Beautifully Stolen (Candied Crush Book 4) Read online

  Roman’s smile said he knew Brett’s game, but he didn’t call him on changing the subject. “Adonis.”

  A smile exploded across Brett’s face. For some reason he couldn’t explain, happiness overwhelmed him. “I’ve never heard a more fitting name for anyone in my life. Did you choose it?”

  “No. The day I interviewed for the job, my boss, Ken, said he’d been looking for an Adonis. So that’s me now. I’ve been working there for so long that I answer to both names.”

  “Adonis,” Brett said again, testing the name on his tongue. He liked it.

  Roman chuckled like a funny thought hit. “If you joined me there, you could be Midas. Everything you touch turns to gold.”

  Without thought, Brett rolled his eyes. “No one would pay to watch me strip.”

  “I would.” Roman looked too serious. His heated expression made Brett’s heart skip a beat. Before Brett could feel uncomfortable, Roman switched topics. “Tell me all about everything you’re currently working on. I don’t want to miss a detail of you.”

  Brett shook his head, trying to clear the cobwebs in his brain. Roman always managed to weave such a spell over him. His lips moved, spilling every minutia of his life while his mind churned with confusion. He hadn’t expected this. The coffeehouse cleared as people headed off to their jobs. Only a few people lingered as time slipped away from him. Roman wasn’t who Brett thought him to be. Brett didn’t want him to leave. On some sub-level, Brett recognized he should be running for the hills. He wasn’t, because Roman sat still and listened to him talk. In fact, he looked like he couldn’t get enough of hearing about Brett’s life. Brett wanted to know every detail of Roman’s life too. Something expanded in Brett’s chest. Some unfamiliar emotion bloomed as Roman toyed with his hand and stared into Brett’s eyes. Brett wasn’t scared, even though he knew he should be terrified. He didn’t know how to feel.

  Six

  Giving credit where credit was due, Roman had to admit that Brett had grit. He fought valiantly to stay out of bed for as long as possible. Unfortunately, sitting too long at breakfast without his foot elevated had been a mistake. The horrible swelling and pain had ended with Roman carrying him to the car while some dude named Dawson followed them out carrying Brett’s new scooter. Despite being worried about Brett’s health, Roman couldn’t complain about hanging out with Brett in bed all day. It had been nice. They behaved like teenagers, ordering takeout and getting crumbs in the bed while playing video games and talking all day. Roman wished he could stay longer. He didn’t darken the mood by saying as much.

  “I never pegged you as the type to scream obscenities at the TV while gaming.”

  Brett’s eyes swam with laughter. “That one statement proves you’ve never watched my YouTube channel. Back when my channel was nothing but me gaming with my friends, that’s all I did was yell.”

  Roman shrugged. “Considering I’m at least ten years older than you, I think it’s a generational thing. I never really got into watching YouTube videos. I’d rather play than watch other people.”

  “Ten years is not a generation.” The heavy laughter in Brett’s voice had Roman smiling so hard, his cheeks hurt. “Plus, there’s no way you’re ten years older than me.”

  “I’m thirty-nine.”

  Brett’s eyebrows shot up. He visibly tried hiding his reaction. “Okay. So maybe you are. I’m twenty-seven.” Brett looked thoughtful for a minute. “Are you serious, though? You don’t look anywhere near thirty-nine.”

  Roman shook his head, trying to hide his laughter. “It’s awful cheeky of you to assume that people look old at thirty-nine, but yes. I’m positive of my age.”

  Brett slid his hand up Roman’s arm, taking his time as he outlined Roman’s muscles. “I didn’t say anything about thirty-nine being old. You have that fresh out of playing college sports body. That probably doesn’t make sense to you.”

  “Yeah. I can’t say I’ve spent too much time fucking athletes.” Even Roman heard the bitterness in his voice. He couldn’t think of any way to take it back, so he didn’t try. Plus, Brett didn’t look offended.

  “You sounded so possessive just now.” The heat in Brett’s stare had Roman’s mouth going dry. “What possible reason could you have for being jealous?”

