Page 111 of His Juliet

He sat me down on a couch and knelt in front of me, his hands squeezing my thighs.

“Baby.”

My lower lip wobbled at the tenderness in his voice. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I knew you would blame yourself when nothing about this was your fault.”

Tears dripped down my face. Of course I was blaming myself. Every one of his bruises happened because he had chosen to rescue me.

“It was my decision,” he said firmly. “And I would do it again. I would choose you every time, Juliet.”

I tugged him so he was next to me on the couch, needing him closer. He understood immediately and pulled me onto his lap, his arms like steel around me.

“How can you be friends with him after what he did? I don’t understand.”

Romeo sighed. “Violence is part of my world. It’s one of the many reasons I’m not good enough for you.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but he pressed his finger to my lips. “Just listen. Matteo is a good Don. He’s fair, he cares about the Family, but he also cares about New York. He’s fighting against sex trafficking, and he won’t be successful if he loses power. He can’t be seen as weak. He had no choice but to punish me, and I was happy to accept it. None of that changes that we’re brothers.” He ran his fingers through my hair. “Besides, it’s good for him to get a chance to beat me since he’s no match for me when we’re actually sparring in the ring.”

His attempt at humor fell flat. Everything between us had happened so fast that I hadn’t really gotten to process what it meant that Romeo was in the Mafia. My world had become so small the past couple of years because that was the only thing that felt remotely safe. And now I was suddenly plunged into a completely different world in the course of a day.

“Is it too much?” Romeo’s voice was almost a whisper, his lips brushing against my forehead.

I raised my tear-stained face to meet his gaze. “Too much?”

“Being with me.” He swallowed hard. “Is it too much for you?”

I played with the collar of his shirt as I sifted through my wild tangle of emotions, but what I felt most desperately was a desire to be with Romeo. The thought of leaving, of choosing not to see him again, made me cling to him tighter.

“Can you promise not to sacrifice yourself for me again?” I asked.

“No.” He held my gaze steadily. “I could never promise that, Juliet.”

“I don’t like that.”

“Tough.” He gripped my jaw and leaned in, his lipsalmostbrushing against mine.

I felt myself balancing on a knife’s edge. Tipping one way would be a return to my old life. Leaning the other would plunge me into a dangerous, unknown world.

But Romeo would be there.

And maybe this was my chance to find myself, the Juliet I could be underneath all my fear.

My fingers slowly curled around Romeo’s neck, running through his soft hair. I took one more slow breath before closing the space between us and kissing him. He responded immediately, cupping the back of my head as his lips moved against mine, firm and desperate. He pulled my hair, causing me to gasp, and he used it to plunge his tongue into my mouth. A whimper slipped through my lips and I tightened my hold on him.

“Fuck.” He arranged me so I was straddling him. “You’re mine, Juliet.”

I hesitated, pushing him back to create some distance between us. “Are you sure you want to keep me?”

His brow furrowed. “What kind of question is that?”

I didn’t want to voice my fears, as if saying the words would make him change his mind, but I had to. “Wouldn’t it be easier for you to be with someone who’s part of your world? Or who isn’t so… messed up?”

Romeo pulled me flush with his body. “Don’t you understand yet?” He didn’t raise his voice, but a darkness in his tone captivated me. “From that first moment I locked eyes with you, holding that fucking slice of pizza and looking like an angel, I knew there was no one else for me. I love you.”

I dragged in a sharp breath, my heart stuttering in my chest. “What?”

A slow smile spread across his face. “What part of that was confusing, baby?”

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