Hence, I knew he was up to something.
“Yep.”
My eyes narrowed when he offered nothing further, and it made him laugh. He knew I was dying to know what it was he’d been doing.
“You finished here?” he asked, glancing at the shelves.
“Sure,” I said and closed up the small room once we stepped out. I could finish this later. He was leaving soon for training camp, and every time I thought about it, a pang of homesickness hit me.
He wasn’t even gone, and I was already homesick for him.
I know. It didn’t make much sense to be homesick for a person. The very definition of the word was to feel a longing for your home.
Well, my home wasn’t a place.
It was a person, this person.
“I got something I wanna show you,” he said, entwining our fingers and pulling me toward the front door.
I called out a hasty good-bye to Michelle and barely had time to grab my bag off the counter as he practically dragged me outside.
“My legs don’t go as fast as yours,” I reminded him.
Every step for him was like two for me.
Geesh, he was excited.
“Smalls.” He sighed. “Why ya gotta be so slow?”
Before I could tell him how rude I thought he was, he scooped me up and tossed me over his shoulder. I squealed and hung on to my glasses so they wouldn’t fall off my face. “Romeo!”
“I don’t have all day, baby,” he said, settling his large palm over my butt. “We got somewhere to be.”
When we got to his car, he stopped and opened the door.
“My car is here,” I reminded him.
“Hunk of junk,” he muttered.
I hit him on the butt. “I heard that!”
He swung me back over his shoulder and, in one sweeping movement, planted me in the passenger seat of his car. After he leaned down and buckled me in, he pulled back, crouching in the open door so we were almost at eye level.
His bright-blue gaze swept over my face and his entire appearance softened. Lightly, he caressed my cheek with the backs of his knuckles. “You’re really fucking beautiful.”
I echoed his movements, skimming my fingers over his cheek. “So are you.”
“I have a request,” he said.
See? He totally was hatching some plan.
“And what would that be?” I mused, falling prey to the way his eyes made me feel like the only girl in the entire world.
“Don’t yell at me.”
I scowled as he stood up. “Roman Anderson, what did you do?”
He shut the door on my demand, and I watched him cross in front of the hood on his way to the driver’s side. The way he moved almost made me forget I was supposed to be badgering him for answers.
The way he moved was almost as intoxicating as his kisses.
So fluid and at ease. He was so comfortable in his skin it showed in every move he made. Some men had to force the air of confidence around them. Some felt the need to overcompensate for whatever they thought they lacked.
Not Romeo.
He just was.
We held hands as he drove. Occasionally, he would have to wrap both our hands around the stick shift so he could change gears. I didn’t bother asking him again what he’d done that would make me yell, because in truth, I didn’t want to yell at Romeo.
I wanted to hold his hand in the silence that wasn’t really silent. I wanted to be with him in this moment and commit it to my memory to pull out when he was away and I was feeling empty without him.
You see, even when we didn’t speak, I could still hear him. He loved me so deep that words became secondary to the way he made me feel every single day.
He turned into a neighborhood I’d never been in before, and my eyes immediately went out the window, captured by the beauty.
I felt my lips part slightly because it was so beautiful. It was almost like a whole other world.
Romeo felt my reaction and smiled smugly, almost as if he knew how gorgeous this place was and how taken I’d be.
It was an older neighborhood. I knew because all the trees were huge and mature. Their branches stretched far into the sky and over the street we drove down. The green leaves created a canopy over the road, like we were driving through a tunnel created by Mother Nature.
Hints of sunlight filtered through the branches as the leaves gently fluttered in the breeze. A sidewalk lined both sides of the street. It was inviting and made me want to get out of the car and walk along it while staring at the manicured lawns that stretched right up to its edge.
This wasn’t a cookie cutter neighborhood. Every house looked different than the one beside it; each had its own character and style. But instead of everything looking mismatched and kind of thrown together, it appeared opulent and natural.
We passed by a white colonial style with a red front door. The columns on the porch were regal and strong. The house beside it was red brick with a front porch lined with flower boxes overflowing with beautiful blooms in every color.
The driveways were all paved meticulously, the curb appeal of every home inviting.
I had a sudden image of children carrying oversized bags running across the lawns, dressed in Halloween costumes, to ring the doorbells and yell trick-or-treat!
This was the kind of neighborhood I saw on TV. The kind I thought didn’t really exist anymore. Sure, I’d been down lots of nice streets; Romeo lived on one of them.
But there was something about this neighborhood, this very street, that spoke to me on a deeper level.
The car slowed, and I tore my gaze away from the passing scenery to glance at Romeo. He lifted our locked hands and kissed the back of mine.
“What are we doing here?” I asked. “Are we meeting someone?”
“Something like that,” he murmured and then released my hand so he could guide the Hellcat into a driveway.
I wasn’t a girl who cared much about things. I knew Romeo had money. I knew he was used to beautiful places, clothes, and a certain quality of life. He never acted like a snob or a spoiled brat.
I was staying at his house over the summer. I guess I could admit I was used to being around all his nice things. I was used to his house and his car.