  Roman wanted to beat his chest and stake a claim, but he had no right. Instead, he slowly dragged Brett from where he sat leaned back against the headboard until he had the man flat on his back. Then he straddled Brett’s body. Brett stared up at him—like he silently begged to be touched. “I envy anyone who’s touched you.”

  “I’m right here.” The softly spoken words held a challenge Roman couldn’t miss, but Brett didn’t know him. Not really. In most cases, Roman didn’t give a shit about that. This one time, he cared. He didn’t want to become an embarrassment to Brett. Brett was strong. Roman needed to make him proud. Brett wouldn’t be proud if he knew the real Roman.

  “Is it okay if I kiss you?”

  A bright smile lit Brett’s face. “You still have one kiss left that you can claim at any time, so yes.”

  Roman shook his head. “I want to save that one for later.”

  Brett expression turned serious—like he recognized Roman wanted to be a permanent fixture in his life. “I would very much like for you to kiss me.”

  With Brett’s permission in place, Roman lowered his head. He lightly kissed Brett’s cheek before moving to his mouth. This kiss wasn’t like the ones they had shared before now. Roman found himself settling in for the duration. This wasn’t about going further. This kiss was about staying put. They softly brushed lips and stroked tongues. Roman savored Brett. He knew he couldn’t stay. Roman understood this wasn’t his life. They were temporary. For a moment, though, he got to pretend. For the past week, he had been allowed to enjoy a life totally opposite to his. He had been important to someone amazing. Kissing Brett, stroking him, was a lot like being in heaven. It had been a long damn time since anyone enjoyed his company without seeking sex. The way Brett kissed him left no doubt that this would be their night, savoring each other without removing any clothes. It was the perfect end to his L.A. trip. In fact, this was the best outcome he could have hoped to achieve. They would part as friends. As a pleasant memory. Roman would never have to see Brett’s expression turn to distaste when he learned all of Roman’s truths. To him, they would always be the chance at a real life that he had let slip away, but he cared. He felt too much for Brett to be more than this. He just hoped Brett didn’t hate him in the morning.

  Brett stretched. A mound of covers weighed him down while a stack of pillows kept his foot elevated. The ache and stiffness reminded him he had slept through the night and forgotten to take his pain meds. Oddly, he didn’t feel too bad. A smile tugged at his lips. Brett had a feeling that was mostly due to Roman. They had spent the whole night kissing, making out, and snuggling like a pair of teenagers until he had fallen asleep. Brett covered his face with both hands, hiding a ridiculous smile.

  He hadn’t known how much he needed what Roman had given. There had been no pressure to have sex. In fact, he had somehow understood that sex wasn’t even on the table. They had simply been enjoying each other. No one gave him that. They had played video games and eaten junk food, for fuck’s sake. No one had expected him to take them to a nice restaurant or meet them at their place after work. Roman fell somewhere in between the two types of dates he had grown accustomed to enduring: people using him for money or sex. Roman had wanted just him. His time. Brett’s throat unexpectedly swelled. He wanted more.

  Brett tossed back the covers. The TV still showed their paused game. Their food trash still sat on the side table. The room was empty. In fact, the whole place felt bereft of life. Brett dragged himself into a sitting position, wincing as his left side protested the move. As he reached for his phone to check the time, his gaze landed on a note leaned against the lamp. His name had been scribbled on the outside.

  Brett knew before he read the letter wha
t it would say. Roman had gone home. He should have known his kisses were a goodbye.

  Brett,

  I didn’t want to ruin our last day together by telling you I have to go home. My job won’t hold my position for long if I keep missing days. Even though I have to leave, I can still help you out online with your workload. You don’t need to jump back into working with both feet. After all, you still only have one good one. I don’t want to log in to your accounts without your permission, but if you’d like my help, please say so. Who am I kidding, right? You won’t ask for help. Damn. I miss you already. For the record, I also didn’t want to ruin our last night together by making love to you, even though I really wanted to. The last thing I want is for you to think all this has been some elaborate scheme to get in your pants. Plus, you really wouldn’t want me if you knew me at all. I like you a lot, though. There’s nothing I want more than to stay, but real life calls. I have to stop dreaming and get back to it. While I don’t have a lot of bills, they still have to be paid. I really hope you still want to talk. My life has been pretty quiet since Mason married Falcon. Meeting you has been a definite highlight in my life. I don’t want this to be goodbye, so I won’t say that. Instead, let’s say until next time.

