by Linda Verji
“Roman!” she exclaimed, but there was sexy huskiness to her voice and her eyes hooded as if made heavier by desire. Then she licked her bottom lip.
With that one lick, she eviscerated any semblance of self-control Roman might have had.
“You still love me,” he rasped before lowering his mouth down to hers.
CHAPTER 10
Roman’s kiss caught April by surprise.
Actually, the word ‘kiss’ didn’t adequately describe what he was doing to her. His mouth ground down over hers and pushed her lips apart, forcing her to accept him, accept that she still loved him.
No. She refused to accept him. Keeping her mouth sealed tight, she tried to shove him away. But Roman was as determined as he was strong; he wrapped his arms around her upper body, trapping her arms against his chest. No matter how much she twisted and turned there was no escaping the steel band that was his embrace.
She arched her head away but his marauding mouth followed her, stalked her, dragged her back to him. She opened her mouth to tell him to stop but that turned out to be a big mistake because he took full advantage. His tongue forced its way in as his lips pulled on hers in incessant demand. That persistent tongue lashed against hers, and broke her into pieces. It yanked her into the kiss with breathtaking force.
Her resistance melted away like a candle thrown into a fire. In that fire, rage, desire and desperation met to create a cocktail of emotions so lethal, April was sure she’d explode if he didn’t deepen the kiss. As if he could hear her unspoken desires, Roman slanted his mouth harder over hers and kissed her like he was trying to inhale her, trying to breathe himself into her.
Kiss after hungry kiss he fed her. And she took them all.
After waiting and dreaming for so long, how could she not?
She was panting, almost crying as her mouth worked under his. She clung to his chest because there was nowhere else to cling; he’d made it so he was the only one she could hold on even when she didn’t want to. The bastard! She dug her nails into the fabric of his coat because she was so angry with him. For doing this. For not doing it before now. For making her remember how much she wanted him. Were he naked, she would’ve scored her nails over his skin and made him bleed like he’d been doing to her heart all this time.
Anger and desire warred within her as she pulled on the lapels of his coat to drag him closer to her. And he came. Oh, he came. His hand lifted from her back to dig into her hair roughly before he tilted her head upwards for a deeper, more intimate kiss. His tongue stabbed deep in a sensual assault that was both dominating and possessive. The unexpectedness of its force stole her breath and sent heat shuddering through her. She clung to him, took every kiss he gave then demanded more, and more, and more…
The emotions lancing through her were so animalistic, so violent, so out of control that they drove her to finally pull back from the kiss. This time he let her go, and when their eyes met she found his gaze calmer than she felt. How dare he be calmer than her when he was the one who’d started this.
Damn him!
Her palm cracked over his face. The sound echoed so loudly in the room that even she was surprised by her own violence. Roman’s nostrils flared but that was his only reaction to the slap.
Pressing the back of one hand to her kiss-bruised lips, April shoved him away from her. Her shove was so forceful that it sent him several steps back. She jerkily got off his desk and started towards the door. But before she could even take three steps, his hand was on her wrist, pulling her back to him.
“April, wait!”
“Don’t touch me!” Her voice was almost at screeching point as she yanked her wrist from his hold. “Don’t you dare touch me.”
When she turned for the door, he didn’t stop her. She got to the door, even left his office, but a second later she slammed her way back in. Rage was fully in the driver’s seat as she locked eyes with Roman.
“How dare you,” she breathed. “How dare you kiss me.”
“April, I’m-”
“Sorry?” she finished for him. “You should be. After everything you’ve told me, after everything you’ve said about me – how dare you put those dirty lips on mine.”
She saw the hurt in his eyes, it was very subtle but she knew him well enough to recognize it. She was hurting him. She drove the knife home with, “Don’t you ever kiss me again. Don’t you ever touch me again, because it will be the last thing you ever do. Screw you!”
