Teaching Roman (4 page)

She forced a smile and opened her mouth, but instead of speaking she screamed.

“Thief!”

I whirled around in time to see a man racing off with my suitcase in his hands.

“Crap!” I darted around, looking for police or Batman or something. Shoving my other bags in Cassie’s arms, I started in the direction the thief had headed just as someone brushed past me running the same way. Roman was chasing the guy and I picked up speed, trying to catch up to him. He was fast, his muscles straining against his t-shirt as he picked up velocity. By the time I caught up to Roman, the man who stole my luggage was out of sight.

Roman bent over, panting, and shook his head. “Sorry, Jessica. I saw him too late.”

I tried to shake off his apology while catching my breath. “Not...your...fault. I shouldn’t have let go of my suitcase.”

But even as I said it, my heart dropped into my stomach. I had my passport and my laptop. The thief hadn’t gotten any of my money, but I had no clothes, all of my toiletries were gone, and I was in a foreign country. I should have known that I couldn’t get away from trouble so easily.

“Did you catch him?” The question died on Cassie’s lips when she caught sight of us panting.

I shook my head. “I hope you packed enough for two.”

“Always,” Cassie said, dropping her arm over my shoulders. “I have a tiny, red bikini that is going to look amazing on you.”

Of course Cassie would try to cheer me up with promises of scanty clothing. I’d packed my own respectable one piece, which was damn sexy if you asked me. Now I would be at the mercy of Cassie’s wardrobe. But when I looked up I caught Roman staring at me as if he was imagining me in that tiny bikini. Suddenly, I wished I was wearing it.

“We should definitely go to the beach,” he said, a husky note in his words. Then he shook his head as if to clear it of the lusty haze that seemed to engulf us. “Do you want me to wait while you call the police?”

Oh right, I’d been robbed. Why was it so hard to prioritize with him around? “Will they be able to do anything?”

Roman shook his head. “Probably not.”

“I’ll be fine,” I said, but my throat was thick as I spoke. I’d wanted to get away from my problems and here I was, already in trouble.

“Here.” Roman pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and produced his business card. “I’ll have my cell on me. If you need anything, please call me.”

“I’m guessing you want us to stay out of trouble,” Cassie said as I took it from him.

“I’ve already been robbed. How much more trouble can I get in?” I asked. Cassie winked at me like she had plenty of ideas.

Roman hesitated, something unreadable in his eyes, before he muttered an awkward goodbye and left to join his family. Slipping his card into my back pocket, I took a deep breath and let Cassie lead me away.

Cassie threaded her hand through mine as we found our way back up to the taxi stand, and I let my head drop on her shoulder.

“You know,” she said, “there are easier ways to get a guy’s number.”

“Shut up,” I said, even as a giggle betrayed me. There was no way I would be calling unless I was in serious trouble, especially since I was pretty sure that getting caught up with Roman would be trouble enough.

T
wo hours later it hit me that I’d been robbed. Apparently being the victim of petty crime had a delayed emotional reaction that wasn't quite shock. That manifests differently. Instead of going numb I dissolved into a puddle of tears on the floor of the villa that Trevor’s credit card was graciously paying for.

Cassie dropped down next to me and rubbed my back. “You have your passport and computer, right?”

“Yeah,” I blubbered. “But my favorite jeans were in there and my make-up and my toothbrush.”

“We’ll buy you a new toothbrush and new favorite jeans. Fuck the make-up. You don’t need it,” she said comfortingly.

I nodded even as more tears streaked down my cheeks. My fingers massaged the cornflower blue rug underneath me. I focused on the feeling of the soft fibers on my skin, willing myself to get a grip. “This is a really nice rug.”

“It is,” Cassie said, managing not to laugh at me. “You should nail Roman on it.”

“Omigod, Cass! I’m not going to nail Roman.” By my count, she'd made at least four remarks an hour about me hooking up with Roman since he'd shown up on our flight. It was going to be a long week if she kept up at her current rate.

“But you broke-up with Brett,” she whined, adding, “and I want a size report. What’s Professor Markson packing under those khakis? Inquiring minds want to know.”

