I'm just slipping the tank on when a knock on my door startles me. I glance at it warily and wonder if a party-goer has gotten lost. The door doesn't have a lock, but I'm thinking it might be a good idea to get one.
“I know you're in there, Vee!” Roman calls through the door.
For a brief moment, I'm relieved it's him and not some drunk. That relief is short lived when I realize he's probably wanting to drag me down to the pool. A pool party—especially one thrown by Roman—is not high up on my list of things to do. Scratch that. It's not on the list at all.
“Open up, or I'm coming in,” Roman threatens.
He's not going to go away on his own, so I make sure my shorts and tank are decent before I reluctantly walk over and swing the door open. I try hard to keep my eyes focused on his face instead of trailing over his body, because he's only wearing a pair of black swimming trunks.
Roman grins widely when he sees me. “Hey, Vee. It's been a while.” He saunters into my room, uninvited.
With a roll of my eyes, I shut the door. “I'm not going down there,” I tell him as I turn and stubbornly fold my arms over my chest. He stands in the middle of my room, looking completely out of place among all the feminine décor, because he is so utterly masculine. I can’t help but briefly wonder what his own bedroom looks like. He seems to favor dark colors, so I’m thinking his room is likely black or gray.
Roman looks at me as if he's dealing with a petulant child. “Quit moping and hiding out. Put on a bikini, and make some friends before school starts in September.”
“Roman, I am not in the mood.”
He levels me with a look, and it's not lost on me that there's a hint of warning in the aquamarine depths of his eyes. “I'm starting to get offended with how often you avoid me.”
“I'm not avoiding you.”
His dark brow rises sardonically before he walks over to my bed and drops backwards onto it, his arms stretched out. “Well, I feel like spending time with my new cousin tonight. If you won't join me downstairs, I'll join you up here.” He folds his hands behind his head, looking relaxed and quite comfortable.
I stare at him, feeling slightly flustered. I've never dealt with someone like Roman before. He also looks darn good on my bed, which confuses the hell out of me. I shouldn’t be enjoying the sight of an almost naked Roman lounging among my bed sheets. I am not supposed to be feeling this way about my cousin. Though if Khristos isn't really my uncle, then Roman isn't my cousin.
The object of my irritation has the gall to smile slightly, as if he knows what's going on inside my head. “So, we watching a movie?”
My eyes narrow, and I decide to call him on his bluff. “What about the party?”
“They'll go home eventually.”
I search his gaze, and he meets mine steadily. “You're like a pesky little brother,” I say with exasperation when I realize he'll likely sit there all night just to prove his point.
His smile widens, and it's slightly predatory. “I've always wanted a sister to torture.”
Yikes. That's a little alarming, especially coming from the likes of Roman. “Fine!” I say with exasperation. “You win. I'll come downstairs.”
“You'll come out to the pool,” he clarifies pointedly.
“Yes!”
“In a bikini.”
“No.”
He sits up, his ab muscles rippling slightly with the movement. His eyes drift up to the ceiling briefly as if he's struggling to keep from saying something. He then focuses his attention on me and says calmly, “It's a pool party, Vee.”
“I know. But I have no intention of going in the pool, so shorts and a tank will work just fine.”
“You'll be overdressed,” he states as he lithely rises to his feet.
“Better overdressed than underdressed. Do you want me down there or not?”
Roman shakes his head, rubbing a hand through his hair. “Arguing is your hobby, eh?”
“Just with you,” I say with sweet sarcasm.
His hand drops, and he gives me a wolfish grin. “I should warn you then, arguing only makes you more interesting to me.”
I point to my door. “Out.”
“Be down there in five minutes, or I'm crashing in your bed tonight,” he threatens as he walks to the door.
“Do it, and you'll wake up missing important parts of your anatomy.”
He just laughs as he disappears into the hall.
I walk over and shut the door firmly in case he tries to come back. If this is what it's like to have a brother, I'm glad I grew up an only child.
