Beach Party.
"Wow! This place is really jumping," Paige exclaimed, looking around at the dozens of people.
"Yeah," came a voice beside her.
"I didn't realize this many people could fit in here."
Roman looked down at her, smiling. "It's a big house, Paige."
She looked up at Roman as some of his co-workers pushed past them, the smell of beer swirling around them.
"You making fun of me?" Paige responded, amusement in her voice.
Roman raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. "Who, me?"
Paige just smiled at him and walked past him to the patio overlooking the beach, Roman tailing her. Despite the warm California night, most of the party-goers remained inside Roman's huge air conditioned beach house. Paige stood, hands on the patio banister, looking out into the dark night, the moon offering just enough light to give the ocean a lusty glow.
Saying nothing, Roman walked up behind Paige, hands gently rubbing her shoulders. Paige involuntarily tensed but said nothing as Roman moved away from her. After a pause, he jumped over the banister down to the sandy beach. She watched as he pulled off his sandals, arms spread wide for a few moments as he leaned his head back, eyes closed, taking in the night air. Paige smiled as she walked down the few stairs to join him.
"Thought you might bolt," he said.
She glanced at him as she adjusted her sleeveless cotton dress, smoothing it down to where it ended at mid-thigh. "You kidding me?" she smiled as she kicked off her sandals.
Roman watched through half-slitted eyes as Paige walked down to the ocean, the waves rolling gently. She waded in the water, kicking at the rolling waves playfully. That was one of the things he loved about her–her playfulness, her eccentricities, everything. He leaned against one of the patio poles, arms folded across his chest, perfectly content to watch her.
And as every moment flowed into the next, he wanted more and more. Sometimes it was all he could do to keep himself in check, like a few minutes earlier when he rubbed her shoulders. He just wanted to pull her into his arms, to hold her, to kiss her, to make love to her. At least their friendship hadn't become awkward.
Roman really didn't know when his feelings for her had plunged headlong into love, but it happened. God how he loved her. But he didn't know if she was interested or looking for anything. She was still a little lost, trying to carve out a life that had forsaken her. She had been in an abusive marriage, barely getting out alive. Roman always felt a chill go down his spine when he thought about that. Paige didn't know that he knew about it. He had inadvertently overheard her and Seth talking about it one day a few weeks ago. And he didn't dare say he knew. If she wanted him to know, she'd tell him herself.
When Roman pulled himself from his thoughts, he saw that Paige had stretched out on the wet sand, the waves flowing up as far as her belly, drenching her. She had propped herself up on her elbows and her head hung back, her auburn hair flowing free. He walked out and copied her position, still watching her, but being discreet about it, looking out into the night when she opened her eyes. And they just lay there for endless minutes, alternating between propping themselves up on their elbows and lying flat on the sand.
They lapsed into silence, with Roman desperately thinking of how to open up the lines of conversation again. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, he heard her voice.
"I'm glad Seth talked me into coming here tonight."
Roman turned his head, looking at her intently. "Yeah?"
Paige pulled her eyes from Roman's, opting to stare out at the blackness surrounding them. She nodded. "Yeah. I mean... –oh... I don't know if Seth told you, but I'm struggling."
"Struggling?" he asked, knowing what she was going to say.
"I was married once, for a few years," she said, looking at him briefly as he nodded. "It was bad. He... uh, he, well, he used to beat me."
She paused and looked at Roman. She needed to see his eyes. He would probably be disgusted but as she looked at him, all she saw was compassion and she felt her heart swell with... relief, she guessed. She sat up, pushing her hair out of her eyes before looking back at Roman, who hadn't moved except for his eyes.
"You're not disgusted?"
"Why would I be?" he responded softly. "You didn't do anything wrong. It's not like you asked for it. It's like a rape victim-the victim doesn't deserve to be raped."
Paige turned away after saying, "He did that too."
Roman felt like someone had ripped his heart out. He slowly sat up, eyes darting around, trying to stop himself from feeling like he was falling into a bottomless pit.
"The bastard," he whispered, more to himself than her. Roman felt anger boiling in the pit of his stomach like a newly active volcano. His mind was racing and his anger caused him to growl a little under his breath.
Paige looked at him, surprised-and a little frightened-of his anger. "Why are you so mad?"
"Why? Geez, you should be too. I just... how can you not be angry?"