That being said, I wasn’t often impressed. I wasn’t often taken with something I thought was gorgeous.
Except right now.
The house we pulled up to was incredibly gorgeous. I couldn’t help but stare out the windshield to take in its charm.
It was built of stone—natural-looking, all in tones of tan and brown. It wasn’t the kind of stone that was perfectly cut to fit together; it literally looked like it was unearthed from the ground and pieced onto the house like a puzzle being fit together.
It had large white-framed windows, the kind with panes that would collect a dusting of snowflakes in the winter. The front door was wide and painted a cheerful shade of yellow with the house numbers in polished gold on display right in the center.
The porch was simple concrete. Steps rose up out of the ground into a large platform in front of the door. I imagined pots of flowers everywhere, lining each of the steps and framing the entrance.
The garage door we parked in front of was freshly painted white, and large green plants and bushes lined the walkway that led to the front porch.
“Who lives here?” I asked, my voice sounding a little breathy.
“You like it?” Romeo asked.
I nodded, still taking in the stone exterior and noticing a thick covering of deep-green ivy covering the far garage wall.
“It looks like it belongs in a storybook.”
His grin was quick and very pleased. Before I could ask him for more details, he bolted out of the car. “Come on.”
I followed behind him, scrambling to keep up as he jogged to the front door. Before I got there, he swung it open and motioned for me to come inside.
“We can’t just walk into someone else’s house!” I tol
d him. “What’s gotten into you?”
“If you don’t wanna walk in, I guess I’ll have to carry ya,” he quipped. “It’s probably the way I’m supposed to do it anyway.”
“What?” I asked, bewildered.
He scooped me up, cradling me against his chest, and carried me through the front door, kicking it shut behind him.
“Wow,” I said, taking in the open space, the shiny dark floor, and the sunlight that filled the entire main level.
He walked around quickly, still carrying me like I weighed nothing at all. If I hadn’t been distracted by the beautiful fireplace, bookshelves in the corner, and the kitchen that looked like it belonged in a magazine, I would have told him carrying me was bad for his arm.
Before I knew it, he was backtracking through the place and heading up the stairs, which were near the front door.
“Romeo!” I stiffened. What the hell was he doing?
He chuckled and kissed my forehead like he thought it was cute I was appalled we were invading someone else’s house.
“It’s four bedrooms,” he said. “They’re all pretty big. There’s three and a half bathrooms too.”
The hallway up here was carpeted. It looked soft and clean, but I couldn’t really say how soft it was because he was still carrying me.
“You can put me down,” I reminded him.
“Wanna see the master?”
I did. I wanted to see every inch of this place. “Sure,” I said. I mean, why the hell not? We were already up here.
His teeth flashed and a satisfied look crossed his face.
We stopped in front of a white door, and Romeo pushed it open.
I gasped when he stepped inside.
It was a huge room, bigger than the dorm room Ivy and I shared. Bigger than the room Romeo had at his house. But the size wasn’t why I gasped.
In the center was a huge bed, definitely a king. It had a tall upholstered headboard, the tufted kind, that was covered in a soft, light-colored fabric.
The rails along the mattress and box springs were also upholstered, and the entire thing sat high off the ground. I mean, seriously, like the mattress probably came up to my waist.
The rest of the room was empty, but the bed was completely done. It was covered in white bedding, the sheets and blanket and comforter folded back halfway down the center. White fluffy pillows lined the top and filled the space, but even the amount couldn’t keep the headboard from being the focal point.
Stretched across the end of the bed was a gray blanket so soft I wanted to wrap it around my shoulders.
“We shouldn’t be in here,” I said, unable to tear my eyes away from the bed. “This is someone’s home, their space.”
I started to turn, to backtrack out of the room, but Romeo caught my hand. “Maybe you should look at the note on the bed.”
The note?
I swung back around and my eyes fastened on a white envelope lying on the corner of the bed.
I went forward and scooped it up. My fingers brushed against the blanket, reveling in the plush feel.
I glanced at him before pulling out the card inside. He nodded.
Carefully, I slid out a white piece of paper. Scrawled in handwriting that had become incredibly familiar were two words.
Welcome Home
My eyes shot to his. I turned the note around, holding it out for him to see.
“I already know what it says.” His tone was amused.
“You wrote this?” I asked.
Yes, I was a smart girl.
But right now, my brain was working extremely slow.
A smile curved his mouth and he closed the distance between us, slipping an arm around my waist and pulling me flush against him. The card was still in my hand and it flattened against his chest, the words facing out as I stared at them some more.
“This is your house?” I asked, looking up.
He shook his head.
I felt my brow crease. If it wasn’t his house…
“It’s ours.”
My fingers tightened on the note. “Ours?”
“For the next year anyway.”
“A year…” I echoed, still trying to take it all in.
“After that, if this place still puts that look on your face, I’ll buy it. Hell, looking at you now, I sort of regret not just buying it outright.”
“You rented this house?”
