Chapter 24
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Irina turned to glance at Roman. “How about we walk down to the pier?” They had seen it during the day, but now, at night, part of it was lit up, looking like a runway leading out to the middle of the sea.
He glanced in that direction, then shrugged.
“Fine with me.” Silence fell as they started out across the sand.
The sound of voices and laughter drifted toward them from the shore, but the beach itself was nearly deserted.
Ever since he’d taken that phone call yesterday, things between them seemed more tense than usual.
Whatever moment had passed between them in the pool had immediately dissipated, and he’d withdrawn completely, back to the cold, aloof man he’d been before.
Irina hated it. She wanted the real Roman back—the one she’d joked with and played cards with.
She wanted the man who teased and laughed and smiled.
The one who looked at her like he actually cared about her—not the singer that everyone else saw, but her, Irina.
After a few minutes, she couldn’t stand it anymore and finally broke the silence. “Where are you from?”
“Originally?” She glanced up at Roman, his face illuminated in the moonlight, and nodded. “Pennsylvania, just north of Pittsburgh.”
“Is your family still there?”
“Almost all of them.” He smiled a little then. “I have four brothers, plus dozens of aunts and uncles and cousins back home. They all live just a few miles from one another.”
His words caused her to miss a step as she whipped toward him. “Seriously? There’s five of you?”
He smiled down at her. “Yep.”
“Wow. What was it like growing up?”
“Loud. Hectic. Things got broken a lot.”
She grinned at him. “I imagine your mom was ready to tear her hair out half the time.”
“Probably. She was tough, but fair. She’s a good woman.”
“I’m sure,” she said softly as they fell into step again.
She couldn’t imagine what it would be like to have a huge, close-knit family like that.
Ever since she could remember, it had been just Mama and her.
According to Mama, Daddy was a silver-tongued devil who’d charmed his way into her bed then left as soon as he found out she was pregnant with Irina.
She couldn’t believe Mama would even consider getting back with him—assuming the man was actually her father.
She could feel his gaze on her. “What about you?”
“Just my mom.”
“Are you guys close?”
She shook her head. “Not exactly.”
“That sucks.” There was no sarcasm in his tone, no sympathy, just a matter-of-fact statement.
“You have no idea.” She sighed. “We had a… falling out a couple years back. I just couldn’t stand watching her slowly destroy herself.”
“Drugs?”
“Everything,” she admitted. Growing up, there had never been money for food or new clothes, but somehow Mama always managed to budget just enough for smokes and booze and the occasional high.
The older Irina got, the worse her addiction became.
“Men, alcohol, drugs. You name it, she’s done it.
It actually got so bad that I had to go live with my grandmother when I was ten. ”
“What happened?” Roman’s voice was soft, giving her the courage to continue.
“She overdosed, almost killed herself.” Roman swore softly, and she nodded absently.
“I remember walking home from school and coming into the house. It seemed so quiet, which was unusual. When Mama was home, the TV was always blaring one of her soap operas. That day though… There was nothing. I saw her lying on the couch, and at first I thought she was asleep.”
“They saved her?”
She nodded. “I called the police right away, and they gave her Narcan. It was the craziest thing I’ve ever seen. One second, she was lying there like a corpse then the next, she took this huge, deep breath, and opened her eyes. It was literally like she woke up from the dead.”
Roman was quiet for several long seconds. “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”
So was she. She cleared her throat. “Anyway, I went to live with my grandmother for a few years. Mama went to jail that time, and we lost our trailer. When she got out, she came to live with us. Over the years, we kind of lost contact. She only reached out when she needed something, usually money, and finally I got tired of it. I cut her off completely a couple years ago when I moved down here.”
It was actually one of the main reasons she’d chosen to come down here. Her contract with her first agent, Earl, had been up, and she wanted to get as far away from her roots as fast as she could. She packed up and never looked back.
“Is that the last time you talked to her?”
She dropped her gaze to the sand beneath her feet and bit her lip.
She still hadn’t told him the truth of what had propelled her out of the house the morning she’d wrecked the car.
“Actually, no,” she admitted. “That morning we found out someone tampered with the brakes on my car…” She glanced up at him.
“She called me from jail just before that.”
“So that’s why you needed to get out of the house,” he stated.
She gave a little nod. “Yeah.”
They had just reached the pier, and she was desperate to change the topic. “Have you ever been out on the ocean at night?”
She gestured towards the ocean, and he shook his head. “No, but I’ve done some deep-sea fishing excursions before.”
They fell into step together as they started down the long pier, walking out over the ocean. “That sounds like fun.”
