The Rival Roomies Read online

  I turn to her, crossing my arms. “What?”

  “You told me to go with my gut and trust that I could change careers. You need to trust in what you and Val have.”

  I nod. She’s naive and doesn’t fully understand what a grownup relationship is like. She’s been hopping between douche after douche for years. “I do trust in it.”

  She shrugs and stands from the swing. “It doesn’t appear so from what you just told me.” She walks toward the door. “And I’m sick of feeling left out of the Mancini sibling gang.” She opens the door and slams it behind her.

  She’s right. We still treat her like the little baby, and it’s about time we include her in our adult lives.

  I push off the railing of the porch, but the door opens and out comes Val. She’s wearing a short sundress, and I kind of want to thank her for giving me some great beat-off material for tonight. In my head, the dress is already a ball in the corner of my room.

  “Hey, you. Ryder can’t stop talking about playing with you guys.” She slides her arms around my waist, resting her chin on my chest. “Thanks.”

  “He’s a good kid.” I lock my arms around her. “He’s got a great mom. A sexy one. One I really wish I could have alone right now.”

  She lays her cheek on my chest and squeezes me. “We need to discuss some things.”

  I lead her to the swing and pat the seat, think better of it, then pat my lap.

  She smiles and sits down, putting her arms around my neck. “So no annulment?”

  I shake my head. “Nope.”

  “And living arrangements?”

  I run my thumb along her hip. “You tell me what works.”

  “I’m not sure we should live together right now. Maybe just stay together when Ryder’s with Max?”

  She can’t be saying no sex. I’ll never survive. “I should go home to sleep then? Like that summer?”

  She nods.

  “So no living together?”

  “Well…” Her smile dips. “I don’t want to upheave Ryder’s life should something happen.”

  “So you think something is going to happen?” I ask, a low-key panic creeping up my spine.

  “No…”

  I can’t fault her for her doubts. I have them too. I’m so scared, but I’ll never tell her that. “Okay, we can delay that. We’ll date and go from there.”

  “I think that’s best. You good with that?”

  I give her a chaste kiss. “You call the shots.”

  She smiles, and I know I’ve said what she wants to hear. “The only thing I ask is that you be conscious of Ryder. I can see it on his face. He thinks you and your brothers are gods. Just—”

  “You have no worries there. I understand you guys are a package deal.”

  She hugs me, and my face ends up in her tits. She’s not making this easy. I suck lightly on her flesh and she doesn’t pull away. I love that she wants sex as much as I do. My length grows hard underneath her and she grinds against it.

  “Dinner!” Blanca screams out the door and shuts it.

  “This is going to be hard.” She kisses me then gets up off my lap.

  I grab her hand and pull her back toward me, opening my legs for her to step between them. My hands slide up the backs of her thighs, dipping under the fabric of her dress. My fingers dive under her silk panties, grabbing her ass and pulling her toward me. “Can you sneak out tonight?”

  “I’ll try to figure out some excuse.”

  I run one finger along the edge of her panties, over her hip, until it graces her pussy. She sighs and her eyes flutter closed.

  “What about now?”

  She laughs, and I run my knuckle over her clit. “Dom.”

  “Are you wet for me?” I don’t have to dip my finger under her panties to reveal the truth. She’s wet, and now I’m hard as steel.

  “You already know the answer to that.”

  “Yeah, I do.”

  “We’re outside,” she says, stopping my hand from continuing.

  “Dinner!” Blanca screams and slams the door again.

  Val steps back, my hands sliding off of her. “Trouble!” She points at me, but she’s laughing.

  I follow her into my parents’ house, grabbing her at the waist to keep her back. We stumble in and my entire family, plus Ryder and her parents, are at the table. They all turn their heads in our direction.

  “I have to use the facilities.” I walk past them, doing my best to hide my hard-on, and leave Val to fend for herself.

