Eternal Flame (Eternal Flame #1) (4 page)

Tearing her eyes away from his, she looked over at Joy for help and reassurance but Joy was caught in a silent tug of war between the two Foster brothers. She noted the lust in their hazel eyes as they eyed her pretty, shapely friend. Her view was soon blocked by Alex walking forward and standing almost nose to nose with her.

“Mind if Diego and I tag along with you and Nick Kristen?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact we do mind,” Nick cut in.

“I wasn’t asking you.”

“Um…” Kristen shakily began, pulling her hand away from Diego’s and scurrying away from Nick. “Will you guys excuse me for a moment?”

She fast-walked over to Joy, grabbed her hand, and tugged her towards the SUV.

“What are you doing?” Joy irritably asked her. “Can’t you see I was enjoying myself?” Joy stopped, her face mired with concern as she eyed Kristen. “What’s wrong? You okay?”

Kristen was practically trembling. “No. No I’m not. I’m not comfortable with all this.”

“What’s the matter?”

“Where the fuck is Roman?”

“I don’t know. You heard the conversation like I did and you heard what Damian said. The man is obviously having a bad day and going through some issues. I’m sure he’ll be back later.”

“I need him to come back now. I’m not in a good head space.”

“What do you mean girl? You have three hot to death men over there foaming at the mouth over you. Why don’t you go back over there and enjoy yourself?”

“I don’t understand what’s happening. You know how I feel about Roman.”

“Right as does the entire city of Charlotte.”

“Well why did I feel like every nerve ending in my body stood on end just now when Diego took my hand?”

Joy’s eyes widened in surprise. “Seriously?”

“Yeah!”

“You don’t even like Diego like that. Matter of fact, you don’t even like him at all.”

“I know right? I don’t get it.”

Joy thought for a moment. “Well, maybe your body knows something your mind doesn’t. Look, I need to go back over there. I’ll see you later.”

Kristen grabbed Joy’s arm, practically digging her nails through her skin. “See me later? Where are you going?”

“I’m going back over there with my F boys.”

“F boys?”

“Girl, I was having such a good time. I can only imagine how much funner the evening is going to get from here on out.”

“First of all, funner is not a word and second, aren’t you supposed to be going on a date with Damian?”

“Yeah? So?”

“So how are you going to hook up with both of them? You saw how they were acting. They were ready to kill one another over you.”

“I know. Isn’t that hot?”

“Hot? Only you would think starting a feud between two brothers is worth your panties dropping.”

“Girl, I thought Damian was fine but after meeting Beau today and looking into his eyes, I don’t know. Damian might have a fight for my affection on his hands.”

“You are so twisted.”

“Girl the way Beau’s voice sounds when he talks to me. He talks in this magnetic whisper…” Joy shivered. “Mmmph. I’m starting to believe I was born to lay on my back for this man.”

“Good luck explaining that to Damian.”

“Something tells me I won’t have to. Who knows? If the universe is on my side, I might end up seeing what both of them have to offer in the romance department. See you later.”

Joy hugged her, kissed her cheek, and walked back over to the Foster boys, her best friend forgotten. Kristen looked on in a daze as both guys fell in step with Joy and walked alongside her towards the back of the house. Kristen could only wonder what kind of trouble her wild friend was in for this weekend.

She shuffled back and forth on her feet for a few moments, then turned to look back at the Foster boys and Mr. Braxton. They were all looking at her expectantly, their smiles ranging from platonically friendly to unrestrained excitement.

“You coming Kristen?” Nick hopefully asked.

Kristen forced a smile on her face, her insides stirring with all kinds of wild, conflicted emotions. Where the fuck was Roman?

“We promise you we won’t bite,” Diego said with a warm, teasing smile that dripped with molten heat.

Kristen feared her knees would give way. When the hell had Diego gotten so sexy? And why was she noticing? “I’m coming,” she said, biting her lip.

She walked towards them with trepidation; then steeled herself as Diego took one hand and Nick took the other. Alex followed in behind them like a lost puppy and she couldn’t help feeling sorry for him. For some strange reason, she felt even sorrier for herself. She’d barely known them an hour and she was already embroiled in some kind of strange ménage a trois.

Forget Joy and her As the World Turns problems. The bigger question of the day for Kristen was, what kind of trouble was she in for?

An hour later, Kristen was having the time of her life. Compared to how she felt when she’d first arrived, her emotions were on a totally different plane now. She was having such a fantastic time with Nick, Alex, and Diego. They gave her a tour of the Deans’ ridiculously large backyard and Kristen had to admit the residence was quite impressive. The backyard was beyond huge and at least ten acres. There was an endless array of trees and shade, a tree house, a gazebo with a koi pond, and a barn with a stable full of horses. There were even a few chickens scattered about. The only thing this place was missing was a mall. Kristen wondered if there was a movie theater or bowling alley inside. She couldn’t help but feel a little envious. If she lived there, she would never leave the place.