Now that I'm committed to the party, I better find something to wear. What I have on won't work. I'm in a mood, so I decide to make a point to Roman that I'm only going down there because he threatened me. I have some cute shorts that I'd brought with me, but I choose the plainest pair I own. I also spy my old camouflage tank that I wear only when I'm in the mood to do some major cleaning. That'll work. After I pull my hair back into a simple ponytail, I walk out of my room barefoot.
I am not dressing up for this party. Reason number one is because I want to annoy Roman. Reason number two, I don't want any guys thinking I'm looking for attention. Dress myself real nice and pretty, and someone's going to think I'm on the prowl for a date. Just the idea of dating makes me uneasy.
The closer I get to the back of the mansion, the louder the music becomes. When I pass by Khristos's office, I see that the door is shut, and the crack under the door is dark. Is he out of town? I guess he would have to be in order for Roman to invite a ton of people here for a party. As I walk further down the hall, I can't help but wonder what Khristos is like when he's mad. I'm betting he's the type who gets dangerously quiet instead of losing his temper and yelling.
My thoughts are halted the second I step outside onto the path that leads towards the patio and pool. There are people everywhere. My balcony doesn't face this side of the patio, so there's more people here than I'd estimated. They are all clad in swimsuits and mingling. Most are holding red plastic cups, beer cans, or bottles. How in the world had Roman gotten his hands on so much alcohol without Khristos knowing about it?
I make my way through the crowd, dodging people as I head towards the pool. I'm guessing that'll be where Roman's at. I spy him almost immediately. He's talking with a gorgeous blonde, who's wearing a bikini that should be illegal. His hand settles on her bare hip as he leans in close, whispering something in her ear. She smiles at him flirtatiously and nods. Roman pulls her into his side, leading her towards the glass doors that enter into the kitchen.
I know what those two are up to, and now that Roman's officially occupied, I can make my escape.
“You must be Livvy,” a masculine voice says from behind me.
My heart sinks as I realize Roman had someone watching for me. I should have known. I paste a polite smile on my face before turning around. The guy standing in front of me is really cute but in the boy next door kind of way. His features seem even except for a slightly wide nose, but it doesn’t hinder his looks. I’m also not feeling anything for him. There is no instant attraction like I’d experienced with Trace and Roman.
“I'm Nathan,” he introduces, his hazel eyes full of curiosity as he gazes at me.
“You're one of Roman's friends,” I guess as I study him. His blond hair is cut short, and I can see a hint of curl to it. He's tan and shirtless—just like all the other guys at the party. He's in good shape. His muscles aren't as defined as Roman's, but it's clear he works out. When I lift my gaze back up to his, I see he's grinning confidently. He thinks I'd been checking him out. Well, I guess I had been. Darn it.
“Roman and I, we hang a lot,” he replies in reference to my comment. His eyes drop to my empty hands. “You want something to drink?”
“No, I'm good.” I look around the party. “Does Roman throw parties like this a lot?”
“Once in a while.”
Someone bumps into me as they pass by, and Nathan immediately puts a
n arm around me, gently pulling me out of the way. I manage to extract myself from his grip while pretending to adjust my ponytail. A few weeks ago, I would have been flattered by Nathan's attention. He's definitely cute and all, but having your ex-boyfriend try to kill you kind of changes things.
Nathan leans forward slightly, his eyes flickering over my body briefly before focusing on my face again. “So, you're from Missouri?”
“Yes,” I say a bit hesitantly as I search his gaze. Had Roman told his friends about Brad?
“Did you live in the city?” he continues.
I nod.
“I bet it's been quite an adjustment moving out here. Cherry Creek's not too bad, and the cities are only a half hour away. The way I see it, we've got the best of both worlds.”
I nod again and wonder how I can get away from him. He's looking for some fun tonight, and it's not going to be with me. Can't he tell I'm not exactly working hard to keep his attention?
