The moment felt significant.
Roman waited patiently, his hand outstretched, seemingly offering more than just assistance to climb up on to the rock.
Lana eyed his large hand, turning the significance over in her mind. If she took his hand, she would be taking a chance. If she took his advice, she could learn something about herself. Maybe there was freedom and a lesson to be learned in just…being.
Despite his rejection of her, Roman had only ever been pleasant to her. Nice. Kind…
He had brought her to a beautiful, isolated spot, somewhere she had never been before. Perhaps there was something to be said for seeing the world from a different point of view. If he wanted to learn more from her perspective, then she could try to learn from his too.
What did she have to lose? Her success wouldn't slip away, she had worked too hard for it. Financially, she was as solid as the earth beneath her feet. She had a fantastic job, a good lifestyle, Natasha and Baron.
What would it be like to invite someone else into her life? Roman wasn't offering himself in a romantic capacity, or even as a friend, but he was giving her the opportunity to try out something new. Lana wasn't sure what would come from her taking this chance, but she felt compelled to explore it.
"Then let's go," she announced, reaching out to him, tucking her hand tightly into his, allowing him to pull her up.
The first lesson of the day had revealed itself – trust. At the wedding, he had promised not to let her fall – and he hadn't. He had once again proven that his word meant something. He could be trusted. Even if his rejection hurt her feelings, at least he had been upfront about it. Without a mutual physical attraction lingering between them, a distraction of ever-present tension, she could enjoy his company.
They began to climb in silence, the smooth red rock rising in a determined slope toward the peak. Although the gradient itself wasn't especially challenging, the extreme heat of the midday sun was unforgiving, blazing down on them, causing them both to break out into a sweat.
"Do you do this every day?" She asked, her eyes focused on the rock as they moved upward.
"Not every day," he admitted, running a hand through his hair. "Life gets a little crazy sometimes. If I had my way, I'd be out here every day, but I'll take what I can get for now."
Lana could relate to that sentiment. She would take what she could get from Roman.
Apart from his obvious good looks, he was an interesting man. She had never allowed herself to see it before, refusing to acknowledge any of his appealing qualities. However, the mindset that she had adopted for the day now made those appealing qualities very clear to her. He loved life and was determined to make the most of it, always thinking about his next adventure. While another man would be content to pose and posture at a gym, Roman sought out solitude and nature as a means of temporary escape.
Escapism was a curious thing. He sought it out in the desert, while offering it to hordes of women back on the Strip. She wondered if someone was ever able to give it to him, and what that would entail…
"Deep in thought? Or taken aback by the beauty?" Roman was watching her with a smile, moving over the uneven terrain with an ease and grace that she would never have expected from a man of his size.
"Both," she admitted, returning his smile.
"Penny for your thoughts?"
"Only a penny? I assure you, my thoughts command a much higher price," Lana replied playfully.
"And there she is, the hot-shot businesswoman," he laughed, shaking his head. "How'd you get into the industry, anyway?"
"It's the family business," she shrugged, carefully stepping over a sizeable gap between the rocks. "My family has something of a property empire back home. My parents expanded the vision of our company, gave it more of an international focus, and here I am."
"Do you like it?"
"Of course I do. That's a silly question." It was only when the words had left her mouth that she realised how scornful she sounded. Subtlety had never been her forte, but the rules were different here, Americans needed to sugarcoat things. "I mean- "
"You don't pull any punches," he acknowledged with a chuckle, jokingly rubbing the centre of his chest, as if her words had wounded him. "That's a good thing. Maybe it was a silly question, but it's my experience that a lot of people walk through their lives doing the same old routine every single day, and never once question whether it's what they're truly passionate about. Maybe it's fear that holds them back, uncertainty, self-doubt, or pure laziness. But they stay on the same path, watching as opportunities and happiness pass them by."
Lana halted abruptly, turning to face him as he spoke. He fully believed what he was saying, his tone was earnest and his face marked with a sudden solemnity.
"It gives me a purpose," she said softly. "I need a purpose. And I'm good at my job. Really good. I like that."
"That's a very worthwhile response. I can tell you're great at it."
Lana ducked her head, unsure of how to react to his praise. "And you? Do you like your job?"
"I really do." He stretched his arms above his head, before settling his hands on his hips and gazing out over the deserted horizon. "It's not what I thought I'd end up doing, I kind of fell into it, but it gives me a great standard of living and I get to make people happy. That's a pretty sweet deal."
"So making others happy is important to you?" He looked absolutely perfect in his moment of honest self-reflection. Lana couldn't tear her eyes away from him, drawn in by his looks, but his words were what really maintained her attention.
He glanced down at her, running his tongue back and forth over his bottom lip. "Yeah, it is. It just…feels good, I guess."
They stood in silence for a moment, their words hanging in the air. This day had already been full of surprises. Despite being a far more forward, open personality than herself, Roman still held many secrets that she had yet to tap into. She warmed at the thought of him opening up to her. Maybe it was easier to reveal such things to a stranger. Whatever his reasons for this trip, she was happy that she had showed up. If nothing else, she felt at peace out there in the wild. Leisure time wasn't something that she allowed herself to indulge in very often, if ever. But being there with Roman felt…nice.
"You hungry?" He asked, a mischievous look in his eyes.
Anxiety had killed her appetite and left her functioning on an empty stomach all morning. She nodded and touched her tummy, uncomfortably aware of the gurgling noises that it was now making.
"Good, I packed some eats for us. The views at the top are killer, we can eat there. Race you!"
He bounded away, stealthily leaping over the mountain face, taking the uphill gradient in his stride.
