by Ana Huang
His face fell, and I had to stifle a giggle.
He had so, so much more making up to do. And I had a few ideas on how he could do just that.
CHAPTER 30
“Oh, come on, you can’t still be angry with me. It’s Christmas! Get in the spirit,” Roman encouraged, trailing after Maya as she headed over to the fireplace to take down the stockings.
“Um, it’s the day after Christmas,” she corrected him, placing the stockings into a cardboard box. “And yes, I can still be angry with you. That was an absolutely horrible joke.”
“But I’m an injured man!”
“You’re healing.” She gave him a flat look. “And you’re a boy, not a man. Get it straight.”
Roman scowled, offended. I get stabbed in the chest rescuing you and this is what I get? Of course, he wisely chose to keep that little complaint to himself.
Ok, so the joke the other day might have crossed the line by an inch or so, but it’s been five days, and he hadn’t gotten a single real kiss. That was not ok.
Suddenly, a small bark caught his attention, and Roman looked down at the floor, an exasperated expression crossing his face.
Mickey stared up at him, his big brown eyes swimming with adoration. Ever since Roman and the others saved him and Maya from that psycho James, he’d been following Roman around like a, well, like a puppy.
Mickey padded over and nudged Roman’s leg with his nose.
Roman sighed. “What do you want?” he asked grumpily. “I’m kind of busy here.”
Mickey nudged him again.
“What?”
Mickey’s ears flattened in annoyance before he backed up a few steps. He crouched down on his front legs, a determined look on his face, and began to paw the floor with its left paw.
“What the hell is he doing?” Roman asked, exasperated. He seriously rued the day he ever decided to buy Maya a dog. He should’ve just gotten her a fish. Much more manageable, and much easier to ignore.
Plus, they didn’t pee everywhere—or, more specifically, everywhere on him.
“You’ll see.” Maya’s jade-green eyes gleamed mischievously, just as Mickey tore across the floor and head-butted Roman’s leg. The tiny ball of fur immediately flew back a little from the unexpected force and landed on the rug with a thump.
Roman’s jaw dropped. What. The. Fu—
“Oh, Mickey.” Maya laughed as she picked up the puppy, who gazed at Roman with big, eager eyes. “He just wants to play with you,” she explained.
“Great,” Roman said flatly, glowering as Maya kissed the top of Mickey’s head. Oh, so she could kiss the dog but not him?
It was time to try another tactic.
“So…” He leaned casually against the fireplace. “How scared were you when you thought I was dead?”
The smile fell off Maya’s face and she glared at him with a you-did-not-just-bring-that-up expression on her face. “Who said I was scared?” she huffed, deliberately turning her back to him.
“You did.” A small smirk made its way onto his face. “In fact, I distinctly remembered you using the L word.” The smirk grew as Maya whipped her head back around, her face scarlet.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Her eyes darted nervously around the room.
“Yes, you do. Don’t bother trying to deny it.”
“Uh, if by L word you mean ‘loser’, then yeah, I know what you’re talking about.”
“Somebody’s in denial,” he sang under his breath.
“Shut up!” Maya actually stomped her foot, and he grinned at the childish antic. She was so cute sometimes.
And such a stubborn, pain in the butt the other times.
“Well, even if you won’t admit it, we both know you said it.” Roman moved closer to her and plucked Mickey out of her arms, setting him on the floor. The puppy let out an indignant yelp, but Roman shot it a stern glare. Surprisingly, that seemed to do the trick, and Mickey laid down on the floor, a doleful look on its face.
“So…don’t you think we should kiss and make it official?” He lowered his voice, gently gliding his fingers down her bare arms and suppressing a triumphant smile when he felt her shudder.
“I know what you’re doing.”
“What am I doing?” He leaned even closer, his breath causing the wisps of hair around her face to flutter softly.
“You’re trying to get me to forgive you by seducing me,” she declared, but he was gratified to hear a tremble in her voice.
“Is it working?” Man, she smelled good. Like lavender. And pumpkin. He liked pumpkin.
“Hmm…you tell me.”
Roman’s eyes widened at her flirtatious tone, just before Maya pulled him closer to her, so that their entire bodies were pressed together. Desire uncoiled itself inside him, flooding his veins with warmth. Or maybe that was just body warmth. Either way, it didn’t matter. He had absolutely no idea what inspired the sudden one-eighty in her attitude, but he sure wasn’t going to complain.
“Roman?” Maya locked her arms around his neck, leading him backwards toward the couch.
“Yeah?” He eyed the cushions. They looked soft. And comfy. They would do.
“Do you think it’s working?”
Roman somehow found himself sitting on the couch, while Maya stood in front of him, the light from the flickering fireplace outlining her slender curves. In his position, he was at eye level with her chest.
Whoever invented V-necks, you are my hero.
