him now, I soak in everything about him I hadn’t noticed before. His perfectly shaped nose. The fullness of his bottom lip. The fact if he isn’t smiling showing off those ridiculously gorgeous dimples, the shape of his eyebrows make him appear to be frowning—permanently.
“I don’t mind you calling, Ali. I’m glad you did. It is my job you know.”
His job. My heart deflates along with the warm fuzzy feeling of my ignorance. Believing he came running because it was me who called—like I’m some sort of special.
My mind wanders back to his job. “What made you want to be a cop anyway?”
He pauses, hand midair, before setting the washcloth down beside us looking all kinds of uncomfortable. “What is this, twenty questions?”
“It can be whatever you want it to be.” I smile, a break in joy bursting free at the thought I actually make this man uncomfortable. He’s gorgeous, but he’s so much more than that. He may not realize he did it, or maybe he does and thought he’d just never see me again so it didn’t matter, but the first night we met he bared the real in him he seems to hide.
He stares into space, his mind taking him somewhere else and my smile falters at the darkness in his eyes. I open my mouth to change the subject but he answers, “I always wanted to help the innocent. Lock the bad guys away. Bring justice to those who deserve it. And I’m not gonna lie…” he drifts off, his face lifting into a smirk, “…I wanted to wear the uniform. Women dig it. Before I joined the Organized Crime Control Bureau and became a detective, I was in blue every day and there was certainly no shortage of women ready to drop to their knees.”
And there it is—Roamyn’s deflection.
My head falls backward and a laugh erupts from deep inside. “A little cocky, don’t you think?”
He shrugs and then scatters the counter with his hand looking for something from the medical kit. “Cocky? Maybe. But truthfully, that’s how it was. At least, until I started working with my best friend. Women seem to gravitate toward his brooding, moody ass. Not that he ever wants the attention.”
Roamyn dips down and puts the kit away. A quiet moment creeps between us and I bite the inside of my cheek, stopping myself from sticking my nose where I shouldn’t because behind his half answer is a story, and by the looks of things it isn’t one he plans to share. Roamyn stands back up, keeping some distance between us. “I think it’s my turn to ask a question.”
I relax back against the mirror. “Okay. Go ahead.”
He folds his arms across his chest, making it hard to concentrate on his question rather than the biceps bulging against his tight shirt. “How’d you get mixed up with the Marino’s anyway? They’re not exactly recruiting kids off the street, and I know you’ve been around them for years.”
I press my lips together in a slight grimace. “You’ve obviously read my file. You tell me?”
“It’s not in your file, Ali. That’s why I’m asking. For the life of me, I can’t figure out where the connection is, and what good reason Giuseppe Marino would have to take you in if it weren’t to use you. The thought of him using you as a young kid…” his voice fades.
I lean my arms forward on my knees and drop my eyes so he can’t see straight through me. He’s right. He just has no idea it wasn’t me Giuseppe wanted to use. It was my sister and her best friend, Oliver. I was just a part of the package deal.
“It’s a long story,” I murmur to the floor.
“Well, why don’t you start with the beginning?” he deadpans.
A knot forms deep in my belly, and as I glance back up at Roamyn and the determination in his eyes, I know he won’t give in easily without an answer. And while I’ll never tell him the whole truth, he deserves some sort of an explanation after saving me tonight. Again. Even if he did just demand an answer with an asshole tone.
“Anyone ever tell you you’re kind of rude?” I raise an eyebrow at him and he smirks.
“All the time.” He leans against the doorframe. “You were saying?”
I pull in then release a deep breath. “Adriana Marino is my best friend. Has been since we met at elementary school. Friends aren’t something I had a lot of