Promise Me Forever

by Jules Bennett

  “You two know each other?” Jasper asked, his tone all hopeful as he stepped toward them.

  Did Roman know Katie? He knew every inch of that body…a body she had on display in some flimsy, plunging number which showcased that killer body. Her curves were more defined now, which only made her seem more of a woman and even sexier than he recalled—and he’d recalled plenty over the years.

  That shade of blue in the scrap of material she wore set off her eyes, showcased her tanned skin, and made her hair seem even more golden than he remembered.

  “Roman.”

  Her breathy voice immediately thrust him back into hot summer nights. The time he’d spent with Katie had been the happiest of his life, until they’d suffered such a great loss—both the baby and each other.

  But seeing her again, it was those happy times that stole the spotlight in his mind. She’d been everything to him. Absolutely everything. A wife and a baby was exactly what he hadn’t known was missing from his life and just when he’d realized they’d made him whole, everything was taken away leaving him with a gaping hole he still hadn’t filled.

  “What are you doing here?”

  He forced himself to pretend he was just meeting up with an old friend and that his mind and emotions weren’t slipping into overdrive. He could do this. Years had passed, obviously they were different people now.

  Roman and Katie hadn’t ended on bad terms, more like heartbreaking, inevitable terms. So, she wasn’t actually his friend. With such a huge gap of time between them, she could easily be labeled a stranger.

  So why did he take one look at her and instantly recall how she felt beneath his hands, across his body? Why did he remember her love of coffee with two sugars and no cream? Why did he see her dancing in the moonlight, taunting him with the crook of her finger to join her? Maybe if he had, they would still be together. Maybe if he’d done a lot of things differently, they’d still be together.

  Roman cleared his throat. “Here as in Mimosa Key or here as in Allegro?”

  Katie propped her hands on her hips and glanced to Jasper. “How did you know?”

  Jasper’s eyes widened. “I had no clue the two of you knew each other, but that will make things so much easier. What better person to partner with?”

  Before Roman could ask what his cousin meant, Jasper clicked his dance shoes across the room, reached out and took hold of Roman’s arm, tugging him toward Katie.

  “Kat, let’s practice the rhumba routine we were working on. I’d like to see how a complete newbie handles the steps we combined.”

  Kat? Is that what she went by now? His Katie didn’t seem like a Kat.

  Wait. His Katie? That was stretching it, wasn’t it? She wasn’t his. Had barely been his and for all he knew she could be married with five kids by now.

  The thought tugged on his heart, but he quickly pushed it aside. This was absurd. The life they’d had, the family they’d lost, was all in the past. Getting nostalgic now wouldn’t change the circumstances.

  Getting caught off guard was messing with his mind, that’s all. And damn Jasper for sneaking this in. He’d known all along that he was going to make Roman dance. Dirty bastard.

  Heat filled him as he moved closer to Katie. She smelled like flowers, looked like every man’s fantasy, and stared back at him like she may be just as turned on. But attraction had never been their issue.

  Katie was still a sexy, striking woman. What man wouldn’t react to having a woman like Katie standing before him wearing…whatever the hell that was call that was driving him out of his mind?

  “Dance with Roman?” Katie asked. “Jasper, I don’t think—”

  “This is so perfect,” Jasper stated as he grabbed her hand and put it on Roman’s shoulder. “Now, I’ll start the music and we’ll take this slow.”

  Slow? The way her hand seared into his shoulder had even more memories rushing back. Blood pumped through him and nothing about this seemed slow. His memories tumbled around inside his head, dragging him right along for the uncontrollable ride.

  Roman had stepped into the studio two minutes ago and was now plastered against his ex-wife who was going to lead him in a dance while she wore next to nothing.

  Standing across the room from Katie was one thing, touching her, holding her, was another.

  Slow sensual music filled the room and Katie’s wide, expressive eyes held his. She’d never been one to hide her emotions. If Katie thought or felt something, he always knew. And right now, she was terrified.

