Page 164 of Catch Me
“Just live it,” I repeated. “You’re probably right. Thanks, Dad.”
“It’s my job to share whatever wisdom I’ve managed to scrounge up over the years. Now, how about you get me one of those good beers for my trouble?”
With a laugh, I pushed away from the railing. I walked casually to the fridge and grabbed a beer, then swiped a second one. When I set it down beside Roman, he looked at me from the corner of his eye.
“What’s up?” he asked.
“Thought you might like one of these.”
“Uh, okay. Why?”
I glanced at the tablet, confirming that he was drawing the scene outside. It was just a rough sketch, and I wondered what it would look like by the time he left.
“I’m a nice person, remember?”
He just made a hum in his throat, then wrapped his fingers around the neck of the bottle. Holding it loosely, he brought it to his lips. He set it down again and started drawing. When he ran his fingers through his hair, I could smell his cologne.
Before I could get lost in watching his stylus dance across the page, I walked away, returning to the deck so I could give my dad his beer. He thanked me, but I didn’t respond. Instead, I jogged down the stairs and whistled for Tessa. She whirled around, panting and giving me her most crazed look.
“Tag, Tessa,” I challenged, then bolted. The guys joined in, and I laughed when Kai got pounced on. “Last one standing wins!”
“What do they win?” Brooks shouted. He swore when Tessa nearly got him.
“Bragging rights?”
“I’ll take your Jeep,” Tilian said.
“I got you a nice car,” Brooks replied.
“I didn’t ask for a nice car, bitch.” He grunted when Brooks tackled him to the ground.
“Get your ass out here, Valdez!” Kai called.
A minute later, Roman appeared from inside, raising his hood as he stepped onto the deck. He didn’t seem keen on joining in, but when Tessa charged him, a smile lit up his face and he shifted his weight back and forth on each foot.
“You don’t stand a chance,” he taunted as he reached the grass, earning a bark in response.
When he looked up at me, I realized that I was watching him. I raised my brows, challenging him. He leaned toward Tessa and said something softly. I narrowed my eyes, not trusting their exchange.
“Get him,” he said, louder this time.
Instead, she lunged for him. He laughed, dropping onto the ground with her. It only took her a few seconds to divert to somebody else, but Roman stayed where he was, staring up at the sky with his hands on his stomach. His hood covered part of his forehead, and I could see the dark waves that reached his eyes. Somehow, the shadows made his cheekbones stand out more, along with the elegant slope of his nose. As I looked at him, I thought it was a shame that he couldn’t stand where I was and draw exactly what I saw.
Tessa’s bark in the distance made me blink and turn away.
If I was lucky, she’d actually sleep in tomorrow after all of this running around.
Chapter 55
Travis
Casually, I scanned the suite. It was still pretty early, and I was trying to ease my nerves before the game. It wasn’t doing much good, so I just hoped I’d get into the swing of it when I stepped onto the field. I was supposed to pitch the first few innings, and I was committed to setting us up for a solid game.
“He didn’t come,” Sen said softly.
“I didn’t ask.”
“You didn’t really have to.”
