Cousins (Cousins #2) (10 page)

"Can I ask you something, Dad?"

"Anything."

"What makes Uncle Joseph so dangerous? And if he is such a threat, why did mom suggest for me to stay here in the first place?"

"Regardless of how I feel about her husband, I know that my sister would never let anything happen to you. That's the only reason why you're still there. Let's leave it at that."

"Fine."

"I'm putting your mom back on the phone now. She's chomping at the bit to find out about your trip."

"Okay, Dad. Bye."

"Bye kiddo."

Tonight is the party at Jagger's and at this point I'm running a little late. I run a little smoothing serum through my curls while I finish my conversation with my mother. We talk for about ten more minutes about my pitch meeting, the weather in the Bahamas, and if I'm seeing anyone special.
 

I told her that Ethan and I broke up a while ago but obviously never gave her the details as to why, so as far as she's concerned I'm on the open market. I swear my mother could set back the women's liberation movement a hundred years with her ridiculous need to set me up with someone.

I'm sitting on the edge of my bed and fingering through a few of my curls while staring in the mirror. Every time I reach the end of one strand, I think about Roman and how he loves to play with my hair. In fact, for the past few days, almost everything I see or do in this house reminds me of Roman.

I've been shamelessly looking for him to come through the front door everyday since we've returned from the Bahamas, and every day he doesn't. Earlier today I finally broke down and sent him a text.
 

It was a mistake.

Me: Hey

Roman: What's up?

Me: Where have you been?

Roman: Working

Me: Umm … are we okay?

Roman: Yep

Me: All right then. I'll see you later.

Roman: Cool

His monosyllabic answers felt like tiny little needles pricking at my heart. He is obviously still angry with me for shutting him down and it hurts like hell. It was my fault though. I let things go way too far and then ran away. Once again.
 

Of course the next obvious thing for us to do was to have sex after all those orgasms he tortured me with. Why wouldn't he think that I would want that? Why wouldn't he be mad that I didn't? I'm ridiculous, and even I know it. Why can't I leave this man alone? Why can't I just worry about School Bucks and finding a part time job? Why can't I get my act together? I'm a hot mess.

But Roman is my weakness.
 

He's frackin' irresistible.
 

Just like a Hershey bar … I took a couple of real yummy bites and then realized at the last minute that I was about to eat the whole damn candy bar. So I stopped myself. And even though it hurts like hell right now, I know it was the right thing to do.
 

So no more indulgences for me anymore. I'm totally off chocolate, and I'm going to stick to my very simple vanilla plan.
 

1. Go to Jagger's. Have fun at Jagger's. Nice and easy. Safe and simple. No more slippery, slimy Ethan. No more toxic-for-me Roman.

2. Find a job so I can move out of Roman's house.

3. Find an angel investor for School Bucks.

Easy peasy.

I've got this.

***

Jagger lives in a very modest one bedroom apartment above a dry cleaner close to campus. It's a total jock apartment. Not many furnishings, a desk from IKEA, and not so great lighting, but it's perfect for a get together. Lot's of room for people to mill about, eat, and even dance.

He's invited a few more people than he led me to believe that he knew. I guess I forgot just how popular Jagger used to be in school. The whole swim team is here. The ones from school (that kind of don't talk to me anymore) and some of his new friends he's made over at the swim club. There seem to be a lot of swimmer groupies here as well. Mini skirts up to their eyeballs. Shirts cut low down to their knees. Sloan has been cracking jokes about them ever since we crossed Jagger's threshold.

"There should be a five slut maximum at these things." Sloan says loudly enough for one of the sluts to hear.

"What do you care?" I say embarrassed for whoever is eavesdropping. "You don't even mess with jocks."

"You're right I don't. My dad's bad behavior set me straight on that, but that doesn't mean I want to stare at tits and ass all night."

Jagger approaches us with two mixed drinks in his hands.

"Ladies." He grins.

"Hi there." We both smile.
 

"Glad you two could make it. Where's Tiny?"

"She had a date. She sends her regrets."

"Cool." Jagger gives me a sweeping once over as he hands me a red plastic cup.

"What's this?" I ask.

"Cosmo’s. Made them myself. Is that okay?"

"Yep." I take a sip. "Yum it's good … and a little strong." I say jokingly, but not really. It is a frackin' strong drink.

"You look really pretty tonight, Elizabeth."

"Thank you." I blush.

Jagger looks good too, but I find myself mentally comparing him to Roman in almost every way and unfortunately he isn't stacking up. His height (Roman is way taller), his smile, his voice (Roman's is definitely deeper), his mannerisms. None of them can hold a candle to Roman's. None of them make me tingle from the inside out like Roman's do.
 

Even down to the drink.
 

Jagger made me a really good cosmopolitan in a red cup, which I appreciate, but Roman would have asked me what I wanted first, and then he would have made sure it was presented to me in a pretty glass. It would have probably been wine, and then he would have given me a very slow and lazy kiss so that he could taste the wine himself right off of my tongue.

One is still a boy and the other is very much a man. One is so laid back I wonder if he's passionate about anything other than swimming. The other is so intense that I wonder if he can even sleep at night with all the things running around in that head of his.

I've got to stop this.

This type of thinking is self-sabotage Elizabeth.