Diego had told her there were a lot of people in the main house so she’d probably have to see the inside of it later. They ended the tour by taking Kristen to see the manmade lake at the back of the property. There were a few ducks in there and fish as well. Kristen was on Cloud 9. She was having such a good time with her three suitors. She almost felt bad for not missing Carlos anymore. He was a sweet guy. But she looked forward to moving on and having new adventures. Especially with these guys.

They were more than entertaining and chivalrous to her. All of them were vying for her attention in their own unique ways. Alex was comfortable in his own skin. He wasn’t a big talker but he was complimentary and asked her endless questions about herself. Nick was nervous and kept stuttering but he took every opportunity he could to sing to her and dance for her, showing off both his vocal prowess and impressive rhythm. Diego played it cool but he was looking at her like he wanted to have her for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It would’ve been unnerving if she didn’t find it so intriguing.

He wasn’t perverted about it. He seemed genuinely enamored and taken with her. Kristen didn’t want to think about what that meant. She just tried to play it as cool as he did. Her mind did drift to Roman every so often. He wasn’t far from her thoughts. She couldn’t stop hoping he would come back and soon. She was yearning to see if she’d have chemistry with him too. If he’d be as taken with her as the guys were.

After spending about an hour hanging out and chatting by the lake, Nick asked if she wanted to ride with them to their recording studio. They had some vocals they had to fill in for a new song they were working on before the party started. Kristen agreed to tag along.

They were just getting ready to make their way up front to the motorcycles, when Ms. Austin wandered over to them.

“Kristen, have you seen Joy?”

Kristen tentatively looked at her. She hoped and prayed Ms. Austin wouldn’t do anything else to embarrass herself or her daughter anymore today. “No maam, I haven’t. I did see her go off with Damian and Beau earlier though.”

“Maybe I should call her on her cell phone. Knowing her, she probably won’t answer. I just hope if she plans on doing anything freaky with either of them she’ll stop at the store first and get some rubbers. I know the last thing she wants is to have another herpes scare.”

Kristen gasped out loud and looked askance. Diego immediately spit out the soda he’d been drinking and Alex and Nick put their hands on each-other’s shoulders and turned away, trying in vain to stifle their laughter.

“Ms. Austin!” Kristen protested.

“Oh shut up girl, you know how I get down. I don’t bite my tongue in front of nobody, you know that. Besides, it’s the truth.”

Kristen just shook her head and rolled her eyes.

“Anyhoo, Cameron wanted me to come find you and tell you Roman is supposed to be back at the house in less than an hour to take you out. They were finally able to get him on the phone. His mother had to all but threaten him to get him to come back.”

Everything stopped and immediately got quiet. Kristen’s heart started racing. She felt breathless, anxious, and nervous. Her palms began to sweat and she nervously blinked. She stole a glance over in the direction of the guys and they all looked dejected. Diego briefly made eye contact with her then looked away at the lake, gritting his teeth.

Kristen licked her lips and looked over at Ms. Austin, who was still standing there like she was waiting on her to respond. “Okay,” she shakily said.

Ms. Austin nodded once at her and winked. “Have a good time,” she said. “I know I don’t have to tell you to use rubbers, because you don’t get down like that. Thank God you’re still a virgin.”

Kristen closed her eyes and put her hand to her face. Alex and Nick’s eyes stretched as they looked at one another. Diego kept his cool and kept looking at the water.

“Thanks a lot Ms. Austin,” Kristen tensely replied.

“Oh, I know you’re not trying to fuck them so it doesn’t matter if they know. Anyway, I’m going to head back up to the house and help them finish getting everything ready. If I find Joy I’ll tell her you’re leaving and you’ll see her later.”

She didn’t give Kristen time to answer; just turned and walked away, her wide, bulgy bottom swinging behind her.

There were a few moments of tense silence.

“Well,” Alex began with a forced smile, “that was awkward.”

“So,” Nick started, “you’re a virgin.” He stuck up his thumb. “Good for you.”

“So, I guess we’re going to head on up to our bikes and get over to the studio. I’m not singing, of course, I’m just tagging along. Maybe I’ll see you later?”

Alex hopefully looked at Kristen and she gave him a pleasant smile and nodded.

“Great. Cause I’d love to talk to you more.”

“Get in line bro,” Nick said, walking over to Kristen to give her a hug. He gave her a tender smile and winked at her. “I’ll see you later.”

She returned his smile. “Bye Nick.”

Nick glanced over at Diego. “D. You coming?”

Diego finally looked away from the lake and looked over at Nick. “Go on ahead. I’ll catch up with you guys.”

Nick shook his head and put his hands on his hips. “Nah. I might better stay here and watch you. Diego likes them young.”

Kristen awkwardly blushed and looked away, avoiding Diego’s heated gaze.

“I like them clean too which is more than I can say for the girls you date.”

Nick sucked his teeth at Diego. “Whatever mother-fucker. Come on A, let’s go.”

Nick gave Kristen a longing look then turned and walked away. Alex followed in behind him, pitifully looking back over his shoulder at Kristen and Diego. Neither of them noticed. They were too busy looking at each-other.

“Well”, Diego quietly began, “I enjoyed you while it lasted.”

Kristen sadly smiled at him. “Yeah.”

