Roman: Book 2 (The Hunter Brothers Series)

by L. J. Dee

  “That’s a shame. I’m game if you are,” he winked as I shook my head and I could feel Charlie’s eyes all over me.

  “No I’m bloody not. Charlie might have called me a slapper, but it doesn’t mean I am one,” I huffed, hearing a sharp intake of breath from Lucas and Tyler. Both of them were glaring at Charlie.

  “I’ve apologised,” he said, not looking up from his chicken curry.

  “And I’ve accepted it,” I said, hoping that would draw an end to the conversation and wondering why the hell my mouth was running away with me today.

  “Does Roman know you said that?” Lucas asked as Charlie shrugged and Tyler was shaking his head in disbelief. “I’m surprised you’re still in one piece brother,” he quipped as Charlie faced him.

  “I wasn’t last night. I thought I could put Roman out. I’ve done it before,” he said seriously as Tyler laughed.

  “When?” he challenged as Charlie’s smile began to break.

  “When he was ten,” he laughed as Lucas and Tyler nodded and I assumed that was probably the last time anyone had put Roman Hunter on the floor.

  “So he kicked your arse after the club?” Lucas smiled as Charlie nodded.

  “Yeah, I was hoping to work off some aggression, but he put me down with two punches. In my defence they were low blows.”

  “Well I saw you hit him more than twice before I left, so that’s bullshit,” I said, raising my eyebrows at Charlie who started to laugh.

  “Then you saw the warm up. Roman let me get a few shots in, probably just to make me feel better, but when the real fun started I didn’t stand a fucking chance.” Charlie shook his head, deciding his ego had taken enough of a bashing and throwing the spotlight onto me.

  “Get us a beer, babe,” he smirked as I glanced across at him, raising my eyebrows as he held my gaze. Ahhh, so this is what he meant by being beholden? I rose from the table, grabbing a beer from the fridge, placing it gently on the table and ignoring the bemused glances of everyone else.

  “I’m going to need a bottle opener.”

  “I guess you are,” I smiled, staying put as he started to smirk.

  “Tell me about that private party you organised recently, Jess,” Charlie said as I tried to stifle my gasp. Charlie had put two and two together and I didn’t want my sister exposed to this line of questioning. She was a worse liar than me, and Lucas would definitely know exactly who had spilt his sexy secret.

  “Where is the bottle opener kept?” I smiled sweetly at Charlie as Jess glanced at me curiously. He pointed to a drawer as Tyler and Lucas both asked for a beer while I was up. I was damned if I’d let this continue. I wasn’t about to make myself into the Hunter brothers beck and call girl.

  “So here’s a question for you, Chas. Who’s the best looking Hunter?” Tyler smirked as I rolled my eyes, putting down the beers and the bottle opener, glancing around the table. Even Lucas was playful as I took my time eyeing them all up. It seemed that these brothers were competitive over everything, but I’d definitely played worse games.

  “You’re all gorgeous and you know you are,” I laughed eventually, but they weren’t about to let me off the hook that easily.

  “No, you’ve got to choose one of us. That’s just a cop out.”

  “Fine, if you insist, it’s Charlie,” I said as he turned a broad smile on me. “You’re gorgeous inside and out,” I winked as he kissed my cheek softly, warming my insides, and for the second time today he looked utterly content.

  Tyler was looking at Lucas and shaking his head. “Maybe insulting a woman is the way to her heart after all,” he quipped as I cast him a stern glare.

  “I can assure you it isn’t and except when he’s being a dick, Charlie is kind, loyal and extremely funny and I love spending time with him,” I smiled as Charlie squeezed my knee under the table.

  “Why did you shag Roman then?” Tyler asked as I began to wonder if it was national ‘pick on Chas’ day.

  “Because Charlie isn’t a free agent,” I said as Charlie gasped, staring at me in wide eyed shock. Lucas raised his eyebrows along with my sister.

  “You told me it was because you thought Roman was really hot and you couldn’t resist him,” Charlie said, his face falling as I tried to evade his piercing eye contact.

