All I've Never Wanted (47 page)

“Oh.” I fiddled with the edges of the Saran-wrapped sandwich.

“By the way, I’ll be collecting my payment now,” Rico added casually.

I snapped my head back up. “For what?”

“For finding you.” His tone was matter-of-fact. “I came back just in time to hear my brother and his little friends freaking out about how James must have kidnapped you. Once I heard that, I gave Lexi a call and, uh, persuaded her to tell me everything she knew. She mentioned James always talked about some warehouse where he met up with his partner, and bingo, there you were.” Rico shook his head. “That was a major slip-up on his part. Guess he didn’t think Lexi would be smart enough to remember that.”

“Oh.” A funny feeling washed over me when I realized I technically owed Rico my life. “I, uh, I guess I’ll treat you to dinner sometime.”

Rico laughed again. “Dinner? I save your life and you offer me
dinner?”

“Well, what else do you want?” I asked crossly, then immediately regretted my question when his eyes raked over me suggestively.

“I think you know.” A sly smile broke out over his face.

I crossed my arms over my chest, which only served to amuse him more. “I don’t think so. I have a boyfriend. One who’s in a
coma
right now,” I hissed, instantly sobering up.

Rico didn’t look fazed. “Please. This is Roman we’re talking about. He’ll pull through.”

“I certainly hope so,” I mumbled. “We should head back.” 

“Fine. But I’m going to be taking you up on that dinner offer.”

I rolled my eyes. Maybe Rico wasn’t as bad as I originally thought, but boy was he perverted. Still, I was glad I had a chance to talk to him. He certainly answered a
lot
of questions.

*              *              *

Another week passed, with no change on Roman’s part. I was getting more and more worried. At least it was already winter break. There was no way I could concentrate on school with him still in the hospital. I barely managed to finish my college applications, though luckily, I started so early there wasn’t much left for me to do by the time Roman was hospitalized.

And then, four days before Christmas, the call came.

“Maya! You need to get to the hospital, now!” It was Zack, and he sounded more frantic than I’d ever heard him. That in itself terrified me.

I didn’t even bother to ask what was wrong. Instead, I grabbed the keys to my dad’s car and sped towards the hospital.

My parents had been absolutely horrified and shocked when they found out about everything that had happened, but on the upside, my relationship with my dad was gradually mending. It would still be a while before we were back to the way we used to be—if that’s possible—but it was an improvement.

However, the only thing on my mind right now was Roman. Why did I need to go to the hospital so quickly? Did he wake up? Or did he—

My chest constricted so fast I almost blacked out right there in the driver’s seat. No. I wasn’t going to think about that. I needed to stay positive.

Nevertheless, a cold sweat broke out my forehead, and my palms were so slick they kept on slipping on the wheel. Miraculously, I managed to get to the hospital and up to Roman’s floor without incident.

When I reached his room, though, I almost wished I hadn’t. Everyone was there. And they all had the same look on their face. Devastation.

I froze, my entire body turning numb when I took in Zack’s uncharacteristically somber face and Giselle’s loud wails. Even Adriana’s eyes were rimmed with red.

Carlo and Parker stood on either side of the door like sentries, their eyes downcast, shoulders tense.

When I neared, though, Carlo looked up, his eyes filled with sadness and sympathy.

He looked like he wanted to say something, but I just shook my head and opened the door, my heart in my throat.

The first thing I noticed was that the monitors were no longer beeping. Instead, the entire room was silent. Dead silent.

And there Roman was, in the exact same position as the last time I visited him. He was unnaturally still.

I walked over, feeling like a zombie, and stared down at his face, my heart pounding an ominous drumbeat against my ribcage. “Roman?” My voice trembled.

Silence.

“Roman?”

Once again, silence.

I sucked in a deep breath, refusing to believe it. This couldn’t be true. A deep pressure weighed down my chest, and I grabbed Roman’s hand, digging my fingers into the flesh. “Roman! Roman, please wake up!” My voice broke. “Please! Just open your eyes, for your friends, your family, for me. Please!”

Not even a twitch. The pressure increased, and hysteria bubbled up inside me as I grabbed his shoulders. I didn’t think about hurting him. All I could think about was getting him to open those eyes, so I could look into those violet orbs once again. I didn’t care if he yelled at me or cursed me out or even forgot me completely, as long as he was still alive.

