Star-Crossed (28 page)

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Tino had lied to Romeo.
Johnnie Walker won’t hurt you.
That was the biggest piece of bullshit he’d ever heard in his life, because he had a headache pounding at his temples that had spots dancing in his vision since he’d woken up.

Having Jules in his bed was like a breath of fresh air, soothing his injured soul and forcing the headache to fade to the background. He threw himself into loving her like it might be his last time, and he wasn’t going to let a hangover stop him from savoring one of the truly good things in his life.

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He ran his lips over her body until she was flushed and writhing for more. He savored the way she sounded when she was breathless with want. There was something so incredibly sexy about a woman as proud and fierce as Jules begging for more.

“Come on.” Jules’s fingers tightened in his hair, pushing his head lower. “I ain’t got all day. Do it.”

He licked her belly button, letting his tongue delve in before he lifted his gaze and grinned at her. “What’d you want?”

She moaned, her chest heaving, her gaze trained on his mouth. “Lick me. Use your fingers. I don’t care, just make me come.”

He grinned. “Say please.”

“It’s my birthday.” She was almost whining with need. When Romeo didn’t instantly relent, she huffed. “Please.”

Romeo slid lower. He fell between her legs to spread her folds and suck greedily on her clit. Jules bucked beneath him, her back bowing as a cry of pleasure burst out of her. The sound went straight to his dick, making it jerk against the sheets with need, and he decided right then he needed her to come fast.

He worked first one, then two fingers into her, all the while sucking and licking her clit while Jules’s head tossed against the bed and her hands tugged at his hair in her mindlessness. He could feel her shaking, reaching for the release as low, feral moans of bliss burst out of her. Then she stiffened, quivering under the onslaught, his name slipping past her lips, and Romeo could actually feel the pulse of her orgasm as her pussy milked his fingers.

Christ, this woman turned him on.

It never waned. It never got old or boring. If anything, things got more intense and exciting. She was tempting enough to make throwing a fight and retiring from a career he loved seem like the sacrifice might be worth it. Romeo had always known surviving

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life was harder than quitting in the name of honor. Dying for something was easy, but Romeo was starting to realize he loved Jules enough to actually
live
for her.

Fuck pride and integrity if it meant he got to spend the rest of his days in bed with Jules, loving and fucking her until he passed out in her arms. He’d do anything to hold on to the feeling he had right now, even bow down to Frankie.

Jules was still shaking, little jolts of pleasure racking her body as Romeo crawled over her and reached for the nightstand. He grabbed the condom near the lamp, then sat back on his haunches and ripped it open.

Jules sat up, looking like a goddess with her silky, golden-blonde hair flowing over her shoulders. She wrapped a hand around his neck and tugged him forward, kissing him boldly. She pushed her tongue past his lips, tasting herself on him.

He groaned, falling forward, taking Jules with him until he was over her, one hand supporting all his weight as Jules kissed him in a way that made him feel like he was going to blow right there.

“I gotta do this,” he said against her lips, reminding himself of the condom, still sticky between his fingers. “You’re distracting me.” She reached down, grasping his cock, stroking him. Romeo’s eyes fell closed under the rush of pleasure. He realized this was her way of trying to help, but all she was doing was making the surge of lust pound through his system stronger and more overpowering with each passing moment.

He had to work with what he had before Jules pushed him over the edge. Romeo wasn’t real sure how great of a job they did with the condom, kissing and panting, their hands brushing while Jules held him and he tried to roll it on, but in the end it didn’t matter.

Jules cried out when he pushed into her, doing it rougher than he usually did because she was already so wet and ready for him. Then he was fucking her hard and fast, indulging himself in the feel of her, letting her heat and passion wash away all the pain and guilt that had been steadily choking his soul for the past twelve hours.

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Jules clung to him, riding out the storm, her nails digging into his shoulders as she met him stroke for stroke. The moment was surreal. The sound of their bodies moving together. Jules’s low moans mingling with his. The slick feel of her skin against his. The heat of her tight pussy wrapped around his cock as he pushed them higher and higher.

It made Romeo feel as if everything was right with the world.

Perfect. Beautiful. Untouchable.

Then Jules’s arms tightened around him. Her hips jerked forward as her back arched. Her keening cry of ecstasy slammed into Romeo, forcing him over the edge.

Reality came hurtling back at him through a sea of pleasure, like the pavement threatening at the end of a spectacular leap of glory. Even through the rush, he hated that it was ending. The climax meant thinking and feeling something past the bliss of being with Jules.

It wasn’t even hazed in the aftermath. It was all astonishingly real, forcing him to suck in a startled gasp, because he’d forgotten how sharp the pain was. He forced Jules to bear most of his weight as he buried his face in the curve of her neck and listened to her come down from her own high. He tried to enjoy her gentle return to earth, living through her, comforting himself with the knowledge that though his life might be all ragged, sharp angles, with intense highs and lows, Jules had always been more even-keeled.

She was all rules and routine, never changing, always steady and dependable. He wished there was a way to keep her forever happy, to make sure that if he was there or not, she still enjoyed life and did all the things she loved, and he searched for the answer while she petted him and lovingly stroked his back.

“You wanna marry me?”

Jules stiffened beneath him. “Excuse me?”

Romeo pulled up and looked at Jules, who was still flushed from the sex. Her eyes were wide and shocked, her lips parted in stunned disbelief as she gaped up at him.

Strands of golden hair clung to her neck and forehead. Romeo worked at brushing them

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behind her ears as he used her shocked silence to reevaluate and determine that he really was serious.

“We could just go to the courthouse and do it,” he went on, hoping to explain himself correctly. “Like in secret. No one has to know.”