  “You’re going to have to get closer.” Jasper came back to them, placed a hand on each other backs and pushed until they were torso to torso, hip to hip. “Perfect. This should be easier since you two know each other. You didn’t tell me how, though.”

  “No, we didn’t,” Roman agreed, never taking his eyes off Katie. He wasn’t about to get into their past, not when his emotions were all over the place and Katie’s eyes were still just as wide as when he’d stepped in the door. “It was a long time ago.”

  Katie licked her unpainted lips and that simple, nervous action forced his attention to her mouth. Damn his memory bank for opening and flooding him with every single moment they’d been together. It would be easier if he recalled the end when his heart had been shattered to pieces. But no, seeing her like this only had him recalling how they met, how they fell passionately into a fiery affair and couldn’t get enough of each other.

  “Well, no better way to get reacquainted,” Jasper chimed. He stepped back and clasped his hands. “Now, Kat, take the lead. We’re doing a rhumba, so think sexy, think power and passion.”

  Roman couldn’t help it. His lips twitched as he was doing everything to keep it together. Sexy, power, passion? Yeah, they’d had every bit of that as young lovers.

  “Kat.”

  Her eyes snapped to his. “Don’t call me that.”

  “Oh, friction.” Jasper all but beamed. “Nothing better for a sultry dance.”

  Roman continued to watch the play of emotions over her face and he waited to see if she’d dart from the room or flat out refuse. Suddenly, she squared her shoulders, tipped up her chin, and smiled. Actually smiled right at him like the past wasn’t plaguing her every thought. Had she shut down that portion of her life so easily?

  “We’re going to start with basics,” she told him, sliding into instructor mode. Just because they’d been married, didn’t mean they weren’t strangers now. “Place one hand on my waist.”

  Roman found himself obeying her demand, actually wanting her to take the lead. He slid his hand around the dip in her waist. Without a word, she reached for his other hand, gripping it tight in hers.

  “Watch my eyes,” she commanded. “We’re going to start with simple steps. The rhumba has eight main counts.”

  He listened as she went over each move. The emotion in her voice had slid from breathy like when she’d been caught off guard by his presence, to firm and authoritative. Both were sexy as hell, not to mention distracting.

  “I’m going to lead,” she added. “And you’re going to let me.”

  Roman didn’t say a word. He was having a difficult enough time trying to keep his body in check. Ex-wife and heated past aside, having any sexy woman half dressed and issuing demands was a hell of a turn on. Who was he to not comply?

  Granted, when he’d first seen her he’d been ready to turn and run, but now that he was here…hell, he had no clue what he felt, but he wasn’t about to leave. There was a reason they were brought together after all this time.

  Katie shifted her body against his, giving him brief instructions as she went. Each step she explained and by the time she rolled around to the third eight count, Roman had gotten the hang of the steps.

  Granted, he had no clue how he’d gone from just swinging by to say hi to his cousin, to being pinned down to a crazy blind date, to dancing with his ex-wife all in the span of about twelve hours. Though right at this moment, he wasn’t a bit sorry the day’s events had led him
to this moment.

  “What are you doing in Mimosa Key?” she asked, once they found their rhythm.

  “Working.” Step one, two. “What are you doing teaching here?” Step three, four. “I thought you moved to Miami.”

  “I was only there a year. I came back to Naples seven years ago to work for an accounting firm.” Her eyes darted to Jasper who was back to the rack of costumes. “I’m only in Mimosa Key temporarily.”

  “How long is temporarily, Katie?”

  When he said her name, her eyes darted down to his mouth. She tensed beneath his hands as her lips thinned. Clearly she wasn’t going to elaborate any more about why the passing stay or anything involving her personal life. Maybe she had shut down on that time with him. Perhaps she didn’t want to play the get-to-know-you game. Fair enough. He’d already said he didn’t have time to date, nor did he even want to. And diving into the dating scene with his ex-wife was probably not the smartest move he could make.

  Katie counted off the steps, and at the end of about the third eight count she stopped and dropped her hands. The woman before him may be a stranger, but he still knew her. At least, he knew her as far as feelings and emotions were concerned. She wanted away from him.

