Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Irina felt something tugging on her foot, and she kicked it away, snuggling back into her pillow and yanking the covers up to her chin.
“Come on, sleeping beauty. Up and at ’em,” Roman said.
She cracked her eyes open, but the room was still dim in the early morning light. The shaking of her foot resumed.
“Come on, trouble. Time to get your lazy butt up,” he urged.
With a growl, she bolted upright to face him. “What do you want?” she snarled.
A grin slowly spread over his face as he folded his arms across his broad chest. “You said you wanted to go for a run at sunrise. Here’s your chance.”
She glanced at the clock. “We still have another hour.”
“Not if you want to see the best part,” he said, dropping his arms to his sides. “I’ll meet you in the kitchen in five.”
“Ten,” she countered with a yawn as she flopped back to the warm sheets.
“Irina…”
She screeched as his fingers tickled across the bottom of her foot, and she yanked it away. Glaring at him, she saw him just smile. “Five minutes, trouble, and not a second longer.”
With that, he sauntered out of the room.
She couldn’t muster the ability to form a retort, and her mind was still blurry, moving too slowly to find the nearest object to throw at him.
She swore the man got off on torturing her.
Knowing she wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep, she reluctantly crawled from the bed.
She made her way to the bathroom first, where she relieved herself, then splashed some water on her face to help wake herself up.
Roman lounged against the wall of the narrow hallway as she exited the bathroom, bringing her up short. He threw a glance at his watch before meeting her gaze again. “Two minutes.”
A low chuckle met her ears as she flipped him off, then headed back to the bedroom. Her body was still half asleep, but she somehow managed to wrangle herself into a sports bra and a pair of yoga shorts.
“Irina…” Roman’s voice floated from the living room as she tugged on a pair of socks.
“I’m coming!” she called back, shoving her feet into sneakers, then stomping out to the dining room where he waited not so patiently by the patio door.
“Took you long enough,” he remarked.
“Have I told you recently how much I despise you?” she asked as she stepped outside. The cool morning air assaulted her, and she shivered.
“You’re such a gem when you first wake up,” he teased.
She didn’t spare him a glance, but she could hear the smile in his voice. They cut across the backyard, then exited onto the soft sand of the beach.
“Let’s walk for a minute,” he suggested as he closed the gate behind them, then fell into step next to her.
She smothered another yawn as they reached the water’s edge, and she did a few quick stretches while looking up and down the nearly empty beach.
“Where to?” he asked.
“Back to bed,” she replied.
Roman rolled his eyes and gave a quick tug to her ponytail. “The pier it is.” Without another word, he turned and lurched into a long, loping stride.
“Hey!” she called to his back as she took off after him. “Jerk.”
She caught up to him within just a few seconds, and they fell into an easy rhythm as he shortened his stride to match hers. A cool breeze blew in over the ocean, and goosebumps raced down her arms and over her stomach. “Man, it’s cold out right now,” she remarked.
Roman nodded toward the horizon, which was just beginning to lighten with the first orange rays of sunrise. “It’ll warm up quick as soon as the sun comes out. By then, you’ll be thankful for the breeze.”
The sand beneath her feet was packed tightly by the tide that had come in early that morning, but it still offered a resistance she wasn’t used to, and after a few minutes, her leg muscles began to burn.
She was grateful when they finally rounded the end of the island and reached the pier. “Can we take a break?” she panted.
Roman smirked at her. “Are you tired already?”
Her eyes swept over him. He looked as fresh as if he’d just stepped out of the shower, with no sign of exertion or perspiration anywhere. “Shut up,” she grumbled. “Let’s walk the pier, then we can head back.”
By the time they reached the end of the pier, the sun had lifted fully over the horizon, its reflection dancing in the rippling waves below.
She stared out at the water, looking so dark and deep.
On the surface, it looked so calm, but so many dangers lurked beneath.
“I don’t think I could ever get tired of this view,” she said.
“Me, either,” Roman replied from behind her, and she turned. His gaze was fixed on her, and she faltered for a moment. Was he talking about the ocean, or… her? Her heart leaped at the thought of him referring to her as beautiful, but reality came crashing down again just as quickly.
Heat crept up her cheeks, and she redirected her gaze back over the midnight blue water, terrified that she was reading too much into things.
She was just a job to him, nothing more.
Even saying that they were becoming friends would be a stretch.
They were roommates for a limited time, two people making the best of a bad situation.
A dull ache took up residence in the region of her heart, and she forced it down as she turned back to Roman. “Ready to head back?”
He lifted his chin at her. “Whenever you are.”
They were silent as they headed down the pier, then stepped into the soft sand. Conversation halted as they fell into a jog on the way back to the house. About a hundred yards from the gate, Roman turned to her, a challenging glint in his eyes. “Race you.”
Not one to be outdone, she shoved him away then sprinted forward as fast as she could.
Within seconds, he was by her side and already starting to take the lead.
She growled, pumping her arms faster, willing her feet to dig into the sand and propel her forward.
Roman reached the gate first, his fingers brushing the hard plastic a second before hers.
“I win,” he declared, turning to her with a smug smile as he held the gate open and waited for her to precede him inside.
“Only because your arms are longer,” she shot back. Her legs felt like jelly, and she wobbled around the pool before collapsing into a chaise lounge facedown. “I feel like I’m dying. Just leave me here.”
A throaty chuckle filtered over her shoulder. “I’ll get breakfast going. Come on in whenever you’re done being lazy.”
She jumped as he swatted the back of her thigh, and a tiny smile curled her mouth.
He could be such a jerk sometimes, but she was incredibly thankful that he was trying so hard to be nice.