  After dinner, Val’s parents ask Ryder if he wants to spend the night at their house since they’ve missed him. He doesn’t seem thrilled, but Val must’ve done some convincing because he leaves with a smile. Which means I get to take my wife home and fuck her properly.

  My wife. For the first time I feel a sense of peace when I think of Valentina that way because we’re no longer playing house.

  We leave my parents’ house shortly after because I’m not a dumbass. No teenager tonight means running around naked in my condo until tomorrow.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Valentina

  * * *

  I click off the morning show after watching Max’s announcement that he’s engaged. I’ve yet to meet her—though Ryder did when they were in Europe—but to Max, if he’s happy, then everyone else should be too.

  It’s been two weeks since Ryder returned, and his first football game of the season is tonight. He drops his backpack on the floor, shovels a few spoonfuls of cereal into his mouth, and heads for the door.

  “Ryder!”

  He sighs, kisses my cheek, then heads back to the door.

  “I’ll see you at the field tonight. Dom is coming too. Maybe we can all have dinner after?”

  “Uh, maybe. The guys said something about doing something.”

  “Well, I can see why ‘something’ would interfere with dinner.”

  He laughs and shuts the door behind him but opens it back up right away. “Tell Dom he can come out and have breakfast now. I’m gone.”

  My mouth drops open, and I hear Ryder laugh all the way to the elevator.

  Dom opens the bedroom door, wearing his wrinkled shirt and slacks, his suit jacket over his arm. “Gotta love sneaking around.”

  “Well, Ryder just called us out.”

  He laughs. “Smart kid.” He pulls something out of his pocket and twirls my ring on the tip of his pointer finger. “How come you haven’t been wearing the rock?”

  “Snooping?” I ask, taking it from him.

  Truth is, I’m not sure where we stand. Yes, we’re married, but he gave me that ring when it was fake. Putting it on now feels weird.

  “You know I like to smell your panties.” He laughs.

  I shake my head as he pours himself a cup of coffee. We’ve been doing the sneaking around thing since Ryder returned, and although it started off as thrilling, I’m over it.

  “So… why haven’t you been wearing the ring?” he asks again.

  “I don’t know. You always hated it, and we’re still sneaking around about sleeping together. It feels weird if I wear it.”

  “Okay,” he says with a shrug.

  His answer upsets me. Shouldn’t he be convincing me to wear it? That he wants me to wear it?

  He grabs an apple and bites it. “I gotta get to the office. Ash keeps calling me out every time I’m late. I need to show her who’s the boss.”

  That’ll never happen. Ash owns Dom. He wouldn’t survive without her.

  “Yeah, you show her, big guy.”

  He shakes his head, coming to my side, and puts his hand on the counter behind me. “Seven tonight, right?”

  “Yep. You have the address?”

  He kisses my lips. “I won’t be late.”

  “You better not be. And be civil when you see Max.”

  He mocks offense. “When am I not?”

  “Oh, I don’t know… every time you run into him.”

  He laughs. “I’ll be on my best beh
avior.” He kisses me again, and I really wish we could head down the hall to my bedroom.

  Once Dom pulls away, I say, “He just got engaged.”

  “Really?” His eyebrows just about hit his hairline.

  “Yeah.”

  “And you’re okay with that?” He studies me for a second, so I wrap both arms around his neck.

  “Yes,” I draw my answer out. Will he ever believe me?

  “Good. See you tonight, wife.” He presses his body to mine, pushing me back into the counter. Our hands cling to one another and his tongue dives into my mouth.

  I trail my hand down his chest and below his belly button. “You should just be late.”

  He chuckles and steps back. “Believe me, I could stay in bed with you all day, but then we’d be poor.”

  He walks out of my condo and I touch my lips, remembering the feel of him.

  It isn’t until ten minutes later, after I clean up the kitchen from breakfast, that I notice the ring is gone. He took it? Why would he do that?

