Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

EMERSYN

R ome and I didn’t leave the bed until nearly noon and only after we ordered room service. Then he sent me to shower while he waited for the food. I half-wished he’d come with me and at the same time, the break was probably something we both needed. My earlier muscle soreness seemed to all be located in my cunt now.

Once beneath the hot spray, I closed my eyes and just let the water beat relief into my muscles. Funnily enough, I felt so much better and it had nothing to do with stretching. Or maybe it did, Rome had certainly gotten creative. All traces of my earlier aggravation were absent.

Instead of hurrying through the shower, I languished and washed my hair before soaping down the rest of me. If we were taking the whole day, we were in no hurry. It was only the second time in a few weeks that I didn’t have to be somewhere on a prompt schedule.

The last time had been with Liam. A smile curved my lips and that had been what? The week before? Or was it the week before that? Rinsing off, I sighed. Time began to bleed together on the road. I was so glad I had Vaughn, Rome, and Freddie with me.

At the same time, I missed Mickey, Kellan, Jasper, and Liam. They had other demands on their time. I didn’t have to do this tour, and at the same time, I really wanted to do it. I wanted to reclaim my love for the stage.

It had been love that drew me to dance, and the desperate desire to escape that kept me on the road. It was the very best and worst in equal measures. On the road, I was far away from friends even as I made other friends amongst the performers. I was also stuck with my horrible chaperone, but she preferred to ignore me and I was okay with that.

This tour was entirely different. I wasn’t running away from anyone. I brought my home with me on the road and returned home as often as possible. I didn’t join another troupe, I built one. Liam vetted the performers with background checks and security sweeps, Rome and I both watched their performances and vetted their personalities.

Rome had an excellent head for casting. He could also identify a problematic personality in a single glance. We’d built a good crew and I really liked them. They’d come with us to Europe without a single hesitation and they’d been in that line of fire just like me. Instead of quitting or telling us to get fucked after everything went down in Prague, they brought their enthusiasm and loyalty to the stage and just asked what was next.

Shutting off the water, I pushed open the door to find Rome waiting for me with a huge bath sheet. His hair was also damp and his face freshly shaved. “Took a shower without me, I see.” I stepped right up to him and let him wrap the towel around me.

“Yes,” he said. “Food is here. We have plans. If I showered with you… we’d be late.”

He wasn’t wrong. We had plans, apparently. “Do I need to wear anything special?”

“Comfortable.” Then he brushed a kiss to my forehead before he headed back out.

Comfortable could be a lot of things. I squeezed the excess water out of my hair then added some leave-in conditioner, brushed it through and left it to air dry for a bit. I’d braid it before we went out. Fifteen minutes later, I walked out of the bedroom into the sitting room of our suite.

The smell of burgers and fries hit me like a sledgehammer. My stomach let out a gurgle that turned into a lusty growl. Rome glanced at me as I padded barefoot out of the bedroom. The food was set up on the table near the sofas. The suite was lovely. There was a proper sitting room and a dining table. We’d actually used that a couple of times when it was all four of us.

“You didn’t have to wait for me,” I told him as I settled on the sofa. Rome followed with a pair of cold water bottles from the fridge.

“I wanted to,” he said before handing me one of the bottles. He didn’t automatically open it for me and I appreciated that. I didn’t mind when the others did it. It was so natural for them to. But I’d said something once about being able to open my own bottles and Rome never presumed. If I asked, he would.

I leaned over to press a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you.”

He pulled the silver dome off one of the plates. “You’re welcome.”

There was a huge burger under there. Two giant patties, cheese, tomatoes, onions… My mouth was watering before he even passed me the plate. The french fries were crispy, and still on the hot side of warm. We didn’t say much, or at least I didn’t, as I devoured my burger. The fact I was ravenous probably had more to do with not eating since dinner the night before and that had been a little early.

Sometimes when I was overtired, or exhausted like I had been the night before, I didn’t eat much. Unlike in the past, however, I wasn’t on such a restrictive diet. While I might get by with skipping a meal if I was genuinely not interested, they always made sure I ate the next day.

I caught a glimmer of Rome’s smile as I took another huge bite of the burger. It left some grease dribbling down my chin. He held out a cloth napkin before I could even ask. Then I was covering my own smile and wiping up my mess with a laugh. Then with a wink, I took another bite.

It was almost one by the time we finished our lunch. We really had slept in late. Well, maybe not that late. We’d definitely been in bed late. I cleaned up the plates and put them back on the rolling cart while Rome grabbed our phones from the bedroom. He also came out with a pair of my sandals. Most of the time, I was either in boots or sneakers.

Sandals sounded nice. I tucked my feet into them and grimaced at my toes. “I need to get a pedicure before the show opens.” Most of the time, people didn’t see my feet. They were often bruised from the work. But the current polish was chipped on three of my toes and utterly missing on the others. “Or do it myself.”

“We can go today if you want,” Rome offered and I grinned at him.

“Nope, you wanted to do something else and we still have a couple more days before the show opens.” I double checked the messages on my phone. The family chat with all the Vandals had a few messages, including one from Rome telling them I was asleep. I sent them a good morning or afternoon, depending on their time zone.

Then let Vaughn and Freddie know Rome and I were heading out. My phone shared its location with them at all times and I had a tracker. Oh, I glanced down at myself. “One sec, I need to get a different purse.” ‘Cause I couldn’t wear a holster in this outfit.

