEVEN
Rome grabbed Elise and gave her a quick kiss, then grinned. “Let me grab a couple shirts and I’ll be ready to go.”
“A-all right,” she said, a smile curving her mouth. “Where are we going?”
“We,” he told her with a smug look, “are going to have an incredible weekend of life experiences.”
“We are?”
“We are,” he agreed. He was going to give her the best damn weekend of her life, and cram as much into it as she possibly wanted to experience. It was going to be all about Elise this weekend. Whatever she wanted to do, whatever she desired, he’d make it happen. He’d give her this incredible weekend, just like he’d promised.
And then he’d be gone. It would hurt, but at least she’d have memories. He’d move on to another town, another shit-ass job, another shitty motel, and his hand for company when things got too lonely.
He pulled his backpack out of the corner it had been flung in and stuffed toiletries and his changes of clothing in there. It was a good thing he always packed light; hopefully she wouldn’t realize he was packing up most of his stuff. After a moment’s hesitation, he packed a strip of condoms. This wasn’t about sex; it was about living . . . But if his girl wanted sex, he’d give her the best damn sex she’d ever had.
“So where are we going?” she asked, and he could hear excitement in her voice.
“I’m thinking either a beach or a casino. Which one strikes your fancy?”
“Oh, I love the beach,” she told him. “I’m not really a fan of gambling, though. I don’t see the point.”
She wouldn’t, would she? She’d never had to worry about money. Never hoped that the last ten in her pocket would magically turn into a hundred. “That’s fine,” he told her, and slung his bag over his shoulder. “How’d you get here?”
A hint of a flush colored her cheeks, but the excited look remained on her face. “I parked my rental out on the highway and walked in so Grant wouldn’t see it. Are we taking your bike?”
He thought for a minute, then shook his head. If his bike was here all weekend, they’d see it and assume he was hiding out in his cabin. Sulking, probably. That was fine. If they thought he was sulking, they’d leave him alone and not come after him for dragging Elise away. “Why don’t we take your car? So we can talk on the way down.”
Her face shone. “I’d like that. You want me to drive?”
“I can drive if you’d rather.”
She handed him the keys and grinned. “Shall we sneak out?”
“This another life experience?”
She giggled. “Running off to spend a wild weekend with my boyfriend? Definitely something I’ve never done bef
ore.”
“Then let’s go,” he told her, and took her hand in his.
They turned off the lights in his cabin and shut the door quietly. Then, hand in hand, they tiptoed past the other cabins and headed out to the highway, avoiding the gravel parking lot, where every step was a loud crunch that might give them away. Rome felt for a moment like he was a teenager again, sneaking out to be with a girl. He was too old for this shit. But, looking back at Elise’s glowing face, he realized that she’d never had a chance to experience anything like this.
And it was worth it just for her.
When they got out to the car, he went around to the passenger side and opened her door for her, a gesture that brought another giddy smile to her face. This, he realized, had been the right call. It was an adventure, and Elise’s boring life was short on adventures. So she was heading off to the beach for a weekend of fun on a Friday night with a man she wasn’t supposed to be seeing. That was all part of the thrill, right?
He got into the car on the driver’s side and tossed his backpack into the back seat, then slid behind the steering wheel. The car wasn’t exactly a hot rod; it was a champagne-colored sedan. For a moment, he wished they were taking his bike, just to give her the thrill of driving up to the beach on the back of a motorcycle, but he supposed the vehicle didn’t matter. It was enough that they were doing this.
“Should we go back to the bed-and-breakfast and grab my clothes?” she asked him as he started the car.
“Nope,” he told her. He worried that if she went back to her room, someone would see her with him and try to talk her out of going. “We’ll buy you some clothes when we get to the beach. Or you can just go naked.” He looked over and winked at her, and was rewarded with a lovely flush on her cheeks.
Then he tore down the highway.
• • •
The beach wasn’t more than a couple of hours from Bluebonnet. He took the roads that led down to Galveston, one of the more scenic beach towns in Texas. He had vague childhood memories of a historic shopping strip there, chess on the beach, and other things that might appeal to a girl like Elise.
The Virgin's Guide to Misbehaving Page 16