  Because he doesn’t want you to wear it, dumbass. I push that nasty thought out of my head and get ready for the day.

  Fall is approaching and we’re experiencing colder than normal temperatures. I sit in the stands of the football field with a blanket over my lap. Ryder’s team is warming up while the cheerleaders practice on the sidelines. All of it brings a sense of nostalgia. How many times did I sit in the stands and watch Dom play while Lulu cheered?

  I’d watch as the girls waited outside the school for the players to come out of the locker room. I lingered too and watched Dom thank all the girls for coming. He’d always give me a hug and thank me for showing up. Sometimes we’d go to a party together, just to separate once we were there, or if they’d lost, we’d drive somewhere and talk or make out. Our on-and-off-again relationship always made me feel as though Dom kept me in his back pocket.

  “Hey.” Max approaches rubbing his palms together and takes the seat next to me.

  I move my purse to the other side to save a spot for Dom. This should be interesting, but the two of them will have to learn to coexist at some point. “Hi.”

  “It’s so damn cold.” He clenches his fists and blows onto them.

  “Uh-huh.” I glance at the gate where people are coming in. Still no Dom.

  “Did you hear the news?” Max asks.

  I shift to look at him. “I did.”

  “And?”

  “Congratulations?”

  “Thanks.” The corners of his smile almost reach his earlobes.

  “She’s young.”

  “That’s what’s so great about her.”

  I roll my eyes. I won’t say that I give them a year. They might not even see the wedding. But I can’t say much when I’m married to a man I’m sneaking in and out of my bedroom.

  “Ryder told me how Dom and his brothers have helped him out these past couple Sundays. I wish I could be there, but I was stuck in bum-fuck nowhere for the show.”

  Max can’t show Ryder anything because he ran cross country in high school, but I’m not going to call him out on his shit. Knowing him, he was holed up in the hotel room his work was paying for with his new fiancée.

  “I’m glad things seem to be working out for you two.”

  “Okay.” I shrug.

  “I mean it. I know he makes you happy.”

  I look at him and narrow my eyes. “Why do I feel like you’re only doing this now because you have a fiancée?”

  He shrugs, clearly unembarrassed. “Truce?” He puts his hand out between us.

  With Ryder getting older, I don’t have to worry so much about a woman taking my spot as his mother. He can handle himself. His reaction to Dom and me has been so mature, but I don’t want him thinking women are interchangeable either.

  Keeping my son’s best interests in mind, I shake his hand.

  “Good.”

  I nod, looking at the gate again.

  “Where is the prince anyway?”

  “On his way.” I wonder if it’s a lie though, because Dom hasn’t messaged me at all today. If I add up everything, I’m afraid he’s high-tailing it out of my life again. He took the ring, he refused the sex I offered this morning, he’s late for the game, and he hasn’t called.

  But I try to push those fears out of my head, because this isn’t the old Dom and Val. This is the new, improved version. I know he’ll show.

  He didn’t show.

  I had to stand there like an idiot without Dom, making the excuse that he shot me a text and was stuck at work.

  Ryder decides he’s going out with his friends after. “Do you mind if I spend the night at Dad’s?”

  His friends already trying to pull him away, saying they gotta go.

  “Sure.” I know better than to give him a hug before he takes off, so I nod and smile.

  Max tells him not to be too late and to remember his curfew.

  On my way to the car, I pull out my phone to text Dom again, but there’s already a message waiting for me.

  Dom: Tonight’s a bust. Sorry. Work.

  I don’t even bother responding. This is the Dom from years before. The one who consistently put work first and treated me like an afterthought.

  “You wanna go get coffee?” Max asks, pulling me back to the present.

  “No. But thank you.”

  “Gonna go track him down?” Max stuffs his hands into his jacket, rocking back on his heels.

  “I’m going to surprise him at work and fuck him on his desk. Do you want more details?”

  His perma-smile erases off his face, and I flag down a taxi.

