Not Over You: Accidental Roommates Romance

by R. S. Lively

  "She never told me that."

  "I'm sorry."

  "Why didn't you try again?"

  "I did," I tell her. "After talking to Grammie, I committed myself even more to making something out of my life. I went to school. I went to class during the day and worked overnight. I took extra classes to finish as fast as possible. I got my GED, then enrolled in community college, then transferred to UVA. I took business classes and honed the skills Gramps had taught me. Eventually, I was able to create Endeavor and start making money. All that time, I was thinking about you. It might sound ridiculous, but whenever I had a hard time or felt like I couldn’t push through it anymore, I thought about you, Fi. I knew I just had to push a little harder. I had to go a little further, and then we would have it all. The sooner I accomplished what I set out to, the sooner we could be together. It sounds silly, but I kept pushing and fighting to be the best in the industry. It wasn’t long before I started turning a profit. It wasn't much at first, but after a few months, it had built up enough that I finally decided I could come back for you. It all sounds so naïve now, I can’t –"

  Fiona stops me from spiraling. "Cade. It’s OK. Why didn't you? Why didn’t you come back for me?"

  "I did. But you were gone. By the time I came back home, you'd already left town and were living your own life. I asked Grammie where you were, and she gave me your address. I went straight there, but when I got to the house, someone else opened the door."

  "What do you mean?"

  "I knocked on the door, and a guy answered. I introduced myself to him, but he acted like he had never heard of me before. He said you weren't there, and that he was your fiancé. I knew then that I'd lost you forever. It had taken me too long, and someone else had claimed you while I was playing catch-up. You were in love with someone else, and planning a future with him."

  "Ellis," she says.

  I nod.

  "That was his name."

  "I didn't plan a life with him," she says, shaking her head.

  "You weren't engaged?"

  "We were," she admits. "For a short time. But it wasn't what I wanted. I could never envision a future with him. He just fit in with the life I was trying to build at the time. I'm sorry if that hurt you."

  "That's the worst part," I say. "It hurt, but it also made me so angry. I was pissed. I was furious with myself for never getting in touch with you after leaving town. I was irrationally angry that you didn't wait for me, and that you had made a life with someone else after everything I had suffered while building what was supposed to be our future. It was foolish of me to assume that you somehow understood I would come back for you. I should have said something –”

  "You’re not foolish, Cade," Fiona interrupts, stepping toward me. "But, you never needed to do anything to make you worthy of me." She looks down, shaking her head. "I’m not some prize to be won or idol for you to worship. I just wish I had been there when Ellis opened the door. It’s frustrating that we could have talked things out years ago.” She takes my hands in hers, her thumbs running across the backs of my knuckles like she’s trying to convey the depth of her feelings through physical contact. "I missed you so much."

  Her voice has dropped to a whisper, and when she lifts her beautiful, tear-streaked face to mine, the kiss from last night flashes through my mind, and I can't resist her anymore.

  I pull her against me, and my mouth crashes down on hers. Fiona gasps but quickly melts into the kiss. Her sweet lips part beneath mine and my tongue explores her mouth. God, I missed her. My hands leave hers and delve into her silky hair, holding her head steady while deepening the intensity of our kiss. Fiona wraps her arms around me, and I feel her fingertips press into my back as she tries to pull me closer. We kiss hungrily, and I am so lost in the feeling and the taste of her, I barely notice the sudden rain. A crash of thunder separates us, and a second later I hear Franklin's voice calling from downstairs.

  "Cade? It's raining pretty hard out."

  Shit. I forgot about Franklin. Fiona starts laughing, and I join her. I dip my head to kiss her again before we walk out of the room and head back down. Her fingers are lightly intertwined with mine as we go down the stairs, but she lets them fall at the bottom. Franklin has moved maybe a foot since we went upstairs, and is now looking dejectedly through the window at the hard waves of rain sweeping across the front porch. I take out my phone and text Jacob, letting him know Franklin would be inside for a while, and that he should come in. He declines, and I wave at him through the window. Fiona walks toward the kitchen as I guide Franklin into the living room, and gesture toward the sofa. He drops down, letting out a long breath like it's the first time he's sat down in the three days he's been desperately trying to get in touch with me. I sit down across from him and lean forward on my thighs as I look at him.