“Ummm…” Diego hesitated, his Adam’s apple budging up and down in his throat. He licked his lips, looked away, and looked back at her. It was the first time Kristen had seen him nervous. “Can I see you tomorrow?” he asked her. “I mean, I know you were supposed to be doing stuff with Roman… But I guess with everything going on he wanted to move it up a day.”

Kristen curiously looked at him. “What’s going on with him?”

“I’m not at liberty to discuss it. If he wants you to know, I’m sure he’ll tell you. But he’s a private guy so… I don’t know.”

Kristen nodded. “Okay.”

“I don’t know if I can wait until tomorrow,” Diego said, moving his foot back and forth. He put his hands in his pockets and looked down at the ground. Kristen was starting to find his sudden shyness endearing. “Can we hang out tonight?” Diego continued. “After the party?”

Kristen reluctantly stared at him. She didn’t want to say no because she liked Diego and was interested in getting to know him better but she didn’t want to say yes for fear that she and Roman would hit it off. This whole thing was happening so fast and was so different from what she’d expected. It was very confusing for her.

Still, before she could stop herself she said, “Yes.”

Diego gave her a deep-dimpled smile and rocked back and forth on his feet. He leaned over to her and kissed her softly on her cheek. “Bye.”

Kristen’s heart danced in her chest. “Bye.”

As she watched him walk away, Kristen tried to calm her frazzled nerves.

She began walking back and forth beside the lake, biting her lip, lost in thought. She briefly wondered where Joy was and hoped she was having fun. Joy got on her nerves sometimes but she missed her friend. She really needed her right now. She was unsure about so many things. She felt so torn about her attraction to Diego and the feelings she’d had for years about Roman. On one hand it was crazy, because she’d at least gotten to spend time with Diego, share a connection with him, and talk to him. He wasn’t some idea she’d formulated in her mind. All she had with Roman were fantasies. She’d already seen a side of him that troubled her.  What if he didn’t live up to the real thing? Then again, it was encouraging to know that he was human and had real human flaws. Still, what if he didn’t like her? What if she didn’t like him? What if they had no chemistry?

Kristen began walking down the long path that led back to the house. The warm sun beat down on her face and she lifted her face to it, humming softly to herself as she closed her eyes. It was a crisp, clear day. Birds chirped around her and it made her feel at peace for a minute. She opened her eyes and looked around the property. Her heart soared with gratitude and appreciation for the gift and opportunity she’d been granted and her friend for making it all happen. Everything was so beautiful. The ambiance and beauty of the property distracted her from her rambling thoughts.

She supposed things could be worse. She could have chemistry with no one and spend the entire weekend alone and lonely. There was always Diego if things didn’t work out. Besides, they had a date tonight and possibly tomorrow. So if things didn’t work out great with Roman she’d at least have an alternative.

As she neared the front of the house, Kristen looked up to see the Blue Hummer she’d seen Roman leave in earlier roaring up the driveway. She immediately stopped walking and stared wide at the vehicle, her stomach in her throat, her heart hammering in her chest like it would break out of its cave at any moment. She felt like she was going to throw up. She prayed she wouldn’t. That would be disgustedly embarrassing.

She stopped walking and just stood there staring. Waiting. She could make out the shadow of him behind the slightly tinted glass. He killed the engine and sat there, not making a move to get out. He seemed frozen in time. Kristen anxiously bit her lip. Was he going to be the same way he was before? Was he going to be nicer? Was it going to be weird? Was he going to weird?

Eventually, the door on the driver’s side opened and Roman got out, jumping down to the ground. He slammed the door shut and ran his hand through his hair, looking agitated but so fucking gorgeous. Kristen could feel herself hyperventilating and encouraged herself to stay calm. She started walking towards him on shaky legs. She could only manage a couple of steps at a time; she kept stopping and starting. A soft cry stuck in her throat when Roman walked around to the front of the Hummer, in direction of the house. Fuck. He really was a beautiful man. Even with that unpleasant frown he had on his face.

Kristen started walking again, feeling braver with each step. She couldn’t wait to be in front of him. See him up close. Talk to him. Inhale him. Shake his hand so she could touch him. Look into his eyes. But then…

The world stopped. He looked up and saw her. Kristen froze once again, her eyes wide and timid as she stared at him. Her heart froze. Sweat broke out on her forehead. She struggled to breath yet again.

He stopped walking and just stood there, his gaze fixed on her as she stared fascinated at him. Minutes, hours, years seemed to pass. Neither of them moved, their eyes holding one another as if they were in some sort of transfixed, hypnotic state. Slowly, his eyes traveled, from her face, down her body, and then slowly back up again. It was done so cautiously she wouldn’t have noticed if she wasn’t so intent on watching them as they watched her. She searched his eyes for some emotion or sign of attraction but saw none.

Unexpectedly, he started walking again, headed straight towards her, his eyes holding hers as he neared her trembling body. He had the cockiest, most self-assured walk she had ever seen in her life. And boy was it sexy.

Kristen moaned out load as moisture spooned her panties. Holy shit. Those feelings were still there. And they weren’t going anywhere.

So long Diego…