After their rough beginning, it meant a lot.
Once she’d caught her breath, she hauled herself up from the lounge chair, then made her way inside on still-shaky legs to take a quick shower.
By the time she got out, the smell of toast and bacon tickled her nose, drawing her toward the kitchen.
A country station played from somewhere—probably Roman’s phone since she hadn’t seen a radio—and the smooth baritone voice drew her like a moth to light.
Who was that? The song was a popular one, but she was certain she’d never heard the man before.
It was odd, because she knew, at least by voice, most of the singers in the industry.
She stopped dead in her tracks at the end of the hallway, and her eyes scanned the room.
Roman stood at the counter with his back to her, concentrating on whatever he was chopping on the cutting board in front of him.
The sound of the knife hitting wood mingled with his sexy voice as he crooned along to the lyrics.
She felt blindsided, completely taken aback. He was good. No, he was better than good—he was incredible.
“You said you couldn’t sing,” she accused from her place just outside the kitchen.
Muscles that he hadn’t bothered to cover up with a shirt tensed for a moment, then relaxed. “Never said I couldn’t sing,” he corrected. “I said I don’t.”
“Why not?” she snapped as she stepped up beside him.
“Because I don’t want to,” came his reply.
She slapped a hand on the counter next to the cutting board. “That’s not an answer. You’re really good.”
He lifted one shoulder as if it didn’t make a difference in the world. “Don’t like to sing in front of people.”
She thought about that for a second, and about the stage fright she battled for years. “Someone could help you with that. There’s—”
“No.” His response was swift and abrupt. “Not singing.”
God, the man was exasperating. “I don’t understand. Why won’t you at least try?”
Even from off to the side, she could see him roll his eyes. “Yeah, I’m sure the guys would have a field day with that.”
And suddenly the lightbulb came on. He didn’t have stage fright—he was afraid of what his friends would say. She was affronted on his behalf. No way would anyone ever make fun of him, especially not someone he called a friend.
The song he’d been singing ended, rolling into a new one—a duet. An idea sprang to life. “Sing with me.”
He threw a bewildered look at her. “Didn’t we just discuss this?”
“Yeah.” She hopped up on the counter next to where he was working. “But it’s just me.”
“Yeah. And you’re a professional.” He rolled his eyes.
Instead of replying, she started singing along with the female part.
Roman turned to face her, and their eyes locked.
The words flowed from her tongue, and she felt like she was singing to him.
A warm sensation swept over her, catching her off guard.
Desire. After their argument, she’d pushed her true feelings for him down deep, but now they came flaring to life once more.
Roman gave a little shake of his head but didn’t look away. “How do you expect me to compete with you?”
“Just sing,” she replied before picking up the lyrics again as it launched into the chorus.
Looking torn and more self-conscious than she’d ever seen him, Roman picked up the male part.
Quiet at first, he grew bolder, his voice blending harmoniously with hers as they finished out the song together.
She drew out the last note and grinned at him.
He smiled back, a lightness entering his eyes, and she hopped down.
“There. That wasn’t so bad, was it?” She gently hip-checked him, and he chuckled.
“No, trouble. Not so bad.”
“Good.” She pointed to the pan. “Now finish making me breakfast so you can show me some moves.”
One dark eyebrow ratcheted toward his hairline. “Bossy little thing, aren’t you?”
She grinned. “That shouldn’t be news to you.”
He shook his head. “No, it’s not. Get out of my kitchen and go sit.”
Turning toward the small dining table, she jumped and let out a shriek when the slotted spatula he’d been holding connected with her butt. She threw her hands over both cheeks to cover them as she whipped toward him. “Hey!”
He used the spatula to point at her. “You deserved that for making me sing.”
She couldn’t help but smile. “Still don’t regret it. Now”—she made a chopping motion with her hand—”chop-chop.”
She jumped out of the way with a laugh as Roman swatted at her with the spatula again. “Woman, I swear…” He trailed off, and she grinned at the exasperation tingeing his voice. She could definitely get used to this playful side of him.
Two hours later, sweat poured down her temples as they stood in the small grassy area of the backyard discussing self-defense maneuvers. “If you’re ever out in public and fear for your life, yell ‘fire’ instead of ‘help.’ People are more likely to come running.”
She lifted a brow at him. “Um… why?”
“People instinctively hesitate to put their own lives in jeopardy. They hear the word help and fear the worst—that they’ll be shot or kidnapped along with the person in trouble. Fire, by comparison, doesn’t hold the same threat.”
“Well, that’s messed up,” she replied.
“Sad, but true.” Roman shrugged, then moved into position once more. “Ready?”
She took a deep breath and swallowed. “Go.”
Facing her, he wrapped both hands around her neck in a choke hold.
She took a huge step backward, bending at the waist and ducking her head, putting pressure on his thumbs and breaking his hold.
She quickly slipped under his arm and spun away from him, out of reach of his grasping hands.
Once she was free, she jogged a few steps away, then turned to look at him, breathing heavily.
“Nice job. That’s enough for today. We’ll come back to it tomorrow.” He shot her a grin. “You’re doing well.”
“Thanks.” She offered him a little smile and shook out her limbs. “I had no idea how hard this would be. You make it look so easy.”
“It takes a lot of time and practice to master some of the more advanced moves.” He held the door for her as they stepped into the welcome air conditioning of the house. “I’ll be teaching a variety of different classes for Vantage if you want to keep learning or hone your skills.”
Her steps faltered as she strode toward the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. Could she still see Roman after all of this was over? Maybe the better question was, how could she not?
She nodded slowly. “I might have to do that.”
Because seeing him, even in a strictly professional capacity, was better than not seeing him at all.