Page 9 of Clueless Romeo

He shook his head. "Jaz is my sister. Well, she's also my receptionist because our mother basically forced me to give her a job. I'm glad she let you in." The smile he gave me sent a faint tingle down my spine, but I chose to ignore it.

"Who are those people?" I tipped my chin toward the collage of photos encased in glass, covering a large portion of the wall behind a small desk. Individual photos of couples filled the entire thing.

"Those are some of my former clients who are now happily married to one another." He flashed a grin tinged with cocky pride.

Some?There were easily fifty pictures. How many people had he led to marriage?

Roman strolled close enough that the smell of his minty aftershave met my nose, tempting me to hold my breath. I didn't need another reason to be attracted to him. His looks alone were a problem. "Good at what you do, huh?"

He glanced at me, a smirk in place. "I like to think so. Where's Caleb?"

I paused, realizing he hadn't confused me with my brother. That was rare, and I immediately appreciated his instant ability to tell us apart. "What if I'm Caleb?"

Roman shook his head. "You two may look identical, but you couldn't be more different."

"You've met us once, and you got that?" I asked, impressed.

Pulling his keys from his jeans pocket, he nodded. "It's my job to be observant."

"Noted." I hoped that wasn't completely true. Otherwise, he might pick up that I was having a hard time forcing myself not to check him out, as if I hadn't done that enough already. I jerked my gaze toward the photos again as I repeated what I'd told his sister. "He had plans with his girlfriend, so he won't be able to make it. I hope that's okay."

Roman's mouth tipped up at the corner as he looked at me, then nodded. "Fine by me. Let's go. I need a stiff drink after that call." Roman walked ahead of me and held the door open for me to exit. We were enveloped in shadows and cold wind.

As he locked up with his back to me, I asked, "Where are we going? I don't have my Jeep because he took off in it."

Shoving his keys in his pocket, he turned and headed toward the steps. "Not far, so we can walk. There's a bar less than a block away. It's low-key, and we can talk if that sounds okay. If not, my truck is parked around back. Up to you."

A quiet place to have a beer was definitely what I needed after a long day of moving heavy shit upstairs and setting up furniture. "Walking sounds good. Lead the way."

He smiled over his shoulder at me in response, a crooked tilt of his perfectly plump lips I wouldn't mind tasting. I still hadn't kissed a man and blamed that as the reason I was already crushing hard on the guy.

I followed him down to the sidewalk, walking as close to him as possible without being weird. As we strode along the concrete path, my breaths came out in visible puffs, and my dick was shrinking in my jeans thanks to the freezing ass wind. I definitely didnotappreciate that. "Jesus, fuck, it's cold."

Roman glanced at me, cheeks already growing pink from the chill in the air. "It's not much further."

The sounds of cars passing by from the main road grew louder as we approached. I hunched in my jacket when we rounded the corner of a brick-fronted shopping plaza. Our conversation stalled as Roman led the way, passing a retail clothing store and then a coffee-slash-book shop. The pub sat at the end with painted windows that hid what was inside.

He slowed to a stop and then swung the heavy wood door open, sending a rush of heated air my way, before gesturing me inside. "After you."

Three

CJ

When I steppedinto the warm, dimly lit bar, I was surprised to find it half empty. Most people were engaged in quiet conversation, except for the laughter coming from one particularly rowdy crowd of younger guys, probably college students, seated at a table at the far end of the pub. From the far corner of the room, an old jukebox droned mellow tunes that filled the space, and a long bar showcased an impressive mirrored wall of glass shelves displaying their liquor.

Following Roman toward the bar, I stopped a few steps behind him as he propped his elbows on top and flashed a smile at the bartender. "Hey, Olive."

A girl with blond hair pulled into a high ponytail glanced over her shoulder and beamed from where she had been wiping down the back counter. "Hey, Ro. Where have you been the last few weeks?"

"Swamped with work." He looked back at me and waved me forward. When I stepped up beside him, he tilted his head in my direction. "Olive, this is CJ. He just rented the office suite next to mine. CJ, this is Olive, the best damn bartender in Atlanta."

"You're not drinking for free tonight, so you better stop trying to charm your way out of a tab." There was a flirtatious tone in her voice as she turned around to face us, and her dark-brown eyes sparkled.

I glanced at Roman just as he winked at her. I wondered if they had a history, but that wasn't my business, and I didn't have time to ponder the thought long because Olive cleared her throat.

I jerked back around from looking at him to face her, then tipped my chin. "Hey."

Olive's gaze scanned over me, and she sucked on her lower lip. "Hello to you too."

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