  “Bye, Max. Let’s keep this cordial relationship going. Next time bring the fiancée.” I get in, not at all amused by him.

  The taxi ride takes longer because it’s Friday night and everyone and their mother comes into the city. I slide out once we reach Dom’s office building. I have no idea if I can get up there. Security might be gone for the day, which means I’d have to have a key. The last time I came and surprised him after hours, I got lucky and someone was leaving. Hopefully it’s the same this time around.

  I get into the lobby and see a man sitting behind the security desk. Score.

  “Hi.” I smack on my friendliest and most flirtatious voice. I know it’s wrong, but if I want to get up there, I have no choice. I glance at his name tag. “Mick. I need a big favor.”

  “I’m sure you do.” He doesn’t smile, but he doesn’t turn me away either. I’d say he’s in his mid-fifties and looks fitter than me. If I made a run for the elevators, he’d probably catch me.

  “My husband is upstairs working late, and I really want to surprise him.”

  “Are you on the list?”

  I frown. “The list?”

  “Of approved guests. If he’s here and you’re on his list, you can go up. What’s his name?”

  “Dominic Mancini,” I say although I’m certain I’m not on his list. He wouldn’t add me.

  “And you’re?”

  “Valentina,” I say. “Or Val.”

  He clicks the mouse and reads the computer screen in front of him. “There you are, under wife.” He looks at my left hand. “I thought you were lying, what with no ring. I’d be awfully upset with my wife if she didn’t wear my ring. ID please.” He holds out his hand.

  It takes me a moment before I dig inside my purse for ID. “Our marriage is new, so I haven’t changed my name yet.”

  Am I even going to change my name? There’re so many decisions to be made.

  He hands me back my ID and picks up the phone and listens, then he hangs up. He writes up a tag and hands it to me. “He’s not answering, but that’s common at this hour. I assume you know the way?”

  “I do.”

  “Here you go, Valentina Mancini.”

  I smile sweetly because the man is doing me a favor. “Thanks, Mick.”

  When I get into the elevator, I think about what Mick said. He’s right. We’re totally doing this half
-assed. If we’re going to stay married, we need to be married. I need to decide on the name. I need to wear the ring. We need to move in together. We’re being idiots about all of this. Both of us are still too scared to jump right in.

  The elevator doors open at his floor, and the hallway is dark with the exception of a few lights. I swear everyone at this company works crazy hours. Ash’s desk is all closed up, a picture of her and Molly near her keyboard. Dom’s office door is open with his desk lamp on, so I assume he’s here somewhere. I sit down to wait. When he doesn’t come after a few minutes, I wonder if he’s already left.

  I figure I’ll be cute and leave him some little notes to find at random times, so he knows I’m thinking about him.

  His desk is spotless. Who doesn’t have a pen holder or a pack of Post-it notes on their desk? I open the drawer on the left, finding the Post-it notes but no pens. I open the other drawer and spot a row of pens, highlighters, and pencils in separate compartments. I shake my head. He’ll never be able to live with Ryder and me.

  Beside the pens is something black and silky with a note attached. I pull it out. Written in girly script handwriting on the note attached to the black silk thong is, “You know where to find me.”

  I drop them and plop down in the chair.

  Okay, think rationally, Val.

  I pull out my phone and text him only to get a reply that confirms my suspicions.

  Dom: I’m heading home.

  Fucking liar. I snag the panties and shove them in my purse. All the convincing I did on the way up. How fucking stupid am I? Always Dom’s little puppet.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Dominic

  * * *

  I pour myself a double scotch and stare out the window of my penthouse.

  I was happier before I got tangled in Valentina’s web again. Wasn’t I? All these doubts about whether she loves me as much as I love her are still swirling around my head, making me question everything that’s happened over the past few months.

  My condo door opens, and I turn around to find Val. Her eyes rage with fire, but they’re red-rimmed and it causes a stabbing pain in my chest.