by Kylie Walker
“You okay?” He quizzed.
Chloe was getting hot, the constant looking over her shoulder, exhausting. “I’m fine. I just need something to drink I guess.” She gave him a sheepish smile as she wiped her forehead.
“Let’s get something to eat,” he said. He gently placed his hand on the small of her back. “Come on,” he coaxed. “I know the perfect private pub where we can go and eat in the back of the restaurant in a dark booth. No one will bother us; you have my guarantee.”
Chloe smiled up at him. “That sounds like heaven.”
Alone time. Finally!
Chapter Fourteen
Barcelona, Spain.
The turquoise water looked like glass, the sand-colored buildings with red roofs looked like something from a postcard.
“Dude, will you just look at this place?” Asher and Lucas spun in a three-hundred-sixty-degree circle, absorbing the view of the Mediterranean Sea from the top of their quaint little villa. There was nothing but the sea below, mountains in the distance and beautiful houses sloping down into a valley. It was a slice of freaking heaven.
They’d arrived in Spain only an hour ago, as part of the tour stops along the way. Roman glanced out at the aqua colored water and the slender golden bodies partaking in epic sunshine and beautiful, warm temperatures.
“It’s pretty awesome,” he admitted with a nod.
“Awesome? This place is off the charts!” Lucas walked out onto the balcony, complete with iron bars overlooking the magnificent panoramic views as far as the eye could see.
“There’s so much hot tits and ass here,” Asher mentioned with a wink. “God, I love the Spanish.”
They’d passed a nude beach on their way here, and if he squinted from the balcony, he could see naked women on the beach way below them. Asher had already been scrounging around for a pair of binoculars to get his fix until they could make their way down.
Roman laughed but didn’t respond. He wasn’t interested. The truth was, he couldn’t stop thinking about Chloe. He would rather have her than one night of sexual bliss with an exotic Spanish woman who purred at him in a seductive accent and wrapped her bronzed legs around his waist.
Lucas frowned. “I know that look,” he pointed a chastising finger at Roman.
“What?” Roman fired back, immediately placed on the defensive.
“You like that marketing chick,” he nodded, giving Roman a knowing grin. “You’ve been hanging out with her twenty-four-seven.”
Roman tossed his duffel bag onto the couch. “She has a name, and it’s Chloe,” he enforced. “We’re friends,” he assured them. “Not that it’s any of your damn business.”
Asher tisked, grinning at Lucas. “Easy there, tiger. We are just having a little fun.”
Roman plucked a grape from the fruit bowl in the center of the living room table. “Yeah, at my expense.”
“I think we all deserve a break tonight after the show,” Asher casually mentioned.
Roman expelled a deep breath. “I know I could enjoy some downtime.”
“I don’t even feel like playing tonight,” Lucas mentioned.
Roman tossed him a smirk. “Well guess what moron, no show, no paycheck.”
“I like money,” Asher countered.
Roman nudged his chin in the direction of the sea. “Let’s skip band practice and go down to dip our toes in the water.”
Lucas scoffed, a snorting sound escaping his lips. “Trevor would kill us.”
Roman groaned, running a hand through his unruly wave of blond hair. “I don’t give a shit what Trevor wants. I want to feel that golden sun warming my back.”
“Well, when you put it that way...” Lucas trailed off as if he were also pondering an escape route.
“Come on.” Roman slapped Lucas’ back and glanced at Asher. “We don’t have to stay down there that long. Just to get a little taste.”
Asher raised his eyebrow as if to imply that Roman was crazy for even assuming he wouldn’t be on board.
“Are you kidding me, dude? Sexy ladies in string bikinis? Count me in for sure.”
“Let’s go.” Roman grabbed the room key and led the way as they ventured off to the sun and sand and beautiful people down below the villa. Maybe they could spend some time unwinding after the show, having some drinks and releasing some of the stress of being constantly on the road.
The trio walked along the shore, occasionally stopping to take a selfie with a fan who recognized them. They were living that rich and famous life, and Roman soaked up every ounce of fun along the way.
