All I've Never Wanted (21 page)

The minute I said that, I slapped a hand over my mouth, horrified. Oh god, I did
not
just say that!

Roman gaped at me, his fork frozen halfway to his mouth. It would’ve been a funny sight, if I wasn’t too busy resisting the urge to crawl under the table and hide.

“You’re a virgin?” he spluttered.

I blushed. “Is it really that hard to believe?” I muttered, grabbing my water and gulping it all down, hoping to ease the fire that had spread to my neck.

I couldn’t believe we were sitting here, talking about my love life.

“But—but—“ He seemed to be at a loss for words.

I sighed wearily. “Don’t say anything. Let’s just eat, ok?”

I wasn’t expecting him to let it go just like that, so imagine my surprise when Roman actually shut up and ate the rest of his dinner in silence.

When we finished, we walked outside, shivering a little in the brisk fall air. Roman unlocked his car, and I actually held my breath as I slid into the passenger seat. His car was so state-of-the-art and expensive, even compared to the other Scions’ vehicles, that I was a bit afraid I would damage it or something.

“You know, you can sit all the way back,” he commented, pulling out of the parking lot. “The seat’s not made of glass.”

“I know that.” I tried to sound confident, but I did relax a little.

We were already halfway to my house when he spoke again.

“Are you really a virgin?”

And just like that, I tensed again. “I don’t lie,” I answered a bit sharply. Ok, maybe sometimes, but he didn't have to know that! 

Roman glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. “And you’re going to give it up to Parker, just like that?”

I sighed, exasperated. “I told you we might not even do anything.” We
definitely
weren’t going to do anything, since he and I weren’t really dating, but I wasn't going to tell Roman that.

“Well, I hope you don’t. Once he gets what he wants, he’s just going to toss you aside,” Roman said flatly.

I laughed a bit disbelievingly, not sure whether to be insulted or a bit touched by his concern. “Thanks a lot.”

“I’m just warning you.”

“Thanks for the warning, but I’m a big girl. I can take care of yourself.”

“Sure you can.” Roman slammed down on the brakes at a stop sign, and I silently thanked my mom for teaching me to always put on my seatbelt before anything else when I got in a car. “If he breaks your heart, don’t come running to me.”

I snorted. “Yeah, you’re the first person I would go running to when I have a problem,” I said sarcastically. “Why do you care so much anyway?”

“I
don’t.”

“Uh-huh,” I replied, making it clear I was unimpressed.

“I really don’t!”

“I never said I didn’t believe you,” I sang, staring out the window and willing myself not to smile. Making fun of Roman was just too easy.

He let out an annoyed growl. “Why are you so…so…”

I cocked an eyebrow. “So what?”

“So dense!” 

“I’m not dense!”
Now
I was insulted.

“Yes you are.” Roman pulled into my driveway and glared at me. “If you weren’t, then you can see Parker is just using you!”

Uh…more like, I was kind of using him. “He’s not, trust me.”

“You’re way too naïve if you believe that.”

“Look, I know Parker better than you think, and I can assure you, he’s
not
using me.” I tapped the window. “Are you going to let me out?”

Roman’s lips thinned as he grumpily unlocked the door. “Fine. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

I rolled my eyes, opening the door. “I won’t.” Before I got out, I paused, biting my lip. “And thank you for driving me home,” I added rather reluctantly.

Who would’ve thought there’d be a day when I’d thank him for anything?

Roman was obviously just as surprised as I was, because he stared at me in silence for a few seconds before his shoulders relaxed a bit. “You’re welcome.”

We stared at each other for a minute longer, a strange feeling blossoming in my stomach. It was weird, but Roman seemed to be becoming more and more human the more I interacted with him, and it was making me feel funny.

Probably just shock that the devil’s spawn can actually
be
human,
I reasoned, though I couldn’t help but be drawn to his eyes.

They were probably his biggest selling point. I bet no one else on earth had gold-flecked violet eyes like his. Heck, I bet no one else on earth had gold-flecked violet eyes, period.

Right now, they were darker than usual, unreadable but still unnervingly intense.

The feeling in my stomach spread even more, freaking me out.

“Uh, thanks for the ride,” I blurted, completely forgetting I had already thanked him. I scrambled out of the car. “Good night!” With that, I slammed the door shut and almost ran into my house.

Roman may not have been as big of a jerk as he usually was, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to be alone with him again.

And whatever was happening in my stomach seriously needed to go away.

CHAPTER 15

Surprisingly, the rest of the school week was pretty uneventful, and the next thing I knew, it was Friday. Since my grandmother’s flight was at night, my mom and I were supposed to drive her to the airport together. My dad was at work—at least, I sincerely hoped he was at work and not with that bimbo Lexi.

My mom’s car just so happened to be in the shop for maintenance that day, so Parker had taken his family’s Escalade to drive us instead.

