THERE SEEMED TO be an unspoken agreement between Roman and me once we got home from the beach and everyone was talking about going out to lunch. I feigned a headache, he claimed he'd gotten too much sun, and in the end, we had the house all to ourselves. I was practically giddy as I shut the door behind my friends, turning to Roman instantly. He grins wickedly as I run up to him and slide my hands around his neck, bringing his lips onto mine.

        Roman's mouth crushes mine with so much force that I would've stumbled back if it weren't for his hands holding onto my waist, his fingers rough and firm as they dig into my sides. A low moan that I don't remember deciding to make leaves my lips and that only seems to spur him on as he slides his tongue into my mouth easily. I meet him halfway, digging my nails into his cropped hair and feeling like I'm floating the entire time.

Our lips part for just a moment as Roman brings his lips to my neck. A shudder racks through me as he sucks on my sweet spot and I ball his shirt up in my fist, feeling completely and utterly drunk on him. "Should we go to your room?" he breathes, his voice lower and raspier than normal.

"What makes you think I want to have sex with you?" I pant, a harsh breath leaving my lips after every word. I couldn't seem to catch my breath. If his lips weren't still dancing on my neck, I'd be worried I was asthmatic.

Roman chuckles darkly. "Are you saying you don't?" he asks. I don't respond, my mind far too muddled to come up with some witty comeback.

Roman's lips suddenly leave my neck and then I'm no longer holding his body either. He pulls away and takes a few steps back until his back hits the wall. I glare at him. "The hell are you doing?" I spit, suddenly feeling cold from where his lips had been before.

Roman only smirks at me. "I'm all about consent, Braylen. If you don't want to have sex, then we won't."

"I never said that," I respond, crossing my arms across my chest as my stomach flips inside out. Couldn't he tell how badly I wanted him?

"You never said that you do," Roman responds easily.

I stare at him. "You're being ridiculous."

"Am I?" Roman asks, pushing himself off of the wall and grabbing my hand instead, quickly turning me so it's my spine pressed against the wall and his arm caging me in. Goosebumps raise on my arms and I can't seem to catch my breath again.

I gnaw on my bottom lip. "Yes," I breathe, my voice sounding far too needy for my liking.

Roman's fingers grab my cheek, his hands slowly tilting my face up. He takes a fingertip and runs them along the outline of my lips, tracing them slowly and leaving me close to panting. "Well, it shouldn't be too hard, should it?" he asks, pouting his lips in a way that makes me want to kiss him again. "You asked me to kiss you last night, didn't you? What's the difference now?"

It's an ego battle. This I know. And usually, I'd be more than keen to win it but I couldn't seem to think straight with his lips so close to mine. "You're being cruel," I mutter.

"Cruel and ridiculous," Roman chuckles. "Tell me you want me, Braylen. Tell me you want me to kiss you, that you want me to touch you. Tell me and I'll do it. I'll do whatever you want me to."

His hands find themselves underneath my shirt, his fingertips running along my stomach so sensually I feel ready to cry. "Roman..."

"I didn't ask you to say my name," he says, voice teasing. "I asked you to tell me what you wanted me to do to you. Use your words, Braylen."

I huff out a sigh, angry that he was going to win and angry that I was letting him. "I want you to touch me," I whisper. "Please."

Roman smiles a wicked grin. "You know, you didn't want me to touch you just hours ago," he continues and it takes all of me not to reach up and punch him for tricking me. "Why should I do so now?"

I grit my teeth at him. "Fine," I say. "I'll do it myself." I reach down into my swim trunks, cupping myself in my hand and attempting to alleviate myself of all of the damn tension Roman had caused. A low breathy moan leaves my mouth as I do so, Roman's eyes following their way down to my hand as he watches me pump slowly.

He lets this go on for just a moment before grabbing my wrist, forcing my hand to stop. I nearly cry out again, angry at him for stopping me before I reached my high and angry at him for making me take care of it myself in the first place. "Let me go," I whisper, voice small.

"Wouldn't you much rather me take care of that?" he asks, pointing down to my erection.

"Obviously. But you can't seem to bring yourself to do it," I retort back, putting as much venom as possible into my voice.

Roman laughs again and must decide I've suffered enough. He kisses me hard, grabbing both of my wrists and pinning them above my head. I kiss him back just as roughly, wishing I could touch him. Roman dips his own hand down into my shorts and a soft gasp leaves my mouth. His long fingers wrap around me, stroking me slowly as I pant against his neck.

"You were saying?" Roman asks sardonically, pumping me faster and causing my eyes to squeeze shut.

I let out a sigh. "Shut up, Rome."

He only laughs and I can feel the knot in my stomach building up. My hands are still pinned above me and my head is rested on Roman's shoulder as goosebumps crawl up and down my body. A soft whimper leaves my mouth as Roman's fingers brush against an especially sensitive spot, one that has my body shaking. "Roman," I breathe out, the rest of the warning falling from my mouth.

