Page 22 of Precious Legacy
“Don’t worry,” he chuckles, moving his arms to either side of me. His hands rest on the bar top, caging me in. “I won’t tell.”
As much as I’d like to believe him, the look in his eyes tells me there’s a caveat in there, he’s just deciding what that is.
“Thank you,” is all I can muster, even those two words threaten the bile in my stomach to rise once more.
“On one condition,” he grins.
There it is—the reason the devil summons Roman to do his dirty work. Ever the perfect enforcer, Roman is good at getting what he wants, and I’ve fallen perfectly into his trap.
“What?” I ask through gritted teeth.
He raises a finger. One finger in the air. What that means, I don’t know. Until he speaks. “One date.”
If I had a drink, I would be spitting it all over him. As it happens, he drank mine and I’m still waiting on my replacement, so all I can do is gape at the cocky asshole and assess my options.
He leans toward me when I don’t answer, still trying to find the words because I guess I wasn’t expecting him to want that. In the grand scheme of things, I could probably put aside my hatred towards him for an hour, if not to keep my secret. Then again, is my secret worth that much energy? It’s not like I can keep it forever.
Handing me my drink, Roman towers over me, still waiting for an answer. I take a sip because I need the liquid courage. “One date?” I repeat.
Roman nods.
“In exchange for you not telling asinglesoul about the training academy?”
He nods again.
“That’s it?”
“I mean,” he steps closer—if closer is even possible. Turns out it is, because suddenly I can feel his heart thumping against my chest. I can feel the rise and fall of every breath he takes, sending me dizzy with desire. “If you want to negotiate, by all means. I’d be happy to relive yester?—”
“One date!” I agree sharply. “And you don’t breathe a word about this toanyone.”
“Breathe what?” he smirks. As delicious as it is, I resist the urge to reduce the sliver of distance between us.
Instead, I grant him a silent nod before pushing past him to head toward the smoking area. Just the prospect of fresh air spurs me on faster, desperate to create as much distance between Roman and I as I can.
With my sweaty palms pressed against the cold metal door, I push through into the chilly night air. It doesn’t take me long to locate Gracie and Haven huddled in a corner sharing a joint. Unsurprisingly, Haven has her coat draped over her shoulders, tucking Gracie into her side as the spliff shifts between them. As soon as they spot me, they wave me over.
“What took you so long?” Gracie grills me.
“One word,” Haven laughs, billows of smoke escaping her mouth. “Roman Genovese.”
“That’s two, you idiot!” Gracie chuckles back. “What did he want?”
I contemplate telling them the truth, but then that would lead to a whole bunch of other questions I’m not quite sure I’m ready to answer. Only Haven and Aunt Lexie—and now Roman—know about the academy. I can’t risk it getting out to my dad.Not yet.
Snatching the joint from Gracie, I take a long drag and hold it in. My eyes narrow in thought as I exhale. “He was just doing what he always does. Annoying the ever-loving shit out of me.”
I know that lying to my best friends is not the right move here, but it’s just one date. One date where I can pretend to give Roman the time of day. One date that will ensure my secret stays where it belongs.
At least until I’m ready to tell my dad.
TEN
I’m not proud of my actions the other night. Blackmailing Alanis into going on a date with me in exchange for keeping her secret wasn’t the best idea I’ve had, but if there’s two things I know about her, it’s that she’s a sucker for nostalgia and will never back down from a challenge. I figured the best way to address the elephant in the room was to give her a chance to channel her aggression and hopefully we can push past the animosity and get back to how we used to be.
Pulling up to the gym in my Aston Martin; I spot Alanis instantly. She has her hair down in messy waves, the dark tendrils framing her face. She’s wearing a leather jacket on top of a white top and black sports bra, with matching leggings that cling to the curve of her ass and make my dick thicken in my shorts.
“We’re really doing this?” she huffs as I step out of my car.