“You can’t just leave me like this.” My voice came out in shallow gasps, and I could barely see through my tears. “I know we’ve—we’ve had our differences but I—I can’t—“ Oh god, I couldn’t breathe. “
Please
wake up. Please, please,
please.
I need you!” I laid my head on his chest, suddenly too exhausted to keep myself upright, while my shoulders shook. “I love you. You can’t be—“ I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to get a hold of myself, but it didn’t work.

I couldn’t believe I was never going to hear his voice again. Never be able to kiss him again. To hold him. To see him scowl at me and tell me what an idiot I am.

I chuckled, my chest heaving as I struggled for breath. But wait. That wasn’t right. I definitely didn’t chuckle.

I slowly lifted my head, then screamed when I saw Roman gazing down at me with a half-annoyed, half-amused expression on his face.

“You know, you’re really loud when you cry,” he said, rolling his eyes affectionately. “It’s kind of annoying.”

I just gaped at him, too stunned to speak. Was I daydreaming? Or delusional? Was he a ghost or something?

And then I heard it. The laughter.

Parker, Zack, Venice, Giselle, Rico, Adriana and even Carlo all burst into the room. Adriana and the guys were doubled over, tears of mirth streaming from their eyes. Venice’s face was red as she shot me an apologetic look, though her mouth twitched suspiciously. Giselle just looked sheepish.

I immediately stood up, narrowing my eyes. “What the hell is going on?” I demanded, whipping my head around and taking in Roman’s smirking face.

“Oh, you should’ve heard yourself,” Parker gasped. “Please, please,
please.
I need you!” He pitched his voice higher in a poor imitation of mine.

“You guys
lied
to me?” I sputtered, clenching my hands together. “Are you kidding?”

“Oh, come on, Maya, don’t be mad. It was just all in good fun,” Roman coaxed, taking my hands.

I scowled at him, even as relief coursed through me. He wasn’t dead. He was alive. And awake. Nevertheless, I whacked him across his arm, causing him to wince.

“Hey! Just because I’m awake, that doesn’t mean I’m not still injured, you know,” he protested. Then he grinned. “Is that any way to treat someone you love?”

That sent the others howling once again, and I felt a mortified flush take over my entire body. Oh my god. I’d just told him I loved him. And he heard me.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I snapped, trying to pull away. “I—you must’ve heard wrong.”

Roman smirked, a
yeah, right
look on his face.

“Besides, that was a horrible joke! When did you wake up?”

“Right before I called you.” Zack seemed to have calmed down a bit, but he was still laughing. “Aw, don’t be mad, My-My! Isn’t this so much better than just telling you he’s awake?”

“By letting me think he was
dead?
Are you out of your mind?” I blurted. “Wait. Don’t answer that. I already know the answer. You are. You all are! And you—“ I jabbed a finger at Roman. “I am so not bringing you any more get-well presents.”

His violet eyes sparkled, and an incredible wave of happiness swept over me. I’d thought I would never get to see those eyes again. Still, I tried to maintain my angry expression.

“Well, how about a get-well kiss?” He raised a suggestive eyebrow.

“Seems like you’ve gotten plenty well,” I huffed. “Well enough to trick me.”

Roman sighed, closing his eyes. “Can’t we just call it even? I got stabbed, you got tricked.” He opened one eye to look at me.

“I can’t believe you’re playing the guilt card.” Nevertheless, my mouth twitched a bit. The whole situation just seemed so ridiculous now.

“See? You want to laugh!” Roman declared triumphantly. “Can I get that kiss now?”

I immediately quashed the semi-smile, but it remained on the inside. “Nope.”

His face fell, and I had to stifle a giggle.

He had so, so much more making up to do. And I had a few ideas on how he could do just that.

CHAPTER 30

“Oh, come on, you can’t still be angry with me. It’s Christmas! Get in the spirit,” Roman encouraged, trailing after Maya as she headed over to the fireplace to take down the stockings.

“Um, it’s the day after Christmas,” she corrected him, placing the stockings into a cardboard box. “And yes, I can still be angry with you. That was an absolutely horrible joke.”

“But I’m an injured man!”

“You’re healing.” She gave him a flat look. “And you’re a boy, not a man. Get it straight.”

Roman scowled, offended.
I get stabbed in the chest rescuing you and this is what I get?
Of course, he wisely chose to keep that little complaint to himself.

Ok, so the joke the other day might have crossed the line by an inch or so, but it’s been five days, and he hadn’t gotten a single real kiss. That was not ok.

Suddenly, a small bark caught his attention, and Roman looked down at the floor, an exasperated expression crossing his face.

Mickey stared up at him, his big brown eyes swimming with adoration. Ever since Roman and the others saved him and Maya from that psycho James, he’d been following Roman around like a, well, like a puppy.