“I could show you around sometime,” he offers.
“I've already seen everything there is.”
“But not in the cities,” he points out, grinning.
“I'll let you know if I need a tour guide,” I say lightly.
“Nathan!”
We both look up as a group of guys call out to him. Nathan holds up a hand, motioning he'll be there in a second. He peers down at me. “Let me introduce you around.”
“Actually, I'm thirsty after all. I'm just going to go grab something while you go talk to your friends.”
He frowns, but before he can say anything more, his name is called again. “I'll be right back,” he tells me and walks away.
I quickly dart into the crowd. As I make my way through the many bodies, no one pays attention to me. They glance my way, but when they take in my faded shirt and shorts, they look away, and I'm immediately forgotten.
As I head for the kitchen doors across the patio, I get a brief glimpse of the rest of the patio and the pool. I haven't bothered to use the pool yet, but I have to admit it's beautiful out here. It's dark out, and there are lights strategically placed, especially along the shrubbery so that the patio area is well-lit. The pool glows a bright sea green, and there's a rock waterfall at the other end of the pool. I can see why Roman would want to throw a pool party.
No one stops me as I slip unnoticed through the glass doors and into the kitchen. I breathe a sigh of relief as I shut the doors behind me before entering the silent and blessedly empty room. I'm going to grab something to drink and escape up upstairs. If Roman can ditch the party, I can ditch it, too.
I grab a soda out of the large refrigerator, and when I turn around, I almost bump into Nathan. I let out a small yelp and back up. How had I not heard him?
He smiles wryly. “I thought you heard me. I didn't mean to startle you.”
My hands clutch the cold can of soda to my chest as I stare at him suspiciously. “Did you follow me?”
“Isn't that what you wanted?”
“Uh...” Yeah, not my best response, but at the moment I'm bewildered by the situation.
Nathan must take my silence as an invitation, because he moves closer to me, his warm hand settling on my hip as his head lowers towards mine. He's going to kiss me! I dart away from him, careful to stay out of reaching distance as I glare at him. “Have I been putting out signals that I want to be kissed?”
Nathan's eyes widen slightly, and he looks at me a bit skeptically. “No...I guess not. But Roman said—” He abruptly stops talking, and a flush creeps up his neck.
“Roman said what?” I ask as I cross my arms.
He grimaces, rubbing the back of his neck. “Uh...he mentioned that he has a cousin, and I might like you, that's all. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I just thought maybe you came in here because you wanted to be alone with me.”
I have no idea what Roman's up to, but I don't like it. “I'm not looking for a hook-up. Good night, Nathan,” I say coolly. I turn on my heel and walk away.
***
I'm on a mission the next morning. I hadn't appreciated Nathan's advances the night before, and it sounds like I have Roman to thank for it. As I stride past the kitchen, I can hear Adelaide cooking breakfast, but I don't stop to greet her. When I'd woken up this morning, I'd heard movement down below on the patio. Much to my astonishment, I'd caught sight of Roman picking up all the plastic cups and beer bottles. He doesn’t seem like the type to clean, especially when they have a maid to clean up after them. Unless she doesn't come in today.
I noticed that the Deveroux's don't have live-in maids. One maid arrives every other day from nine to five. I swear she's part magician or something, because I rarely see her, and I certainly never hear her in the house. I've met her once and from what I can tell, she doesn't speak English.
I take the roundabout way outside and follow the path up to the main patio where the pool is located. Roman is still picking up trash. He's holding a huge garbage bag and walking around, picking up plastic cups. How he can look so well-rested after a night of partying is beyond me. I, on the other hand, had gotten barely any sleep. The party hadn’t wound down until after two in the morning.
Roman turns towards a patio table and spies me. A smile plays at the corners of his lips as he drawls, “Well, look who came outside just to see me.”
“Why did you sic Nathan on me?” I demand as I walk over.
