Mia turned the knob further and further. The water nearly scalded her skin. Remaining she hoped to burn away every inch of skin that Randy had caressed. Not that he was detestable. The man was attractive. And it was wrong – so wrong for her to think of him like that. She hadn't before. Amnesia caused by too many mud slides should have brought gratitude. Instead, she wished she recalled what the night before had been like.
She had arrived on Roman's arm, wearing the slinky red dress that always caught his attention. The material softly laid on her curves, amplifying what he thought was her best features. Too revealing in her opinion and a far cry from her usual conservative style, but anything to tempt the object of her affection.
What had happened to Randy's newest fling, she wondered. The thin brunette had been bound to him by invisible chains. He had seemed irritated by it, yet allowed it. Too kindhearted to inflict pain. That was Randy. Which made the mistake even more confusing. It wasn't the first time her friend had drunk beyond his limit. And although occasional, it wasn't her first either. How many times had Roman exited, leaving the two completely alone? More times then she could count. In fact, they usually did end the nights on the sofa, talking. No surprise, Roman never eased his cool, tough guy exterior, no matter how drunk he got. He would remain a calm, silent statue, watching as she and Randy made fools of themselves. Then, growing weary of watching their childish antics, he would escape to slumber, knowing she would follow soon enough and allow him to ravage her body to his heart's content.
Randy paced the room, unable to sit still. The night's events still a blur he imagined the worst and cringed when he thought about what he and Mia would encounter when they exited that door. Roman was possessive over Mia even if he wasn't overly doting, keeping a large arm draped around what was his at all times. He trusted Randy more than any other person in the world. Trusted him to look out for his girl in his absence. And look what he had done with that trust. He went to the sink in the small kitchenette and splashed his face with cold water and inhaled sharp, biting breaths. Snatching a plastic cup, he downed cup after cup of the cool liquid to quench his thirst, then popped a couple ibuprofen's to cure his headache.
Mia was still quarantined when the rumbling in his head seized, but the memory of her in his arms had returned. Those succulent lips that he had kissed brought a smile. The feel of her hot flesh again caused his loins to throb. Despite the problem at hand, he yearned to feel her heat again, to merge the sweat of their passion just once more. It had been beautiful, yet plagued by a guilt that somehow fueled their lust to the breaking point. He closed his eyes, remembering how her body arched into his, her soft moans and the sound of his name rolling of that sweet tasting tongue. Not Roman's but his.
Still, now did they end up wearing a pair of gold bands on their fingers and how did a marriage license bearing both of their signatures end up on the nightstand – underneath a plastic case. A plastic compact disc case! He jumped up and located the item, snapped it form it's protection and jammed it into the room's player.
Lots of pictures. Them hanging all over each other and judging by the weight of his wallet, they had purchased a pretty pricy package at this "Love Chapel" He clicked on one after the other. Shared kisses, broad lips turned up in elate joy. Flowers in her hand, draped over his shoulder, hugging his neck from behind, pecking his cheek. It appeared so real. All a lie. A torture, bringing his most intimate hidden desires to life. Then a video. He watched it, memorized. Hand in hand, staring into each others eyes, they shared vows with confidence. What could they had talked about that night? What words could have provoked their spur of the moment decision?
Mia wrapped herself in a soft, hotel robe and joined her friend. Her skin was blotchy from the water and her eyes puffy from the tears she had cried. Randy sat with the tips of his forefingers to his chin and a remote in his hand. Faint laughter drifted to her ears and she slowly took a seat beside him, watching the video on the screen. The scene appeared so genuine, but the groom was wrong. Not the man she loved. Well, she couldn't say she didn't love Randy, she did – in a different way.
The door opened. She jumped slightly.
"Hey." Roman entered with his own key. They had bought one room for the night and she was thankful he hadn't returned to find Randy sleeping beside her in the bed instead of on the sofa as planned, but wait – where had he been? Why hadn't he shared the bed with her?
He crossed the room and pecked her cheek just as Randy snapped off the TV and snatched the disc from the player, jamming it into his bag before Roman noticed. "I'm sorry." he stated in that low deep baritone. "I hoped to get back sooner."
Get back from where?
"There's no such thing as a vacation I guess. I wish I knew that when I took this promotion."
Work. Work had called him and he apparently had to rush back to deal with some new crisis. Sometimes she hated the job he had been given only a few short months before. Of course, he had been the obvious choice to lead the security team, but it took more of his time when there
was already little set aside for her before. Still, the sight of him brought an instant smile to her lips. She loved to see him grace the room with that half smile. So many mysteries locked beneath that tanned exterior that she desperately wanted to figure out.
"I guess you and Randy had a good time without me." his lips turned up in that sideways smirk, the only sign that he was kidding.
"Oh yea." She and Randy exchanged a glance that said it all. "Hey, man. Why don't you take a quick shower, then we can get some breakfast. I'm starving."
"I ate on the plane, but a shower sounds great." Oh, that barely audible, sultry tone of his drove her wild. Rendering her catatonic when she wanted to be furious. When would he want to spend those little moments with her? He never seemed to wait on anything just so he would have her company. "You two go ahead without me."
That was how this whole mess started! She wanted to scream at him. Tell him what had happened because of how much he left her sitting with Randy. What she knew she had done because she was lonely. Roman stared at her a moment, crossed the room, cupped her cheeks in his hands and bent low to deliver that kiss. That heart stopping, paralyzing set of soft lips that knew how to keep her anger at bay. He was forgiven. And he gave her a wink and a half smile before he grabbed his bag and headed to the shower.