“Thanks for driving us,” I said, standing to the side as my grandmother and mother dealt with checking the luggage.

“No problem, how can I miss saying bye to dear old grandma?” Parker smirked, his eyes dancing with amusement as my grandmother harassed the poor lady behind the counter.

Apparently, she wanted a seat upgrade, and there was no way in hell she was going to leave until she got one.

“She must be the most entertaining old lady I’ve ever met,” Parker chuckled.

“Only if she’s not your grandma,” I said dryly.

“What you mean I no get first-class?” my grandmother shrieked, waving her boarding pass angrily in the air. “You think I no look like I belong in first-class? These pearls real! Come from South Sea!” She pointed to her necklace, which my mom had gotten her for her birthday.

“That’s not what I meant, ma’am,” the lady said with a pained look on her face. “But you must—“

“No call me ma’am! I speak to manager! Now!” My grandmother balled her hands up into tiny wrinkled fists. “Or you regret!”

I could feel Parker shaking with laughter beside me; I just felt sorry for the poor woman. My mom, who knew better than to try and intervene, shot an apologetic glance at the increasingly annoyed people in line.

“Oh, man, I’m going to miss her,” Parker snickered. “I can see where you get your feistiness from.”

“Thanks,” I said wryly.

A wail rose above the other noises in the airport, and I saw a young Hispanic couple rush to calm their crying baby. The guy reminded me a bit of Carlo.

I frowned. I actually haven’t seen him much since Wednesday, and when I did, he’d been oddly quiet and distracted.

“Hey, do you know what’s up with Carlo lately?” I asked.

Parker shot me quick glance. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t know, he’s just been acting a bit weird…”

He shrugged, looking a bit uncomfortable. “I think he’s fine.”

“You sure? Is he in trouble or something? Because—“

“I think your grandmother’s ready to go,” Parker interrupted me.

“Come on, let’s walk her to the gate.”

I frowned. It was so obvious he was trying to change the subject, but I was going to let it slide. For now.

Parker, my mom, and I trailed after my grandmother as she somehow managed to intimidate her way to the head of the security line, a first-class seat ticket
and
a day pass for the airline’s lounge in hand.

I swear that woman could take over the world if she wanted to.

“Bye, grandma, have a safe flight,” I said, hugging her. “Good luck with your mah-jongg tournament.”

“Oh, I no need luck. Loser Weed going
down
this year,” my grandmother cackled. Then she narrowed her eyes and wagged her fingers at me and Parker. “You and Pee Wee, no do kinky stuff while I gone, you hear?”

I giggled at the horrified look on Parker’s face. I’m
definitely
calling him that from now on.

“I promise, grandma.”

With a satisfied nod, she added, “Next time I see you, I hope you thinner.”

With that, she headed towards the security line, but not before she warned me to never work for the TSA because apparently “only perverts like job that feel others up all day. Bring shame to family, no one like perverts.”

As I watched her put her shoes back on at the other side, no doubt grumbling about being patted down by a stranger, I was surprised to realize I was a bit sad to see her go. She could be annoying sometimes, but she sure spiced things up a bit.

Although my life definitely didn’t need any extra spices lately.

*              *              *

When I woke up the next morning, I should’ve known it wasn’t going to be a good day. The angry gray sky, pouring rain, and ominous thunder should’ve clued me in.

But no, I had to be in relatively high spirits, mainly because I managed to avoid my dad all morning
and
because my mom had made my favorite eggs-and-bacon breakfast combo. Of course, once I received the call, my mood did a total one-eighty.

I got the call during an otherwise perfect moment, curled up in my bed, eating cookies and cream ice cream and watching my
Gossip Girl
DVD.

It was just getting to one of my favorite parts, the scene where Blair told Chuck she loved him, when my phone rang.

“Hello?” I said, my voice muffled by a mouthful of Ben & Jerry’s sugary sweetness.

“Hey, Maya, it’s me.”

I sat up a bit straighter, worried by her tone of voice. “Adri? Is something wrong? Did something happen to Zack?” 

“No, he’s just as big a pain in the butt as he usually is—“

“Don’t speak ill of the...ill! I’m a sick man, Adri! A very, very sick man!” I heard Zack shout in the background, before he let out a series of very unconvincing coughs.

I shook my head, wondering if he knew how wrong that sounded.

Adriana let out a heavy sigh. “Anyway, Zack’s fine, as you can probably tell. I’m just calling because, well, we have a bit of a problem with the sleepover plan.”

My eyes widened and I set my bowl of ice cream on my nightstand as I gripped the phone tighter with one hand, panic coursing through me. “What—what kind of problem?” I squeaked. I could
not
have a babysitter! “My parents leave tomorrow!”

