Loving A Romano

Loving a Romano

by

Sindee Lynn

Ebook
Edition

* * * * *

PUBLISHED BY:

Passionate Writer Publishing

www.passionatewriterpublishing.com

Loving a Romano

Copyright © 2013 by Sindee Lynn and PWP

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

License Notes

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Books by This Author

Chapter One

Wade Romano sat in his car staring up at the darkened bedroom window of a house he knew well. Leaning his head against the cool glass, he tried to figure out what he was doing there. He should have just stayed at Jake’s and continued drinking until his need to see her had passed.

“Hmph, like that’s been working.” He sighed.

It had actually had the opposite effect. The more he had drank the lower his resolve to stay away from this very location had become, until finally he’d just given in. Behind that darkened window pane was the cause of so many sleepless nights. And of his current dilemma, a hard-on that refused to be ignored or satisfied. Wade had it bad for his oldest sister’s best friend since he had been old enough to identify what the tightening in his underwear meant every time he saw her
.

Ashley Morgan had been ruling his world since the first day he had laid eyes on her and he had loved her just as long. One would think he would be used to it by now but these past few weeks of seeing her had been particularly hard. A soft chuckle escaped him at the unintended pun. As an event planner, she’d been tasked by his mother and sister to help plan his birthday party.

A visual image of her came quickly to mind. Her head of dark hair, freshly tinted with burgundy highlights, had been thrown back in laughter over something either his sister or mother had said. Her brown eyes had sparkled with humor. But it had been her dimples that had captivated him. How many times through the years had he wondered what it would be like to stick his tongue in the caramel colored hollow of her cheek? Would she taste as sweet as he had dreamed? A deep sigh moved through him both over the corniness of the thought and the reality of it. Her cheeks were not the only things he wanted to taste. He had been about to make his presence known when she had reached down to get something out of her briefcase and given him a clear view of her impressive cleavage. His dick had gone instantly hard at the sight of those luscious globes. Taunting him with what he couldn't have. His dick twitched against the confines of his jeans at the memory.

Tired of the direction of his thoughts and of sitting in the driveway like some damn stalker, Wade finally unfolded his long frame from behind the wheel. A twinge of guilt over the late hour tried to assert itself but he quickly pushed it aside.

Like a moth to a flame, he often found himself standing on her doorstep at odd hours of night. Most times he just let her assume he was there because he had drunk too much and was unable to make the long drive home. It was just easier. There was no way she was ready to hear the truth, which was that he simply wanted to see her. Be near her even if in different rooms. So he endured the looks of disapproval and on those really rare occasions a lecture about drinking responsibly. But tonight he had been in control of the alcohol and not the other way around. Shoving his hands deep in the pockets of his loose fitting jeans, he bound up the steps.

A wave of dizziness had him reaching for anything solid to help balance himself. “Whoa.” Maybe he’d had more to drink than he had thought.

“Shit,” he cursed aloud.

This was not good. Less than two weeks ago he’d shown up on her doorstep too trashed to drive himself home. He barely managed to make it out of the car and stumbled clumsily up the steps to her door. Saying nothing, Ashley held it open and let him in.

The next morning she lit into him. No way did he want to go through a recap. Wad paced back on forth on her porch in indecision. It should have been a no brainer. Common sense said to turn his ass around, get back in his car and make the ten minute drive back to Jake’s. But it had been six long days since he’d last seen her and then it had only been from a distance. She was leaving his parents’ house as he was arriving. Fearful of a lecture, he didn't stop and talk to her. He missed out on feeling her, however briefly, in his arms for their routine hug.

Damn how desperate and pathetic does this make me
? Not wanting to answer his own question, he took a deep breath and rang the doorbell.

He ran sweaty palms down the sides of his jeans and tried to calm his breathing. His heart was pounding in his chest so loudly it caused a dull ache at his temple. Too bad he couldn't blame this on the alcohol. Anticipation over seeing Ashley always brought on this anxious feeling. It had been this way for as long as he could remember. The thought of seeing her turned him into a jittery mess and things had only gotten worse the older he had gotten. With age had come the ability to recognize and appreciate the woman she had become. He only wished she would return the favor.

“And what would she see Wade?”
So clear was the voice, Wade spun around half expecting to see his sister standing behind him but another wave of dizziness was all he got for his trouble.

He gently shook his head in an effort to clear the voice. He didn’t need to be reminded of how impossible his situation was. It had been weighing especially heavy on his mind as of late.

What the hell was taking her so long to answer?
He had a key but there was something about seeing her all sleep tousled opening the door for him that he enjoyed. He pressed close against the cool wood, listening for any signs of movement. All he heard was silence. He glanced at the closed garage doors and then checked his watch. It was three o’clock in the morning. She had to be home. Where else could she be? He paused not liking where his thoughts were heading but the facts could not be ignored. She could be with David.

Irritation and anger shot through him at the thought of Ashley’s current boyfriend, David Wright. He and his sister didn’t agree on much but they both agreed David was an asshole. Wade
hadn’t liked him on sight. As David had given him the once over followed quickly by a look of dismissal, his dislike of the man had run deeper than for any other guy Ashley had ever dated. It wasn’t as if he didn’t know what David saw when he looked at him. It was the same thing most people saw, a spoiled little rich kid. Trust fund brats. The fact had never bothered him as much as it did when reflected in David’s dark brown gaze.

Upset with the possibility Ashley could actually be with him… He couldn't bear the thought. Inste
ad he mashed the doorbell again, this time leaning on it a little harder and longer than necessary. The continuous chimes sounded through the door. Any lingering guilt he felt over waking her was gone. Sure he knew it was crazy to be jealous, but he couldn't help it. Numerous men had come and gone over the years and dammit he wanted his chance.

The door suddenly swung open catching him off guard. His head snapped up. All the anger from just seconds ago fled as his hungry gaze took in the sight before him. The look of irritation clearly reflected in her brown gaze did nothing to extinguish the sudden heat taking over his body. He lowered his head in an effort to keep her from seeing the desire spiraling through him
.

“What are you doing here at this time of morning Nicki?”

Ugh, she’d used a nick name that stopped being cute when they were little. Nicki was short for his middle name Nicholas. Why did he continue to do this to himself? He should just turn around and go back to Jake’s. There was surely a drink with his name on it and a friendly smile from something with tits and ass to help boost his spirits.

He let out a deep sigh
as he lifted his gaze to meet hers. An apology was on his lips for waking her when she stepped back and opened the door a little wider.

“Come on in.”

Chapter Two

Ashley Morgan stepped aside to allow her best friend’s younger brother into her home. A grown escaped her parted lips as she closed the door. She stopped at the hallway closet to get him a blanket as he made his way pass her and to his favorite spot.

Walking into her family room, she almost bumped into the leg hanging over the side of her leather couch. He retracted it to allow her to pass and mumbled what she thought was an apology but she couldn't quite decipher it from behind his arm, which was thrown across his face.

His baseball cap lay on the back of her sofa. She shook her head in disbelief as she stared down at him. It seemed like just yesterday when she had looked up into the bluest eyes she’d ever seen while standing in her new friend’s foyer. Wade had been three years old then and she thirteen. In a little over three months he would be twenty-four. Where had all the years gone? It seemed he had grown up right before her eyes. From the chunky toddler she had first met had emerged a gangly kid who seemed to be continuously outgrowing his shoes and clothes.