Sparkling – no better word could describe Zara as she slid beneath the covers. Her feet kicked in excitement as she waited for Roman to get out of the shower. Amazing. Tonight was absolutely amazing. The music carried them back to times when it was two best-ies making the most of life. Friends that did everything together and had each other's back. The chasm of their yearlong separation vanished. It was the two of them like it used to be.
Stepping past fear and dumping a decade of shit that they should have tossed a long time ago felt liberating. They still had a long way to go, but this kick-off proved that getting things out in the open immobilized the power of fear and shadows.
Spicy cologne filled the room when the bathroom door slipped open. Zara's pulse shot up as the fragrance tickled her nose. She could bury herself in his neck and smell him forever. The bed dipped under his weight, rolling her over to his side. The brief contact of their hips raised her blood pressure. Roman kissed the back of her neck, and then anchored his arm waist bound, pulling her backward. Zara fit in the curve of him. Tremors slithered down her back. This feels like heaven.
Her eyes drifted shut, but seconds later they flew open. The firm poke against her rear nearly flung her from the bed. She eased forward, only to feel his strong grip pulling her back.
"Roman," she wheezed.
"Please go to sleep, Zara, I'm so tired," he said, gently. She scooted forward again but he pulled her back.
"But..."
"Does it surprise you that you have made me rise?" he chuckled. "Let's go to sleep."
"Would it be better for you if I put the peppermint pajamas back on?"
Hell yes! "No, treasure, you're fine."
Eyes still wide and heart racing out of control, Zara turned to face him, her breasts inches from his chin. "I'll change."
"Stay." With her breast to his face and his eyes locked on her cleavage, he choked out, "If you flip back around and be still, I'll be fine." If you don't – Lord have mercy on me.
Zara's hand flew to her mouth. "Oh – OH, I'm sorry." She placed her arms over her chest and spun around, feeling his tug against her. Shit, shit, shit.
Roman's muffled laugh turned her pomegranate red. His fingers curled through her hair, tucking it behind her ear. "Tried to tell you," he teased, "you're hot."
***
Roman sat in his office disturbed by what happened after Zara went to sleep. It took a while for him to settle down so he grabbed his phone and did a brief check of his work email. The staff provided updates before the office shut down for the blizzard. They followed his directives and prepared for the first mission of the year. Zara's phone was on the charger next to his and just like before this Ethan G. was blowing up the phone.
He knew that Zara had seen the messages and was ignoring them. That bothered him. But things were going so well between them, it was no way he was going to bring this up. As he saw it, he had two options, get his staff to hack Zara's phone and get all the data on this jerk that he needed, or call Ava and ask who Ethan was. But the risk with that was how close Ava and Zara were. He didn't know if Ava could keep her mouth shut if he asked.
Those damn flashes from her cell had kept him up all night. He counted the number of times the man had dinged her before he'd gone to sleep. There were seventeen texts, most of them written in caps. He didn't read them but did observe. Roman dealt with 'bad guys' every day of the week at Gray Enterprises, and he felt this man would easily fit one of their evil profiles.
Zara didn't know anything about Roman's work and how he'd made billions other than he was into computer technology. That's the way that he intended to keep it. His work was risky and at times dangerous. The last thing that he needed was for Zara to worry about him.
That woman was responsible for the success that he'd become. She kept him focused and accountable in school. Zara was the one that wouldn't allow him to quit when things got rough while starting his business. She and Zara were the two people that always believed that he'd be worth a lot of money one day. Because of Ava and Zara, Gray Enterprises went from nothing but a dream, becoming an international success. He glanced at the wall, seeing the money clip that Zara had given him. He smiled thinking about the day that he got the gift that was now framed on his wall...
***
Roman pulled up around 4:30, stepped out of the car with an amazing grin on his face because the car was brand new. With a flourish, he pointed to his parent's gift of a VW bug to replace the lemon that he'd been driving. Waiting for her infectious smile, he didn't notice the redness in her eyes until he got closer.
"What's the matter, treasure?"
Zara sniffled. "Nothing, I'm sorry. So they finally did it, bought the car that they promised. It's beautiful," she said, gazing at the metallic habanero-orange vehicle. Zara slipped her hand in her jean pocket and pulled out a small box. "Happy Birthday."
Roman placed his hands on her shoulders. "Are you sure that you're okay?"
"How can I not be okay? I've been waiting for your birthday for weeks. Now here." With all the strength in her crumbling heart, she mustered a smile. "You're going to love this gift."
Roman stepped back, peeling the paper from the box. He opened it and burst out laughing. "Damn, you're good."
"Wrap your first million in it," she said running her finger across the smooth silver money clip. The engraving on the clip read - 'Zara's Wish.' She'd stuffed fifty dollars in it. "You always said you're going into business and will make a lot of money one day. Well, here you go."
Roman leaned down pressing his lips to her forehead like he'd done a gazillion times. "You're so special."
I feel like shit. "I'm glad somebody thinks so."
"Why do you think that I've always called you treasure?"
Zara bowed her head and said nothing.
Roman tussled her hair, dragging her to the car. "Come on pout face, grab your overnight bag. Ava is going to kill us if we don't get there. Let's go to my party and make you forget that stick in your ass."
***
When they arrived at the party that night she and Ava had made a cake that looked like a thousand dollar bill. That was such a sweet memory. They had all turned out well and had been good friends since high school. Zara started her company Socially Soaring. Ava owned an accounting firm and had three clients that made her a wealthy woman. She did auditing for three major banks that had branches across the United States. He started his national security firm.
Trevor, Ava's boyfriend, worked in the military as a navy seal. When he left the forces he became a medical missionary but was often called in for special ops. Trevor stayed involved with several of Roman's operations.
Even though they lived in different states, Roman's jet swept distance away. It was nothing for him to fly them down for holidays or vacations they'd take together. Other times it wasn't just for special moments. They might all decide to eat pizza on a Friday night in Italy. Or meet up to see the first night of a particular movie. On the spur of the moment, they would go.
Hacking Zara's phone would be the most efficient way to get exactly what he needed without disrupting their time of restoration. Yet, at the same time, he felt like a heel at the thought of invading her privacy. Banging his fist on the desk, he picked up the phone and called Ava. She answered on the second ring.
"Sup, buddy boy."
"Hi, Ava, how's the baby?"
Ava had a six-month-old daughter that she hadn't gotten the courage to tell Trevor about. He worked in the medical missionary field in dangerous places or war zones. He was currently in Afghanistan. Ava felt that if she told him that she was pregnant, it could present a distraction that could cost his life.
"She's fine, and why do I have the pleasure of speaking with you at seven in the morning? It must be something about Zara. She told me about your little, convenient shut-in," she teased.
Roman buried his face in his hands, no telling what Zara had told Ava. He wasn't going to ask. "Yes, we're snowed in for a bit."
"I love it. Hope you two basket cases can figure things out this time."
"Working on it."
"Good. Now, what's up?"
"Who is Ethan G.?"