With a kiss of her teeth, she spun around and left the room. This time she stayed gone. But even as she took the stairs down, she was still spitting mad. Roman was unbelievable. This was their first kiss and she couldn’t even enjoy it because he’d only done it to prove some stupid point. What was that point? Oh yeah! That she still loved him.
Screw him!
Why did he care if she still loved him? Why couldn’t he just leave well enough alone. He didn’t want her – so why did he care if she wanted him? Screw him! To him, her feelings were a handy toy, to be played with when he felt like, then discarded and stepped on when he got tired.
Screw him!
What was even worse was how easily she’d fallen under his spell. Why couldn’t she be stronger, more resolute? How she wished feelings were like a dirty mark on the skin, something she could simply wipe away with a cloth or wash away with soap. Instead, her feelings for him were like an old war wound that was in the habit of flaring up at the most inappropriate time.
And they were a wound. Only wounds could hurt this much.
Hurt and anger stalked her the whole day as she went about the business of playing hostess. She smiled at the new arrivals, greeted them happily, courteously led them into their tables, professionally supervised the servers who answered to her. But inside she was a raging typhoon. Every time her eyes met Roman’s, she had to steel herself to keep from screaming or throwing something at his big head.
How dare he!
By the time they closed the kitchen, she was seriously debating quitting her job. How was she supposed to work with him? How was she supposed to see his face each and every day and not remember that kiss? How? If he’d approached her at that moment to offer her a ride home, she would’ve handed him her resignation promptly or at the very least spat it at him. Thankfully, he was smart enough to keep his distance.
Still steaming, she took a cab home. Several deep breaths later, she decided that she wasn’t quitting her job. Why should she? Aside from having a selfish asshole for a boss, this was the best job she’d ever had and the most well-paying. Besides, there weren’t too many jobs out there for a woman with a nursing degree she’d never used. No, she was keeping her job. But if Roman tried his nonsense again, well she’d…. she’d… she’d sue him for sexual harassment!
Yeah! Let him try it again, she mentally threatened.
As if she didn’t have enough annoyances in her life, she decided to log into her Twitter account when she got home, only to find that she’d literally exploded on the internet. The number of people following her page had increased to almost twenty times the number they were when Roman had confronted her, and the comments were numbering in the thousands. And not all those comments were nice.
She looks like a horse.
Trust Javier to fall for a yellow bone.
Javier is dating black girls now? Damn, and I thought he had good taste.
Eat a burger sometime, lady.
Look at that hair. If you don’t know how to work with black hair then shave it.
The love was almost equal to the hate. She had a couple of people riding for her and coming after the haters, and she’d even received some private messages from modeling agencies offering to represent her. But it was still overwhelming. She’d never been the subject of so much love – or hate – and she didn’t like it. As much as she admired celebrities, she wasn’t interested in being one of them. So she called Javier.
He picked up on the first ring, “Look who called me.” He chuckled. “You missed m
e, didn’t you?”
“Sorry to disappoint you.” A reluctant smile twisted April’s lips. “I’m calling to scold you.”
“To scold me?” The surprise was clear in his voice as he asked, “What have I done?”
“Turned my life into a mess.” She asked, “Why’d you follow me on Twitter?”
“I just wanted to.” He paused. “Why? Didn’t you want me to follow you?”
“It’s not that.” April sighed. “Just go check out my wall now.”
“Okay, give me a minute.” He ended the call to go to her page. A few minutes later, he called her back. “April, I’m so sorry. If I’d known that this kind of drama was coming your way, I would never have followed you. Do you want me to un-follow you?”
She considered it for a moment then shook her head. “Nah, that will start more gossip with people wondering if we’ve broken up or weird stuff like that. Do this… follow a couple more people.”
If he followed other people, it would hopefully deflect attention from her. The busybodies would assume that he was just on a following rampage and forget about her.
“Cool, I’ll do that once I get off the phone with you.” Concern laced his voice as he asked, “Are you okay though? Some of those comments were rough.”