"I know, angelo," he murmurs, voice thick with his Italian accent. Something about the raspiness of his voice and the feeling of his fingers all over me causes me to see stars behind my eyes. I come undone immediately, a harsh gasp leaving my mouth. Roman's lips capture mine, swallowing the moans down his own throat while slowing his strokes as I come down from my high, the high that he'd caused.

I breathe softly against Roman's neck as he loosens his grip on my wrists, allowing them to fall back down to my sides. "You feel okay?" he asks, his hand coming up to my cheek.

"Yeah, I'm f—"

My voice is cut out by the sound of keys jangling outside of the door. Roman's eyes widen at the same time mine do and panic seems to fall on top of the both of us. "Shit," I hiss, adjusting myself in my shorts and quickly realizing that they were soaked. A blush covers my neck and I glare at Roman. "What do we do?"

He jogs over to the kitchen, a teasing grin on his face as he grabs some yogurt and berries and sits casually at the kitchen table. I'm still standing against the wall as the door clicks open. Devin and Hunter pop in, laughing softly together. "Yo!" Hunter shouts and I stare at Roman who is simply eating a raspberry with an amused expression on his face.

Devin and Hunter enter the kitchen and it's all I can do to not wither away then and there. "What are you guys doing?" Devin asks, an eyebrow raised.

I scratch the back of my neck as Roman smiles kindly at Devin. "Just grabbing a snack. Braylen was starving by the time we got here," he says, a teasing glint in his eye.

I glare at Roman who only grins back, scooping two of his fingers—the same fingers that had been on me just seconds ago—into his yogurt. I watch as he licks the contents off of his fingers, a blush spreading against my face for the 100th time today.

"Got you," Devin says, ruffling around the kitchen table until he finds a small black case. "You know, you still could come to lunch. I'm just dropping by because I forgot my wallet."

I shake my head. "Oh, no. My...my stomachache is just getting worse and worse. I think I ought to lie down. But thanks."

Hunter scrunches his nose. "I thought you had a headache?"

Damn it. The kid chooses today to be smart?

"Right! Now it's both," I respond. "You know, from my hangover. Anyways, we'll see you guys later!"

Devin and Hunter nod, waving goodbye. Devin turns around for a moment, looking over at me. "Also, you should probably change out of your shorts, B. Looks like they're still wet from the beach earlier."

My blush deepens as I smile shakily back at Devin who shuts the door behind him. I turn to Roman who bursts into laughter, tossing his head back in amusement. "I'm going to shower," I mutter, crossing my arms. "You're a menace."

Roman laughs even louder as I run up the stairs, my blush not leaving my face until long after my shower is over.

¥

An hour or two later, I'm shuffling through my closet for a new outfit to put on. After settling on a pair of baggy jeans and an old American Eagle t-shirt with the faded words "Happy Fourth of July!" written on it, I'm bounding back downstairs. I find all my friends standing in the kitchen, arguing loudly. Roman's eyes catch mine and he smiles sheepishly, looking so out of place that a small smile etches onto my lips.

"Dude, you're legit so crazy," Devin yells, crossing his arms across his chest. "Don't be upset that you suck at volleyball and that Hayley and I bent you over and smacked you on your pale, puny, a--"

"I don't like where that sentence is going," Robyn speaks up. She was dressed in a flowy red dress and wrapped in Devin's jean jacket, her hair in two festive buns and sparkling with red, white, and blue glitter. "But it is true. From where B and I sat, it certainly looked like Hayley and Devin beat you and Roman at volleyball."

Hunter sighs exasperatedly. "Under what rules? You two had so many fouls that you should've been arrested! Roman and I demolished you to pieces. Right, Roman?"

Rome looks up from his seat. His eyes were droopy with boredom and his legs were crossed casually. "Hmm? Oh, yeah. Bits and pieces, uh-huh. Say, the fireworks are gonna start so—"

"Dev and I only had to foul so much because of the unfair advantage you two caused! Roman is, like, 7'2, and you have two years of competitive volleyball under your belt. There's no way we could've won without cheating!" Hayley exclaims, crossing her arms over her USA flag-covered bikini top and white jean skirt.

Devin frowns. "Wait a minute, I didn't say that. We were totally capable. I am also a tall man."

Robyn nods, rubbing Devin's arm soothingly. "Sure are, baby. Sure are."

Hunter's eyes finally catch on me and he grins. "Ah, finally! Braylen, who do you think won in volleyball today? Me and Roman, or Devin and Hayley?"

I gnaw on my bottom lip. "You guys know I have no clue how volleyball works. Now, are we going to go see these fireworks or what?"

There's a beat. Everyone finally stands up, Hunter and Devin still muttering angrily at one another. It didn't matter much. At least they were going to the door. Roman finds his way next to me and shoots me a brief smile. "Thanks," he murmurs.

        "You owe me, De Carlo," I retort as we step outside onto the beach. "And I'm still mad at you for earlier."

        He cocks his head to the side, grinning widely at me. "When are we not mad at each other?"

        "Usually you're at fault," I respond back quickly. "Okay, that's a lie, it's usually me."

        "Yeah," he agrees, and then we both laugh so loudly that the rest of my friends turn around to see what was so funny. I grinned harder when I realized they'd never really get it. It was only between him and me.