Free Wilder: The Guardian Series by G.K. DeRosa Page B

and disappeared into the crowd.  
    Celeste glared at Roman, reluctant to give in so easily, but what
with being only inches away from him she was quickly losing her resolve. Roman let
out a frustrated breath and closed the distance between them. When he put his
hands on her hips, she couldn’t help but feel the familiar sensation of
electricity where he touched her. Their eyes met as she rested her arms loosely
around his neck, and as she gazed into them, the fear and anger began to drift
away.
    “Thanks for saving my life tonight, Roman,” she said
breathlessly.
    “It was my honor and my duty,” he responded formally. “And I
apologize for not being honest with you about Patrick from the beginning. I
know that I owe you an explanation, and I wasn’t lying when I said I would give
you one. I was just hoping that all of this wouldn’t have started so soon.”
    “All of what?” she asked.
    “We have a lot to talk about Celeste, but this is neither the
time nor the place.” And with one quick move, he skillfully dipped her in time
with the music leaving Celeste breathless once more and entranced by his deep
blue eyes.
     
     
    “Are you sure you don’t want to ride back with us in the
limo?” asked Natalie, poking her head out of the sunroof.   “We are going to grab a snack at Ralph’s
on the way.”
    Before Celeste could respond, Roman interjected, “Don’t worry
about her Natalie, I have my car so we can drop her off on the way home.”
    “How are the three of you going to fit in his Porsche?” she
asked Celeste. “Oh I get it… You’ll have to sit on Nico’s lap – how
cozy!”
    Roman looked nauseated and Celeste just shook her head with a
weary smile.   She waved goodnight to
a despondent Brian, and they pulled away in the limo.
    As soon as they had situated themselves in the Porsche (and
yes, Celeste indeed had to sit on Nico’s lap, to her chagrin), she asked, “So
did the police come and arrest that creep Patrick?”
    Nico looked to Roman for insight, and he finally answered,
“Well, no, not exactly.”
    “Roman, stop the car! I am not going anywhere with the two of
you if you don’t start explaining yourselves immediately,” threatened Celeste.
“Maybe it’s completely normal to get thrown into the trunk of a car by a
complete stranger from wherever you came from, but this doesn’t happen in Oak
Bluffs, and it definitely doesn’t happen to me!”
    Roman pulled over to the side of the road, and Celeste jumped
out of the car.
    “Celeste, please get back in the car.   It’s the middle of the night and you
can’t be walking in the road,” said Nico, trying to reason with her.
    At that, Celeste spun around and slipped on the uneven
pavement. Still wearing her beautiful high heels, she was unable to regain her
balance, and she began to fall. In a flash both Nico and Roman were at her
side, but they weren’t fast enough to catch her. Her head hit the pavement with
a thunk and she passed out from the impact.
    “Quick, do something Roman!” Nico said in a panic. “She may
have a concussion from the fall.”
    Roman picked up her head and saw that there was blood where
she hit the concrete. He had to look away, as he felt his canines extending at
the sight of the fresh blood. He took a moment to steady himself, and with a
quick bite to his own wrist, he positioned it delicately on Celeste’s mouth and
forced her to drink his blood.
    “Come on, let’s take her home. We can watch over her there
until she wakes up,” said Roman, picking up her limp body and gently placing
her on Nico’s lap in the car.
     
    At the apartment Nico carried a still-unconscious Celeste
into the spare bedroom and laid her carefully on the bed.
    “What are we going to do?” asked Nico. “She’s going to be
awake soon, and we can’t keep dodging her questions – unless you want to
keep her knocked out for a few more days.”
    “I know,” said Roman exasperated. “I was just hoping we could
put this