Rome stepped out of the shadows once he was certain they were alone. There she was, standing by the fountain, her gown flowing around her, the moonlight casting a silver hue around her dark hair and making her skin glow in a soft light. She had spoken as if she were ordinary, perhaps even ugly, but even with the mask on her face, he could tell that Ella was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.
They’d spoken to each other several times over the phone; he almost felt as if he knew her. Yet, as he approached, the ordinary words that would’ve normall
Tim’s fingers seemed cold compared to Rome’s warm ones, and even though her cousin was a graceful dancer, Ella couldn't help but think about what it would be like if it were Rome twirling her around the dance floor.She’d stolen his phone. She hadn’t meant to. Well, that wasn’t exactly true. She had meant to. But only because she didn’t want Tim to see it. And also because it had occurred to her that if she could sneak the phone into the attic, her stepmother wouldn’t know she had it. Then, Rome could call her whenever he want
Blinding light had Ella covering her face and blinking. “Where is it!” her stepmother screeched, pulling the chain to the bare bulb above Ella’s bed but continuing to shine the flashlight in Ella’s face. “Where the hell is that gown?” she demanded.Ella hadn’t fallen asleep yet, but she had been on her way. Her thoughts had been on Rome, of how peaceful it had been to stand in the garden with him, to hold his hand, to kiss his lips. She’d been so relaxed; it had been like floating on a cloud, in the world’s best dr
Everyone in LA knew where the Sinders’s house was located, but Rome didn’t know for certain that’s where Ella lived until he borrowed Bart’s phone and tracked his own to that location. “You’re crazy,” Bart said, pulling his car over behind Rome’s and getting out.“Why do you say that?”
Ella couldn’t believe Rome was crossing her yard. How brave must he be to dare climb over the tall barrier in the wall and make his way through rows of hedges and bushes as well. She muttered to herself, “My goodness!” watching him cross toward the yard.Resting her head on her hand, she considered what she should do. If she opened the window, she’d have to shout to him, but that wasn’t feasible. She could wake up everyone in the house doing that.
The sound of someone banging on her door, shouting at her to wake up, came too soon for Ella. “Are you awake! Don’t make me come in there!” the servant shouted.“Yes, I’m awake!” Her voice sounded much more clear than it actually was. Ella got up and remembered she was still wearing the clothes she’d tossed on the night before. Footsteps started to echo away from the door, so she darted out of bed. “Wait! I need to go to the bathroom!”
The phone was ringing, but Ella wasn’t answering, and Rome started to get nervous. He had gotten to Mark’s apartment just after sun up because he hadn’t been able to sleep anyway. Mark was passed out in bed in his underwear. Rome only knew that because he went into his room to find his phone.Finally, he heard her sweet voice in his ear. It was a whisper, as if she was trying not to be discovered, when she said, “Hello?”
Even though it was Saturday, Ella still had work to do. She had work to do every single day, for that matter. Not long ago, her father had sent an email saying how proud he was of her for working even on the weekends, but he didn’t know that her stepmom insisted that she stay in the attic on the computer even on the weekends.That was about to change, though, if Ella had anything to say about it. Talking to Rome on the phone had invigorated her and given her reason to escape what she now saw as a prison. Before, r
Listening to Ella admit that she was essentially a prisoner in her own home broke Rome’s heart. He didn’t know what to do about it. He needed to figure out a way to get her out of there, but the only person who could help him was Tim Bolt, and he knew there was no chance the actor would want to have anything to do with him, let alone find out that his cousin had been speaking to the enemy.He wished he could drive over to Tim’s place and tell him that he would do whatever it took to win his approval. Ella had said the night before when Rome was stand