“Are you being serious?” Jules finally choked. “If we go to the courthouse here,
everyone
will know.”

Romeo shrugged. “We can go somewhere else.”

“What the heck is going on with you?” Jules asked him, still gazing up at Romeo as if he’d grown two heads. “This is way out of left field.”

“We love each other,” Romeo said simply. “Might as well make it legal. Don’t have to advertise it, but if something happens, you’d get what I have. Nova and Tino got their own money. Not like they need it.”

“Is something gonna happen to you?” Jules asked in concern.

“I got this fight next week.” Romeo avoided her gaze, because lying to her wasn’t easy. “Anything could happen. I don’t exactly live a cautious life.”

“Are you nervous ’bout the fight?”

“Yes,” Romeo said, letting all the anxiety flow into that one statement. “I’m very nervous about it.”

Jules frowned. “But you’re better than Lipton.
Much better.
”

“I’m just saying shit happens.” Romeo avoided her gaze once more. “Nasty shit happens every day, and it’d be nice to know you’re taken care of if it did.”

“I’m taken care of,” she assured him. “I’ve got plenty of money, Romeo. My daddy left us a lot. He was like Wyatt. He didn’t ever spend anything. He lived in a house that was paid for and just invested and invested some more. Wyatt and me don’t have to work. We just do it ’cause we love it.”

Romeo arched an eyebrow. “I bet I have more money than you do. Lots more.”

“I’m sure you do, but so what?”

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“So what? I want you to have it,” Romeo snapped, the stress adding an edge to his voice. “I’m asking you to marry me, Juliet. Are you gonna say yes or what?”

“I think we need to discuss it more.” Jules sounded very calm and rational, annoyingly like a lawyer. “I’m not just gonna go off half-cocked and get married in secret. Wyatt would flip his fucking lid.”

“Who gives a shit about Wyatt?”

“I do,” Jules said with a laugh of disbelief. “He’s my brother, Romeo. I care what he thinks. That would hurt his feelings.”

“Maybe you should marry Wyatt then.”

Jules eyes narrowed to icy slits. “Get off me.”

Romeo groaned, knowing he’d struck a nerve. Everyone including Jules seemed to think she was going to spend her days with only her twin for company. “Juliet—”

“I said get off me,” Jules said slowly, her voice low with fury. “I don’t wanna hurt you, but I will.”

Romeo rolled off her, and Jules immediately got out of bed and started searching for her clothes. He groaned. “Come on, don’t leave. I’m sorry. I’m just stressed out.”

“I don’t give a shit,” Jules said as she pulled on her panties with sharp, jerky motions. “Join the club. This is my busy season. I’m tired and worn thin, and I dunno what’s going on with you, but it ain’t really a shock you don’t wanna talk ’bout it.

Unless it revolves ’round sex, you ain’t got much of anything to share with me.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means, Romeo,” Jules said as she fought with her bra. “That I’m not marrying a man who can’t even talk to me when he’s having a bad day, and I sure as shit ain’t marrying one who won’t tell me why he spent two years in prison.” A wave of sickening betrayal washed over him as he looked at her in horror. “You did a background check on me?”

“That’s not the point.”

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“That is the point!” Romeo jumped out of bed and glared at her. “Why didn’t you just fucking ask if you wanted to know so bad? Instead you went behind my back and investigated like you suspected I was a thug all along?”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I know you! I know you’d think I wasn’t good enough. You’re a cop.

You see criminals first and human beings second when it comes to shit like that. It’s all black-and-white, good and evil. There is no gray area, and you would just naturally assume the worst.” Romeo snarled and then threw up his hands. “Obviously I was right. Good enough to fuck, not good enough to marry. I get it. Why not leave cash on the nightstand if you’re gonna treat me like your whore.”

“I’m here, aren’t I?” Jules gave him a look of disbelief. “I read the report, and I’m still here. Assaulting an officer, that’s a serious offense, but I didn’t judge you. I was waiting for you to tell me what happened. To confide in me.”

“Like hell.” Romeo laughed cynically. “You fucking judged me. You’re doing it right now.”

“Where does all your money come from?” Jules asked out of the blue. “I wanna know where you get so much of it if you grew up poor. It’s more than fancy sponsors.

A lot more. Clay’s got six championship belts, and he ain’t got half as much disposable income.”

“Where do you think it comes from?”

“Well.” Jules shrugged and tilted her head to study him. “It ain’t really a secret that your brothers got some shady connections.”

Romeo snorted. “Is that your way of asking if my money’s dirty?” Jules folded her arms over her chest for one long moment before she finally said,

“Yes, it is.”

“Then fuck you.” Romeo turned around and walked to the bathroom before slamming the door hard enough to make the frame rattle.

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He dealt with the condom and washed his hands; all the while his heart was beating hard and furious against his ribs and the dull buzz of anger was pulsing at the back of his brain.

Feeling betrayed and exposed, he rested his hands against the sink and took several deep breaths. He tried to remind himself that he’d suspected she knew about his prison time. If she hadn’t look him up at some point, he was certain Wyatt had and shared the knowledge. It wasn’t a secret the sheriff thought Romeo was trouble. Even if he hadn’t come out and accused Romeo of being a criminal, Wyatt’s dark looks and general defensiveness said it all.

It was Romeo’s own insecurities that made him so angry, mixed with the mind-numbing stress of knowing he either had to throw a fight and seriously damage his career with two losses in a row or he could win and put a target on his back instead.

Great choice.

It wasn’t really surprising Romeo took his anxiety out on the first person who showed up—even if it was her birthday.

“Merda!”

Romeo opened the door, finding her already gone. He quickly grabbed his jeans and ran into the living room. “Juliet!”