  "Alright, Franklin, tell me what's going on.”

  He opens his mouth to say something, and I see his eyes lock on something in front of him. I follow his gaze. He's staring at the patched floor.

  "It used to be a hole," I say. "I'm going to stain it, but that means doing the rest of the floor, too. One project at a time. Now, tell me what happened to make you come all the way out here to find me."

  Fiona comes into the room and holds a mug out toward Franklin. I can smell strong peppermint tea. She offers him a jar of honey, and he adds several large spoonfuls before taking a deep sip.

  "Everything's falling apart," he wails when he swallows.

  "I'm sure it isn’t," I say. "It’s probably fine. This is just the first time you've had to handle so many things at once without me available for consultation. But you run the company every day, Franklin. This is what you do. But since you're here, tell me what happened."

  I listen as Franklin nervously explains the different problems with the permits that have popped up over the last few days.

  Damn it, Ian.

  By the time he's finished, I know he won’t be able to get this all sorted on his own.

  "I know you're here helping Grammie," Franklin says. "And I know it's important to you, but everything has just gotten so out of hand. I'm sorry to come out here and bother you – I just didn’t know what else to do."

  He looks like he's teetering on the edge of completely falling apart. It's so out of character for him, I know he's not exaggerating about what he's been going through since I left the office. With an organization the size of Endeavor, it’s easy for small issues to escalate into major disasters overnight. Now is one of the rare times I need to take control.

  "It's alright," I say. "I can’t expect you to be able to handle everything, Franklin. That wouldn’t be fair. If it's alright with Fiona, I'll come back to the office with you now, and make sure this gets straightened out."

  I look over at Fiona, who nods.

  "Absolutely," she says. "I'll be fine here. Maybe I'll work on finishing up that floor. I'll use that buffer thing to get it ready for the stain."

  I take a step closer to her, and take her hands, kissing each before kissing her on the lips. Leaning close, I meet her eyes.

  "In no uncertain terms, will you get anywhere near that floor or any of my tools."

  She laughs and nods.

  "Fine," she says. "I'll find something else exciting to do while you're gone."

  "Not too exciting," I say. I turn to Franklin. "Just give me a minute to get changed."

  I head upstairs into the bedroom and change into the suit I brought with me. I had hoped I wouldn’t need it, but I've learned over the years to always try and prepare for the unexpected. As good an assistant as Franklin is, I still had a sinking feeling about the permits, and worried he would be faced with impossible decisions. At the end of the day, this is my company, and I am the one in power. When things go wrong, it's up to me to make sure they are managed correctly. The last thing I want to do is leave Fiona right now, but I'll get this all taken care of and come back to finish what we started upstairs.

  I see her eyes travel over my
body as I jog down the stairs, and she bites into her bottom lip. I realize this is the first time she's seen me dressed this way. The only time even remotely close to this was prom, but there is no comparison between a cheap rental and a custom suit.

  "You sure clean up well," she says appreciatively as I approach her.

  I smile, straightening my cuffs.

  "Being a billionaire has its perks." I kiss her. "I'll be back as fast as I can,” I say.

  She nods.

  "Be careful," she says. "That storm looks bad."

  "Don't worry," I say. "My driver, Jacob, is the best in the business. He's driven through much worse before. As you might have noticed, he didn't even come in when I said he could. He is one with the car."

  Fiona laughs.

  "How very mysterious."