“I didn't sic him on you,” he muses as he sets the bag aside. “I thought you two might become friends, so I suggested he talk to you.”
“He tried to kiss me!”
Roman stands before me, his lip twitching slightly in the corner as if he wants to laugh at me. “And that's a problem because?”
“My last boyfriend tried to strangle me!”
The amusement in his expression immediately fades. “Yeah, that sucks.” Then, they turn deliberate. “All the more reason to get back into the game.”
“Back in the game?” I scowl at him. “Kissing is not a game to me, and I know there is more to this thing with Nathan.”
Roman cocks his head slightly as he studies me. “C'mon, Vee, all he tried to do was kiss you. What's the big deal?”
“I don't kiss strangers,” I say indignantly. I have standards. Now more than ever.
A hint of exasperation flickers across his features before he mutters something under his breath that sounds like, “That's going to have to change.”
Had I heard him correctly? “Excuse me?”
“I said, a lot's going to change for you. New town, new friends.” He shrugs.
Why do I get the feeling he's hiding something?
Chapter Six
On Sunday, I learn that Khristos is taking me and Roman out to an evening dinner. Of course, I don't want to go, but I hadn't exactly been asked. I'd been told. Knowing Khritstos, it'll be a dressy affair. I spend thirty minutes debating on what to wear. I have nothing that would be appropriate for a fancy restaurant. This means rummaging through the clothes Sorcha picked out for me. I study the dresses one by one. They are all stunning and look expensive. I settle on a simple black dress that is sleeveless. The hem is a little flirty and swings just above my knees when I walk.
When I realize I need shoes, I go back into the closet. I kneel down to study the twenty or so shoe boxes that are neatly stacked in a little nook below a shelf. I pull out a box and pause, swiping my finger against the surface a second time. My finger comes back with a dark film of dust on it.
“That's strange,” I murmur. I pick out a few more boxes and find that those too are dusty. Considering the boxes have been stacked in a tight nook, there shouldn't be much dust on them, at least not from within the last three weeks. The rest of the closet seems well dusted, but the shoe boxes look as if they haven't been touched in a while.
I stare at the boxes, puzzling over them. How long have they been here? Or had Sorcha brought over some of her own shoes that she no longer wanted? That would explain the dust if they'd been sitting in her closet f
or several weeks.
Feeling curious, I pick up the first box and lift the lid. A brand new pair of fire engine red high heels are nestled amongst the tissue. I pick one up and study it. When I lift the shoe and look at the bottom, a bar code sticker is still attached. It's brand new and in my size. I quickly open the other boxes, and they all look new. Most still have bar code stickers on the bottom.
That's weird.
I sit among the shoes and debate whether it's possible they were bought before Khristos showed up at the apartment back in Missouri. But if that's the case, he would have been planning to bring me to Cherry Creek before Brad attacked me.
There's something odd going on. I've been sensing it for a while now, and maybe it's time to listen to my gut instinct. I'm also wasting time as I sit here among the various shoes. I highly doubt Khristos appreciates tardiness. I grab a pair of strappy, silver high heels and leave the closet.
As I enter the bedroom, I can't help but pause to look around. It still bugs me that it's almost as if Khristos plucked the image of all the things I want from my head, to make up this bedroom. The fact that he'd nailed down my favorite styles and colors is unsettling.
I think it's time to take more of an initiative where my mom is concerned. I've held out hope that she would contact me, but it's apparent that's not going to happen.
I have two choices. Either accept living with the Deveroux's until I'm eighteen, or find my mom and talk her into taking back guardianship. My mom wins hands down. I can't accept living here with the Deveroux's until I figure out what they're hiding, and that could take a full three months to figure out. I just have this weird feeling that these people are not who they say they are.
Since I have the dinner to attend, I try to shove my suspicions out of my head and focus on securing my hair into a simple knot at the nape of my neck. When I feel that I am ready, I make my way downstairs.
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