Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
Rina bounced in her seat as she stared out the window of the plane. “There’s so much water.”
She moved to one side as Roman leaned toward her and stared out at the vast expanse of dark blue ocean beneath them. “Crazy, huh?”
She turned to look at him, her big blue eyes pleading. “Can we go to the beach while we’re here?”
“We’ll see.” Roman thought it really wasn’t the best idea, so they would have to play it by ear, see how many people were around.
Her face fell, and she turned back to the window. “I’ve never been to the beach before.”
That surprised him. Rina seemed to be the kind of girl who had everything at her fingertips and had seen everything. “Seriously? You live forty minutes away.”
The plane began to descend, and she buckled her seatbelt then shook her head as she settled back in her seat. “I haven’t been here that long. I grew up in a tiny little town in Kentucky. I never even left the state until I was sixteen when I went to Nashville.”
Roman really didn’t want to have this conversation in public, but she had piqued his curiosity. “But you’ve been so many places.”
She lifted one shoulder and stared longingly out the window. “We’re always in a hotel or something. There’s never any time to go explore or do things.”
In that moment, he made the decision that before they left, she would get to see the beach. Exiting the plane took a long time, and almost thirty minutes later they grabbed their luggage from the carousel and headed toward the front doors.
“There should be a driver waiting for us.”
He scanned the people standing by the doorway, but Rina beat him to it. She lifted her hand and gestured toward the last set of doors. “Right over there.”
A man in a suit held a small sign with Roman’s last name, Incardona, written in big, bold letters.
Settling a hand on her lower back, he guided Rina toward the man, pulling their luggage along as they fell into step together.
The man smiled at them as they approached. “Are you Mr. and Mrs. Incardona?”
For a moment, Roman was completely caught off guard at hearing Rina’s name used in conjunction with his. The silver band on his finger felt a little too tight, and he clenched his hand into a tight fist.
“We are,” she responded with a huge smile, covering his blunder. “Sorry, we’re still getting used to the new titles.”
The older man’s eyes brightened. “Newlyweds?”
“Yep.” She beamed up at him. “I keep forgetting we’re married, myself.”
An itchy feeling started between Roman’s shoulder blades, and he shifted restlessly at the talk of marriage.
He was worried that someone would call their bluff, and he didn’t want to draw more attention to themselves than necessary.
Rina, thank God, had better acting skills than he did, because her eyes shined with glee as she grinned up at him.
Pasting on a smile, he awkwardly looped an arm around her shoulders.
“Are you here on your honeymoon?”
“We are.” She stuck out her hand. “I’m Irina, by the way.”
Roman called Rina by her stage name so often that he’d almost forgotten it wasn’t her real name. Now that they were technically married, he supposed he needed to start addressing her by her actual name.
“Donald.” Their driver shook her hand. “That’s wonderful. Congratulations.” He turned to Roman. “You must both be so excited.”
If he only knew. Roman released Rina—Irina, he reminded himself—and held out a hand for the man to shake. “I’m Roman. Nice to meet you.”
He gestured towards their bags. “Do you have everything?”
Roman nodded. “This is it.”
“I’m parked in the upper lot,” Donald said. “It’ll take me just a few moments to get down here if you’d like to wait.”
“We can walk,” Roman immediately offered. Almost as an afterthought, he turned to Irina. “As long as you don’t mind?”
“Not at all.” Her eyes hadn’t stopped moving over the palm trees and tropical plants lining the building outside.
“Would you like me to carry anything?”
Roman waved off Donald’s question. “I’ve got it.”
The older man kept up an easy stream of conversation as he led them to the car, then stowed their bags in the back and climbed inside. “Have you been to Anna Maria Island before?”
Roman shared a quick look with Irina. “No, this is our first time.”
From his right, she piped up, “It’s actually my first time going to the beach.”
“Oh, that’s fantastic,” Donald said. “There are so many wonderful things to do here. Although…” the older man chuckled. “With it being your honeymoon and all, staying in is always good, too.”
Irina grinned. “I hope so.”
Roman rolled his lips together and slid a warning glance her way. She met his gaze with a look of challenge, then turned her attention out the window again, practically pressing her nose to the glass.
As they turned onto the freeway, Irina bombarded Donald with questions that he patiently answered, all the while pointing out local attractions and places of interest. Her head swiveled left and right as she took in every little detail, her lips parted slightly, and Roman couldn’t help but smile at her obvious joy.
“Oh! Look!” Irina placed one hand on Roman’s thigh as she leaned into him, pointing out the window as the Sunshine Skyway Bridge came into view.
“Longest cable-stayed bridge in the world,” Donald boasted from the driver seat.
The heat of Irina’s touch burned Roman’s skin through the fabric of his jeans, but he couldn’t bring himself to move.
He lifted his gaze from her hand to the profile of her pretty face as she stared out the window in fascination.
He was certain she had no idea what she was doing, and he didn’t want to embarrass her.
Ripping his gaze away, he turned his attention outside.
The bridge itself was incredible. In the middle of the five-and-a-half-mile long bridge, the cables rose into two triangles pointing toward the sky, giving it the appearance of two giant sailboats.