  Forcing myself to walk away before I'm not able to leave her, I rush out of the house and down to the car as fast as possible, given the slick landscaping. Franklin is already on the phone with the office as we settle into the backseat, coordinating meetings for the rest of the day. He sounds considerably calmer and less frantic than he did an hour ago. When everything returns to normal, I'm going to schedule a one-on-one with him and find out what’s going on in his head right now. I'm sure there's an interesting story there.

  That night…

  I have never been as happy to see this house as I am when my car pulls up in front of it. The day was hell, but I managed to get all the projects back on track. The disaster with the permits has finally been settled, and I've made sure no other company will have to deal with that vendor again. After what I put Ian through this afternoon, I wouldn't be surprised if he completely changed career paths. On a better note, the woodworking program for the high school is shaping up almost exactly as I had envisioned it, and I made arrangements to visit the school to help with the full implementation. Summer is passing by quickly, and I want to make sure the program is ready to go when the students walk in for orientation so they can build up interest.

  It was a stressful day, but at least I got shit done. I feel more at ease now that all the issues are handled, and now, all I want to do is focus on Fiona.

  As I walk up to the porch, I notice there aren't any lights on in the house. I open the door and find that the entire interior is dark. Sliding my hand across the wall beside the door, I find the light switch and flick it. Nothing happens. It seems the electricity we had when we returned from camping was only a short reprieve, and the lights have gone out again.

  "Fiona?" I call.

  "Cade? The power has been out for a couple of hours. Come back here. I have something planned for us."

  Fiona’s voice is coming from deep in the house, and I use the light of my phone to guide me toward her. I'm approaching the open wall leading into the hidden room when I notice flickering light ahead. Realizing it's candlelight, I tuck my phone back into my pocket. My stomach tightens at the thought of Fiona in the room in the glow of the candles, and my mouth waters with anticipation of fulfilling the thoughts that had rolled through my mind all day. When I step into the room, however, I realize Fiona's plans aren't quite in line with mine.

  She's sitting at the table, the game board set up in front of her. A cheerful smile spreads across her face as she holds her hands out to indicate the game.

  "I thought we could play," she says.

  "Perfect.”

  I realize as I say it, I mean it. There's no need to rush. We have time now. I loosen my tie and toss it aside along with my jacket. Stepping out of my shoes, I take a seat across the table from her.

  "Professor Plum, right?" she asks.

  I nod.

  "Always," I say.

  "That's what I thought."

  I pick up the cards sitting face-down in front of my seat. Maybe this will be fun.

  Fiona

  Twenty minutes later…

  I pick up the die and jiggle it around in my palm for a few seconds before tossing it across the game board. I give a little cheer when it lands on the six and move my game piece into the next room. I've been trying to get here for the last three moves, and I take my time to give my suggestion, trying to build up some suspense. I review the cards in my hand, then check the little piece of paper where I collected my clues.

  "I suggest it was Miss Peacock, in the drawing room, with the lead pipe."

  Cade glances through his cards, then flashes me the drawing room.

  "Sorry to prove you wrong," he says.

  "What exactly is a drawing room?" I ask as I jot down at the new clue.

  "It's similar to a parlor," Cade says. "It's where you entertain guests you don't necessarily want in the other areas of the house."

  He picks up the die and rolls it.

  "That seems like very specific knowledge I wouldn't necessarily expect you to have," I say.

  He moves the piece around on the board.

  "Well, it's easy to learn about rooms like that when you have one."

  I pause.

  "You have a drawing room in your house?"

  "I do," he says. "I also have a ballroom. And a billiards room." He waves his hand over the game. "I have the whole Clue board assortment."

  "Oh, really?"

  "Maybe you should come for a personal tour," he says.

  "I'd like that."

  "Good. For now, though, I suggest it was Miss Scarlet in the drawing room with the rope."

  "I would never do such a thing," I say with mock indignance and shock before showing him the card with the rope.

  "Stop showing me the rope card! That's the fourth time!"

  "Then stop choosing it as your suggested weapon," I say.