The cross body sling bag was perfect. My gun fit right in it and the holster secured. All I had to do was slide down the zipper to get it out. My phone went in the front pocket with my hotel room key. My wallet was in the middle pocket. I wore it across my chest so no one could lift anything from it.

Ready, I grinned at Rome.

He watched me with the most adorable expression, then tilted his head as I braided my hair without looking away from him. It was still damp, but it would dry and if it was braided back, it would be out of the way.

Before he could say anything, his phone buzzed and he glanced down at it. He typed in one word, hit send then turned the screen off before he pocketed it. The guys knew where I was and they could find me.

When he held out his hand to me, I clasped it and let him lead the way. The Florida sun blazed down at us as we exited the front of the hotel. The humid air left sweat dotting my brow, but the breeze chased it away. We were staying at a hotel not far from the beach. Where Braxton Harbor had chilly water lapping at its shores, the Atlantic was much warmer down here.

I wasn’t sure if we’d grab a rental car or get an Uber, but instead Rome led the way down the path. The area was popular with the tourists and there was a whole string of hotels along the beach. A mall wasn’t much farther away, and there was plenty to see and do.

For a brief moment, I wished we were home and he had his backpack loaded with spray paint and we were on our way to do a project. It would be colder there and the wind would have more bite, but even the gray and chill days, I loved the city. For now, I just soaked up the area around us. There were plenty of other pedestrians. Music blared from passing cars. A wide variety of bars and eateries boasting indoor and outdoor seating cropped up as we passed.

It was just a colorful swath of humanity, populated with a wild array of culture, music, and art. I slowed when I spotted a mural and Rome halted so I could look at it. He didn’t seem that interested but I kind of had to know…

“What do you think of it?” It had the look of the water itself, the waves rolling in and there was sand and seashells visible. Even the sun rising in the distance had been added to the painting. It was—almost too serene.

Rome turned to the painting. “The water is off. It’s low tide—because you can see the sandbars, but the waves look like high tide.”

Oh.

I studied the image and it seemed to rob it of some of the serenity. When he gave a light tug, though, I forgot about the mural and moved with him. He paused at a street vendor and bought me a floppy hat. The sunglasses helped to shield my eyes, but the hat would protect my face.

The longer we walked, the happier I was that I’d gone with shorts and a light shirt over a tank top. Rome was in cargo shorts and a t-shirt. With his sunglasses, and easy stride, he blended right in with the locals. I didn’t worry about where he had a weapon hidden.

Rome was always resourceful. The longer we walked, the more tension melted away. The soreness in my muscles was still there, but it wasn’t the primary thing on my mind. My steps were looser and I spent as much time watching some of the street performers as I did the various musicians, artists, and vendors along the way.

At one kiosk, I found a seashell necklace on a leather strap. Rome paid for it then tied it around my neck for me. It wasn’t a choker, but it also didn’t dangle. When I picked out one for him, he studied it for a moment then said yes. So I paid for it and he shifted lower so I could tie it around his neck. His shell was longer, more of an oval where mine was a fanned out pattern.

It looked elegant on him.

“Do you like it?”

He touched it with two fingers then gave me a light kiss. “Yes.”

Clasping hands again, we continued toward a boardwalk area that kind of reminded me of Southern California and the pier in Santa Monica. Kinda. But Rome diverted toward a different hotel. When I frowned, he just gave me a little tug.

“Trust me.”

Of course, I trusted him. He led the way through the sliding doors and we crossed the Arabesque Spanish Mission red-tiled lobby and along a long passageway that opened out onto a huge swimming pool. It was more like a lagoon than a pool. The size of it really did give it a lagoon feeling. Actual music came from the speakers and there were plenty of pool chairs and tables.

Most of them were empty. I’d have expected it to be much busier here, but only a few people were moving around the pool area and they seemed like staff. Rome headed toward a side of the lagoon-like pool where a man in a polo shirt and white shorts waited for us.

And yes, he was absolutely waiting for us.

“Mr. Cleary?”

“Yes,” Rome said and he handed him a card.

The man flashed us a grin, then he motioned to the water. “We’re set up to trial here if you’re ready.”

Trial what?

“Once you’re comfortable, we can head over to the bay.”

“Thank you.” Rome squeezed my hand once, then he moved toward the board that was sitting next to the water. He stepped into boots and clipped them on. He glanced at me. “Watch?”

“Always,” I promised.

“Just take a couple of steps back, miss.” The man in the white shorts circled around Rome to a piece of equipment and he got it started. I retreated a couple of feet and water began to jet out of the?—

Oh.

It was a flyboard. I’d seen a video of this and Rome went from being right there on the ground to rising. The steady stream of water gave him lift and there was a hose attached to the flyboard but he moved out over the water. Then twisted and turned and…

He was dancing on the water and I pressed my hands together against my mouth as I watched him do a couple of flips. Had he been practicing this while I’d been training? There was a flush to his cheeks and a hint of a smirk on his lips as he lowered slowly toward the edge. Even expecting it, my heart did a little fist bump to my ribs when he held out his hand to me.

Without an ounce of hesitation, I moved over to step onto the plate that was between his feet and then I tilted my head up to look at him. I could see my own wild grin reflected in his sunglasses. He wrapped an arm around my waist, took my right hand in his as I put my left hand on his shoulder.

Belatedly, I realized the music changed and then we were rising and weaving in the air. A whole new kind of dancing as we flew.