“Do you like to fish?”
“Not at all.” She shook her head. “I tried it once, but I just can’t get into it.”
“Can’t sit still that long?” he teased.
“There is that,” she said with a smile. “But really, I just hate the feel of those tiny, slippery, scaly bodies.”
Roman laughed. “I should’ve known. If it’s slimy or creepy, you want nothing to do with it.”
A grin spread over her face. “Pretty much. I’m not super girly, but that’s one thing I just can’t do.”
“It’s not for everybody,” he said easily.
Silence descended once more, and they made their way to the end of the pier.
There were no lamps overhead now that they were out this far, only the moon and stars twinkling overhead, their reflection glowing on the dark water below.
The waves gently lapped against the piles supporting the pier, and the slight breeze carried any sound away.
Like this, it was as if Roman and Irina were out in the middle of nowhere, in their own little world.
The wind picked up, and she pulled her sweater more tightly around herself.
The skirt of her dress swirled around her knees, plastering the fabric to her body.
She leaned her elbows against the railing and stared out at the endless body of water in front of her. Next to her, Roman did the same. After several long moments, she broke the silence. “Sometimes I never want to go back.”
Roman slid a look her way. “The beach life seems way more fun because it’s different. But you’d miss your life back home.”
“Maybe.” But she knew better. She loved singing, but she hated the industry, having to always put on a happy face and pretend everything was perfect, even when she felt like she was dying inside. Here, with Roman, there was no pressure. “Here, I feel… free. I feel happy.”
“Nothing good can ever last.”
His words were soft, and she sighed. “I know. But I’m not ready for it to end yet.”
He nodded slowly. “I know.”
They stood there for nearly a minute, just looking up at the stars.
She couldn’t remember the last time she’d just stopped and stared up at them.
They were so bright, so clear, and it reminded her of how very small she was.
It was humbling, reminding her to be thankful for everything good in her life.
Mostly, she was grateful for the man next to her who’d made this experience so incredible. “Thank you for doing this.”
He tipped his head to one side. “Walking with you?”
“No, just… This. Everything.”
She couldn’t look at him, but she could feel the weight of his gaze as he turned toward her. “What do you mean?”
The breeze whipped a strand of hair across her face, and she brushed it away before tilting her head up to him. “We haven’t always gotten along, so I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate you going along with all of this.”
He studied her for a second. “You know I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t want to.”
A wry smile tipped the corners of her lips. She doubted anyone could make Roman do something he didn’t want to do. But being coerced into getting married was probably a stretch, even for him. “I know you don’t really like me, but—”
He straightened suddenly, turning toward her. “I don’t know why you keep saying that.”
She mimicked his actions, tipping her head slightly to one side. “What?”
Vivid blue eyes stared down at her, turned icy gray in the moonlight. “That I don’t like you. Why do you keep saying that?”
Heat climbed into her cheeks, and she shrugged. “Because it’s true.”
“It’s not true. I’ve never said that.”
“You didn’t have to,” she countered. “This whole thing was my idea, and I dragged you into it.”
“I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t want to,” he reiterated.
She rolled her eyes. “Right, because—”
Her words were immediately cut off, replaced by a gasp of surprise as his heavy palm curled around the back of her neck. Her hands flew up, bracing against his firm chest as he tugged her close. Those crystalline eyes bored into hers before dropping to her lips.
She was helpless against him as his mouth covered hers, his lips firm yet soft, tender yet demanding, as he kissed her.
Her eyes fluttered closed, and she curled her fingers into the fabric of his T-shirt.
She felt off-balance, as if she might float away at any second, and she swayed slightly against him.
His lips moved on hers, increasing the pressure and urging her to open for him.
The hand on the back of her neck slid upward, tangling in the strands of her hair and tipping her head to one side. His tongue swept over hers, and he tasted faintly of spearmint, like the gum he was always chewing. He tasted so good, felt so right, both of them perfectly in sync.
Things had been tumultuous between them since the beginning, and she couldn’t believe this was actually happening. He’d closed down after their almost-kiss yesterday, and it suddenly felt as if this was all too good to be true.
Abruptly, she yanked back and stared up at him. “Is that a pity kiss?”
One dark eyebrow hiked up. “Didn’t we already establish this?”
I don’t do anything I don’t want to do. She blinked up at him and ran her tongue over her lower lip. “Okay.”
His hand tightened in her hair, and one muscular forearm looped around her waist, pulling her back to him. “In case you’re wondering,” he said, his lips only millimeters from hers, “I’ve been wanting to do that for a long time.”