Falling For Rome 2 Read online

  He frowned. “I bought him.”

  My mouth hit the floor. I’m not joking…

  I turned to face him completely and I know I was looking really special with my mouth hanging open like this, but I didn’t care. Freedom, upset that he’d lost my attention that quickly, butted my shoulder with his head.

  “What did you just say?” I asked when I could find my voice.

  He chuckled… “I—bought—him…”

  Freedom danced back out of the way when my scream filled the barn. I started jumping up and down like a little girl screaming my head off…

  “Oh My God!!!!!” I yelled…

  Another neigh came from one of the back stalls…

  My scream died down as I whipped around to face that way… “What’s that, Romeo?”

  He chuckled again… “I don’t know, baby. It sounds like another horse…"

  “Oh My God! Oh My God!” I took off toward the back stalls and there right before my eyes were the most beautiful black mare I'd ever seen. I knew Winston horses… This mare was one of his top of the line…

  This was one of his most expensive horses.

  Nossa! I was going to faint!

  “Her name is Luna. I told old Juan that my girl wanted to start breeding horses. So, I asked him what mare would be the best to breed with my buddy Freedom up there. And he asked me how much I was willing to spend. I told him, for my girl… price is not an issue—”

  He didn’t even get a chance to finish before I was in his arms, planting kisses all over his face. Now that act started off really innocent. Just a girl so very happy that she wanted to thank the person that made her happy with a few kisses.

  But then…

  His big hands cupped my soft butt and pressed my center against his…Now, remember what he was wearing and what he was not wearing. When my lips landed on his bearded cheek, he turned his head suddenly capturing my mouth with his. And well…

  That turned my innocent little kisses to something not so innocent. I moaned as he ravished my mouth, the only thing I could do was wrap my arms around his neck and hold on. He was so hungry.

  “Damn, baby…I missed you so much!” He whispered fervently as if to confirm my thoughts.

  “I missed you too, Romeo…” I moaned completely giving myself to him. I was so ready for him my insides were vibrating.

  I inhaled when my back touched the bale of hay that we laid on last night.

  Nossa! I hadn’t even noticed that he’d carried me back to the front of the barn, so urgent was our need for each other.

  He and I both went to work on my clothes.

  Dammit! Why did I have on so many? The one day I chose to wear jeans.

  Once my heat was exposed to him, like a man possessed, he focused solely on it, going to his knees in front of me.

  “You have no idea how many nights I craved your taste.” He whispered as he lowered his head.

  I closed my eyes as pleasure took over my body, it wasn’t long before my moans echoed throughout the barn and wasn’t long after that before my moans turned into screams as my world shattered.

  He moved over me, but right then, I did a Jui Jitsu roll catching him off guard and flipping him so that he was on the bottom and I straddled him. He looked up at me with a startled grin on his handsome face.

  I looked down at him with my lids lowered in desire.

  “It’s my turn…let me taste you.” I whispered as I pushed him down to lie on the hay.

  “Sh*t…your wish is my command.” He muttered lifting his muscled arms to put his hands behind his head.

  Mr. Man is so cool…

  Mmmhhhmmm… let’s see how long he keeps that pose.

  I took my time and kissed my way down his body, showing him how much I adored him and appreciated him. By the time I’d gotten to his lower belly, his cool pose was shot.

  He had his fists balled up in my hair and this time it was his moans that filled the stable. But it wasn’t long before his moans turned into curse words as his fists tightened in my hair, my mouth bringing the thug out of him.

  With eyes glazed over with passion, he pulled me up to straddle his lap. “I need to be inside you…”

  As he filled me, our moans combined to make a melody so sweet to my ears I’ll never forget it…

  No…not ever.

  ************

  “Baye, wake up…”

  I moaned, snuggling deeper into Rome’s side. He chuckled. “Nak, wake up…I still need to feed the horses.”

  “No…” I muttered as I buried my face in that spot between his chin and shoulder, burying it in his soft beard.

  My whole body was deliciously sore. Rome and I had made love three times before I’d passed out in pure exhaustion. However, that was just an hour ago, not nearly enough time for me to have regained my energy.

  “How about I feed the horses and you get dressed in something really pretty so that we can go to Rio for the weekend. It’s Carniva—”

  He didn't have to finish before I popped right up.

  “We’re going to Rio?!” I asked sounding like a little kid whose parents had just told them they were on their way to Disneyland.

  But can you blame me? Carnival to Rio was like Mardi Gras to New Orleans. Yeah, Mardi Gras was probably kept in other parts of Louisiana, but it was nothing like Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

  He grinned at me shaking his head. “If you’re up to it…I have a place that I use whenever I’m there.”

  I lifted an eyebrow. “Do you go to Rio often?”

  This would explain so many things, like why he could speak Portuguese like one of the locals.

  He shrugged. “I’m a student at Gracie Barra.”

  “What?!”

  Nossa! That’s like the best Jiu-Jitsu school in the whole world. No wonder he beat me. Growing up, I'd dreamed of being a student at Gracie Barra.

  “For how long?” I asked amazed.

