Best Friends Forever (16 page)

Ten

The room is nice, but it’s not a penthouse, which is kind of what I was expecting. Either way, though, it’s pretty. The king bed is enticing. I sit on the edge, demurely crossing my legs. Even though I’m wearing leggings, I don’t want him thinking I’m some easy slut.

“I’m going to order a bottle of wine. Do you need to freshen up?” he asks, gesturing to the bathroom.

I all but leap off the bed, grateful for the offer. I tuck my purse under my arm and go in, closing the door behind me. I set my purse on the counter and examine my makeup. It’s light enough that it hasn’t started streaking down my face in the heat, but it’s still not perfect. I grab some tissues to blot my face and then decide to remove all my makeup. I like wearing a little, but I’d much rather not have any on at all. My hair is actually decent, so I run a comb through it and let it go natural. I take off the dress and leggings, checking to make sure my legs are still smooth from my shower this morning. They are, thank God. I adjust the teddy I’m still wearing so it looks perfect and then do a spin in the mirror. I’m addicted to the way the flowy material spreads out to form a circle around me. I laugh at my own behavior.

A knock at the door has me holding my breath. I grab a towel and tuck it around myself to hide the teddy from Roman. I open the door a bit and then take the glass of wine he offers me.

“Thanks,” I say with a smile. I close the door and take a swig of the red wine and enjoy its sassy flavor.

I set the glass down and disentangle myself from the plain white towel. I glance at the mirror, admiring my own hips and the way they flare under the silk material. My breasts fill the preformed cups and almost overflow out of them, but I don’t mind. The thin spaghetti straps don’t leave much for the imagination, and I know Roman will appreciate it. With a deep breath, I pick up my wine and open the bathroom door, stepping out into the room.

The lights are down low, leaving the room bathed in pale light. Roman is sitting at the small table in the corner, his button-up shirt almost completely open; he looks more relaxed than I’ve ever seen him. When he takes his eyes off the goblet of wine in his left hand and looks at me, his face lights up.

He stands and walks over to me. “You look delicious.”

“Thanks. You don’t look too bad yourself,” I say.

Roman smiles, a genuine smile that I can see goes to his eyes; he takes my wine glass and sets it down on the table with his. His hands come up to cup my face, pulling me close for a kiss. Instead of the ravaging I expect, he’s surprising gentle, as if I’m precious. My throat closes as his lips descend gingerly on mine.

I feel no pressure from his tongue, just the light touch of his lips exploring my mouth. When I open for him anyway, impatient with his tenderness, he chuckles softly and then slips his tongue in my mouth. I moan at the contact, more turned on that I’ve been in such a long time. His hands caress my arms, rubbing up and down my skin. I shiver at the contact, thoroughly enjoying his touch.

I lean into him, pressing my body more firmly against his.

“There’s no rush,” he whispers against my lips.

“I want you,” I admit.

He pulls back a little to look into my eyes. “I want you, too. I wish you could understand how much. I don’t know what it is about you, Miranda, but I want more than just a hookup.”

His honesty surprises me. I step back, floored by his admission. What could he want with me? I’m so… plain.

He takes a deep breath. “Even that night at the bonfire on the beach, I knew there was something, something I didn’t want to accept or admit, but something about you that caught my attention and drew me to you. But you seemed a little stand-offish, and Hazel was cuddling up to me. I just let her have her way and I thought everything would be great, but the last three weeks, I can’t keep my thoughts from straying to you.”

Roman sits on the edge of the gigantic bed and rests his elbows on his knees. “I don’t know what I’m doing.”

His confession stuns me. I sit on the bed next to him. “What do you mean?” He’s the most put-together guy I’ve ever met.

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me,” he starts. “My dad owns half of Myrtle Beach. The hotels, the amusement parks, even several restaurants.” He pauses, letting that settle.

“So you’re rich,” I mumble, looking at my hands. Given my lower-class childhood, I’m not even sure what I would do if I suddenly had the life Roman has.

“It’s not as glamorous as you think,” he offers, his eyes sad. “I’m locked into this world of high class. I mean, once upon a time, I thought I would turn my back on everything, but now… Deacon is most important, and that means I need to have the money in order to support him. So while I really want to go against my parents in this custody thing, I know they’ll take everything, whether they win or lose. Cheyanne pointed that out to me when I made the suggestion about getting a lawyer.”

