by Linda Verji
“A gorgeous woman like you could only have been raised in an amazing home with amazing parents,” he flirted. “I bet you mama is gorgeous too.”
She shook her head and laughed. “Do you wake up in the morning already thinking of ways to flirt?”
“It’s a hard job but someone’s got to do it,” he replied cheekily.
Just then they heard a clang then the gate swung open slightly. Manuela stepped out carrying a blue garbage bag. She immediately noticed the convertible and, still carrying the garbage bag, edged closer to it. She peered into the car, but since Javier’s windows were tinted, she only ended up frowning.
“That’s my mum.” April tried to open the door but it was still locked. After Javier clicked a button, the door slid smoothly upwards and she peered out of the car. “Mama, it’s me.”
Manuela’s jaw dropped when she saw April in the convertible. “April?”
“Yes, it’s me.” April grabbed her purse then exited the convertible.
“Well, this is a surprise.” Manuela kept staring at the car, as if she couldn’t quite believe that her daughter had just emerged from that luxurious car.
April would’ve preferred that Javier stay in the car and make his exit, but the young man stepped out of the car to wave at her mother. “Hi.”
“Hello!” There was an admiring glint in Manuela’s eyes as she gave Javier a once-over. “And you are?”
“That’s Javier.” April clasped her mother’s arm. “He’s my friend and he was just about to leave.”
“Javier? Nice name.” Manuela’s eyes stayed locked on him. “If he’s your friend, then you should invite him in. He drove you all the way here. The least you can do is offer him a drink.”
“I would but Javier’s busy,” April hedged.
“Nonsense. It’s a Sunday. What could he have to do?” Manuela smiled at Javier. “You don’t have anything to do, do you?”
“Mama!” April protested but her mother stared at Javier, waiting for his answer.
Any sane man would’ve taken this opportunity to make his escape. Javier grinned. “Not really.”
“Good! Come on in. We’ve got plenty of food and not enough mouths.”
And that’s how Javier ended up eating Sunday dinner with April’s family.
April had never brought a man home before so she expected that her family would be wary around Javier, but it was just the opposite. As soon as they recognized him as Javier Consuelos, outfielder for the Wizards, they welcomed with open arms. Her brothers in particular were very excited to have him at their table. Even Antonio, who was still sulking because their father had dragged him back home the previous day, lit up in Javier’s presence.
After dinner the two dragged Javier off to the backyard for a quick game of hit and catch while they grilled him about his other teammates. By the time Javier excused himself, it was going on eleven p.m.. April was so embarrassed by her brothers’ fan-boying that she smacked each of them on the head before walking Javier out.
“I’m sorry that we kept you so late.” April gave Javier a sheepish smile as they exited the house. Ignoring the immediate cold that smacked her in the face and bare arms, she said, “My brothers usually aren’t so…”
“… so enthusiastic?” Javier finished for her with a raised eyebrow.
“That’s a nice way of putting it.” April harrumphed as they stepped out of the gate.
“Don’t worry about it.” He grinned. “I enjoyed hanging out with them. And I learnt some of your secrets.”
“My secrets?” She started as immediate panic raced through her. “What secrets?”
Javier laughed. “That’s why they’re called secrets. I’m not telling.”
“I’m going to kill them.” She turned to throw a sharp glance at the well-lit house behind them. “Just wait.”
“Don’t kill them.” Javier offered, “Give them to me instead. I don’t have any brothers.”
“How much are you offering?” she immediately asked.
“You’re crazy.” Javier threw his head back and laughed before sobering up to say, “Seriously though, I had a great time. Your family are amazing. And dinner was delicious. Thank you.”
April smiled. “You’re welcome.”
“It’s getting late, I guess I gotta leave now.” Javier fingered his car keys but made no move to get into the car.
“Okay.” She rubbed her arms to warm them. “Thanks for bringing me home.”