  “Well it was both, okay. Right can we change the subject now, please? In the last twenty four hours I’ve been verbally bitch slapped by Brad Johnson and Charlie, ditched in the middle of the night by Roman, and shouted at by my sister for firearms that were absolutely nothing to do with me. Frankly, I’ve just about had enough,” I sighed, putting down my knife and fork and unable to stomach anything else. The tense silence ensued for a while until I excused myself from the table, making my way back to the lodge as I sat by the fire and started to cry.

  It was out of character and humiliating, and I prayed they’d stay where they were and eat their lunch until I got this out of my system. It had been threatening all day and I knew what was at the heart of it. I needed to lick my wounds in private and was looking forward to heading home tomorrow, disappointed that the weekend had finished this way after such a promising start. I checked my phone. There were still no messages.

  I don’t know why I’d said that at the table, but I knew that it was true. It had been both. I might have shagged Roman anyway, maybe not. In any case, it was fucking irrelevant now.

  I heard the door inch open, trying to wipe the tears from my eyes and no doubt smudging mascara all over my face, but I didn’t care. I felt as guilty as hell as I saw Charlie’s face poke around the door, remembering the reason I was here in the first place and not altogether sure I hadn’t actually made things worse for him.

  “I’m sorry, Charlie. I’m supposed to be helping you through this awful time and I can’t help but feel I’ve just added to your misery.”

  He sat beside me on the couch, tucking me under his arm protectively and kissing my head gently. “Come here you silly mare. There is nothing you could do to make me feel worse, except perhaps sleeping with my brother,” he chuckled, starting off my tears again. “But I know you didn’t do that to hurt me. Please, Chas. Don’t cry, baby,” he said, tipping my chin up to meet his gaze as he softly wiped away the tears that were weaving their way down my face. “I’m a bastard for what I said, Roman’s a bastard for what he did and Tyler’s a bastard for winding you up about it. It’s not you who should be sorry. It’s been a pretty intense weekend and none of us are showing our best sides right now. We’re not usually this bad, honest,” he smiled as I smiled back through my tears.

  “I think we need a bit of a distraction. How about we watch a film?” he asked as I nodded, picking up the remote control and flicking to the movie channel.

  “No. No. No,” I said in response to The Assassin, The Hitman and Gun Warrior, wondering if it was some kind of conspiracy. I wanted nothing that reminded me of Roman Hunter.

  “I’ll do a chick flick if I have to,” Charlie smiled as I laughed.

  “You don’t have to. What’s on the horror channel?” I asked as he frowned at me.

  “I thought you were scared of ghosts and you’ll be spending the night alone here.” I knew that little white lie would come back to haunt me, quite literally.

  “I’ll be fine,” I smiled as we settled on the Ghost Story, snuggling up in front of the fire and erasing our minds temporarily of our troubles.

  Charlie paused the film halfway in as his phone rang, and I didn’t need to be a genius to guess who it was. They’d only been together a couple of days and if he wasn’t with her, she was bothering him constantly; at least that’s how it looked to me and everyone else.

  “I can’t see you tonight, babe. I’m with a friend and she needs me right now. I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said, pausing and listening intently. “No one you know. It’s Chas, Lucas’s girlfriend’s sister.” I imagined he’d be getting an earful. “Yes, Lucas has a girlfriend now,” he said, turning to me and rolling his eyes as I smiled across
at him. “Yes, Roberta does know. She called in to pay her condolences,” he said as I stood, walking into the kitchen and pouring us both a glass of wine. “I think it’s best if you don’t, Scarlett,” he said firmly and I could only assume that was in response to her offer to do the same.

  He was still on the phone as I returned to the lounge, holding out his drink as he took it from me, winking and pulling a face as I giggled, putting my hand quickly over my mouth to stifle the sound. “She’s had a rough day, Scarlett,” he said and I thought that might be the end of it, but he wasn’t getting away that easily.

  “Jesus, don’t say that to me, you know I’m a sucker for red,” he said as I wondered if he was referring to the colour of her underwear. He’d mentioned earlier he liked the colour and I almost gave him a flash of mine to make him stay, suddenly wondering what the hell I was thinking and mentally slapping myself. Charlie wasn’t mine, he’d never be mine and my bed still smelt of Roman. Perhaps Charlie had been right after all. Maybe I was a secret slag and should just fuck all of them out of my system, with the exception of Lucas. I’d never do that to my sister, and besides, I didn’t fancy being smacked with a cane or led around on a leash.