  Roman

  P.S. You still owe me one kiss at any time of my choosing, so don’t be trying to wiggle out of our deal.

  Brett wanted to smile and cry. He had never been more torn in his life. It wasn’t like he hadn’t known Roman had a life in Aspen. Between Brett’s wreck, hospital stay, and the few days he had been home, Brett had kept Roman over a week. That was asking a lot of someone who had a job they were expected to be at every day. Yet Roman hadn’t complained. He had simply been as amazing as humanly possible every step of the way. Roman had given Brett way more than he deserved. It didn’t seem fair to lament the man leaving now.

  While feeling ridiculous, Brett swiped at his cheeks. The pain meds were making him weepy. He snagged his phone and checked the time, his messages, emails, and social media accounts. Nothing held his attention. He looked at things without actually seeing anything until a pattern emerged, distracting him from his misery. Brett lost himself, looking through his stats and past messages. His stats and payouts hadn’t plunged since the accident—like he had been expecting. Instead, his interactions had soared. View counts were up and therefore payouts were higher. Brett scrolled back to the day after the accident to when Roman had introduced himself on all Brett’s media accounts. He had given updates, responded to messages that Brett would have ignored, and chatted with people on every outlet. Roman had skated the line, keeping Brett’s privacy while letting everyone know Brett would be fine and back better than ever in no time. He had directed viewers to old videos they might have missed and promised more would be on the way. While Brett had been oblivious, Roman had been fucking amazing. Brett was more than blown away. He felt blindsided, but not in a bad way. Except he thought he might have just let the greatest person he had ever met slip away in the middle of the night. That was a horrible revelation.

  Honestly, Brett had never been more confused by anyone. How had someone so seemingly feckless flown beneath his radar? The man had so much talent. If he could run Brett’s accounts this competently, he could take over the world. Brett didn’t understand why he hadn’t. For the first time, Brett felt truly resentful of his fucked-up foot and ankle. He couldn’t chase after Roman the way he wanted.

  Instead, Brett settled back down to rest. He would never get better if he didn’t try. Plus, he needed some time to think. Just because Roman hadn’t turned out to be the guy Brett had always thought him to be, that didn’t mean they could be together. Roman lived in Aspen. That wasn’t even an option for Brett. Long-distance relationships didn’t work. It was possible this last week was all they would ever have. That didn’t mean he planned to give up without exploring this further. Roman wouldn’t get away from him this easy. Brett just needed a few more weeks to heal, then Roman wouldn’t know what hit him. A smile pulled at Brett’s lips as a memory hit. Roman had claimed there were no modern-day fairytales. It just so happened Brett had enough money to prove that theory wrong. Even if they didn’t end up together, Brett could give Roman a fairytale life. Maybe he would. After all, he was in the business of making dreams come true. He could conjure some magic for a man who had shown himself worth the effort. Brett hugged the covers tighter. He could make Roman smile.

  Seven

  Sometimes, life left a bitter taste in Roman’s mouth. While he hadn’t expected to find himself magically in a relationship with Brett, he also hadn’t expected to never see the man again. Roman had truly hoped his letter would take some sting from him sneaking away. He thought Brett would understand he didn’t want their final day together to be clouded by the knowledge he would soon be gone. Maybe the radio silence had nothing to do with his sudden departure. After four weeks and no word, Roman had to concede that maybe he had imagined their growing feelings. Maybe it had been one-sided. It wasn’t like Roman would know. He had never felt so much for anyone.

  Roman’s phone rang, startling him back to reality. “Shit.” Nothing smelled worse than burned eggs and Roman had lost himself in thoughts of Brett... again… and let his dinner burn.