“This was a good idea,” he mentioned on their trek back up to the villa in order to prepare for sound check.
“Yeah me too.” Asher glanced at him.
“I feel more energized,” Lucas admitted.
“That was the whole purpose,” Roman said.
Chloe was staying in a room that was attached to the villa, but she didn’t have direct access to their private rooms unless invited in. Roman missed her but knew that she was off with Emelia doing work for the tour today. He could always see her later tonight after the show, or hopefully in the crowd.
Roman loved to play a game inside his head where he did his best to hunt her down and search her out in the crowd. She was always the most enthusiastic one, jumping up and down as she belted out the words to each of their songs.
Sometimes he would even tease her and tell her that she knew the words to his songs better than he did. He smiled at the memory of seeing her blush. She was a super fan, and he appreciated her adoration—especially when he was giving her an orgasm.
The sound of her sighing, sexy voice made him throb and ache. He wished he could see her before the show, even just to witness her ocean blue eyes staring right through him. She was perky and energetic and gave him a new sense of purpose. He liked it. A lot. But was he ready to pursue more? They were having a fun European fling. She’d said she was open to exploring this thing between them. But how far did he want it to go?
It was hard not to keep his guard up, mainly because of his failed relationship with the vixen Alexis. Could he really fully trust another female right now? His history with Chloe went further back than that of his history with Alexis, but sometimes people were hard to read at first, not revealing their true colors until it was too late.
Something was different about Chloe though. There was a purity about her heart that washed a blanket of security over him. He trusted her, at least so far. He wanted to keep having fun with her and not rush things. If the tide shifted in their favor, then that would be great. He was patient enough to wait out the current.
______________________
ROMAN WAS IN HIS DRESSING room shower when someone began pounding on the door. “Hold on,” he roared as he switched off the nozzle and wrapped a towel around his waist. The show was over, and they’d had a fabulous night.
He was getting ready for drinks at a bar nearby to their villa, and the fist on the door was a distraction he didn’t need.
“I’m coming!” Roman yelled again, slightly perturbed by the fact that he still had soap in his hair and suds sliding down his back.
As soon as he opened the door, his band members ambushed him, racing into the room as they tried to strip the towel from his waist.
“You guys scared the shit out of me,” he shouted. “Assholes. What the hell is wrong with you?”
Colton and Trevor high fived each other. “That was classic dude,” Colton chortled. “You should have seen your face.”
“Yeah,” Roman rolled his eyes. “How would you feel if you were in the shower and somebody started beating your door in?”
“Go on,” Lucas slapped Roman on his wet back. “Go finish up. You are holding up the fun my man!”
Roman glanced around at his band brothers. “Are you guys already drunk or something? The show ended ten minutes ago.”
“I’m drunk on power, women, and fame!” Colton exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air as if decla
ring his happiness to the world.
Roman shook his head, wandering back to the shower to rinse off.
A few minutes later, they tried to escape the media frenzy by having the driver race down a side street. “I think we’ve lost them,” he mentioned as he squinted in the darkness to determine if any headlights were following them.
Colton breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank God. It seems like those piranhas are worse in Europe than back in the states.”
“I concur,” Lucas nodded. “Now let’s go drown our sorrows in booze,” he joked, being the first one of the group to climb out of the car.
Roman was ready to have a few beers, to sit back and relax with his buddies. In the back of his mind, he missed Chloe, but he would plan to see her later that evening when he arrived back at the villa.
Colton ordered a round of drinks while they attempt to find a secluded part of the bar in the back where they wouldn’t be bothered. Once the beers came, Roman gratefully retrieved his, burying his head into the mug. He was so thirsty, and the beer was so refreshing as it slid down his throat.
He was instantly hit with a warm sensation as the alcohol began to flood his veins. Euphoria swallowed him whole. He drank one after another until the people and the walls began to shift shapes and blur right in front of his eyes.