Paige pulled her legs up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them, laying her head on her knees. "I'm angry plenty. I've been in therapy ever since, but the anger will never get to the person who deserves it."
Roman looked at her quizzically.
"He's dead. It was my life or his. I had to... well, the police classified it was self-defense. But I had to forgive him, in order to move on."
Roman thought about her words, nodding slightly, "You were put through hell and you can forgive him? That's... that's... wow."
Paige continued to look out into the dark night. "Life's too short to be angry all the time."
Roman didn't answer and they lapsed into silence again as they looked out into the night. He wanted to say something but it wouldn't be welcomed. She was still dealing with so much; he wasn't about to add to it. He looked over as she lay back again while making sure her dress didn't ride too high. He frowned when he noticed a two-inch line of faded red on the outer part of her right thigh. He looked at her.
"He had a thing for whipping me," was all she said.
Roman felt his anger rising again.
"Would you stop it?" she said with a touch of annoyance.
"What?"
She rose up again. "Why are you getting mad over something that happened to me? It's not like we're dating or in a relationship or anything."
Roman ran a hand through his hair nervously. "I didn't mean to... I care about you. I hate that you had to go through that."
He avoided her eyes. She probably thought he was out of his mind, but he forced himself to look at her and he was surprised at the vulnerability he said. And he decided to take the plunge.
"And forgive me if I'm out of line but... I wish we were in a relationship. I love you Paige. I'm in love with you."
Paige didn't look up, instead running the palms of her hands over her knees and lower legs as if she hadn't heard a thing.
"Paige?"
Roman saw her close her eyes briefly and he cursed himself for having gone over the line. They had a great friendship which he felt he just ruined. When he reached out to her, she pulled back as if she had gotten an electric shock. Before he could react or say anything else, Paige stood and ran back to the house some thirty feet away. Roman felt his heart drop when she stopped to pick up her sandals, not even looking back. He watched as she disappeared inside the house, exiting a minute or so later and driving off.
Instead of going back into the house, he lay back on the wet sand that clung annoyingly to his skin. He stared straight up at the stars, focusing on the nothing and the everything he saw, cursing himself, his mind racing to capture a reason to explain to Paige why he had said what he said. Stupid. That's the explanation. Sheer and utter stupidity. His heart had taken over his brain and it had gotten him into trouble *again*.
The seconds crept into minutes which crept into hours and finally, his concentration on the stars waned and he felt his eyelids close, not noticing that he was still being blanketed by the silent waves.
Roman awoke abruptly as the sun's rays peaked out from below the horizon. He sat up, looking around as if he had been wretched from a dream. A bad dream. Reluctantly he pulled himself to his feet, water dripping, feet kicking the sand as if it took too much energy to move. Not far from it, he thought, his mind still muddled with fatigue.
Once back in the house, Roman ignored the mess left by the party-goers, heading straight to the bathroom, stripping off his soiled clothes, leaving a gravel trail behind him. Stepping into the shower, he turned on the water as hot as he could stand it, trying desperately to wash away the grainy feeling of his body and even more tainted mind as he remembered the conversation with Paige. Or more to the point, Paige running off after his confession fell out of his mouth.
It wasn't like he could take it back. Or blame his loose lips on alcohol or some drug. Perhaps it was her confessions of her struggles. She had been so open with him, so he had felt the need to reciprocate. God, who was he kidding. She might never speak to him again. It'd be his own damn fault. He couldn't blame her for that.
Roman sighed heavily and grabbed the shampoo bottle, squeezing some out, vigorously washing his hair, his fingertips pressing so hard into his scalp that his head started to throb incessantly. As he rinsed the shampoo out, he felt the water lose its heat so he quickly washed the rest of himself before turning off the water, stepping out of the shower and grabbing a fluffy blue towel. He stared at the mirror, then wiped the steam from it with another towel, glaring at himself in the mirror, angry beyond words with himself. He towel-dried his hair and brushed it out, before tossing the towel into the hamper and exiting the bathroom. He wandered into the living room, sighing at the mess left by his friends. He was not in the mood for this. He just wanted to bury himself in a bottle of scotch and not wake up until Christmas. Maybe Paige could forgive him by then.
