All I've Never Wanted(143)

“You—you—“ I sputtered, unable to form a sentence in my starstruck state.

The singer smiled as the music from one of his most well-known songs started piping through the speakers. As he launched into the opening lyrics, Roman held out a hand. “May I have this dance?”

I was seriously about to start sobbing, but I managed to hold myself together. “Yes, you may,” I breathed, taking his hand.

And even though the song only lasted a few minutes, it seemed to last a lifetime, the most romantic lifetime I could ever hope for.

When he finished, the singer wished Roman and I a “Happy anniversary” and actually kissed me goodbye on the cheek—which nearly caused me to faint—before leaving us to ourselves.


“That was…surreal,” I managed, still unable to believe I’ve just been serenaded by someone who used to be such close friends with Princess Diana, whom I loved.

Roman grinned. “You are so cute like that. And I can’t take the credit for all of it. Adri helped me pull some strings. She mentioned you had a soft spot for this song.”

I swallowed hard. “I think this is the best anniversary in the history of anniversaries.” I snaked my arms around his neck. "I love you."

“I love you too," he murmured, kissing me again.

I pulled back slightly, so that when I spoke, my lips brushed his. “So…are you really hungry? Or can you wait a bit?” I asked, parroting his words from earlier.

Roman raised his eyebrows. “I can wait. What did you have in mind?”

“Well…” My heart was beating so hard my whole body seemed to reverberate from it. “I was wondering…if there were any…staterooms on here.” I gulped.

He blinked. “Yeah, sure. Why? Are you tired?”

Oh god, did I really have to spell it out? “No…but…I will be. After…” I trailed off, hoping he’d take the hint. Wow, this was embarrassing.

“After…?” Suddenly, Roman’s eyes widened in realization. “Wait, are you saying that you—“

I nodded. Thump, thump, thumpthump, went my heart.

“Maya.” Roman’s face managed to look concerned, awed, excited, and nervous all at the same time. “Are you…sure? Because I swear, I can wait if you’re not ready. That isn’t why—I mean, I’m not expecting you to do anything, and I don’t want you to until you’re absolutely sure you’re ready. So don’t feel like I’m pressuring you.”

“Would you rather have dinner right now?"

He looked taken back at my question. “Um, uh…” I giggled a bit at the discomfited look on his face. He obviously had no idea how to respond. “I just…” He looked confused. “No?”

“Good.” I looked him in the eye. “Then we’re in agreement.” Oh god, when did I turn so bold?

I’ve seriously been hanging around Adriana way too much, but I am not wearing hundreds of dollars of designer lace and silk under my dress just so I could sit here and eat steak. And honestly, I am ready. Absolutely, one hundred percent ready.

“Now…” I bit my lip and tried to look seductive. “How about you give me a tour of this boat?”

Roman stared at me, looking torn. I don’t think he fully believed me when I said I was ready, but I swear, I will smack him upside the head if he says no.

Luckily, he didn’t. After keeping me waiting for a full minute, he took my hand and led me towards the living area of the yacht.

I took a deep breath, practically shaking from my nerves.

It seemed to take us forever to reach the stateroom, which was as luxurious as the rest of the yacht, but I barely noticed.

Roman dipped his head to plant a soft kiss on my lips. I was just about to deepen it when he pulled back to look at me.

“Maya.” His voice was a mere whisper. “Are you absolutely sure?”

I swallowed hard.

I remember reading somewhere once that artists didn’t really care if people liked their work or not—they cared about whether their work inspires emotion, whether that be love or hate or anything in between.

There are a lot of guys out there who are cute. There are a lot of guys who are sweeter and less moody than Roman, and there are a lot of guys who never kidnapped me or made me feel as though I wanted to tear my hair out. But those were all guys that didn’t inspire much in me besides feelings of serene friendship. But Roman? He had never done anything except make me feel every emotion in as intense a way as possible. Love, hate, anger, jealousy, passion…it was all there.

“Absolutely, totally, one hundred percent sure,” I whispered back, recapturing his mouth with mine.

And when we fell back on the bed and made good use of those foil-wrapped presents Parker gave me, I added any emotion to the list: that of complete and utter bliss.

EPILOGUE

Six months later

I’m going to suffocate. Seriously. With the way my parents were hugging me, you’d think they would never see me again or something.

“Oh, honey, I’m so proud of you.” My mom’s eyes glistened with tears as she beamed at me, her face as proud as could be. “You—“ She sniffled. “You did great. I can’t believe—“ Another sniffle. “I can’t believe you’re all grown up now. And of course, you’ll be leaving for Paris tomorrow…”