“Fuck, I think I’m drunk,” he mumbled, stammering as he attempted to stand up and walk to the bathroom.
“Maybe I should get you home.” Asher grabbed Roman by the shirt before he toppled over and plummeted to the cold, concrete floor.
“That’s a good idea,” Roman muttered, his sentences barely forming. He didn’t know why he had drank so much tonight. He had only had four or five beers. He usually wasn’t a lightweight. He hadn’t eaten dinner and had sealed the night with three shots of bourbon. That was probably the straw that broke the camel’s back.
“You need to sleep this one off.”
A few minutes later, Roman blinked against the harsh light spilling into the villa. “I want to go to Chloe’s room,” he said in protest as Asher tried to push him onto his bed. “Chloe’s room,” he swirled his hand in the air.
Asher frowned. “I think maybe you should take a rain check on that one, Big Shot.”
Roman groaned and glanced up at the ceiling, waiting for Asher to flick off the light and leave him alone.
Once he heard the door close behind him, he sat up and fumbled against the side of the walls in order to wander down to Chloe’s room. He didn’t have a key, but he hoped she was still awake and would let him in.
A few seconds later, her beautiful sunshiny face was like a beam of light to his soul.
“Hi,” he waved.
Her features frowned in concern. “You look really drunk.” She pulled him inside her room. “Come on, let’s get you into a cold shower. I’ll make you some toast.”
“I don’t need toast,” he croaked. He wanted to confess how he needed her, but even in his hazy state of mind, he was able to restrain himself. “I just need you.”
She paused, catching his gaze before leaving and coming back with something across her arm.
“Here.” Chloe gave him a towel and closed the door, instructing him to call out to her if he needed help. He stood there for what seemed like an eternity under the cold shower, consumed by a delirious state of mind. He never wanted to be a disappointment to Chloe. He wanted to impress her, to take care of her.
He twisted off the shower nozzle and dried off. When he walked back into her bedroom, he noticed she was already asleep. Her chest rose and fell in a pacifying lullaby. He desperately wanted to make love to her, but he was in no condition to perform. He laid beside her and closed his eyes, so the spinning would stop. Within seconds, he was fast asleep too.
He meant what he’d said. She was all he needed.
Just Chloe.
Just his Chloe.
Chapter Fifteen
“I am just in love with the culture and the history of Milan.” Emelia let out an enchanted sigh as she cradled her head in her palm across the table.
“That was a little over exaggerated, honey.”
Chloe nodded and took a sip of her Chardonnay that paired deliciously with her shrimp scampi. It was a little heavy of a course to choose for lunch, but they were in Italy, and she could always save the leftovers for dinner that night.
“Maybe a little.”
“How about a lot.”
“You can’t deny it, Chloe. There is so much to adore about this place,” she agreed. “Italy is a romantic, beautiful country. You can’t blame me for being a little excited.”
They both took another drink. At this rate, they’d be drunk in no time.
“Speaking of romance,” Emelia cracked a curious grin and lightly touched Chloe’s arm in a spirited way. “How are things going with you and Roman?”
Chloe leaned back in her chair and placed her fork delicately back on the table, swallowing her bite of pasta before speaking again.
“Pretty well,” she nodded with a smile of optimism. She covered her mouth with the tips of her fingers as she dabbed her mouth with the soft white linen napkin from her lap.
“That’s great.” Emelia inspected Chloe, crossing her arms. “I’m seriously happy for you.”
Chloe took another sip of her wine. “We are taking things slow right now.”
“That’s understandable,” Emelia nodded. “You both are going through a lot of shit right now.”
Chloe laughed and glanced at the city streets outside the window, bustling with people going about their days. “Tell me about it.”
“But... you like him?” Emelia searched Chloe’s eyes as if she were trying to find approval there.
“Of course!” Chloe tossed her friend an exuberant grin. “He’s a great guy. You’re right though; we are both going through some tough shit right now.”