“Anytime.” He studied for quite some time before coming closer and stretching his arms out as if to hug her. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.” Expecting the hug to be brief, she stepped into his arms. However, Javier pulled her tight against his body. When she tried to draw back he tightened his arm around her waist and dipped his head down for a quick peck to the lips.
“Javier!” she exclaimed, shoving at his chest.
His arms immediately fell away from her and he stepped back with a shamefaced, “Sorry, I couldn’t resist.”
“You should’ve tried harder,” she bit out tightly as she folded her arms over her chest. “We agreed to be just friends.”
“I know. I know. Relax.” He leaned back against his car. “But you know I want more, right?”
“And I don’t know if I can give you that,” she countered.
“You said ‘don’t know’, right?” He used his key to point at her. “That means that there’s still a chance for me.”
Exasperated, she started, “Javier-”
“I’m just saying don’t close the door to us yet,” Javier cut her off. “You never know, I might grow on you.”
She wanted to tell him that that would never happen, but hesitated. Javier was a great guy who she already liked as a friend. Though she wasn’t attracted to him right now the future was never certain. Who knew what could happen. Maybe he would grow on her.
But even as she waved to Javier as he drove away, she couldn’t help comparing how his unexpected kiss had made her feel versus how Roman’s had made her feel. The two couldn’t even compare. Roman’s kiss, unwanted as it was, won hands down. Not just because it was the stuff sex dreams were made of, but also because of who had done it.
Javier, great a guy as he was, couldn’t fire her blood the way a mere look from Roman could. The mere sound of Roman’s voice excited her, reminded her of the heady feelings that had soared within her when she’d been in his arms. Even now thinking of how he’d practically inhaled her, how delicious he’d tasted was enough to make her breath speed up and her heart pound louder.
CHAPTER 12
“You’re in love with her,” Greyson informed Roman.
“Bullshit!” Roman exploded.
“You’re in love with her,” his cousin insisted.
“I’m with him.” Murray, Isis’ ginger-haired husband, piped in. “Everything points to you being in love with… what’s her name again?”
“April,” Greyson helpfully supplied. The three men were currently at a men’s tailoring shop getting fitted for tuxedos for Greyson’s wedding.
“Shut up. Both of you,” Roman gritted out from his position on one of the shop’s settees. Eyeing the two men who were currently preening in front of mirrors, he grumbled, “I don’t even know why I asked you two what you thought.”
“You asked us because you were confused,” Greyson said as he stretched out his arms so their tailor could check the inseam of the white jacket’s sleeve. “We just cleared up that confusion for you.”
No, what they’d done was just confuse him more. There was no way he was in love with April. No way. Almost to himself, Roman said, “I’m not in love with April.”
“Then how do you explain picking a fight with a twenty-four year-old?” Murray chuckled as he shook his head. “Twenty four.”
“He needed a good punching,” Roman defended himself.
“Did he?” Greyson eyed him through the mirror. “Or were you just looking for an excuse to take out your jealousy on him?”
“There was no jealousy involved,” Roman protested. “I was just pissed off because he was cheating on April.”
“Riiight!” Murray dragged out the word, his tone laced with a healthy dose of amusement and disbelief.
“I wasn’t jealous,” Roman insisted.
Greyson watched him with raised eyebrows. “Are you even sure that he and April are dating?”
“Yes… No…” Roman frowned as he remembered April’s lack of concern when she’d learnt about Javier’s misbehavior. “I don’t know.”
“That’s what I thought.” Greyson exchanged knowing looks with Murray before informing Roman, “Trust us! You’ve got it bad.”
“No way,” Roman insisted but this time his protest was less vehement, more hesitant. There was no way he was in love with April. No way. Right?
“What’s so wrong about being in love with this April anyway?” Murray directed his question to Greyson. “Is she married too?”
“No, she’s not.” Greyson shook his head. “She’s a good girl. He just likes to act like she’s the devil incarnate.”