  “Katie?”

  She smoothed her hair behind her shoulders and offered a smile that didn’t come close to reaching her eyes. “This isn’t the best idea.”

  “Probably not.” Why lie or pretend he didn’t know what she was talking about?

  “What’s happening?” Jasper asked. He came back across the room, his hands full of frills and glitter costumes, his brows drawn in. “You just got started. Why did we stop?”

  Katie shook her head and opened her mouth, but Roman stepped somewhat in front of her to face Jasper. “This isn’t my thing,” he stated, trying to formulate some excuse to put it all on himself. “When you wanted to set me up on a blind date, I thought you meant actually go out for just a drink. You know I don’t dance.”

  Jasper’s face went to complete horror. His steely gray eyes widened, his mouth dropped, and his hand went over his chest. “Everyone is a dancer, Roman. You barely gave it a chance.”

  He was all too aware of the woman just over his left shoulder. All too aware of how he hated when she’d let go. As much as he’d rather do anything else rather than dance, he also wasn’t about to leave Katie explaining things to Jasper.

  If Jasper even thought for a second Roman and Katie had been together in the past, he’d stop at nothing to get his cupid’s arrow back out. The man was a hopeless romantic.

  “Listen, I have an early day tomorrow and I’m sure Katie would rather dance with someone who isn’t going to step all over her feet and who knows a rhumba from a two-step.”

  Ironically when they first married, she’d tried to get him to dance. She’d always been so graceful, so elegant with those long, toned legs. He never actually tried much more than feeling her up during their “lessons” and they’d always just ended up naked against the nearest stationary surface.

  “But, you can’t leave,” Jasper exclaimed. “Kat needs to practice before her private lessons.”

  The idea of some faceless man dancing with Katie…

  What the hell was he thinking? She was attractive, she was sexy, she didn’t belong to him. They’d divorced. There were zero ties at this point in their lives.

  Still, if she wore that flimsy so-called dress while teaching, that would be some lucky bastard who got to hold her. Whether they were tied together or not, Roman hated the mental image.

  “I’m confident I can teach Grant Peterson and he will be an expert by the end of his six lessons.” Katie stepped around Roman and laid a hand on Jasper’s shoulder. “Relax.”

  Jasper pursed his lips and darted his eyes from Katie to Roman. “You better stop by and see me again. You can’t work the entire time you’re in Mimosa Key. It’s too beautiful not to take a day off.”

  “I just got here,” Roman assured him. “I plan on staying a few months. Maybe you can swing by the site and bring me lunch one day.”

  Jasper rolled his eyes. “Please, you probably are all red meat and I’m more of a sushi type guy.”

  Roman laughed, thankful some of the tension had left the room. “Maybe you could just bring me beer and a turkey sandwich.”

  “Wait a second.” Katie held up her hand. “How do you two know each other?”

  “He’s my cousin,” Jasper stated with a gold-toothed smile, rubbing a hand over his neon yellow hair. “Don’t you see the similarities?”

  Katie laughed and Roman couldn’t help the pull of his lips. Damn, she sounded just the same as he remembered. All sultry and seductive. His Katie had been the package deal. Gorgeous, game for anything he suggested, caring, loving…and he thought they’d been perfect together.

  “We look nothing alike,” Jasper amended. “Roman won’t let me dye his hair and he’s a bit, um, thicker than I am.”

  No kidding. Roman had served in the Army and once he’d started lifting weights and doing more manual labor with his construction firm, he’d only added more bulk to his already broad frame.

  Jasper was…well, to say he was eccentric would be a vast understatement. The yellow cockatiel hair and the painted nails were a dead giveaway, but his flamboyance and bold wardrobe choices added to the interesting man.

  “Well, this has been interesting.” Roman blew out a sigh and attempted to focus on getting the hell out of this studio. “I’ll be on my way and you two can get back to work.”