Irina sucked in a breath, and her fingers tightened on his leg as they started across the bridge.
It was a strange sensation, suspended more than a hundred feet over the water with seemingly nothing beneath them for miles.
With nothing but ocean surrounding them, Irina sat back against the seat.
Her gaze dropped to her hand in his lap and, finally realizing what she’d done, snatched it away, reaching to fiddle with her purse.
Roman missed the feel of her touch as soon as it was gone, and he mentally berated himself for feeling that way.
God, he was such an idiot sometimes. This whole thing was a complete farce, yet here he was, horny as a teenager for a woman who wanted nothing to do with him.
They finished the ride mostly in silence until they finally crossed the bridge that led to the island. Roman watched through the window as they passed several plazas, churches, even a sign for a school, then turned down a side street.
A few blocks later, the white sand of the gulf came into view. From the front of the car, the GPS announced that they’d reached their destination, and Donald pulled into the driveway of a tiny house at the very end of the street.
Roman glanced around as he stepped from the car.
The street was lined with palm trees, lending a feel of quiet solitude.
Though it was only midafternoon, things seemed calm.
He wondered how things would progress over the course of the afternoon and into the evening once kids were out of school and parents were home from work.
He tipped Donald as he pulled their luggage from the trunk. “Let me just make sure the key works and everything looks good, if you don’t mind.”
“Of course. Would you like me to bring the bags in?”
Roman grabbed his own and pulled out the key Knox had given him before they left. “Just hers if you wouldn’t mind.”
He cleared his throat, but Irina remained transfixed, staring in every direction, taking in every little thing from the gulls squawking and swooping overhead to the tiny little shells pressed into the pavement. “Irina.”
She jumped at the sound of her name then rushed forward, a huge smile on her face. “Can you believe this? We’re right on the beach!”
Roman held back a smirk as he inserted the key and unlocked the door, then held it open for her as they stepped into the living room.
He could only imagine how much it was costing the studio to put them up here for the next two weeks.
After the challenges they put her through, he thought she deserved every overpriced minute of it.
He thanked Donald as he dropped off their bags, then locked up behind him and watched through the window as he backed out of the narrow driveway and left. Roman turned to Irina. “Stay here. I want to check the place out.”
No one knew they were coming, so he really didn’t expect anything, but he also wasn’t going to take any chances. When she rushed to join him, he pointed to the sectional that took up most of the living room. “Sit.”
Her brows lowered, and her face fell into a mutinous expression. “Why?”
“Because it’s my job to keep you safe, and it’s your job to listen. Now sit and stay until I’ve checked everything out.”
She sank down on the edge of the cushion and crossed her arms over her chest. “Would you like me to bark while I’m at it?”
He pressed his lips together to keep from smiling. “If it makes you feel better.”
Her eyes narrowed further, but he dismissed her ire as he did a quick scan of the main room.
The house was built in a rough L-shape, with the living, kitchen, and dining areas combined into one large room.
The living room was basic, with the couch curving around the front and left walls of the house.
A small kitchen with bright white cabinets was situated in the far left corner, and a small dining table took up the space just to the right.
Beyond the table, a set of patio doors opened into a small, fenced-in backyard, giving a spectacular view of the pool.
He checked to ensure the lock was engaged before turning to inspect the rest of the small bungalow.
A short hallway broke off the main room, leading to two bedrooms, a linen closet, and a bathroom.
The bedroom at the back of the house had a sliding door that, just like the dining room, stepped out onto the patio. Through the large bay window on the west wall, the ocean was just barely visible over the fence.
He ruefully took in the queen-sized bed.
Too bad the owner hadn’t thought to put two beds in there.
He couldn’t let Irina sleep in there by herself with the door unguarded.
She would either have to take the smaller bedroom at the opposite end of the hallway, or he’d be crashing on the floor in there for the foreseeable future.
Once everything was cleared, he called for Irina. “Come on back.”
In less than three seconds, she stood at his side, her eyes wide as she took in the vista through the large window.
Her eyes lit up, turning the same sparkling blue as the ocean outside.
“Is this your room, or would you mind if I take it?” She moved toward the window and gingerly laid her fingers on the glass.
“Can you imagine waking up and seeing the ocean every morning?”
Roman felt terrible shooting her down as he explained the problem. “I can’t leave you in here by yourself.”
“Why not?” She glanced at him over her shoulder.
He pointed to the door. “Because someone could come in through there, and I would never know.”
She bit her lip and glanced around. He could see the disappointment written plainly on her face, though she tried to cover it well. Her eyes landed on the bed, then jumped back to him. “We could… share?”
Absolutely not. There wasn’t a chance of that happening. Not because he disliked the idea, but because he wanted to share a bed with her—way more than he should.
He cleared his throat. “I can crash on the floor if I have to.”
“But—”
He waved away the rest of her words. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll figure it out later.”
He had no idea how in he was going to stand sleeping in the same room as her without being tempted.
He remembered vividly the way her body looked naked and slick from the shower, the way she felt pressed against him.
There wasn’t a single thing about her that didn’t turn him on, and now he would be sleeping mere feet away from her—his temporary wife—for the next couple of weeks.
Lord help him.