Mickey padded over and nudged Roman’s leg with his nose.

Roman sighed. “What do you want?” he asked grumpily. “I’m kind of busy here.”

Mickey nudged him again.

“What?”

Mickey’s ears flattened in annoyance before he backed up a few steps. He crouched down on his front legs, a determined look on his face, and began to paw the floor with its left paw.

“What the hell is he doing?” Roman asked, exasperated. He seriously rued the day he ever decided to buy Maya a dog. He should’ve just gotten her a fish. Much more manageable, and much easier to ignore.

Plus, they didn’t pee everywhere—or, more specifically, everywhere on
him.

“You’ll see.” Maya’s jade-green eyes gleamed mischievously, just as Mickey tore across the floor and head-butted Roman’s leg. The tiny ball of fur immediately flew back a little from the unexpected force and landed on the rug with a thump.

Roman’s jaw dropped. What. The. Fu—

“Oh, Mickey.” Maya laughed as she picked up the puppy, who gazed at Roman with big, eager eyes. “He just wants to play with you,” she explained.

“Great,” Roman said flatly, glowering as Maya kissed the top of Mickey’s head. Oh, so she could kiss the dog but not him?

It was time to try another tactic.

“So…” He leaned casually against the fireplace. “How scared were you when you thought I was dead?”

The smile fell off Maya’s face and she glared at him with a you-did-not-just-bring-that-up expression on her face. “Who said I was scared?” she huffed, deliberately turning her back to him.

“You did.” A small smirk made its way onto his face. “In fact, I distinctly remembered you using the
L
word.” The smirk grew as Maya whipped her head back around, her face scarlet.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Her eyes darted nervously around the room.

“Yes, you do. Don’t bother trying to deny it.”

“Uh, if by
L
word you mean ‘loser’, then yeah, I know what you’re talking about.”

“Somebody’s in denial,” he sang under his breath.

“Shut up!” Maya actually stomped her foot, and he grinned at the childish antic. She was so cute sometimes.

And such a stubborn, pain in the butt the other times.

“Well, even if you won’t admit it, we both know you said it.” Roman moved closer to her and plucked Mickey out of her arms, setting him on the floor. The puppy let out an indignant yelp, but Roman shot it a stern glare. Surprisingly, that seemed to do the trick, and Mickey laid down on the floor, a doleful look on its face.

“So…don’t you think we should kiss and make it official?” He lowered his voice, gently gliding his fingers down her bare arms and suppressing a triumphant smile when he felt her shudder.

“I know what you’re doing.”

“What am I doing?” He leaned even closer, his breath causing the wisps of hair around her face to flutter softly.

“You’re trying to get me to forgive you by seducing me,” she declared, but he was gratified to hear a tremble in her voice.

“Is it working?” Man, she smelled good. Like lavender. And pumpkin. He liked pumpkin.

“Hmm…you tell me.”

Roman’s eyes widened at her flirtatious tone, just before Maya pulled him closer to her, so that their entire bodies were pressed together. Desire uncoiled itself inside him, flooding his veins with warmth. Or maybe that was just body warmth. Either way, it didn’t matter. He had absolutely no idea what inspired the sudden one-eighty in her attitude, but he sure wasn’t going to complain.

“Roman?” Maya locked her arms around his neck, leading him backwards toward the couch.

“Yeah?” He eyed the cushions. They looked soft. And comfy. They would do.

“Do you think it’s working?”

Roman somehow found himself sitting on the couch, while Maya stood in front of him, the light from the flickering fireplace outlining her slender curves. In his position, he was at eye level with her chest.

Whoever invented V-necks, you are my hero.

“Uh, is what working?” He was finding it hard to speak. Or think. His mind had gone all hazy, which was actually a bit disturbing, but he forgot all about that too once Maya climbed into his lap. Another bolt of lust surged through him.

Maya laughed softly, slipping her hands under his shirt to caress his bare stomach. Roman sucked in a deep breath, tiny pinpricks dancing over his skin. “The seduction.” Her eyes gleamed with amusement and something else. “Is it working?”

“Mm-hmm.” Roman groaned as she nipped at a particularly sensitive spot right above his collarbone, and he suddenly wished they were back in his bedroom, or at least her bedroom. Thank god her parents had gone out to give them some “alone time” tonight. Of course, they probably wanted Roman and Maya to have a nice dinner, not engage in rapidly-bordering-on-rated-R activity on the living room couch.

He slid his hands up the backs of her thighs, enjoying the satiny-smooth feel of her skin.