“I didn’t read them,” she lied. “I’m good.”
“You sure?”
“I’m sure.”
“Still, let me make it up to you.” He suggested, “Dinner on Sunday?”
She almost agreed, then realized what he was up to just in time. Laughing, she said, “You tried it.”
“Damn! You almost fell for it this time, didn’t you?” he asked, amusement heavy in his voice.
“No, I’m too smart for that.”
“Why don’t you try being foolish for once?” He offered, “Let me take you out on a date.”
She was tempted to take him up on his offer – very tempted. But not enough to actually do it. It wouldn’t be fair to latch onto him just because she was pissed off at Roman. “I’m sorry, Javier.”
*
THE KISS HAD been a mistake. A big mistake.
First kisses were supposed to be tender, tentative and exploring. Instead he’d overwhelmed April with his desire and brought out her claws in the process. It’d been more than a week since the kiss, and he still couldn’t get her to sheathe those claws. Every time she so much as stepped into the same room as him, her anger vibrated between them. Like a whip, her rage lashed at him and ordered him to stay back if he didn’t want to get hurt.
But still – even knowing how much of a mistake it was – given a chance, he would still kiss her again.
If he’d known how good it would feel to finally have April in his arms, he would’ve done it earlier. The emotions that had seared through him as they kissed were indescribable – a mix between awe and unexpected pleasure. Just the memory of how soft her lips had been, how good she’d tasted, how perfectly her body had fit against his, was enough to make him harden in immediate desire.
Even the reminder that April wasn’t the girl for him wasn’t enough to dispel the memories of that kiss. These days he was having a hard time trying to remember why she wasn’t the right girl for him because it had felt so right to kiss her.
And he ached to do it again! He ached badly.
It was too bad that April wanted nothing to do with him. For one week straight she’d given him the cold shoulder. She didn’t even give him a chance to apologize. Whenever he so much as mentioned the word ‘sorry’ she cut her eyes at him so fast he was surprised he wasn’t bleeding.
She’d also taken to avoiding him. When she could help it, she kept at least three feet and a couple of people between them. If he sent for her to come to his office, she sent back a message that a diner had just walked in. If he approached her in the dining room, she called over another staff member on the pretense that they needed to be there for the discussion. In fact, she’d taken to holding their morning briefings at one of the corner tables in the dining room, where she was safe from him because of all the eyes watching them.
It was frustrating. But Roman knew it was the least he deserved.
Life was funny. He chuckled to himself but the chuckle held little amusement. Who would’ve thought that one day he’d be the one panting after April? After all the different ways he’d barricaded his heart against her it shouldn’t have happened. Yet it had. With one kiss, she’d burnt down every wall he’d put up and crushed his reasons to dust. Now he was feeling lost, wanting her yet not wanting to want her.
Sudden clapping roughly yanked him from his morose thoughts and into the present. He quickly glanced up at the stage where Mrs. Davis, the principal of Ocean View Middle-school, was in the middle of giving a speech.
“- and I’d like to thank Coach Teller for getting you all to come here.” Mrs. Davis directed her gaze towards the front row of the auditorium where several former and current pro-athletes were seated. “I’m sure you all had better things to do with your Friday than hang out with us and give us advice. But we’re glad you came. I’m sure the kids would love for you all to come again.”
“Yes,” the kids behind them yelled and clapped loudly.
Roman and his fellow athletes turned to give the kids smiles and half-five the ones who were closest to them.
Roman and Mrs. Davis had gotten to know each other through his little league team. Most of the Robin Jays attended Ocean View, a public middle school, and it was inevitable that they’d talk about him. About a month ago, Mrs. Davis had approached him about the school’s career month and asked if he could get a few athletes to come and speak to the kids during their Sports Career’ week. Always willing to help out when kids were involved, Roman had approached some of his friends.