The other girl cleared her throat. “It turns out my mom decided it would be a good idea to renovate the entire sleeping wing of our house without telling us first, and they start tomorrow. I’m really sorry, Maya, but I don’t think you can stay here for the next two weeks. I wish you could, but we’re all living in the guesthouse right now, which hasn’t been touched in
ages
and it’s a bit cramped…”

My face fell. “What? Adri, what am I going to tell my parents? I
can’t
have a babysitter,” I moaned, flopping down on my bed and burying my face in my pillow in despair. “Can’t I just sleep on the floor or something? I promise, you won’t even know I’m there!”

“Maya, you are
not
sleeping on the floor for two weeks,” she scolded.

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to think of a last-ditch solution. “Maybe I can call Venice and ask if I can stay at hers…”

“Didn’t you say her mom’s vegetarian?” Adriana asked quickly.

I groaned. Right. Venice’s ex-model mom was adamantly anti-meat and refused to let their chef make anything that used to move, while I was strictly carnivorous. I won’t be able to survive on tofu and wheatgrass juice alone for half a month.

I shuddered at the thought.

“Well, what am I supposed to do?” I whined, aware of how childish I sounded.

“That’s where you’re in luck, because I’ve arranged for you to stay at someone else’s house,” Adriana chirped, sounding chipper again.

“Who?” I frowned, racking my brain as to who it could possibly be. It couldn’t be Parker, he was part of the reason my parents wanted me to have a babysitter in the first place. Carlo had been so MIA lately, Adriana probably hasn’t even had a chance to talk to him yet. Which left…

I sucked in a breath. Oh no. Oh, no no no no no. She was
not
going to say—

“Roman!” Adriana exclaimed happily. “I asked him and agreed! Which means you guys will be housemates for the next two weeks!”

*              *              *

“This is not a good idea,” I whimpered, cowering in my seat as Zack’s Porsche glided past the giant iron gates that guarded the Fiori estate.

“Stop hiding in your seat, it’s not like we’re sending you off to prison.” Adriana sounded exasperated. “It’ll be fine. It’s just for two weeks. Fourteen days. You can do this. Besides, I thought you two were getting along better.”

“
Better.
I never said we were getting along.” I stared glumly out the window, but despite my nervousness, I couldn’t help but be awed all over again by the breathtakingly landscaped grounds.

It was like paradise here. The grass stretched out in all directions like a lush emerald carpet, dotted with majestic trees, a koi pond, a rock garden, and bubbling marble fountains that put those in Rome to shame. I could see a small army of landscapers in the distance, pruning the seventy-foot-tall hedges that bordered the entire estate.

“I can’t believe he even agreed to this.” I frowned at Adriana. “Did you blackmail him or something?”

She smirked. “No. I just asked nicely. And guess what? He said yes, no questions asked.”

“Really?” I was a bit suspicious, but who could blame me? I was pretty sure Roman hated me. Ok, maybe not hated, but he certainly didn’t like me very much.

I sighed as Zack’s car
finally
pulled up in front of the main house. Carlo was missing in action—again. Parker had a family thing—again. I had no idea what was up with those two, and no one seemed willing to clue me in.

I climbed out of the car and was about to get my lone suitcase from the trunk when I realized a tall, silver-haired man was already rolling it towards the house.

Actually, “house” was an understatement. I had been here once before, but last time I was too busy trying not to murder Roman to really appreciate the massive four-story mansion in front of me. No, not mansion—palace. Seriously, it put Versailles to shame. Its red tile roof was set on various levels, giving it a rambling effect, and there were so many windows and balconies I got dizzy just looking at them. A flight of marble steps, guarded at the base by two huge stone lions, led to a set of gleaming French doors so tall I had to crane my neck to take them in. Expensive-looking urns overflowing with greenery and flowers flanked the entrance, in front of which Roman currently stood.

I gulped when I saw him. He was barefoot and dressed down in a pair of gray sweatpants and white men’s tank that showed off his arms. I couldn’t help but stare. I’ve never seen him without some sort of jacket on, but boy, he should stop wearing those so often, because his arms were just…just…

Trying my best not to drool, I snapped out of it and started to follow the silver-haired man, who was probably the butler or something. Only, I think I only imagined walking, because when Adriana nudged me—hard—I realized I was still standing in the exact same spot.

“Easy there, tiger,” she teased, her blue eyes sparkling mischievously. “You have plenty of time to ogle him later.”

I snapped my mouth shut, my cheeks heating up. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” My voice was remarkably steady.

“Parker’s not here.”

Adriana smirked, a knowing look on her face. “Right. Parker.”

I bit my lip. Maybe Carlo was right. Maybe she
did
know we weren’t really dating. Of course, with my grandmother gone, it wasn’t a big deal anymore, but I didn’t relish having to tell everyone we’d been lying to them the whole time.