“So all she cares about is the money?” I really don’t like Cheyanne.

“In a way. When we first got together, she was always so excited about my money, and the fact that we could do almost anything in Columbia, and then we spent the summer of our sophomore year here at the beach. She was so excited. And then when I wanted to break up at the end of the summer, because I could tell just how much she wanted me for my money and not for me, she threw a fit.”

“Roman, is Deacon yours?”

He sighs. “To be honest, I’m not entirely sure. I asked for a paternity test, and it was inconclusive.”

“Umm, so doesn’t that mean you should do it again? Especially before you go for custody of him…”

“I love that little boy, Miranda. At this point, it doesn’t matter if he’s not mine. I will always be his dad.” Tears well up in his eyes and I realize I may have struck a nerve.

“We should go swimming,” I say, just to take both our minds off the situation. I smile brightly at him, a forced smile, but still a smile.

“We should. They sell suits in the gift shop in the lobby. I’ll call room service and have them bring us each a suit,” he says, wiping his eyes and standing up.

He grabs the room phone, dials zero, and orders bathing suits. I feel like I’m in some surreal world where nothing is as it seems. I truly believed Roman was a player, and it turns out, he’s actually very sincere and humble about his upbringing. He’s got money, yeah, but he doesn’t flaunt it. I’m impressed.

Eleven

Once we’re changed, we leave the room and head downstairs. The bikini he ordered is far more revealing than I prefer, but it fits, barely, so I don’t mind. I’ve wrapped a towel around myself to keep from showing too much skin. As we walk to the elevator, Roman grabs my hand and squeezes.

This night is not what I expected, but it’s turning out to be even more than I could have imagined. Roman is a caring guy, one who sticks close to the people he loves. And from what I can tell, he loves his son a lot. Even if little Deacon isn’t his, biologically, I know that Roman will care about him forever. That’s just the kind of person he is.

“So what about Hazel?” I ask as the elevator doors close and we descend to the main floor. I look up at him with a half-smile. In the beginning, sharing him wasn’t exactly a problem, but knowing so much about him, about his past… I kind of want him all to myself.

“I texted her while you were in the bathroom. It’s over. She agreed and isn’t pissed. We both said when we started up again that it wasn’t permanent or exclusive. So I think she kind of expected it,” he says with a grin.

Surprised by his insight, I go up on tiptoe to wrap my arms around his shoulders and kiss his cheek. What I really want to do is take him back up to our room and make love to him all night, but a quick peck will have to do. Roman has other ideas.

He envelops me in his arms and lifts me even higher, so my toes are barely grazing the floor. He kisses me fully, a heart-wrenching kiss, one that is so tender but passionate at the same time. His tongue presses softly against my closed lips and I open for him, allowing him access. Just when he moves to deepen the kiss even further, a soft cough sounds behind me. I pull away, dazed, as Roman takes my hand and drags me out of the elevator into the lobby. I hang my head in mortification, but I can hear a couple laughing softly as they get on the elevator.

As we burst through the double doors that lead to the outdoor pool, Roman erupts in raucous laughter. I slap his arm playfully, but I can’t hide my smile. I look around and start toward the pool.

Roman grabs my arm. “Wait. I want to show you something.” He leads me around to the side of the building, where there is a children’s water play area. There are buckets that fill and dump water onto whoever is standing beneath them, as well as opposing fortresses with water guns facing each other.

Roman draws me under one of the buckets, tossing our towels onto a nearby chair. “Time to get wet.”

I laugh as the water drenches us, covering us both head to toe in water. I flip my hair back and smile at him. The play area is empty since it’s after ten, but there are still lights on around the area.

I tilt my head at him. “Are we going to war?”

“You bet your ass we are,” he declares, running toward the eastern fortress. I watch, enraptured, as he gets to the top of the fortress and aims one of the water guns in my direction. I manage to get out of the way just as he presses the trigger. I shriek and race to my own little castle, ready to play this game. I run up the steps, go to the first gun, and press the trigger before I even line up a shot. It’s too far away, though, so I duck down to crawl along the plastic barricade to the next gun.