  When he glanced to Katie, she had her eyes locked right on him. What was going through her mind right now? If she wanted to say something, she didn’t make a move to. He waited, thinking she’d…what? Ask him to dinner or try to catch up on the past several years? They were well beyond that. If she’d wanted to reconnect on any level, she would’ve reached out in the eight years that passed.

  Much as he hated to admit it, even if Jasper weren’t a captive audience, there was nothing for him and Katie to discuss.

  Roman turned his attention back to Katie. That damn dress mocked him. “Thanks for the dance.”

  She merely nodded once, never taking her eyes from him. He needed to get out of here—for her peace of mind and his. The awkward tension was only settling between them more and more.

  For two people who were once inseparable, who shared everything, they had nothing between them now but a painful ending and a chunk of time that had kept a wedge between them.

  Roman turned, his boots falling heavy on the hardwood floors. If he could start work now he would. He needed to demolish something. Manual labor had always been a great stress reliever and now more than ever he needed somewhere to place his frustrations.

  “Text me and we’ll get together,” Jasper said as Roman headed for the open door.

  Roman threw a hand up in a mock wave and continued walking. No way in hell was he turning back around and risk seeing his ex-wife again. He hadn’t thought it would be possible to hurt just by looking at her, but he did. The ache in his chest wasn’t something he wanted to explore.

  Unfortunately, if he was staying in Mimosa Key, he was bound to run into Katie again. At least he would be prepared…he only prayed she had on more clothes because seeing her like that only conjured up a time he’d do best to forget.

  Chapter Four

  Sleep had completely eluded her. No, that was a lie. She’d slept and had the most erotic dreams of her life. Glorious dreams that starred her former husband and a white sandy beach. Nothing for miles but the two of them entangled in each other’s arms. Fabulous glimpses into the brief life they’d shared. Like a scene from a movie that kept rolling over and over in her head, Katie had relived the good times all night long.

  Thankfully, the dark period hadn’t entered into her sleep. She relived those nightmares enough during waking hours. Even all these years later, she’d get a little catch in her heart when she saw babies or young families.

  She couldn’t help th
e sense of jealousy that speared her. She knew in her heart she’d always have that hollowness from all she’d lost. How did anyone truly recover from such a loss?

  As she watched her coffee drip into one of Aunt Tilly’s crazy mugs, Katie couldn’t help but smile. The mug of the day said If it requires pants or a bra, it’s not happening today.

  Katie loved her aunt, she loved her silly personality and blunt approach at life. And this mug pretty much summed up Katie’s mood anyway. Once the construction crew got here and she went over Tilly’s plans, Katie hoped to hide right here in the upstairs bedroom and practice a new routine for special clients she had in a few days. She hoped they liked classic, older songs. Katie had always loved those timeless hits and incorporated them as often as possible.

  The drip came to a stop and Katie added her usual accessories to the coffee. Since the kitchen was going to be under heavy construction, Katie promptly moved the coffeepot into the bedroom as soon as she’d arrived. She had priorities and they consisted of dance and coffee.

  The master bedroom had a perfect cushioned seat that overlooked the ocean. If Katie lived here permanently, she wasn’t sure she’d get anything done or ever leave that room. She could clear off the opposite wall and put a row of floor-to-ceiling mirrors. A perfect setup.

  She had to teach later this afternoon and she needed some serious relaxation after the human bomb that exploded into her life last night.

  How the hell had her past come straight in all sexy and sauntering, and even more broad and chiseled than last she’d seen him? And why did she have to be so affected?

  Because she’d never fully gotten over him. Every man she’d attempted to date since her divorce had been compared to Roman…and none of them had measured up.

  She shivered recalling the way he’d raked that midnight gaze over her as if he recalled every single time he’d seen her naked. It was almost as if the turmoil that she’d had rolling inside her didn’t even exist for him. She’d had to keep her emotions in check and pretend that she’d moved on unscathed. Exposing her true feelings upon seeing him again would’ve only conjured up pain she didn’t want to revisit—and the truth she’d kept from him.