He sighed again and headed towards his bedroom. When he walked in, he nearly fell over in shock when he saw Paige on the bed fast asleep. Numb, he quickly pulled on a pair of sweatpants before sitting on the side of the bed, watching her sleep. What in the name of God was she doing here? She ran off without saying a word and here she was, asleep in his bed. Had he walked into a parallel universe? Or having a really vivid dream? He hoped it was a reality as he moved a tress of hair from her face. He almost jumped back as a low moaned escaped her throat.
"Mmm..."
Roman just watched her, memorizing the planes and contours of her face, taking in her delicate features–the rosiness of her cheeks, the way her eyes seemed to move under the lids, the fullness of her lips. He felt a jolt as her tongue flicked out, moistening her lips, before she shifted, falling onto her back.
Roman pulled himself onto the bed more, reclining on his left side, propping himself up by the headboard. He smiled, noticing that she was wearing one of his t-shirts. Then the smile disappeared and his cock stirred when Paige's arms stretched above her head, making the material tighten over her breasts, causing her nipples harden beneath the cloth. He froze a moment later when she moaned again.
"Mmm Roman..."
Roman looked at her in confusion and a little shock. He shifted a little as Paige rolled back onto her side, facing him. He got an idea of what she was dreaming about when her hands slid up to caress her breasts, all the while still muttering his name.
"Don't stop..."
Roman's eyes widened even more. She was dreaming about him? About him touching her? There was a chance and he could hardly contain himself. He boldly neared her, his lips touching hers for the briefest of moments, but as he went to move back, Paige unconsciously slid her hand into his hair, pulling him closer, deeper into the kiss before letting go. A moment later, she opened her eyes.
"Roman," she said softly.
"Paige," he said just as softly. He pulled back, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that."
She looked a little sad as she sat up, back against the headboard. Roman didn't notice.
"Don't apologize," she replied.
"I thought I ruined our friendship." She didn't answer, looking away when he looked at her. "Did I?" He sighed as she still didn't answer, her eyes planted firmly on the wall in front of her. "It's okay if you don't feel the same way about me. I mean, it's not like I've been wearing my heart on my sleeve but–"
"Roman–" Paige tried to break in, looking back at him.
"–But," he continued, "as long as we're still friends–"
"Roman," Paige said more firmly.
He stopped talking, sitting up, unsupported, as he looked back at her. "What?"
Paige smiled in a way he had never seen, then his cock immediately hardened as Paige stood briefly, pulled off her panties, then climbed onto the bed, kneeling in front of him. His erection was almost painful as she took his hand and guided it under the edge of the t-shirt and into her wet pussy, his second and third fingers easily sliding into her. He looked at Paige somewhere between shock and jubilation.
"Does that feel like I don't want you?" she asked lowly as she rolled her hips, balancing herself by laying her hands on his shoulders.
"Paige..."
She raised a finger to his lips, "No talking." Then she leaned in closer to him, capturing his lips in a kiss, their tongues colliding fervently, Paige's arms going around Roman's neck as he moved his fingers in and out of her, adding another finger at her urging. He pushed his fingers deeper and deeper while his thumb manipulated her throbbing clit, drawing animalistic moans out of her.
Roman moaned as he rose up to his knees, his other hand working to get the t-shirt out of the way. Paige slapped his hand away and pulled the garment up over her head to the floor, Roman's mouth going for her breasts, his tongue flicking out around one distended nipple then the other as his fingers worked faster, Paige's hips moving, desperately needing to come.
"Rome, please... faster... I'm gonna..."
Roman left Paige gasping as he pulled his hand out of her, pushing her back on the bed. He pulled off his sweats in record time, before leaning down and plunging his cock into her slick pussy, her juices engulfing him. He immediately began thrusting into her furiously, knowing it wasn't going to take a lot for either of them. He was thrusting so hard that they were forced across the bed until Paige stopped him. Roman withdrew completely before turning her around and sliding into her from behind. Paige let out a guttural growl as Roman began to pound into her, as his fingers slide into her pussy, the fingers of one hand drawing invisible circles around her clit while the other alternated between fondling her tit and grabbing her hip for leverage. They gasped and moaned together as they came simultaneously moments later, and they rode out the waves of pleasure together, continuing to move to draw out their orgasms as long as they could.
Afterwards, Paige didn't move, opting to keep Roman inside of her until finally, Roman turned and flopped on the bed, drawing Paige onto his chest. She slid down, her face scant millimeters from him. "I love you," she said softly.
Roman's heart swelled with emotion, as she said the words he had longed to hear. "I love you too."