I can feel water droplets coming from over the plastic, so I know Roman knows exactly where I am. When I reach the bridge, I decide to make a run for it. I stand up and race across. Roman’s aim is almost perfect. He only misses me by a few inches as I duck for cover on the other side. The next gun isn’t above the plastic, but rather built into it, perfect for my attack. Instead of firing right away, though, I wait patiently as the water trail from Roman’s water gun passes over me and continues along. He probably thinks I’ve moved on to the next gun because it’s higher up.

There’s a tiny space above the gun so I can line up my shot. Roman is facing my right, a steady stream flowing from his gun. I smile in anticipation as I see him start to wonder when I’ll pop up. I move the gun slowly so I don’t draw attention to myself, lining up the shot perfectly. I stare at Roman’s near-perfect form for an extra second, admiring his good looks, but as I do, I realize how broken he is, how much he’s had to give up in his life. My heart goes out to him.

Shaking my head to clear it, I press the trigger and watch as the water blasts straight into his chest, surprising him and knocking him backward. His head swings toward me and he gives me a vicious stare. He points his finger at me once he regains his balance.

“You’re dead.”

I laugh, but when he starts to run across the plastic fortress, I start to worry. With a shriek and a slip, I manage to get up and start running across the plastic. I almost wipe out on the bridge, but my death grip on the rail saves me. I try to watch where I’m going and look for Roman, but I can’t, so I just keep running. At the bottom of the steps, I make a snap decision and start back toward the pool, leaving my towel behind. The concrete isn’t wet, so my feet carry me much faster than the plastic did. I hear him behind me, his breathing heavy. I stifle a giggle and race on, pushing myself even faster.

I hear him suck in a deep breath as I reach the pool. I round the corner of it and make it ten feet. He’s almost on top of me; his hands encircle my waist. And then I’m flying through the air, twisting around as I hear his body splash into the water milliseconds before I go under.

The pain reminds me of when I used to belly-flop as a kid. Only this time, it’s my back that gets all fun. I wave my arms around under the water until I break the surface, gasping for air. We’re in the deep end, which is good, since we would have landed on the bottom if it was too shallow.

I look around for Roman, not finding him. The pool isn’t as well lit as the children’s area, and I start to worry. Just as I’m about to make an expedition underwater to find him, his hands grip my hips from behind. He pulls me up against him, nuzzling his face into my neck. I spin around and realize he’s tall enough to stand without treading water. Curse you for being short, I yell at myself.

“You okay?” he asks, pulling me closer.

“My ass hurts,” I complain.

“Poor baby,” he replies, moving his hands to rub my ass. He winks.

I put my arms around his neck, and since I can’t touch anyway, I wrap my legs around his waist. I bring us closer together and rest my chin on his shoulder, enjoying how warm he is, even if the water is a tad cold.

We stay there, wrapped in each other’s arms like that for several minutes before my teeth start chattering.

“Cold?”

“Just a little,” I admit, reluctant to let go of him.

“Just hang on, Short Stack,” he laughs when I pinch him.

He walks us to the shallow end and then keeps right on going, out of the pool. I hang on for dear life; I’m not used to being carried around. He walks us toward our towels and then sets me down. He wraps one around me to dry me off and the look of sincerity in his eyes scares me.

This guy could break my heart.

Twelve

The next morning, I wake up to a wonderful aroma: bacon. Roman is sitting at the small table, which is covered in plates of food. Of course, I can only assume they’re full of food. Each dish is covered but the steam coming from them proves to be a good sign.

“Oh good, you’re up,” he says with a smile as he looks up from the newspaper.

“A newspaper? Really?” It seems so cheesy.

“Some people like to know what’s going on in the country,” he chastises me. He walks over and kisses me soundly. As he pulls back, he magically produces a cup of coffee and hands it to me.

“Thank God!” I moan as I suck down my first gulp, not minding at all that the liquid caffeine scorches the back of my throat.

I’m back in my teddy, which is what I slept in once we made it back to our room. After a quick shower, Roman tucked me in bed and then took his own shower. I was so exhausted, I didn’t even feel him get back into the bed. But I woke up at one point and found him cuddling me, on top of the blankets with a protective arm around my waist. He’s so endearing.

“Coffee’s hot,” he warns, seconds too late as he walks back to the table. “Breakfast is ready, too.” He gestures to the table of food.

“Yum,” I say, pulling the covers back and moving my legs off the side of the bed while carefully balancing my delicious cup of coffee. I stand and walk to the table, where Roman pulls a chair out for me. So sweet. I sit on the chair and cross my legs under the table.