Emelia shrugged. “Perhaps what doesn’t kill you doesn’t make you stronger. Maybe you both can use the weaknesses happening in your life to bring you closer together.”
In theory, it made sense, and she couldn’t blame Emelia for sharing her two cents on the matter. She just wasn’t sure if she was ready to go down the serious relationship path with Roman, even though he had intimately gone down on her on several occasions. It was fun, and maybe that’s all it was meant to be.
In an effort to spare Emelia’s feelings, because she knew that she was also close to Roman through Trevor, Chloe grinned. “You are probably right.”
Emelia gave her a skeptical look. She was like another sister, reading her almost as well as Ashley did.
“Are you sure everything is okay?” Emelia frowned.
Chloe sighed, wishing that Emelia didn’t have a remarkable talent for reading her like an open book. “Yes, I promise.”
She didn’t want Emelia to press her on the matter. For an unknown reason, she wasn’t in the mood to hammer out excuses on how fast or slow her relationship with Roman was grooving along. She didn’t know the answer to that herself.
“Do you really care about him?” Now Emelia sounded defensive as if Roman was her own brother and she was afraid of witnessing him getting his heart broken.
“Absolutely,” Chloe nodded. “Yes,” she added for resolution. “Don’t worry,” she stabbed at a succulent, plump and pink shrimp on her plate. “I’m not going to try to steal his money in an extortion deal gone horribly wrong.”
Chloe noticed that the joke visibly relaxed Emelia to a certain degree. She leaned back in her seat and waved it off. “You are right. I’m sorry. I’m acting like an officer in an interrogation room or something.” She sheepishly shook her head.
“Which,” Chloe chimed and raised her index finger, “might I add is something else Roman has been subjected to in the not so distant past.”
“You are so right about that bestie,” she responded. “Here,” she raised her glass of Chardonnay. “To new beginnings, and a world full of sunshine and bright laughter to part the dismal clouds
.”
Chloe clanked her glass against Emelia’s. “That was pretty deep, even for you.”
Emelia gave her a wisecracking smirk. “Thanks,” she droned sardonically. “I can always count on you to remind me that I’m ridiculous.”
The wine began to drip through her veins, giving her a relaxed vibe. Good. She needed it. All this talk about Roman and their future was riling her up inside. But why? Why was it so hard to let herself imagine a real future with him?
“All kidding aside,” Chloe mentioned as she took another sip. “I’m having a blast with Roman. He’s super adventurous and fun. He’s got a bit of a bad boy streak, but I’m learning to embrace it. In fact, he’s helping me to explore more of my own wild side.” She pressed her palm to her chest.
“Oh please,” Emelia waved her hand in the air dismissively while the white wine sloshed around in the glass from her other hand. “You have always been one badass chick.”
Chloe cracked a smile. “Thanks...I guess?” The statement came out as more of a question.
Emelia shot her a warm and kind look as they locked eyes. “You know I love you, Chloe. You have been my best friend since day one. I care about you and Roman. I just want you both to be happy.”
“I am happy,” Chloe admitted, and it was the earnest truth.
“Good.” Emelia’s eyes shined as she nodded. “Then I think you have your answer.”
“Answer for what?” Chloe frowned in confusion.
Emelia casually shrugged. “You know...about Roman,” she clarified. “You say you are having a blast with him, well then just follow your heart and see where the tide takes you. That’s what I did with Trevor. Think about it. I was dating Grant when I first met Trevor. Now we’re getting married.”
Chloe chuckled at the realization. “You are right. A lot can happen in a year or so.”
“For the better,” Emelia folded her hands in her lap, nodding as the nostalgia and retrospect hit her.
“To new beginnings,” Chloe parroted Emelia’s earlier statement, raising her wine glass for one final, glorified toast.
Ultimately, Emelia was right. Chloe needed to follow her heart, and the direction was serendipitously leading her down the path that trailed Roman. Not necessarily in his footsteps or his shadow but walking hand in hand with him in the direction of the metaphorical sunrise.