“Uh, is what working?” He was finding it hard to speak. Or think. His mind had gone all hazy, which was actually a bit disturbing, but he forgot all about that too once Maya climbed into his lap. Another bolt of lust surged through him.
Maya laughed softly, slipping her hands under his shirt to caress his bare stomach. Roman sucked in a deep breath, tiny pinpricks dancing over his skin. “The seduction.” Her eyes gleamed with amusement and something else. “Is it working?”
“Mm-hmm.” Roman groaned as she nipped at a particularly sensitive spot right above his collarbone, and he suddenly wished they were back in his bedroom, or at least her bedroom. Thank god her parents had gone out to give them some “alone time” tonight. Of course, they probably wanted Roman and Maya to have a nice dinner, not engage in rapidly-bordering-on-rated-R activity on the living room couch.
He slid his hands up the backs of her thighs, enjoying the satiny-smooth feel of her skin.
In the corner, Mickey raised his head to look at the scene on the couch, then whined softly and plopped his head back down on the floor, covering his eyes with his paws.
In the back of his mind, Roman realized maybe they were going a bit too fast, especially considering Maya didn’t have a lot of experience in this department. Not that her inexperience showed.
“Uh, maybe—we should—um—“ He tried to get the correct words out while Maya planted a kiss on his jaw. He felt like he was drowning in her delicious scent. “Bedroom?” was all he could manage. He didn’t necessarily relish the idea of her parents coming home to find them like this.
Maya stopped what she was doing so abruptly it took him a few seconds to process the change. When he did, he nearly screamed with frustration. Why did she stop?!
She pulled back to look at him, but kept his legs pressed firmly between her thighs. One of the straps on her dress had fallen down to expose her tanned shoulder, causing certain mental images to pop up in his head when she spoke again.
“And what would we be doing in the bedroom?” There was a teasing lilt to her voice.
A lot of things. “I can show you instead of tell you,” he suggested, his head marginally clearer now that there was a bit more space between them.
“Will it include whipped cream and handcuffs?” she asked, blinking at him innocently.
Roman just stared at her, too shocked to respond, even as some very interesting ideas crept their way into his mind…
“Wh-what?” Then, catching himself, he cleared his throat, trying to regain his composu
re. “You’ll just have to wait and see. But I guarantee you’ll like it.”
“Well…” Maya dragged the word out, and the anticipation was killing him. Couldn’t they walk and talk at the same time?
Although maybe it was a good thing she was still straddling him, because if she moved, she would definitely see why he felt as though his jeans suddenly felt several sizes too small. Then again, she could probably feel it right now.
Her lips curved up into a small smile, and Roman realized she still hadn’t given him a kiss yet. Something that needed to be remedied, and soon.
“I don’t think so.” She slid off his lap, fixing her strap and smoothing down the front of her dress like nothing out of the ordinary just happened.
Roman just gaped at her.
Maya smirked, stepping closer to trail a finger down his chest and resting it right above the waistband of his jeans, which still felt painfully tight.
“You know, I do like whipped cream and handcuffs,” she whispered in his ear. “But you’re still on probation from that little prank you pulled in the hospital.” She stepped back again and grabbed her clutch off the table. “I guess I’ll just have to find someone else to show me what you were talking about earlier. Luckily, I have a dinner date with Rico in—“ She checked the clock. “—half an hour. If you’re hungry, there’s some frozen pizza in the freezer. Good night!”
With that, Maya blew him a kiss and flounced out the door, leaving a very angry, confused, and frustrated Roman in her living room.
* * *
“Do you really think this is going to work?” I whispered over my menu, trying my best not to move my head in the direction I so desperately wanted to.
Rico smirked, dabbing his mouth with his napkin. A surprisingly refined move for someone whom I’ve always considered to be a bit of a hooligan up until a few days ago. Then again, I always forget the fact that he was still a Tevasco, which meant he was used to fine dining and its accompanying etiquette.
Not that the restaurant we were at was particularly stuffy, thank god. Yes, it required reservations, and the dining room was elegant, but the outdoor patio, where we were currently seated, was much more casual. It was a large, open wooden deck, set over a gleaming pond. I kind of felt like I was on a ship.
“Of course it will,” he said in response to my question. “Trust me. Adri did her part. Now we just have to sit and wait.”
“I suppose.” I settled back in my chair and took a sip of water.
Surprisingly, I was enjoying the dinner I’d promised Rico. He was still perverted but a lot less scary than he’d been a few weeks ago, and besides, our “date” had a bigger purpose than “thank you” on my part.
Although, the look on Roman’s face when I left him sitting in the living room earlier had been hilarious.
Warmth suffused my skin as I flashed back to the events that had led up to that moment. I’d thought of the seduction thing off the cuff, in response to his own attempt to get me to forgive him. Of course, I’ve already forgiven him, but he didn’t need to know that yet. I was determined to make him sweat a little, even though it took all of my willpower and then some to refrain from kissing him every chance I got.