  With a growl, Roman tossed his frying pan into the sink and dug out his phone. Xavier’s name flashed on the screen. He answered while trying to clean up his mess.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey there, gorgeous. How are you today?”

  Roman stared at the huge mess in the sink, feeling pretty fucking low. “Peachy. How are you?”

  “Oooh. What’s with the desolate tone? Did you not get my invitation?”

  “I must’ve missed it.”

  Xavier tsked. “Check your inbox, my dear.”

  Roman switched the call to speaker phone and checked his email. There was one from Xavier in a long line of junk from more than a week ago. He clicked the email and quickly skimmed the contents. “You want me to guest star on your show?”

  “Of course, sweetie. Can you imagine the two of us side by side in the buff? We’ll break the internet.”

  Despite his depression, Roman smiled. Xavier didn’t possess an ounce of modesty. “When is this episode and what are we cooking?” He eyed the blackened eggs and wondered if he should even be entertaining this idea.

  “In two weeks and I’m thinking something pretentious.”

  Roman’s smile grew. Xavier was an acquired taste. Roman had truly come to adore the man during his time at Brett’s. He understood how the man had burrowed his way into Brett’s heart and ended up living in Brett’s home. That thought was a huge reminder. Xavier lived in L. A… with Brett. The idea of being near Brett again was enough to have Roman agreeing to anything. “Okay. I’m in.”

  “Yes. We are about to take over the airways.”

  “How’s Brett?” Roman asked before Xavier got too carried away.

  “He’s good. They moved him to a walking boot yesterday, which really makes him insane. He’s having a hard time adjusting. So he’s a bit cranky, but he’s making it. At least he can drive again. That’s lifted his spirits a bit. Oddly, his brother, which I didn’t know existed, is suddenly always here. He’s been a big help.”

  Roman mused over Xavier’s bitter tone. “Do you not like Dean?”

  Xavier huffed. “He doesn’t like me. That’s just not normal. Everyone likes me.”

  A chuckle escaped Roman. “Not liking you and just not wanting to fuck you are two different things. You know that, right?”

  “No. That sounds like some made-up bullshit to me.”

  Roman shook his head while fighting back laughter. He had never met anyone as conceited as Xavier, and considering his job, that was saying a lot. Thinking of work had him looking at the clock. A sigh stuck in his throat. “Sorry to cut this short, but I have to get ready for work. I’ll get back with you in the next couple of days and hammer out the details for the show. Thanks for the invite. It sounds lik
e fun.” It really didn’t, but this would get him closer to Brett. That was all Roman cared about.

  “Of course. Have a great night at work and rest assured I’ll harass you again later if I don’t hear back.”

  Even though Roman laughed, he didn’t doubt it was true. “Talk to you later.”

  “Adjö,” Xavier said, disconnecting their call.

  Roman slipped his phone into his back pocket as he stared into space. Two weeks. Thanks to Xavier, Roman only had fourteen days standing between Brett and him. He could survive that. Possibly. Damn. Roman didn’t understand how Brett had crawled under his skin like this. He had known there was something special about Brett. Roman just hadn’t expected this longing to be with Brett that kept swelling in his chest. He wanted to drop everything and move back to L.A. Roman fought the urge to stalk Brett like a complete psychopath. It wouldn’t be hard. He knew all Brett’s passwords online. Roman could really get crazy. That was not what he wanted, though. He needed Brett to feel the same. Roman’s heart demanded that Brett feel equally as insane about him. If Brett wasn’t willing to call or text him, he damn sure wouldn’t drop everything to come to Aspen to properly stalk Roman. Not that Roman expected that. He just wanted Brett to be willing to do it. Roman wanted to be special to him. With a growl, Roman headed to his bedroom to change. He had to work and no amount of overthinking things had solved anything yet. Maybe he would suck it up and be the one who called. His pride winced at the idea. Roman knew he was a mess. That didn’t change a thing. He would keep waiting for Brett. However long it took. He would be here waiting.