“I’m still here, you know,” Roman complained.
“We know,” Murray said dismissively. “Why does he think Miss April is the devil?”
“Because he’s a horrible judge of character.” Greyson turned to face Roman with a frown. “Sometimes I wonder about you. You’re willing to go out with married women, baby-mama wannabes, blackmailers et al. And yet April is off limits?”
“That’s because those women are good at hiding who they really are, and I get fooled,” Roman explained, frustration biting at him. “But April’s motives are right there in the open. Would you jump in if you were me?”
“What motives?” Murray asked.
“That she’s a gold-digger,” Greyson explained.
Murray’s eyes widened. “Is she?”
Greyson shook his head. “Not as far as I can see.”
“I didn’t say she was a gold-digger, exactly!” Roman cut in, tired of them making assumptions about his feelings. “I just know that she doesn’t like me for me.”
“What?” Murray frowned. “Doesn’t like you for you how?”
“April likes me because I’m Roman Teller.”
“So? You’re Roman Teller, aren’t you?” Murray looked even more confused. “Or do you have another identity I don’t know about?”
Greyson laughed. “You’ll break your brain trying to understand him.”
“No, no, no, listen.” Roman paused as he searched his brain for words to clearly explain what he meant. “I mean that she likes me because I’m Roman Teller, ex-baseball player, rich guy. That’s what attracted her to me. If I wasn’t this guy – if I was just some unlucky schmuck hustling my way through life she wouldn’t give me the time of day.”
Murray asked, “How do you know she wouldn’t give you the time of day?”
“I just know,” Roman insisted stubbornly. “I know April. She’s never looked at a guy who didn’t have a black card to his name.”
“Dude! She’s never looked at any guy but you,” Greyson corrected.
“She’s looked at Javier,” Roman reminded him. “Plus, have you seen how she spends money. It’s like she thinks it’s going out of style. If that isn’t the definition of high-maintenance, then I don’t know what is.”
All three men were quiet for a moment then Greyson crossed the room to come and sit on the settee beside the one Roman was on. “You know you’re being ridiculous, right?”
“Ridiculous how?”
“You remember what you told me when you came at me for breaking up with Snow?” Greyson eyed him. “You told me that I have too many high hurdles that I expect the women in my life to jump through and that I’ve set them all up for failure. Well, I’m going to throw your words right back at you. Your hurdles are too high, man!”
Roman, who didn’t like having his words thrown back in his face, glared at his cousin in mulish silence.
Unaffected, Greyson continued, “What you’ve basically done is disqualify April over something she can’t control. What’s she supposed to do? Build a time machine so she can go back in time and meet you before you became a baseball star?”
“No, I just want-” Roman’s words drew to a halt because he didn’t know how to explain what he wanted. He tried, “I just want a genuine person. Someone who doesn’t see my wealth or my fame.”
“Well, you’re looking for the impossible,” Greyson said. “This is who you are now. Roman Teller. There is no way to escape that short of getting plastic surgery or moving to Kazakhstan. Everyone will always see your fame and wealth and it’s not fair to expect them to be blind to it.”
When Greyson explained it like that it made so much sense. But he wasn’t in Roman’s shoes. He wasn’t out there dealing with everyone trying to get close to him just because he was a celebrity. He didn’t know how hard it was to be constantly watching his back to make sure people weren’t taking advantage of him.
A touch of bitterness in his voice, Roman said, “So what am I supposed to do? Just let any woman walk into my life while hoping that they don’t screw me over?”
“Isn’t that what you’ve been doing anyway?” Murray finally joined into the conversation.
“No… well, yes,” Roman admitted reluctantly. In his quest to find the right woman for him, he’d done a fair bit of running around on the dating field. Yet all he’d found were women with hidden motives, and in the end all they’d done was increase his paranoia.