  He scratched his beard. “Sh*t…A little over ten years.”

  “Oh my God!” I screamed down at him punching him in the stomach.

  He grunted as he balled up laughing at me. I folded my arms and pouted like a little girl.

  “I am so freaking jealous of you right now.”

  He reached up wrapping his arm around my neck pulling me down in a gentle headlock.

  “Damn, I missed yo’ savage a**!”

  I laughed before lifting my head to kiss his lips. “I missed my thug too.”

  He softly rubbed my cheek with his finger, his honey gaze holding me enthralled.

  “Did you?”

  I nodded. “Yeah…I did.”

  He lifted me so that our lips touched again. “Go on and get dressed. Put on something pretty, let’s go to Carnival.”

  Excitedly, I jumped up from the bale of hay, the only time I ever went to Carnival had been when I was a small girl. My mom had gone because she’d heard my father would be stationed there during that time.

  I vaguely remember her crying and yelling at my father. What stood out in my memory were the beautiful women in the colorful outfits. They looked like peacocks. I also remember the floats. I’ve always wanted to go back as an adult, but have just been too busy till now.

  I bent down and scooped Giant up who was snoozing on my clothes. I slid my arms into my shirt not bothering to button it up before stepping into my panties. I turned to head into the house…but then a thought came to me. I turned back to face Rome with a frown on my face.

  “We can’t go to Rio for the weekend. Who’s going to look after the horses?”

  He still lay on the bale of hay with one arm behind his head, letting his hungry eyes roam down my body as if we had not just made love three times.

  “There you go worrying about something you don’t need to worry about. What did I tell you to do?”

  He spoke in a lazy drawl, like a man who was well satisfied.

  “You told me to g
o get dressed so that we can go to Rio.”

  “Simple…yet you are having trouble following those few orders. Now I understand what my man Jo went through.”

  I held my head back and laughed… “Oh, now he's your man? And for your information, I made the perfect soldier…”

  “Sh*****t…you put that man through hell.”

  “Fine…Romeo! I’m going to go and get dressed…” I pointed at him. “But you better make sure nothing happens to my babies.”

  He held up his hands… “I got this…”

  And I believed him…

  Even though I was sore all over, I damned near skipped into the house. I was so happy…

  I couldn’t believe I was this happy. Just last week, I felt like my world was ending. What a difference a day can make.

  After I showered, I went to my closet to look for something to wear. I really didn’t have any nice clothes, I’d left damn near all the things Rome had bought me in Chicago, only taking a few items I couldn’t do without, like my perfume.

  Now I wish I had of at least grabbed a few things…

  Hmmm…

  An idea came to me and my feet were moving before it could even finish forming in my brain.

  My avozinha’s yellow dress.

  Although old, it was the perfect dress for Carnival. It was too dressy to just wear to let’s say, dinner…

  But to Carnival…

  It will fit right in. The top of the dress fell off both shoulders, so I wouldn’t be able to wear a bra, but what I liked about the long bottom is although the dress would fall to lay sleekly on my body, there were several layers of soft material. The slightest breeze would cause it to float behind me like yellow smoke.

  I pulled it from the back of the closet and removed the plastic. For once, my grandmother’s habit of wrapping her valuables in plastic came in handy because the dress was spotless.

  For a moment, I just took it in, seeing the allure of it. My avozinha thought the dress had magical powers or something. And you know…

  I believed her.

  I took my time and dressed, carefully arranging my hair in a messy bun on top of my head, letting several curls artfully escape.

  I put on a pair of my avo’s pearl earrings and wrapped her long pearl necklace twice around my neck.

  Because it was Carnival, I will totally get away with strapping my superhero bat to my back. In fact, the sheath Rome had gotten made for me had a few specks of yellow in it, so that was perfect.

  Since my dress was long and fell to the ground, I slid my feet in my combat boots…

  Nobody will even notice, might as well be comfortable.

  After I was dressed, I threw a few items in the bag Rome got for me in Chicago…making sure to pack my Bible and then I gave myself one last look in the mirror. I was ready!

  By the time Giant and I made our way out of the house, Rome was dressed in another linen suit. This one tan…

  Damn, he looked good in a suit…who knew?

  It looked as if it had been made for him because it lay on his tall, athletic body perfectly, showing a physique that made Michelangelo’s David pale in comparison. He was talking to a young fella that looked vaguely familiar.

  I frowned…Was that the stable boy that took care of Freedom at Winston’s?

  The kid looked at me walking toward him and his eyes widened. Rome followed his gaze and looked away, but then his head whipped back to face me again.

  I had to bite my lip to keep from grinning when both he and the kid stood staring at me as if I was a piece of meat. Rome got himself together first, when his gaze went back to the young fella and saw him still staring, he popped him upside his head.

  “Hey! That’s my lady you’re slobbering over!” He told him in Portuguese.

  The poor kid turned red in the face and tripped over himself apologizing. “Sorry, senhor! Please…I’m so sorry!”

  “Yeah…don’t let that sh*t happen again. Now, do you understand your instructions for the weekend?”

