All I've Never Wanted(98)

Roman scowled. “Oh, so why did you say you were going to wear that—that outfit for him later?”

“Uhh…” I racked my brain for a plausible explanation.

Luckily, Carlo came to the rescue. “It was a bet,” he explained. “She bet she could seduce any guy in that outfit, and I said she couldn’t. Which, of course, made her all the more determined.” He gently tapped my nose. “Not that we would’ve done anything. I wouldn’t want to ruin our friendship.”

This time I squeezed his hand out of gratefulness. “Neither would I. It was just a stupid bet,” I agreed, playing along.

“You’re serious?” Roman sounded faint.

His voice brought all my emotions to the surface again, and the smile dropped from my face. “Yes. So now that you know the whole story, I would appreciate it if you left the room. I don’t feel well.”

That was true, at least. My stomach churned nauseously and my jaw still throbbed painfully from the punch.

This time, a flicker of remorse passed through Roman’s eyes, and instead of leaving, he moved around to the other side of the bed, opposite Carlo. I stiffened again as he sat next to me.

“I’m going to go check on Venice and Zack,” Carlo said, releasing my hand. “They looked like they were about to kill each other earlier.”

“What? No, stay,” I blurted, grabbing his arm. He could not leave me here with Roman!

“I’ll be just outside, ok?” he said soothingly. He gently pried my fingers from his arm while shooting Roman a warning glance. “I’ll call up some room service too. You must be hungry. I’ll be back in a bit.”

He left the room, and I immediately tried to get out of bed, but my body was so sore my feet didn’t even manage to touch the ground before I brought my legs back up and slumped against the pillows.

Neither Roman nor I spoke for a good five minutes.

“You know, I really am sorry. About your jaw,” Roman finally said, reaching up to touch my bruise the way Carlo had earlier, only this time, I instinctively jerked away before he even made contact.

I saw that same hurt expression I’d seen last night, right before he went into the living room. At least, I thought it was hurt. Who knew? He could be faking it.

“It’s fine, it’s not like I’m going to die,” I said coolly. “And like I said, you should be apologizing to Oliver."

The frown came back. “Even if you and Carlo aren’t dating, he still kissed you against your will.”


“How did you know it was against my will?” I challenged.

Surprise flitted across Roman’s face as his eyes bore into mine. I swallowed, trying my best not to focus on those beautiful violet orbs. More than ever, I wished inner and outer beauty were directly correlated. It would certainly save a lot of people a lot of pain and heartache.

“Was it?” he asked quietly, but there was a dangerous undertone.

I sighed. I suddenly felt exhausted, even more than when I first woke up. I just didn’t have the energy to argue with him anymore.

“Are you going to apologize to him or not?” I asked flatly, evading his question.

A muscle ticked in his jaw but he didn’t reply.

“Guess I got my answer.” I turned over so my back was facing him. At least the soreness in my body had faded a bit. “Can you leave, please? I want to rest."

With that, I closed my eyes, keeping my body tense and taut until I felt his weight leave the bed. I didn’t open my eyes until I heard the soft “click” of the door closing.

I stared at the wall in front of me, tears blurring my vision. I don’t even know why I was crying. Maybe it was because the first, and only, guy I’ve ever really liked was such a huge jerk, who didn’t seem to care about anything other than money and having things go his way. Seriously, why did I even like Roman? He was the embodiment of everything I’ve ever abhorred, but I had foolishly believed he could change.

Apparently, I was wrong. He was still the same * he’s always been, and always will be.

My chest heaved with my efforts to contain my sobs, until I finally buried my face in the pillow, soaking the cotton with my tears as random images flashed through my mind.

The snake in my locker. The torn gym clothes. The students in school, laughing and jeering as they threw eggs and tomatoes and God knew what else at me. Roman kissing Solange at homecoming. Roman and Solange in the kitchen. Roman and Oliver fighting at the carnival, and finally, the look I’d seen on his face right before I blacked out.

There had been so much anger there, it actually scared me, more now than ever because I had feelings for him. How could I possibly like someone I was frightened of?

The answer? I couldn’t.

I wasn't going to be naive enough to think he could change. A leopard can't change its spots. I couldn’t even trust Roman enough to tell him how I felt.

But that's ok. It might take some time, but I would get over him. I had to.

* * *

“You’re an idiot.” Adriana stated this matter-of-factly as she took a dainty bite of the Orchids’ crab cake she’d ordered from room service, her hair looking more silver than gold under the moonlight.

Roman scowled, glaring at his so-called friend as she continued to enjoy her dinner. The two of them were standing on the Royal Suite’s balcony, while the others were inside sleeping or tending to Maya. None of them had gotten much sleep last night.