Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Summer

“You’ll be my first.”

Is he saying that because he knows I’ve never…, I switch the topic to something that seems safer. “Do you have siblings, parents, someone special that is going to wonder what the fuck some strange person is doing living with you?”

“Okay, first of all, if I had someone special then you wouldn’t be the first woman who's ever been in my house. The someone special would’ve been. Two, I have no siblings and my parents are dead so…”

“Oh my God, Roan! I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.” Talk about putting your foot in your mouth. I certainly did it.

“It was a long time ago.” He takes his eyes off the road for just a moment to give me a self-deprecating grin.

“That doesn’t mean anything when someone you love is gone. It never gets any easier.”

“You sound like you know what that's like. Did you lose someone you love?”

“No. I’m not even really close to my mom and dad but I can imagine how I would feel if something happened to my little sister. It would destroy me.”

“Little sister? How old is she?”

“Eighteen. We grew up together. I’ve never not had her with me. She’s… the yin to my yang.”

“Sounds like the two of you are quite a pair. Where is she now?”

“At home with my mom and dad. I… told her I had a job opportunity that I wanted to check out and that I would be crashing with Pearl for a few days until I found something out about it.”

“In other words, you lied.”

“Look, the last thing I want is for this weirdo to turn his affections on her, or worse realize how much she means to me and uses her in some fucked up scheme. Not to even mention if she knew she would be putting herself right in between me and him. This is just better for everyone.”

“Except your sister. Have you ever thought about how she is going to feel if she ever finds out?”

Yes, I have, but what kind of sister would I be if I put her in harm's way? I would never forgive myself if something happened to her because of me. I sit lost in my thoughts for a couple of minutes before we pull up to a huge gate. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Roan as he hits a button near his mirror and the gate slowly opens. We start up a long, winding road that has tall trees all down the side of it.

“Where, um, are we?”

His mouth tilts up in a slight smirk before he answers me, “Home.”

We come to the end of the driveway and pull up in front of a huge, detached garage that opens with another push of a button from Roan. The house that rose up to greet me when we first came to the circular end of the driveway was more than impressive, it was gothic in nature.

“Are you, like, Batman or something?”

This elicits a huge laugh that goes straight to his eyes. A woman could get used to making a man like him laugh and stay happy all the time. I can’t help but smile back as his whole face transforms into something sexy and mischievous, it is a look that makes someone want to come out and play with him… whatever game he wants to play.

“I’m one of those crazy people who chose to do my job because I want to make a difference and do something good. My mom and dad passed in a plane crash when I was in my early twenties and away at college. I decided I wanted to take a different track than being a lawyer. The guy who came and told me they passed was really great. He became my training officer when I graduated from the academy. I still think of this place as mostly my mom and dad’s if we’re just being truthful.”

“Wow. That… is a lot better story than Batman's.”

“Not a DC fan?”

“I guess I like some of their stuff but I’m mostly a Mar…,” my phone interrupts my confession. It’s my sister. I send her a quick text telling her I will call her back soon.

The mood in the car has changed though and I am left with a fresh reminder of why I’m really here with Roan. This isn’t him actually bringing me home because we’re a thing. This is his version of some fucked up witness protection program. This isn’t him really wanting me to live in his house with him but a necessity he sees as his responsibility. Besides, who wants to move in with one another after one pseudo-date and a little old threat? That would just be silly.

Right?