  The kid nodded. “Yes, senhor…” He turned to face me, but Rome growled and he quickly turned away.

  “Don’t worry, senhorita…I took care of both Luna and Freedom at the Winston Stables. I will protect them with my life.”

  I chuckled… “Thank you…what is your name again?”

  He took off his hat and it looked like he was going to look at me but thought about it and kept his gaze lowered.

  “Carlos, senhorita.”

  “Okay, Carlos, take care of my babies while I’m gone.”

  “I will, senhorita…I will!”

  “You stole Juan’s stable boy?” I asked Rome as he helped me in the truck.

  He chuckled. “That joker wasn’t cheap either. Apparently, everybody who’s anybody wants to work at Winston’s place.”

  “How did you get him to leave?”

  “I showed him that there were bigger fish in town…”

  Chapter 21

  The Mystery of Balance…

  One of the Great Miracles of The Most High’s Love is His Ability to Grow Us from a Situation We Thought Would Surely Break Us…

  --Edwina Fort

  Nakhti

  That weekend in Rio was by far the most amazing time of my whole entire life…and now looking back, I don't know if God in his infinite wisdom granted me that time of pure bliss before everything crashed down around me. Or if he's just a God of balance and when one experiences such highs, they can bet their bottom dollar that it will be followed by a great low.

  No…I don’t know. But I can tell you this, by the end of that weekend, my life would be forever changed. Everything I knew to be correct would be brought into question and the woman I used to be would be dead…literally.

  But before I tell you guys how I got that low, let me first tell you about my high.

  Rome chartered us a flight with one of the local pilots on the island. When he saw Rome coming, his face lit up and he called him his friend. Apparently, my lover was really good at making those.

  We touched down in Rio just before nightfall. There was a really nice Jeep Wrangler waiting for us at the private airport. Because it was Carnival time, everywhere we drove was alive with activity. The top was taken off the Wrangler so that we could see everything. I felt like a little girl on my knees in my seat pointing at everything as he drove.

  At one point when traffic forced us to a slow creep, I was standing in the seat to look at a group of Samba dancers that were preparing for their march, their band filled the street with music. Rome had to drive with one hand on the wheel and the other around my waist because he feared I was going to tip out the jeep, I was grooving so hard.

  When we finally made it to his little place in Rio, I stood staring at it with my mouth open. First of all, it was a private villa on Leblon Beach and trust me, there was nothing little about this place. We drove through a beautiful iron gate that separated us from the world’s biggest party.

  The view from the top floor of the villa will be perfect in both directions. To the front of the Villa was the celebration in the streets, but to the back of the villa was the ocean in all its majestic glory.

  Inside the gate was a well-manicured lawn and there was a beautiful fountain that was surrounded by romantic lighting. Oh…Did I mention the full wait staff waiting for us outside?

  Nossa!

  One of them was holding a golden tray with a glass of champagne and a rocks glass of amber liquid on the rocks.

  My stunned gaze went to Rome…

  “Whose house did you say this was?”

  He chuckled as he took the glass of champagne off the tray and handed it to me. “An associate…” was all he said before he took a sip of his drink.

  Hmmmm… an associate indeed. His associate was either a prince of some foreign country or a mob boss, but before I could ask him which, we were shown inside and all thoughts fled my mind.

  This had to be
what paradise looked like. Everything was lit in soft lighting casting a romantic glow on the open space. The whole back of the villa was a huge window with a perfect view of the beautiful pool that was also lit with warm lighting and the ocean behind it.

  This part of the beach must be private because it was completely empty, except for the tiki-style torches that lined it casting that romantic glow on even the beach.

  I turned to look at Rome who watched me take everything in. No way this was sporadic…He’d planned this.

  “It’s so beautiful…” I told him nearly breathless from taking it all in.

  He smiled. “You like it?”

  “I love it!”

  He took my hand and led me out to the beach, it was so magnificent my eyes watered a bit. A gentle breeze drifted in from the ocean causing my dress to bellow around me. The sound of the waves drowned out the merriment taking place on the street.

  There was a single lounger sitting there facing the water. He took a seat then pulled me down into his lap, my combat boot covered feet stretched out on the lounger in front of us.

  “Before we go and get sh*t faced, I wanted to say a few things to you.”

  I rested my head back against his strong chest and nodded. I was so content staring out at the gentle waves of the ocean, I could sit here all night.

  “I never apologized for what I did back at the loft in Chicago. For a man that is so smart, I sure missed the call on that one.”

  I silently agreed because I didn’t want to interrupt him.

  “I should have noticed all the signs of your loyalty. They were all there. I just—” He paused for a moment searching for the right words.

  He exhaled. "Hell, I was just stupid…and for that, I am so sorry."

  He gently kissed me on my bare shoulder. “Can you forgive me?”

  I turned in his arms so that I was facing him a bit and leaned in to touch my lips to his.

  “I already have.”

  He picked up my hand in his toying with it a bit, seeming lost in his thoughts. “You know, every time I think about how close I’d come to losing you…” he didn’t finish that statement, he just shook his head.