“Yeah, whatever,” Roni murmurs.
I stand watching her for a moment before I smile and nod. One way or another, I plan to get answers about the anomaly before me. Roni has history and I plan to pull it out.
Roni
I look in the mirror, fidgeting with my T-shirt. Biting my lip, I wonder if I’m reading too much into this. If I am, this off the shoulder black Tee might not be appropriate.
For that matter, the skintight light blue jeans and patent leather crisscross heels probably make me look ridiculous. I shake my head at the reflection in the mirror.
With a sigh, I think of how much more I look like I did when I first reached that place they kept us in. My cheeks are fuller, my eyes aren’t sunken in. My hips are even almost back to normal.
Damn girl, those jeans are tight.
“But this feels right,” I mutter and push the silver bracelets up my arm.
It does. John aside, when Paige took me shopping, I knew what I wanted in each store. It would seem I have expensive taste. Although Paige made sure to take me to high-end shops.
“Oh, girl please, I was told to make sure you get whatever you want. Sky’s the limit. If I were you, I’d relax and enjoy it,” she’d said while I looked nervously around the pricey shop.
“I don’t know if I should. I don’t feel comfortable.”
“Listen, honey. The men around here are protective and providers. I may not know John as well as some of the others, but I haven’t met a man connected to my husband that hasn’t spoiled his woman,” she replied.
I gasped. “Oh, no. You have this all wrong. That’s not my man. I’m not his anything. Which is why this is ridiculous.”
“Okay, you keep telling yourself that, Ms. Black. I’m going over here to look at these shoes. By the way, there’s a twenty-thousand-dollar credit limit on each card from what I’m to understand,” she said with a secret grin and walked off.
I stood in silence, glued to spot she left me in. The words retail therapy whispered in my ear, but it wasn’t my money to spend. All I wanted was something to wear to the bar.
I wouldn’t need twenty grand for that. Besides, John had that wallet ready for me before I said I wanted to go shopping. Yeah, we had talked about me going out before, but the wallet, the money, and the last name. What the heck does all that mean?
He trusts you.
Running my hands down my thighs, I let that thought take root. John trusts me. He has to. I could have taken the money and cards he gave me and ran off.
Not that it hadn’t crossed my mind. Drain the cards of the cash advance and go as far from here as I can. Then I thought about Torque and Natasha.
Torque looks happy here. He’s thriving. We have a mission to complete before I can decide where I’ll go from here.
A knock comes to my bedroom door. “Roni?”
I nearly jump when John’s smooth voice carries through the solid wood door. Frowning at myself, I start to mumble. I have no idea why I’m reacting to him like this. We’re friends.
“Coming,” I call out and rush to get my purse and jacket.
One more glance over my shoulder, and I poke my lip out. I should have done something with my hair. The long coils are hanging free. Not much life or style to them. I push a hand into the front and flip a mass of it over to the right side.
It will do. Turning to leave, I move forward with a stomach full of nerves. I stop at the door and take a deep breath before opening it. It’s time I remind myself of the things I know.
Trust no one.
Always be on guard.
Never show emotions.
I stop as that last one springs up. The dreams I’ve been having of the man I assume to be my father come to mind. The handsome yet stern man that always seems so detached in my dreams.
“Roni, you all right in there? You need more time?” John calls, disrupting the train of thought I get ready to sprawl through.
I toss my jacket over my arm and tug the door open. “Yeah, I’m ready.”
Wow, I pause as he comes into view. John always looks great, but he’s putting a hurting on the black jeans with the tears in the knee and thigh and that tight black T-shirt that stretches across his chest beneath his black leather jacket. I suck my lip into my mouth as I allow my gaze to roll over him.
Damn it, Roni. Cut it out.
I know I’m caught when I bring my gaze to his. He has a grin on his lips as he stares back at me with those eyes. I go to step out of the room. However, he doesn’t move.
I wait for him to back up, but he remains in place as he returns the favor of taking me in from head to toe. I lift my head despite feeling a little self-conscious. That is until he takes a second pass and his gaze lands on my hips. A groan comes from his mouth.
“I think you were safer in your uniform,” he murmurs.
“What?”
He shakes his head. “Nothing. Come on.”
He takes a step back, allowing me to step out. Taking a peek up at him, we lock eyes. I search his, wondering what he’s thinking.
Already, I’m forgetting my list. He is a means to an end. As long as I’m here, I need someone to… what do I need John for?
Comfort.
I clench my teeth. Comfort is for people that don’t have to watch their back. I may not remember where I’m from or who I am, but I’ve had this feeling for the longest that I need to watch my back.
Nope, comfort is not for me. You slip up when you’re comfortable. I have nothing to be comfortable about.
“Roni.”
“Yes?”
“If it’s not with my brothers or my parents, I hardly ever let my guard down.”
With that, he turns and starts down the hall. I stare at his back as he goes. Slowly a smile comes to my face.
Twin flames.
I gasp as the memory hits me hard. I sat in a kitchen with a plate sitting on the table before me. The cinnamon-colored face across from me wore a smile.
“One day you will find the mirror to your soul, Roni. You will know it from the spark that carries between you. Almost like a light goes off. When you find that flame, hold on. Don’t be afraid of it. See where it will take you.”
“Yes, Abuelita,” I said and smile.
I hold onto that memory as I move to catch up with John. I don’t want to dig too deeply into what it all means. For tonight, I’m getting out of here.
Chapter 17
Temptation
John
“You sure you don’t want to move to a table?” I ask as I stare at the profile of Roni’s face.
I thought she was beautiful before, but tonight those jeans and that top give away her personality. The more I look at her, the more I want to know about her. This side of Roni is sassy and sexy.
I sit back on the barstool beside hers with my gaze still glued on her. She’s been nursing her third beer for the last hour. I get the feeling she’s holding back to keep from loosening her tongue.
“I’m fine here,” she replies, not looking at me, which I’m starting to think is on purpose.
She has her back to the bar, tapping her foot to the pulsing beat of the music. This place is pretty laid back, but it’s not some dive either. There’s a mix of college students, the after-work crowd, and a few couples.