“Things are complicated with Brett,” I said. It was clear from his texts that he regretted calling things off, but the further I got geographically from him, the more certain I was that I could never marry him.

"I think you're missing out on a golden opportunity," Cassie said.

I wanted to remind her that neither of us should be jumping into a new relationship yet, even if it was just a fling. But Cassie was distracted by the thought of Roman and me. It was giving her something else to concentrate on besides how bad Trevor had screwed up. Cassie's reaction to Trevor's infidelity had been fairly mild so far by Cassie standards, and I wasn't sure that I wanted to see what would happen if I riled her up. Cassie was scary when she was angry. Besides, we were in Mexico and I wanted her to enjoy herself. We could have eaten ice cream and lain out in our pajamas in Olympic Falls.

"I will keep that in mind," I said. I wiped at the remnants of tears on my cheeks. Cassie had managed to cheer me up without me even realizing she was doing it. All because she had brought up Roman. I wasn't about to tell her that though. She'd never let go of the idea of us getting together if she knew that the mention of his name was enough to put a smile on my face. Of course if I was being honest, it did a lot more than that.

Cassie stood and grabbed my hands, pulling me up to my feet. "I don't know why you're so against it."

"Because it's against the rules," I said.

"What rules? You aren't his student," she said.

"I'm pretty sure there are rules about this."

"I'm pretty sure that you're making up excuses to prevent me from finding out what Roman is like in bed."

"You're single. Why don't you nail him?" I asked, but as soon as the glib remark slipped past my lips I wished I could take it back. It was exactly the kind of thing I was hoping to avoid.

Good job, Jess.

Cassie turned away like I had slapped her in the face. Her fingers clutched the tattoo on her opposite wrist. I'd managed to remind her that she was single, which had make her think of Trevor, just so I could avoid the topic of Roman.

"I'm sorry," I said, but as I reached out to hug her, she took off for her room.

"I need to unpack," she said without another glance at me, but her voice cracked with tears. “I’ll leave some clothes on your bed.”

I considered going after her, but I knew Cassie didn't want to talk. She wasn't the type to run off and avoid people. That was more me and Jillian’s style. Cassie liked to call you out when you were being an asshole—and I was being a first-class asshole by her standards. So if she needed space, the least I could do was give it to her.

Instead of knocking on her door and trying to reason with her, I focused on acquainting myself with the villa. I couldn't imagine how much it cost to stay here. Cassie had five star taste, so it was no surprise this place dripped with modern luxury. It had two bedrooms linked by a small sitting room and kitchenette. Everything was minimal and modern. Stainless steel appliances set into white European-style cabinetry. Low, tapered couches faced each other in the living room with a carved driftwood coffee table nestled between them. The walls and furniture were white as well. Blue pillows and rugs accented the pale decor.

There was a bank of floor to ceiling windows merged seamlessly with a glass door that opened onto a patio overlooking a sandy beach. We had an ocean in Olympic Falls, but not like this one. That might have been cooler if I wasn't terrified of the water, but still I bet that the sand outside my door was soft and hot. I'd grown used to the rocky shorelines of Washington, but I had no desire to have a thousand pebbles under my ass, so I mostly studied indoors at Olympic State. Tomorrow I might dare to venture out into the sun to read.

I hadn't even bothered to check out my own room since I had no bags to drop off. Wandering into it, I noted that I had a rather plush king-sized bed which was a huge upgrade from my double back home. Not that I needed much space since I was sleeping alone. The walls were painted in the same creamy white, and sheer curtains hung along my windows. Walking over to them, I pushed one open. The salt of the ocean greeted me and I breathed it in, the rhythm of waves echoed in the room. I loved the idea of the ocean even if I was too scared to go in it. But the sound of the crashing waves was calming, and considering my recent meltdown followed by my screw up with Cassie, I decided to leave the window open in an effort to relax. I picked up one of the pillows, thinking a nap was in order just as I caught sight of the bathroom.

