Page 37 of Fair Play
I’ve kissed a lot of boys.
A few men.
And nothing in my past prepared me for kissing Rome Castellano. It was an out of body experience because as much as I wanted to be in the moment, I was also somewhere else, watching with a little bit of awe. Nothing has ever been that sexy… that all-encompassing.
I’ve had lots of sex—virgins don’t get the hoods of their clits pierced—but I’m not sure I’ve ever had an orgasm as powerful as the desire shooting through me while we kissed.
It’s hard to explain because it’s different.He’sdifferent.
And until I’m a hundred percent sure this thing between us isn’t as important as I think it is, I couldn’t let him walk away.
I’ll deal with Bodi if I have to.
If Rome and I fall in love, and it gets serious, Bodi will come around. He’s many things, most of them annoying, but my brother loves me. There’s never any doubt about that, so I can’t let his bluster scare away the most intriguing man I ever met. Even if I loathe the idea of sneaking around.
“What do you feel like eating?” Rome asks once we’re in his SUV with the heat turned up.
People think of sunshine and palm trees when they think of Los Angeles, but we still have winter here. And I quickly discovered that it can be downright frigid at night.
“Let’s go back to the diner,” I say when I realize he’s waiting for an answer. “That chicken parm was amazing and I want to tell Nita in person that I’m going to take the job.”
“How do you know she’ll be there?”
“She texted me to say I can stop by any evening except Sunday—that’s her day off. Otherwise, she’s always there from about four until closing time.”
“The diner it is.” He turns onto the freeway going north.
“I’m so excited about this job,” I say. “I hope it’s not too much for me.”
“Have you waited tables before?”
“Oh, yeah. Through most of college. Just nowhere that busy. That’s going to take some getting used to. Not to mention, I don’t think I’ve ever skated carrying a tray! I can envision going ass over teakettle with five entrees landing on top of me.”
“You’ll be fine,” he says warmly. “Once you got going, your body knew what to do. It was like no time had passed.”
“I don’t know about that, but I appreciate you saying it.”
“Would you like to go ice skating sometime?”
“Uh…” I’m caught off-guard. “I really hadn’t thought about it.”
“They have that outdoor rink at the mall up in Van Nuys. I think it’s closing soon, though.”
“And you’re leaving on a road trip tomorrow.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. You have to work. Maybe we can go to an indoor one when you get back. Somewhere outside of L.A. where you won’t easily be recognized.”
“Yeah.”
There’s a moment of heaviness as reality momentarily sets in.
“Sneaking around doesn’t usually end well,” he says.
“Short-term,” I say firmly. “If by the end of the season we’re still seeing each other, I’ll talk to Bodi. If not, we’re adults who can go our separate ways. I know it’s never quite that simple, but we’ll figure it out.”
“You’re not like any woman I’ve ever met,” he says after a moment.