Surprisingly, most of them had been willing to show up for him. Of course, his teammates from the Wizards were the first to sign up, but he also had an assortment of other athletes; from basketball players to footballers, sprinters to wrestlers. He’d even managed to find a chess maestro, to Mrs. Davis delight.
“Now, I’m sure the kids would love to have your autographs,” Mrs. Davis continued with a smile. “But please, me first!”
Laughter and clapping roared in the large auditorium in response. After a few more words from the principal, the event ended. As it turned out, she wasn’t kidding about the autographs. Kids crowded around Roman and the other athletes, clamoring for their attention, signatures and photos. It was almost five p.m. before they could get away, but even then it was only because of Mrs. Davis’s intervention.
“Now that I’ve done my good deed for the day, I’m about to make you do yours.” Thierry Raymond, a basketball pro, slung his long arm over Roman’s shoulder as they left the auditorium. “I hope your pocket’s friendly.”
Roman laughed. “What are you thinking?”
“Drinks,” Thierry replied. “On you.”
“And girls,” Ben Somerset, a current player for the Wizards, added. “Lots of girls.”
“I’m not taking you lot to a strip-club,” Roman protested.
“We don’t need to go to a strip-club!” Casper Neal, a football player, exclaimed. “Hell, we’re a strip club.”
Roman didn’t even know what that meant but he found himself chuckling. After how they’d come through for him, he didn’t mind funding a night of fun for them. When they suggested going to hang out at the city’s most popular celebrity hangout, he agreed without protest. As soon as they got there, he realized what Casper meant when he’d said they were a strip club. Women flocked towards their group like they were free candy. Soon everyone who was interested had two or three girls to himself.
Usually, these kind of girls didn’t appeal to Roman and tonight was no different. He spent quite a lot of time refusing offers and redirecting disappointed women towards his other teammates. To be honest, it was tiring and irritating. He preferred places where people didn’t know him or didn’t care who he was, places where he could drink
and listen to music in peace without some girl trying to plant herself on his lap.
To add to his annoyance, Javier showed up at around ten p.m.. How he’d known they were here was anyone’s guess; the boy could probably smell a party from a thousand miles away. Roman’s annoyed gaze stalked the younger man as he went around their party, bumping fists or giving man-hugs. When Javier got to him, Roman offered him a simple fist-bump as opposed to the exuberant hug he would’ve given him if he wasn’t trying to get into April’s pants.
“What’s up! What’s up! What’s up! Roman, my man.” Javier held his fist out for another bump. “I heard you were hosting a party here. Why didn’t I get invited?”
“Your invitation must’ve gotten lost in the mail,” Roman retorted sarcastically as he reluctantly fist-bumped the guy again.
“Hah! Funny guy!” Javier laughed boisterously, completely unaffected by Roman’s icy welcome. “How you been?”
“Cool!”
“Yo, Javier,” Wendell Habana, a South African soccer player, drew his attention. “What are you doing in Santa Barbara?”
“This is my town, boy. You’re in my town,” Javier said cheerfully as he strode towards Wendell.
Weeks ago, Roman would’ve found Javier’s charisma charming. Now he just found it annoying. Why was the guy so loud? Couldn’t he shut up for just a minute? The more Roman watched him, the more irritated he got. What did April see in Javier? Was it his looks? His fame? Surely, all that was shadowed by his immaturity. The guy was the definition of childish.
And you’re not? A mischievous voice poked at Roman, reminding him that he’d kissed April just to prove that she was still into him and not into Javier. Roman shoved that voice away. This was about Javier. Not him. He continued to watch the younger man as he slowly sipped his drink.
Perhaps, if he wasn’t watching Javier so closely he wouldn’t have noticed how close the young man was getting to one of the girls, or how the two were cuddled tightly against each other as they giggled and spoke into each other’s ears. The final straw came when the two started making out in plain sight of anyone who cared to look. And Roman was looking.