"That's not fair!" She yelled after him, huffing indignantly when she got a shrug of his shoulders in return. Taking a deep breath, she followed him, her competitive nature urging her to run a little recklessly. Despite her efforts, his head start had given him a winning advantage, one that he crowed about triumphantly when she finally reached the top.
Lana crossed her arms and pouted, refusing to join him in his celebration.
"C'monnnn," he cajoled her gently, grinning widely and moving closer. "Give me a smile. I've earned it."
"No," she replied resolutely, her mouth held in a tight line. "You cheated."
"I used the element of surprise to my advantage," he corrected her, amusement written all over his face. "Shouldn't I be rewarded for using my smarts? Isn't that what you do in your job every day, using that brain of yours to gain the upper hand in negotiations?"
Lana opened her mouth to respond, before quickly clamping it shut. He had a good point. She was being a sore loser, because she simply wasn't accustomed to coming out on the wrong side of victory. Roman was being playful, trying to get her to loosen up. Her mind, always thinking, analysing and searching for answers, was still hard at work. The thought of her overthinking the concept of fun, even in this situation, brought a wry smile to her lips.
"There we go, that's a promising start," Roman murmured approvingly.
Lana flashed him a full-on one hundred watt smile in jest, laughing when he covered his eyes for fear of being blinded by it. "You're a dork."
"Yeah, I am," he agreed good-naturedly, getting even closer. "And deep down, I think you are too."
"What?" She scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Russians are refined, dignified human beings. We would never be classified as dorks."
"Maybe I just need to bring out your inner dork," he teased, placing a finger beneath her chin, tilting her face up to his. He searched her eyes, pursing his lips in thought, their mouths separated by only a few inches of thin air. "Yep. There's definitely a dork in there. She's buried deep, but I've never been afraid to go in deep."
Lana's eyes widened, her heart faltering in her chest. Had he really just said that…? Her mind was instantly filled with images of his cock being buried to the hilt inside of her, going impossibly deep as he had promised. Lana had no doubt that he was a man of his word. Judging by his size, he would stretch any woman and leave her feeling satisfied and full.
Aware that she was staring at him with glassed over eyes, she tried to quickly regain her composure and banish all erotic thoughts involving Roman Reigns. He had been talking about getting to know her, encouraging her to lighten up. He had most certainly not been talking about getting inside her and giving it to her good.
He continued to cradle her chin, his grey eyes watching her intently, his own lips parted slightly…
"BADA BING BADA BOOM!"
Lana jumped out of Roman's grasp, startled by the interruption. She glanced around in confusion, trying to find the source.
"Fuck," Roman hissed, pulling his phone from his shorts. "How the fuck do I even have reception up here?"
Lana tucked an arm around herself, rubbing the back of her neck with her other hand. Something had been about to happen, she was sure of it…she just didn't know what exactly. Her cheeks were flushed and she felt a little light-headed. As much as she would like to attribute it the exertion of climbing a mountain, she knew that something resembling electricity had sparked her fantasy into life…almost. The air was thinner on top of a mountain, had Roman been affected by that…?
"What?" Roman's tone was terse as he spoke into the phone, turning away from her.
"Turn on the camera, man," the voice on the other end demanded loudly.
"No, I'm busy, what do you want?"
"Just turn on the camera, c'mon, it's an emergency…"
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Roman sighed and complied, holding the phone away from himself. "What do you want, Enzo? Make it snappy."
"Dude, check out my 'do. Tell me I don't look good. Oh wait, you can't lie."
Roman stared at the screen, stony-faced.
"Gimme the result. Hair is on fleek, am I right or AM I RIGHT?"
"Enzo! Now really isn't a good time…what's this emergency?"
Lana was surprised by the steel in his voice. All of Roman's earlier playfulness was now gone. It puzzled her. He was on an excursion with a woman that he found to be something of an oddity - why was he so upset by the interruption?
"Dolph is tossing his cookies right now, he can't make it tonight. We need you, man."
Roman breathed out a string of obscenities, a deep frown marring his brow. He glanced out into the middle distance in deep concentration before running a hand through his hair and sighing. "Fine. I'll be there. What's my call time?"
"You're a certified G and a bona fide stud!" Enzo assured him. "Tonight's extra special. It's a private party for the mayor's daughter, we need you here by eight."
"I'll be there," Roman said tightly. "Later, 'Zo."
"Hold up, who's the honey there with y-"
Roman stabbed the end button, bringing the conversation to an abrupt halt. His shoulders had crept up toward his ears again, palpable waves of annoyance rolling off of him.
"You don't want to work…?" Lana ventured quietly.
"No, I don't," he agreed, turning to face her. "I'm sorry about that, Lana. And I'm sorry for having to cut our day short. Duty calls."
"That's okay. I understand duty." It had been an ever present expectation since her childhood. Everyone had obligations, and failing to meet them was simply unacceptable.
"It's really not okay…" he murmured. "…but how about you come with me?"
Lana stared at him for a moment. He really needed to be more careful with his words.
"To work. You're doing so good at just being, we don't want you to backtrack on the progress that you've made. What do you think?"
She didn't think she could ever say no to him. It was an unfortunate realisation for her pride.
"You want me to go to work with you…" To return to the scene of past embarrassment.
"Yeah, but only if you're cool with it."
He was giving her an out. She appreciated it. As much as she loathed humiliation, her new attitude might enable her to finally get over the resentment she felt at his rejection. If she could face that place again, then she could finally let go of that negativity.
"Yes, I will come with you."
A/N: Thoughts on where this will go next?
I managed to hurt my back while having Summerslam adventures, so wrote most of this while lying on my back and trying not to let my laptop fall on my face. But at least I managed an update! (Enzo is surprisingly difficult to write!)
I put a lot of effort into my stories and sincerely appreciate those who take the time to leave a few words. Thanks!