We eat together, as he’s obviously been waiting for me to wake up to eat, and I find that so romantic, even though it’s such a little thing. By eight-thirty, we’re both dressed in the clothes he had sent up from the gift shop. My shirt is three sizes too big, and I have to pull the drawstring on the Bermuda shorts as far as they will go in order to keep them from sliding down my legs.

Roman looks like a Greek god in his own pair of Bermuda shorts and a loose T-shirt. He smiles at me as we ride the elevator again, with all our clothes from last night tucked into the gift shop bag. In the parking lot, Roman opens my door for me. He’s proving to be much more of a gentleman than I originally thought.

Back on campus, I all but run to my dorm so I can change into a pair of jeans and fitted tank top. I run a brush through my hair, but I slept on it, so it’s wild. Instead of messing with it, I pull it back into a messy bun, grab my Intro to Lit book and notebook, as well as a pen and highlighter, and then I’m making my way toward my first class.

I run into Hazel just outside the class. She’s there, leaning against the wall, waiting for me. I eye her nervously as she falls into step with me and we go inside.

“So? How did it go?”

“Umm, what?” I can honestly say I have no idea what she’s talking about.

“Oh, come on. Roman told me he was taking you away last night! How did it go?” She looks excited, even anxious.

“I didn’t realize he told you. You aren’t upset with me?” I recoil automatically, waiting for her to strike. Everything I know about her leads me to believe she’s vindictive and oh-so-angry.

“I was, at first. Last night came as a little bit of a shock, but I knew he was seeing someone else. You didn’t try to be friends with me just to flaunt your relationship, did you?” She eyes me warily as we take our seats.

“No. I actually like you, and I don’t want to flaunt anything. I just really like him, and I don’t want to lose our friendship. I think we could actually have a real friendship. This thing with me and Roman just kind of happened.” I tell her everything, from our weird sexual interaction in his dorm room to our romantic, un-sexual night last night.

Our conversation is cut off in the middle as our professor starts the class, but Hazel passes me a note, something I know she hates, asking me for the rest of the story. I write it all down for her, keeping it short and simple, but enough for her to get the point.

When we finally get out of class, she stops me in the hall. “I’m really happy for you, Miranda. It seems like you are exactly the kind of girl he needs. I wasn’t the one for him. Besides, I was planning on breaking it off with him in another week or so. I was just using him to get the guy I like to break it off with his girlfriend.”

“Ooh, gossip! Who’s the guy?” I’m immediately intrigued.

“I can’t say. Not right now, anyway. But the point is, I’m very happy for you and Roman. And I think you’ll be good for each other.”

With tears in my eyes, I hug her, another thing she doesn’t like. To my surprise, she hugs me back. When we pull apart, tears are running down my cheeks, but I smile through them, happy that I still have a friend.

I wipe the tears away. “Okay, new subject! What’s up with the rumors going around?”

Hazel smiles, but I see something in her eyes, something I can’t fully identify, but in a blink, it’s gone and her smile goes all the way to her irises. “I’m not sure. It’s crazy, right? So far, unfortunately, everything is true, though, from what I’ve discovered. Even me and Andre.”

“You guys did it on the beach? Was it romantic?”

“Not as much as you’d think. Sand gets everywhere. Everywhere. But, it was an experience…”

“Wait! Is he the one you’re pining for? The mystery guy?”

“No, he’s not. He’s really nice, but I have my eyes set on someone else. Don’t worry about him. It’ll happen, eventually. I just have to be patient.”

I smile at her. “Good for you. Patience is a hard thing to have.”

“But speaking of gossip, have you heard anything about anyone? I’m dying to know who it is. And maybe if we get ahead of the rumors, we’ll be able to outsmart the person responsible,” she insists.

I do know a secret, one Audric let me know on our date, but I’m still unsure about telling her. Hazel might be my friend now, but she could turn in an instant. I bite my lip as I deliberate.

“What is it? I can tell you know something…”

“I do. But I don’t know if I should tell anyone. It’s kind of big,” I say.

She only gets more excited as we walk together. “Oh, I won’t tell anyone, I swear!”

I look around. “Don’t you have a class to get to?”

“Only on Mondays. I’m free for two hours right now. Please tell me, Miranda,” she begs.

I consider not telling her for another minute. Then I give in and tell her what I know.