It was irresponsibly fancy. As most of my hotel stays up until this point had been at Holiday Inn, I usually considered a curved shower rod an upgrade. This was in a whole other league. The floor was covered in tiny, glassy-blue tiles that shimmered in the light. But what was most impressive was the deep, two person tub in the center of the room. It looked like a modern claw-foot tub without the claws. And I had it all to myself. I ignored the tiny pang at the thought that I had no one to share my two person jetted tub with. I could always get Cassie to join me in a bubble bath once she had forgiven me.

On the other side of the bathroom there was a large walk-in rain-shower. Also obviously built for two.

It was official. I was in the most romantic place I'd ever stayed in, and I was single. This was going to suck. But I knew what I needed to do.

I'd traveled across the country, made it through customs, been robbed, ran into the teacher I was crushing on, and pissed off my best friend. A shower seemed like a pretty damn good idea.

Tugging off the only clothes I had to my name for the next week, I turned on the shower head and waited for it to turn warm. Catching sight of myself in the mirror, I groaned. I was too skinny. Jillian was always complaining about her C-cups, but staring at my Bs-on-a-good day, I wished for her curves. My blonde hair was a tangled mess from traveling and I didn't even have a comb to brush it out. Cassie’d told me I had sexy, beach hair once, but I would have traded mine for her slick, black hair in a second. I was pale and blonde and thin which was enough for most people to consider me pretty, but I wasn't going to be winning any beauty pageants.

A quick check revealed that the water was somewhere between comfortable and third-degree-burns hot which was exactly how I liked it. I stepped in and let it stream through my hair. The water beaded on my skin and as I unwrapped the complimentary bar of soap, Roman darted into my mind.

It wasn't exactly the first time he'd crossed my mind but I'd never been naked before when he did. And in those other moments, he looked like Roman the graduate instructor with his button-downs and loafers. The Roman currently infiltrating my thoughts wore low-slung jeans and a fitted t-shirt. He didn't have the carefully controlled hair or the briefcase. I bit my lip as I imagined slinging my fingers into the waistband of his jeans and pulling him toward me. Usually Cassie had a better imagination than me, but I had no problem picturing what was inside his pants or under his shirt. I'd seen the outline of his six-pack on the plane today and I didn't doubt the rest of him was similarly ripped and...prominent.

I lathered my body and rinsed it off. What would it be like to be here with him? How it would feel to have him pressed hard against me. The more I thought about it the more intense the pulse grew between my legs until my fingers slipped down and found the spot that was calling for my attention. My fingers rubbed circularly as I imagined Roman's lips on mine and the feel of his chest against my breasts. After what he was wearing today, I knew that he worked out. If he wanted to, he could lift me against the glass door of the shower and press his hot...

"You finding everything you need in there," Cassie said from the doorway.

I jumped, clutching my chest.

"It's called knocking!" I yelled, water trickling down and stinging my eyes.

"You left the door open," she said.

"The shower was running."

"So? I've seen you naked before," she reminded me. I couldn’t quite see her between the water in my eyes and the steam lingering in the room, but I could hear the smug grin in her voice. "When you're done flicking the bean, can we go to dinner? I'm starving."

"I'll be out in a minute," I said through gritted teeth.
At least she’s talking to me again.

Cassie left, laughing, and I fell back against the tile. Embarrassing didn't quite cover that. Mortifying. Humiliating. I'd need a thesaurus before I found the word that best described what had just happened.

A few minutes later, I trudged reluctantly into the living room, wrapped in a fluffy, white towel. Try as I might, I couldn't bring myself to meet Cassie's eyes.

"All clean,
dirty girl
?" she asked me.

"Shut up."

"Are you ready to eat? We need food and booze," she said, "and batteries."

I frowned. "What on earth do we need batteries for?"

"I thought I would loan you my vibrator. It seems like you need it more than I do."

"Omigod," I said, shaking my head. "You're the one who walked in on me. You should be at least as embarrassed as I am."

"And yet, I'm not." Cassie flashed me a wide smile. "Or maybe I should just call Roman to help you out."

My cheeks reddened immediately. Probably since he'd been on my mind when she'd caught me living out my personal fantasy in the shower.

"It's really nothing to be embarrassed about," she said. "Everyone does it."

"Can I borrow something to wear?" I asked, eager to change the subject.