  We each take a few more turns, and finally, I look over the board and sigh.

  "I don't think we're getting anywhere. The mystery of Mr. Body might just have to go unsolved for now,” I say.

  "Maybe only having two players isn't the best approach to this game," Cade points out.

  "I think it's more the imaginary player who has a bunch of cards neither one of us can see that's really the problem here," I say.

  "Maybe we should just give up and phone this in to Unsolved Mysteries."

  "Probably."

  His eyes meet mine, and I feel his gaze melting into me.

  "I think I have one more suggestion to make," he says.

  Cade's voice has taken on a slow, velvety tone, and I feel desire ripple through me and settle between my thighs. He stands and walks around so that he is behind me, leaning forward to press his body against my back as he reaches for the die. He rolls it, then picks up his game piece and moves it into the center of the board rather than into a room.

  "I suggest that I move into the bedroom with…" he picks up my game piece and sets it down next to his, "...you."

  His hand touches my cheek and turns me so he can capture my mouth in a deep, intense kiss. Taking my hands, Cade pulls me up and turns me around to face him. He wraps his arms around my waist as I bury my hands in his hair, and I feel his lips crush against my mouth. As he kisses me, I feel Cade guiding me toward the entrance to the hallway. Giving him a lingering, meaningful glance, I walk away from Cade and up the stairs to my bedroom. For years I laid in my bed and fantasized about him. This is where I want to have our first time. The full moon outside is enough to fill the room with silvery illumination, creating the perfect romantic space for us to be together.

  I step back toward the bed and watch as he slowly closes the door behind him. I am breathing heavily and feel like the room has suddenly grown ten degrees warmer. This is the moment I had waited for, dreamed of, and almost refused to believe would ever happen. Before I can open my mouth to speak, Cade strides across the room, crushing his mouth into mine for a deep kiss.

  Our tongues explore each other's mouths ravenously. I am surprised to find myself ripping at his shirt and pulling it out of his waistband as he pushes me up against the wall, knocking into the nightstand and sending my smartwatch rolling onto the floor. I am tryin
g to unbutton his shirt when he reaches up and rips at it, sending buttons flying across the room, and a burning lust sears my soul.

  Our lips finally part and I feel Cade kiss my neck, and then my shoulder, as he begins to move down. I close my eyes and lean back into the wall as he pulls at my shirt until it goes over my head and crumples to the floor. I look at him, now shirtless, as he resumes kissing my chest, moving to the swell of my breasts, and reaching behind me. I lean forward off the wall enough to give his hands access to the clasp, and in a single motion, it is unhooked. Before he can rip at it, I push him back a step, and he stops suddenly, an expression of worry on his face.

  I put my hands on Cade’s shoulders and gently nudge him to the bed, where he sits, his expression melting into a smile that makes my already aching pussy tremble in anticipation of accepting his hard cock. I breathe deeply to maintain some level of composure as I let the bra slip off my shoulders and down to the floor. The cold air of the air conditioning vent directly above the bed races across my bare chest, and my nipples, already standing on end, perk up further.

  Stepping up to him, I put myself between his legs, and he takes one of my breasts into his mouth. His tongue makes swirling motions on the nipple and waves of ecstasy course through me, my head lulling back and my eyes closed to concentrate on the feeling of his warm mouth covering as much of me as possible. He releases one breast with a slight popping sound and turns his attention to the other, this time allowing his thumb to mimic the motions of his tongue on the now wet nipple. His other hand is gripping my ass tightly, and I can tell he wants to be inside of me as badly as I do.

  Suddenly, he pulls me into him and lifts me up, spinning me in the air and gently laying me down on the bed. I sit up quickly, not wanting to stop, but Cade is already backing up to the door. Now, it’s my turn to look disappointed and worried, but he holds up one finger and smiles before running out of the room. He returns a moment later, seemingly no different, and I cock my head to the side. Before I can ask just what happened, he crushes into me with another powerful kiss.