  I’d lived my life living up to my name, but that was all unravelling this weekend.

  Staying in the ‘Hot house’, my new name for Greenfield Hall, was messing with my senses and the sooner I got home, the better. Charlie cast me an apologetic glance as the tone of his voice deepened and grew suddenly firmer. “I’ve told you I’ll see you tomorrow night, Scarlett. I’m needed here right now,” he said, ending the call abruptly and I knew instantly that if the sociopath was anything like her reputation suggested that she’d hate me already.

  “Are you in the dog house?” I asked as he laughed.

  “Yeah, it’s unbelievable. It’s been four days. I’ve only seen her a few times and already she thinks I’m at her beck and call. Things have changed and she needs to understand that. For her, it’s as if the past six months never happened. She’s wiped them from memory and she isn’t intent on taking things slowly,” he sighed as I held his gaze.

  “Have you told her you want to take things slowly?” I asked as he nodded.

  “A hundred times, but she suddenly turns deaf. Scarlett has selective hearing, and it’s funny but I never noticed that about her before,” he laughed as I smiled.

  “All women have selective hearing! You need to drop it into a conversation when you know she’s actively listening.”

  “How do you mean, Chas?” he asked, throwing me a puzzled frown. I couldn’t believe Charlie was asking me advice on how to treat his ex-girlfriend, it was surreal.

  “For example, you could say ‘I’d like to buy you a Chanel handbag, darling, as an ‘I want to take things slowly’ gift,” I quipped as he laughed.

  “That wouldn’t work, she can buy her own. She’s running Everett’s business now and the girls got hundreds of them,” he said. I already hated her.

  “Lucky cow. I’d love a Chanel handbag,” I huffed as he pulled me against him, shaking his head as he fired up the film and we settled down to watch the rest in silence. I tucked my head into his chest at the gory bits, enjoying the contact. This was something I could never imagine doing with Roman. It only served to fuel my thoughts that I’d picked the wrong brother, but that was hardly an opinion I could ever voice now. I’d burned that bridge this weekend and the best I could hope for was a continuation of what we had.

  “Do you want me to stay in the lodge with you tonight, Chas? Tyler’s going to meet the band and Jess and Lucas have gone to see Dexter,” he said as the final credits rolled.

  “I’d like that, Charlie. Thank you,” I smiled as he went to retrieve the wine from the kitchen and I wondered what was on his mind as he sat down looking all of a sudden quite serious.

  “I was going to kiss you today in the tree house,” he said as I glanced away, pouring the wine and hoping this wasn’t about to turn into another awkward conversation.

  “I know. I was going to kiss you back,” I said softly, handing him the glass as he gazed at me, his eyes clouded with sadness and I had to cut him off. I knew what his words would be, and hearing the finality of that rejection from his lips would be more than I could bear today.

  “It was just a daft moment, Charlie. Don’t worry about it. I know you wouldn’t cheat on Scarlett, and I’ve shagged your brother. We flirt and we mess about and it’s fun, but that’s all it is. I value your friendship more than you know,” I said as he nodded, glancing towards the fire. Whatever he’d been about to say, it looked like he’d changed his mind, and I was undoubtedly playing my true feelings down. In light of everything that had occurred this weekend, I could hardly voice them now.

  “Me too, babe. Let’s watch another film and forget that ever happened.”

  It was the only thing either of us could do. I just hoped it wouldn’t be easier said than done.

  Chapter Sixteen

  I returned home on Tuesday, without Jess who was staying on with Lucas to help him as he sorted out the estate. They were doing the school run and work was quiet. By Wednesday night I was bored stiff, returning early from a dinner event we’d arranged for one of Patrick’s business colleagues. It was mid week and a quiet affair that had been over by half past ten. Sophisticated but dull just about summed it up as I lay in bed, mulling over what I might do for my birthday on Saturday. Patrick had given me the weekend off. Two Saturdays on the bounce was unheard of, and I was determined to make the most of it, wondering whether to have a big party with all my friends, or a small one with a select few. I settled on the latter, calling Jess to ask her thoughts.