“Then why not give April a chance too instead of dismissing her out of hand?” Greyson suggested. “I think what you’re really looking for is someone who sees your wealth and fame but doesn’t care about it. And I think April is that someone. I know she’s not shy about spending money, but it’s always hers. In the years we’ve worked together, she’s had plenty of chances to find someone wealthier, more famous, more handsome than you.”
His words stung, but Roman couldn’t say anything because they were true.
Greyson continued, “Stop using her spending habits as a way to justify your unfair disqualification of her from being a prospective partner. They’ve got nothing to do with you and her. If April wanted, she’d already be with someone who’s more generous than you, someone who could throw money at her without calling her high maintenance. And yet she always had eyes only for you. If that’s not love, I don’t know what is.”
Even after the three men parted, Greyson’s words kept playing like a broken recorder in Roman’s mind. Was he right? Was Roman judging April unfairly and in the process squandering an opportunity to finally find his ideal relationship? The more Roman mulled over his cousin’s words, the more sense they made.
IT TOOK HIM a week to fully accept his feelings.
There was no point denying it anymore because every single thing he did, every single emotion he felt clearly signaled one truth. He was in love with April. He didn’t know when and how it had happened, but it had happened. It didn’t matter that he had no right to love her. He still did.
He was in love with April Merit.
The only thing he still wasn’t clear about was whether he’d let April in on his newly-discovered feelings. Okay, the truth was that he was afraid to tell her. Even now he could still recall the rage in her eyes when he’d kissed her. Would that rage reappear if he confessed his feelings now? Would it balloon? Would their already strained relationship implode if he came clean?
Maybe it was better to just wait – repair their friendship first before he hit her with his feelings. Then again, he wasn’t sure how long he could wait before she officially moved on to someone new – and by that someone he meant, Javier. The young man was dropping by Tellers more and more frequently with the express intention of seeing April. After how he’d treated April these last few years, Roman knew he had no right to complain about Javier’s presence in her life. How could he complain when he’d practically shoved her into the other man’s arms?
These days, Javier didn’t even bother asking for Roman when he came into the restaurant, probably because of their altercation. To tell the truth, Roman bore Javier no ill will. In fact, he felt apologetic towards him. Now that he’d accepted his feelings for April, he also recognized that he’d gone after Javier because he was jealous. The breakdown of their friendship was all on him. And it was only right that he be the one to fix it.
On Saturday, he called Javier and invited him for a drink at Nox.
They were supposed to meet up at ten p.m., but Javier strolled in, hands in pocket, at eleven-thirty p.m.. Roman wasn’t mad – being kept waiting was the least he deserved for how badly he’d behaved.
“What’s up!” Javier’s greeting was as icy as the short nod he gave Roman before sprawling onto the opposite seat. Cutting to the chase, he asked, “What did you want to talk about?”
“Can I order you a drink?” Roman hedged.
The younger man eyed him for a long uncomfortable moment before shrugging. “Sure, get me whatever’s most expensive on the menu.”
“No problem.” A rueful smile crooking his lips, Roman called the waiter over and ordered their drinks.
During that whole time, Javier just kept rubbing his chin as he looked everywhere but at Roman. When the server finally left, he glanced at the large, gold-plated watch on his wrist and said, “I’m not staying for long. I’ve got things to do, friends to meet.”
The way he emphasized that ‘friends’ made it clear that he no longer considered Roman among their number.
Roman took a deep breath before finally saying, “I’m sorry.”
Javier’s heavy eyebrows shot up almost to his hairline but he didn’t say anything.
“I shouldn’t have punched you.”
“You shouldn’t have sucker-punched me,” Javier corrected helpfully, his eyes hard with unrestrained anger.
“I shouldn’t have sucker-punched you,” Roman agreed. “I misunderstood the situation between you and April and ended up reacting badly. I’m sorry.”
A tense silence settled between the two men as they watched each other. Suddenly, the anger seemed to drain out of Javier’s eyes. Sighing, he sat up straighter in his seat. “Yeah, well. It happens.”