Amusement lit his eyes. He reached up and covered my hand resting against his chest. “Now, baby, I know this is very exciting, but try and keep up.”
He totally rented this house!
I pulled back and paced to the large window taking up the far wall. I tried not to be distracted by the way this room overlooked the backyard and its wooden fence.
“Why on earth would you rent a house? You’re leaving next week.”
“I still need a place to live,” he drawled.
I swung around. “You have a place. A very nice place.”
He shrugged one shoulder. “That’s not our place.”
I sputtered a bit. “I’ll be moving back to the dorm.”
He shook his head. “I don’t want you at the dorm.”
My eyes narrowed on his face. “Romeo…” I warned. He better not be trying to pull this overprotective bossy-pants attitude.
“Baby,” he said soft and took a step toward me.
I help up my hand. “Stay right there,” I said, firm.
He seemed rather entertained by my order but kept prowling closer. “You don’t want me to stay all the way over here.”
Yes. Yes, I did. Because the second he was within touching distance, my resolve would crumble and I’d be putty in his very large, very skilled hands.
I backed up a step, and his smile turned wolfish.
“Hear me out, love,” he murmured, capturing me around the waist. Instead of pulling me in, he turned me so we were both facing out, looking over the sprawling green lawn dotted with large trees. I bet in the fall they would be multicolored and stunning.
His chin rested on my shoulder, and I gave in. I was such a sucker for him.
“I don’t want to leave,” he began, and I sucked in a breath, about to turn. He tightened his arms and held me where I stood. “The closer the day on the calendar gets, the more and more I wish my dream of the NFL hadn’t come so fast. Having you at my place this summer, all to myself, has been better than free beer at a club.”
I rolled my eyes but didn’t say anything.
“I can’t let you go, Rim. It’s bad enough I have to leave, that I won’t be able to see you every day. I won’t be the first one to touch you in the morning or the last one to see you at night. I don’t want you back at the dorms, in a place that’s temporary, in a world that isn’t ours. When I lie down at night, I want to know you’re in our bed. In our house. I want you to be surrounded by me, even if I’m not physically here.”
“Oh, Romeo.” I sighed. His words painted a picture in my heart. I saw it clearly as he spoke. Longing, deep and hard, filled me. I wanted that, too.
I spun in the circle of his arms; my hands linked behind his neck. “I don’t need a house to be surrounded by you. I don’t need anything at all for that.”
“I want to do this, baby. Please don’t fight me on it.”
So badly I wanted to say yes. To give in and let him have his way.
I pulled back. He let me go. I felt his eyes on me, even with my back turned.
“I can’t afford this house, Romeo.”
“Yes, you can.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “Last time I looked, my paycheck wasn’t that much.”
“Good thing my paycheck is pretty fat.”
I fisted my hands and put them on my hips.
He groaned. “Are we gonna have this conversation again?”
“Well, clearly, you didn’t hear me the last hundred times,” I muttered.
“I hear just fine. I just don’t like what you say.”
I snorted.
“I have mo
ney. That probably isn’t gonna change, baby. That means you have money now, too. I know you don’t care about it. Hell,” he said and rubbed a hand down his face, “I know money complicates things.”
I knew he was talking about my father and all his gambling and money issues.
“But it doesn’t have to with us. I’m gonna take care of you. That’s the way it’s gonna be. I’m gonna make sure you have a safe place to live, a place where you can be at the end of every day. I’m gonna make sure you have everything, Rim. And it’s not just for you; it’s for me, too. I won’t be able to play, to concentrate on my game, if I’m worried about you. If you won’t let me take care of you for you, then let me do it for me.”
It was almost disgusting how pretty his words were.
But damn if they didn’t make me melt inside anyway.
“That’s the way it’s gonna be, huh?”
Whatever he heard in my voice made him smile like he’d won the lottery.
I pinned him with a hard look, and a little of the smugness left his eyes. “I’m gonna help with the bills,” I said, hoping to heaven the utilities on a place like this didn’t give me a rash every month.
He nodded.
“And I’ll do the shopping and cleaning.”
His mouth flattened like the idea of me doing ordinary chores offended him. I crossed my arms over my chest and dared him to say anything.
He sighed. “Fine.”
“Do we need such a big place?” I asked, doubt still in my voice.
“I was thinking maybe we could ask B and Ivy to move in, too.”
My chest filled with happiness. “Really!”
He grinned. It was a crooked, boyish smile. “Yep. She needs somewhere to keep that rat you made her fall in love with.”
“Prada is not a rat,” I growled.
He didn’t argue, but he didn’t agree either. “Besides, after everything that went down last semester, I think she’d probably like not having to live on campus.”
So this wasn’t just for me. It was for her, too. Emotion pierced my heart at Romeo’s thoughtfulness. He knew what a rough time Ivy had last semester, what a rough time I still suspected she was having and trying to hide.
“I thought you might want to keep her as a roommate.”
I nodded eagerly. I was dreading who I was going to be paired with this semester.
#HookUp (Hashtag Series Bonus Scenes) Page 3