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“Objectively, hell yes. Are you going to tell me you don’t? I mean, those eyes, Pipe. Come on! That man makes you wet just looking at someone else!”
Laughing, my eyes fell on Roman again, who was still standing at the bottom of the bleachers with his friends. He looked up at me expectantly as though my express purpose for looking at him had been to exchange a ‘hello’. But, I couldn’t look at him for long. I never could. There was something in his eyes when he looked at me. I didn’t know what it was and I didn’t have to be close enough to see it to know it was there, but it sent a shiver up my spine and made me antsy. It had been there before he moved house and it had only intensified since.
“No,” I said, my laugh dying a little as I wriggled on the cold seat. “You’ve been reading too many trashy romance novelsagain. The only effect he has on me is repulsion. Thatboyis heinous. It’s like he’s the guy version of you, but justsomuch worse!”
Hadley snorted. “Wow, thanks. Stellar compliment.” She smacked my leg again. “Finger out of mouth.” I did as I was told. “I swear I can see Roman’s boner from here.”
I choked on an inconveniently placed glob of spit. “Stop already!” I spluttered. “Roman doesn’t want me. He just likes the rumours that he sneaks into my house at night for wild sex.”
“If only you weren’t a virgin,” she huffed. “Trust you to live in one of the two houses in the boondocks with Roman Lombardi…” She sighed.
“Firstly,” I pointed at her, “I don’t livewithhim. Secondly, it’s hardly my fault his family moved into the house near mine.”
“Next to yours. Next. To. Yours. And, you can be sure – if it was me – I’d be banging that on the regular.”
“You’d get sick of no strings at some point, Hads. You talk a good game, but you’ll want commitment one day and we all know Roman isn’t that guy. He’s not your John Cusack.”
Hadley slid me a look. “Oh, but Masonisyour John Cusack!” she cooed.
Now, I smacked her. “Shut up. Mason’s very nice, but there’s nothing there.”
“Piper, he’s all over you. Just give him some time to work up the courage, why not?”
“Boys like Mason don’t need courage. They’ve got girls just begging to go out with them.”
“No, men like Roman and Tucker don’t need courage. Men like Mason are nice and genuine and sweet and don’t want their hearts stomped all over.”
“You keep insisting on calling them men. They’re not men.”
“If you tell me you’re waiting for a real man, honey, I feel it’s my duty as your best friend to tell you that not all of us have a John Cusack waiting for us. Some of us might need to settle for the Mason Carters of the world.”
I smiled. “Like that would be such a hardship.”
“See, youlikehim!” Hadley nudged me with her shoulder.
I laughed, very aware of keeping my finger out of my mouth. “He’s fine, I guess.”
“He’s fine?” She pointed at him on the field below us. “He’s nearly six-foot of lean muscle, who can’t take his eyes off you. And, I’ll bet he fucks like a pro. Not as good as Roman, I’ll wager… But, beggars can’t be choosers, I suppose,” she sighed sarcastically and I ignored what I knew was little more than vulgar bluster.
But, ugh, why did my eyes slide back to Roman again?
He was busy pulling tricks on his board like a complete idiot. Mason may have been pure, lean muscle from years of sports training, but Roman’s body was no less amazing. Objectively speaking, of course. He had a mastery over his body and the way he did those stupid tricks–
No!
What the hell was wrong with me?
“Okay. Purely objectively, Roman is…beautiful,” I muttered, annoyed with myself.
Hadley laughed out loud and Roman turned to us, which made me quickly look back to Mason.
“Admitting it doesn’t make you anything less than a woman with eyes, Piper. Don’t be ashamed because you’ve got eyes. Go on, say it a little louder. You might like it.”
I smiled and felt my cheeks flush again. “No. Thanks. You have at it.”
She cleared her throat, smoothed her hair and stood up. I grabbed at her school skirt, but she resisted my pull. “Roman Lombardi is beautiful!” she yelled, her arms spreading wide. Then, she blew him a kiss!
I saw Roman was looking up at us with that intense stare just before I buried my face in my lap to hide my incredible embarrassment for the girl I loved so dearly. She laughed loudly as I felt her fall back down next to me and we dissolved into giggles. Between the ensuing mayhem, I saw Roman kept a watchful eye on us and Mason likewise didn’t stop swinging glances my way.