  “Do you and Lucas fancy going out for a few drinks on Saturday to celebrate my birthday?” I asked, hearing her call Lucas over.

  “I’d love to, Chas, if Mrs Kilbride doesn’t mind having Dexter. I was going to ask what you were planning. You normally have a big boozy affair with all your mates,” she laughed and she was right.

  “Well I fancy a change this year. I thought I might ask Charlie, although he’ll probably be out with Scarlett, and tell Lucas to mention it to Tyler. I haven’t decided on a venue yet,” I said, wishing her goodnight and turning off my lamp. A quiet night out would be a welcome distraction. The last thing I needed was an evening spent fighting off unwelcome advances from horny men in whom I had absolutely no interest. I was hoping Lucas Hunter’s repellent force field would work for all of us. There was no doubt that picking myself up post Roman was proving more difficult than usual.

  I woke with a start, staring at the digital green clock on my night stand. 2:45 AM and I knew instinctively that I wasn’t alone. I sat up quickly as my eyes tried desperately to adjust to the light, settling on the tall dark figure leaning casually against my wardrobe in the pitch black room as my trembling hands grabbed my phone and I screamed out loud. “I’m calling the police,” I shouted, diving out of bed as the figure lurched towards me and my heart stopped dead as a smell so familiar suffocated me, and he cut the call before it connected.

  “Don’t be frightened, it’s me, baby,” he said, gripping me tightly as I struggled free, backing up until I hit the wall as he stood over me.

  “What the hell are you doing?” I screamed again as his hand clasped my mouth and he pinned me in place with his hips, searching my eyes as mine found his in the darkness.

  “Don’t be scared, sweetheart,” he said as my heart hammered through my chest. Was he insane?

  I bit his hand and he pulled it back swiftly. “Don’t be scared, Roman? You break into my house in the middle of the night and tell me not to be scared. I was fucking terrified. How the hell did you get in anyway, my door is locked?” I gasped as he laughed softly.

  “Are you joking, baby. A Yale lock is hardly to stop me,” he laughed as I shook my head, slamming my fists hard against his chest as he grabbed my arms, forcing them against the wall.

  “Get out of my apartment, you arrogant son of a bitch,”
I yelled, breathing hard and erratically, trying to still my hammering heart as his face moved closer still.

  “I’ll go when I’ve said what I came to say, Chastity,” he said seriously as I exhaled a long slow breath, my hands still trembling.

  “I want to apologise,” he said softly as anger overtook the fear and I couldn’t believe his nerve.

  “There are better ways to apologise to a woman than breaking into her home. Have you heard of flowers, Roman, or a nice card? Saying goodbye in the first place might have been a better idea, and then all of this charade wouldn’t have been necessary,” I screeched as he cupped my face in his hands, resting his forehead against mine, his touch alone breaking down my shaky defences. I wanted to hear him out and I hated myself for it.

  “I know, baby. I’m sorry for splitting in the middle of the night, you deserved better. That weekend was special to me; you’re special to me, but I knew if I’d have woken you, that I’d have buried myself in that sweet little body of yours and missed the chopper. Just the sound of your voice would have kept me there and I couldn’t risk it,” he whispered gently against my lips. “I’m truly sorry, Chastity, and that’s all I came to say.”

  I closed my eyes, swallowing hard and wondering if I could forgive him, but before I could even decide, he was gone, moving quickly like a shadow towards my door as I flicked on the light. “Roman, wait,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper as he stopped and turned, gazing at me seriously and I tried to force back the hot tears, stabbing the back of my eyes.

  “You really hurt me,” I said as he nodded.

  “I know, baby,” he replied as I moved towards him, placing my head on his chest, surprised to feel his heart pounding as much as my own. He gripped me tightly in his arms and I rested there for what felt like an eternity, revelling in his warmth and knowing that despite everything, I still wanted my proper goodbye.

  “Do you want me to go?” he asked, kissing my hair as he held me against him. I shook my head, unable to speak and wondering what the hell I was doing. My better judgement was screaming at me to stop this now, but I wanted my closure; the missed farewell and the final chapter and I wanted it on my terms, not his.