Star-Crossed(76)

“Jules, I get it,” Chuito repeated slowly and then looked over her shoulder, his gaze hardening for one long moment. “I probably get it more than you do. I won’t tell anyone.”

“Thanks, man, we’d appreciate it,” Romeo said behind her, and Jules turned to see him wearing only his white pants.

“Just, you know, hang something on the front doors next time,” Chuito said, shaking his head like a wet dog as if trying to force the memories out. “Warn me. Save me the trauma.”

He turned to leave without another word.

Jules felt sort of guilty and called out, “Are you gonna be okay?

Chuito held up a hand, not looking back as he pulled open the front doors.

“Shit.” Jules sulked as she watched Chuito walk into the parking lot. “He’s gonna tell someone. He’ll open his big mouth to Alaine, and she’ll tell one of her friends on accident or something and then the whole dang town’ll know. I should’ve told Wyatt before now.”

“He won’t say anything.” Romeo wrapped his arms around her from behind and rested his chin on top of her head. “It’ll be fine.”

“How’d you know?”

“Guys like him don’t nark on their own. It’s just a weird…street thing.” Jules turned to Romeo, willing him to tell her his secrets, but when the silence stretched out in front of them, all he offered was, “Wanna take a shower in the men’s locker room with me?”





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“Sure.” Jules nodded and tried to push away the nagging feeling there was more than prison he needed to tell her about. But now wasn’t the time anyway, so she forced a smile and said, “Showering with you is always fun.” 196





Chapter Thirteen

 May

“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,” Tino groaned, face pressed against the comforter as he lay sprawled across Romeo’s bed in the master bedroom wearing nothing but a towel.

“Fucking hicks. Even my toes hurt.”

Romeo should have told Tino to shut up and stop complaining. He wanted to be a professional fighter. This is what pro fighters did: they hurt and they learned to love it and Romeo might have explained it if he could have done more than groan and fall into bed right next to Tino.

“I’ll pay you five thousand dollars to rub the knots outta my shoulders,” he offered his brother, being dead serious. “This jujitsu shit is killing me.”

“Fuck you.” Tino snorted. “I had that damn class again tonight. I can’t even move to scratch my balls. I’m covered in bruises.”

Romeo laughed into the comforter, his shoulders shaking, which nearly killed him. “I sent a video to Nova of all those girls beating on you. I think it made his life. He couldn’t even talk he was laughing so hard.”

Tino laughed with him, then groaned in pain. “These country chicks, I’m not even kidding you, they’re fucking hard-core. They’ll kill your ass and make it look like an accident. You drag the lakes around here and I promise you, there’s dumb assholes who tried to get laid by the wrong chicks floating at the bottom of it—concrete boots—and I think your girlfriend’s distributing them. Sadistic bitch.”

“Say it again.” Romeo reeled up and punched Tino in the side. “I dare you.”

197

“Motherfucker!” Tino gasped. Already sore, he grabbed his side and gave Romeo a look of disbelief. “You’ve gone oobatz for this chick. She is a sadistic bitch. I got the bruises to prove it. Wanna see?”

Romeo had to punch him once more, twice as hard, because he’d said it again.

Tino grabbed the edge of the comforter and rolled it protectively around himself, snuggling into Romeo as he did it, completely oblivious to personal space. “Where’s my real brother?” he asked, his voice muffled by the material. “You know, the one who’s not insane!”

Romeo turned on his side, studying Tino, who was still wrapped up in the blanket, only the inky strands of his thick hair peeking out of the top of the protective cocoon. With his face hidden, it was easy to finally say out loud to someone besides Jules, “I love her, you know?”

“No shit.” Tino grunted, not sounding shocked by the revelation. “And you two are perfect for each other. Mean.”

He rolled his eyes, hearing the whiny sound in Tino’s voice. They’d been working their asses off since they’d gotten to Garnet, and he had been separated from all his friends and family. Not to mention Nova; they both missed him after the long separation. With the exception of prison, this was the longest Romeo had been away from Nova. Tino had never been away from him. If Tino took off to party at the beach, Nova usually went with him and just worked out of his bags with his laptop.