In the corner, Mickey raised his head to look at the scene on the couch, then whined softly and plopped his head back down on the floor, covering his eyes with his paws.

In the back of his mind, Roman realized maybe they were going a bit too fast, especially considering Maya didn’t have a lot of experience in this department. Not that her inexperience showed.

“Uh, maybe—we should—um—“ He tried to get the correct words out while Maya planted a kiss on his jaw. He felt like he was drowning in her delicious scent. “Bedroom?” was all he could manage. He didn’t necessarily relish the idea of her parents coming home to find them like this.

Maya stopped what she was doing so abruptly it took him a few seconds to process the change. When he did, he nearly screamed with frustration. Why did she stop?!

She pulled back to look at him, but kept his legs pressed firmly between her thighs. One of the straps on her dress had fallen down to expose her tanned shoulder, causing certain mental images to pop up in his head when she spoke again.

“And what would we be doing in the bedroom?” There was a teasing lilt to her voice.

A lot of things.
“I can show you instead of tell you,” he suggested, his head marginally clearer now that there was a bit more space between them.

“Will it include whipped cream and handcuffs?” she asked, blinking at him innocently.

Roman just stared at her, too shocked to respond, even as some very interesting ideas crept their way into his mind…

“Wh-what?” Then, catching himself, he cleared his throat, trying to regain his composure. “You’ll just have to wait and see. But I guarantee you’ll like it.”

“Well…” Maya dragged the word out, and the anticipation was killing him. Couldn’t they walk and talk at the same time?

Although maybe it was a good thing she was still straddling him, because if she moved, she would definitely see why he felt as though his jeans suddenly felt several sizes too small. Then again, she could probably feel it right now.

Her lips curved up into a small smile, and Roman realized she still hadn’t given him a kiss yet. Something that needed to be remedied, and soon.

“I don’t think so.” She slid off his lap, fixing her strap and smoothing down the front of her dress like nothing out of the ordinary just happened.

Roman just gaped at her.

Maya smirked, stepping closer to trail a finger down his chest and resting it right above the waistband of his jeans, which still felt painfully tight.

“You know, I do like whipped cream and handcuffs,” she whispered in his ear. “But you’re still on probation from that little prank you pulled in the hospital.” She stepped back again and grabbed her clutch off the table. “I guess I’ll just have to find someone else to show me what you were talking about earlier. Luckily, I have a dinner date with Rico in—“ She checked the clock. “—half an hour. If you’re hungry, there’s some frozen pizza in the freezer. Good night!”

With that, Maya blew him a kiss and flounced out the door, leaving a very angry, confused, and frustrated Roman in her living room.

*              *              *

“Do you really think this is going to work?” I whispered over my menu, trying my best not to move my head in the direction I so desperately wanted to. 

Rico smirked, dabbing his mouth with his napkin. A surprisingly refined move for someone whom I’ve always considered to be a bit of a hooligan up until a few days ago. Then again, I always forget the fact that he was still a Tevasco, which meant he was used to fine dining and its accompanying etiquette.

Not that the restaurant we were at was particularly stuffy, thank god. Yes, it required reservations, and the dining room was elegant, but the outdoor patio, where we were currently seated, was much more casual. It was a large, open wooden deck, set over a gleaming pond. I kind of felt like I was on a ship.

“Of course it will,” he said in response to my question. “Trust me. Adri did her part. Now we just have to sit and wait.”

“I suppose.” I settled back in my chair and took a sip of water.

Surprisingly, I was enjoying the dinner I’d promised Rico. He was still perverted but a lot less scary than he’d been a few weeks ago, and besides, our “date” had a bigger purpose than “thank you” on my part.

Although, the look on Roman’s face when I left him sitting in the living room earlier had been hilarious.

Warmth suffused my skin as I flashed back to the events that had led up to that moment. I’d thought of the seduction thing off the cuff, in response to his own attempt to get me to forgive him. Of course, I’ve already forgiven him, but
he
didn’t need to know that yet. I was determined to make him sweat a little, even though it took all of my willpower and then some to refrain from kissing him every chance I got.

The warmth increased as I remembered the scene on the couch, the way he smelled, the glazed lustful look in his eyes, how his taut muscles felt under my hand…

“Ahem. Do you need a moment alone?” Rico cast a pointed glance in my direction.

I turned bright red. “What do you mean?”

“You look like you were thinking some pretty X-rated thoughts over there.” He gazed at me suggestively. “Of course, I can always help you out if you’re feeling particularly hor—“