Then as if my moment of weakness is some sort of Masterson beacon, he calls, and like the dummy I am … I answer. I answer because I'm so frackin' excited that he's calling me and not the other way around. That maybe he's no longer angry with me. I answer because it's what I always do.
 

He calls and I come running.

I excuse myself from my conversation with Jagger and Sloan, and step inside what appears to be Jagger's bedroom to take the call privately. Which is a whole weird dynamic in and of itself. Me talking to Roman while sitting on Jagger's bed. I feel a tad bit guilty. For what I don't know. I haven't even done anything yet.

"Hello?"

"What's all that noise?"

"Well hello to you too."

"Where are you, Elizabeth?"

"I'm out with friends?"

"What friends?"

I sigh in annoyance. "The same ones I always hang out with. What do you want?"

"I want you to come over to my apartment right now."

"No. I'm out and if this isn't an emergency we can talk later."

"I'm sorry." He says in the deepest but most subdued tone I've ever heard from him.

"What?"

"I'm sorry. I've been an asshole all week, but I've only been punishing myself. I need to apologize to you properly. Will you let me come pick you up?"

I want to say yes. Dammit! I want to say yes so badly.

"I don't think–"

Suddenly Jagger pops his head inside.

"You all right Elizabeth? You want another drink?"

I try holding the phone down and to the side of my body without disconnecting Roman, but I'm sure that he can still hear something.
 

"No I'm still drinking this one." I try to answer quietly. "I'll be out in a second."

Jagger takes a quick glance at the phone in my hand. "Cool."

When he closes the door back, it's only then I pick the cell back up and put it to the side of my face.

"Hello?"

"Please tell me you're not with a fucking man."

"I'm not with a man. I'm out with friends."

"So the pretty boy swimmer is there? Because that's exactly who it sounded like just now."

I hesitate for a moment. "Yes, it was Jagger."

I hear an assortment of muffled expletives.

"Where. The. Fuck. Are. You?"

"Roman."

"Where? I'm coming to get you now."

"No."

"What the fuck did you just say?"

"Stop cursing at me asshole. You're not just going to call me after five days of you putting me on some sort of Masterson time out and think you can just bully your way into wrecking my evening, because you feel the need to apologize right this minute. You apologize when I'm ready to hear the damn apology and not a frackin' minute sooner! Do you understand Neanderthal?"

"Duchess–"

"I'll call you when I'm ready to talk
cousin
."

Click.

CHAPTER TEN

ROMAN

"So is the Mendez problem taken care of?"

I hear the thunderous noise of someone's palm banging on the table; breaking through my haze of pure internal rage. I want to kill Elizabeth Hill, and then I want to fuck the shit out of her or vice-versa.
 

She's made her point loud and fucking clear.

I haven't been able to catch her at the house for three days and it's making me start to think really crazy shit. I even spent the night there one night, and she didn't come home. The nerve of her little ass. If I don't find her today, I may have Cutter put a tail on that Jagger kid. She's got to show up at some point and if it's with him, I'm going to beat his ass and make her watch.

"Roman!"

"Yes." I hiss.

"Did you take care of the Mendez doctor?" Camden asks me with a what-the-fuck face.

"Obviously."

"What was his price?"

"He didn't have a price. He had a breaking point."

"Understood."

"What's up with the clubs?" I ask Cutter trying to get my head back into this meeting.

"Good. New York and Philly are on track. I may have to go down to Miami and get things in order down there."

"And the DUI, Cam?"

"Handled and expunged. Fucking sexy ass lawyer handled it too."

"Cool. Listen, I know my father said that he had all the players handled in this Mendez gig, but this one is big money for us. He's going to get the fee that he charged Mendez, but the three of us are going to get the backend. A portion of his endorsement money. That's long and solid. So I want to double check that everyone stays silent like they're supposed to. I don't want any surprises the day of his interview. If there's even a peep of anyone talking to the press, the deal is dead for us. You feel me?"

"On it. I'll start checking everyone on the list again." Camden says. "No mistakes."

"Hey Rome let me chat with you a minute." Jade interrupts.

"Okay Kings, we're done."

"And would you please get some ass tonight. You've been acting like a real bitch for days." Cutter teases.

 
I slap him upside his head.

"Shut up dickhead."

Both brothers chuckle at my expense as they exit the room.

"So what's up?" I ask Jade. "Did you find her?"

Instead of using ball-busting Cutter, I decided to put my little Chihuahua on the job. How hard can it be to track down one woman? A woman who lives in my father's house for God's sake.

"Does your cousin know that you own the Red Raisin?"

"I don't think so."

"Well that friend of hers, Sloan, made a reservation for four there tonight. I only know because I dropped by there and saw her making a reservation with Renee. The chances are probably pretty good that Elizabeth may be one of those four."

"Sounds like a fucking date night." I practically growl.

Jade shrugs her shoulders. "Maybe, maybe not, but at least you know there's a chance you can find her there. So my job is done?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, there's also something else you should know."

"What now?"

"The ex is back in town."

"Back where?"

Jade hesitates to answer me.

"Where Jade?"

"I need to know what you are going to do first? He didn't do anything to Elizabeth in the Bahamas but talk to her."

"I think you're very much confused. Since when is it any of your concern how I handle my business?"