The warmth increased as I remembered the scene on the couch, the way he smelled, the glazed lustful look in his eyes, how his taut muscles felt under my hand…
“Ahem. Do you need a moment alone?” Rico cast a pointed glance in my direction.
I turned bright red. “What do you mean?”
“You look like you were thinking some pretty X-rated thoughts over there.” He gazed at me suggestively. “Of course, I can always help you out if you’re feeling particularly hor—“
“No, thank you,” I swiftly interrupted. “Sorry, but you’re not my type.”
“Are you a lesbian?”
I almost coughed up my water. “Excuse me?”
He shrugged. “I’m every girl’s type.”
Oh my god. I think I found someone who’s even cockier than Roman. “No! Not that I have anything against them, but I’m—I have a boyfriend!”
“So? That doesn’t mean anything.” Rico brought a piece of fresh yellowtail to his mouth. “You know what’s weird? None of my brother’s friends ever dated seriously in the past, and then, you come into their lives and everyone’s paired off. You and Roman. Parker and Adri. And, if things go according to plan, Zack and—“
“Venice!”
I whipped around just as a loud splash interrupted the quiet atmosphere. My jaw dropped when I saw Zack standing at the only part of the patio that wasn’t guarded by a railing. At least, he was standing for about two seconds, before he whipped his shirt over his head and dove into the pond.
Rico and I exchanged baffled glances.
That was definitely not part of the plan.
* * *
“I can’t believe we’re stalking her. Again.” Venice hid her face with the side of her menu as she glared at Zack.
“We’re not stalking,” he insisted. “We’re…acting as bodyguards.”
“Against who? James is in jail.”
“Well, you never know. Rico did use to be a gang,” he mumbled, trying to make out what Maya and Rico were saying. Why were they on a date on the first place? Wasn’t she dating Roman? Was she so mad at him about the hospital prank that she’d broken up with him? Or was she cheating on him?
Zack felt a bit dizzy from all the possible reasons running through his mind. He also felt more than a little terrified at the thought of Roman’s reaction if any of those reasons turned out to be true.
“You’re always dragging me into this,” Venice complained. “I was supposed to go to the movies tonight!”
He returned his gaze to her direction. “With who?” The question came out a bit sharper than he’d intended.
“With Grant.” Venice’s eyes lit up. “You know, I got an A on my calculus test because of him? He’s so smart. It’s amazing.”
Zack frowned. Grant. That stupid skinny kid with the stupid skinny name and the stupid skinny glasses and the stupid—
“Zack?” Venice gave him an odd look. “Why do you keep saying ‘skinny’?”
He blushed. “No reason. What’s so amazing about that kid anyway?” He sniffed. “I could’ve helped you get an A on that test too.”
“But you don’t even take calculus.”
“How do you know that?” he challenged.
Venice’s cheeks turned pink. “I don’t know,” she mumbled. Then her face brightened again. “Puppy!” she cried.
He groaned. Not this again! “Venice, no!”
But it was too late. The tiny redhead jumped up to follow the tiny dog who had jumped out from an elegant older woman’s handbag. The woman didn’t seem to notice.
Zack couldn’t believe it. Did she have a disease or something? Because that type of fascination and blind following of puppies could not be normal.
Suddenly, he realized with horror that Venice was racing straight towards the section of the deck that had no railing.
Zack jumped up, forgetting about spying on Maya and Rico for the moment. Hadn’t Venice said something about not being able to swim? Crap.
“Venice!” he shouted.
Too late. He watched in horror as she tipped over the edge and…onto the dock. But his sigh of relief was cut short when Venice stood up, only to slip and fall into the pond with a splash, just as he reached the dock.
Without even thinking, Zack pulled his shirt off his head, jumped onto the dock, then dived into the water.
Within five minutes, he’d pulled Venice out of the water and back onto the deck, where the other diners had gathered, gaping at the scene in front of them—including Maya and Rico, who had concerned looks on their faces.
“Zack! What happened?” Maya exclaimed.
“She fell!” Obviously, his mind whispered, unusually sarcastic.
“Oh my god, she’s not conscious.” Maya’s eyes were wide. “Does anyone know CPR?”
“I got it.” With those three words, Zack leaned down and covered Venice’s mouth with his.
* * *
I had hoped Zack and Venice would end up kissing after tonight, but this was not what I had in mind. Plus, I’m not sure CPR qualified as kissing.
I instinctively gripped Rico’s hand, my heart thudding nervously. I knew Venice couldn’t swim, and though I doubted she was in mortal danger, considering the short amount of time she’d been submerged, I was still worried.
Therefore, when her eyes blinked open and she began to cough up water, I breathed a sigh of relief.