Star-Crossed(14)

That does suck.”

Jules stuck her tongue out. “Make me feel better, why dontcha?” Romeo flinched. “God, I’m an asshole.”

“Nah.” Jules laughed. “You’re just fine. There ain’t nothing wrong with your company. I’m kinda enjoying it.”

Romeo smiled that breathtakingly handsome smile once more. “Ditto.”





* * * *





Dinner was really nice. The food wasn’t nearly as horrible as it sounded, and there was something fun in sharing exotic pasta with Romeo, which was bizarre. Yesterday she’d hated him simply for being a competitor to Clay, who was more a brother than friend. Today she was on a date with a handsome, charming man who’d risked his life to save a woman he didn’t even know. It should be difficult to accept they were the same man, but it wasn’t.

Plus Romeo was excellent company. He was easy to talk to, and they had a shocking number of things in common. Both raised by single parents, they held the same interests and had lived through some of the same tragedies. It created a camaraderie that felt like a light in the darkness. Jules was practically glowing by the

37

time they got to the dessert—a gelato made with fried dates and lavender honey that burst with flavor on her tongue.

She found herself wanting to lick the exotic honey off those full, kissable lips as she stared at Romeo across the table. The truth was, she was practically shifting in her seat with sexual frustration. It’d been two years since she’d had sex with something that didn’t vibrate, and a lot longer since it’d been sex worth remembering. Just the sound of Romeo’s voice made her wet. The way he talked with his hands—big, powerful hands.

The way that beautiful suit showed off his impossibly broad shoulders. The way the dark green tie brought out his eyes.

Jules wanted this, wanted him, and she’d always had one of those hard-driving personalities that allowed her to go the distance for a goal she’d set her sights on. She felt it click, the surrender that this was going to happen and she’d very likely be the instigator because that’s just who she was.

She took another bite of her dessert and smiled at him coyly. “Now that I got you drunk on gelato and lavender honey, you have to tell me how you got into MMA.” Romeo put a hand to his chest and gave her a bemused smile. “It takes a lot more than one dessert to get a sugar high outta me. Look at me; I’m like two regular guys at least.”

Jules took the suggestion and looked, hard. She let her gaze run over him in blunt appreciation as she said in a low, teasing voice, “Yes, you are.” Romeo met her gaze, his eyes lighting up in a way that set her on fire as he studied her. Then he shifted in his seat and reached for his glass of water as if looking for something to do with his hands. It was obvious Jules wasn’t the only one pent up, which was surprising. A man like Romeo could have any woman he wanted, but Jules suddenly got the impression he was more discerning than most would give him credit for.



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He cleared his throat after taking a long, gulping drink of water and set his glass down in front of him. His gaze met hers once more, and a smirk tugged at his lips.

“Karate Kid.”

Jules leaned forward, thinking she’d heard him wrong. She wasn’t even certain what they were talking about. Looking at him left her thoughts scattered in a million directions.

“Excuse me?”

“MMA,” he clarified, his smile turning to a chuckle of embarrassment. “The reason I got involved was Karate Kid.”

Jules couldn’t help it: she laughed. “The movie?”

“Yes, the movie.” He rolled his eyes and shook his head as he took another bite of his dessert. “I know it’s stupid, but I related to it. I was Italian. He was Italian. I was poor. He was poor. But he actually made something of himself. I wanted that, something more than the shit house that was my life at eleven. Two bratty brothers always getting in trouble, always underfoot, always needing to be fed ’cause those two were born with an appetite. A mother always working late and stressing out, leaving me to do all that other stuff, like dinner and baths and homework. I used to sit in the living room doing my homework and watch that movie over and over after I got Nova and Tino in bed. One day I just decided to go for it and went down to the martial arts place two blocks over and asked for classes.”

“How’d that go?”

Romeo laughed. “At first they told me to fuck off ’cause they knew me. They knew my mother didn’t have money for classes. But I was persistent. I offered to work for the classes. I was looking for a Mr. Miyagi. Some mentor who gave a shit. A father figure. I dunno what the hell I was looking for, but they got sick of me bugging them and let me clean toilets and mop floors in exchange for two karate classes a week.” Jules studied him for a long moment, taking in his massive build. She remembered his grim determination when he fought Clay. When he fought anybody, because Romeo