Page 147 of Romeo

“You wouldn’t have come if I didn’t.”

No, she wouldn’t have. “Were you in an accident?”

“No.”

“What happened?”

He tipped his head toward the open motel room door.

Yes, it was a trap. He wanted to get her alone and convince her to forgive him. She steeled her heart because she wasn’t ready to do that.

Hell, she might never be ready.

She was unemployed, desperate for a new job and had been forced to move back home because of it. Because of him.

Her eyes sliced from Romeo to the motel room and back.

She shook her head. “No. You don’t get a pass on this, Rome. I don’t care if you were hit by a bus.” That was a lie, but he didn’t need to know that.

“Damn,” he whispered.

“You blew up my life, now you want me to forgive you? Just like that?” She snapped her fingers.

“Ain’t askin’ for forgiveness. Askin’ for you to step inside so we got privacy.”

Bullshit.He wanted to get her alone so he could tug on her heartstrings.“I don’t think I need to hear anything you have to say. You’ve said enough already. To Roger.”

When her phone dinged, she glanced at it. Sig texted her back:WTF U talkn about?

At least that proved Sig wasn’t in on it. If he was, she’d never forgive him, either. “I wonder how Sig would feel knowing you pretended to be him?”

Romeo jerked his chin toward the cell phone in her hand. “That him?”

“Yes. Should I tell him you tricked me?”

“Only if you wanna make my life more of a fuckin’ shit show than it is right now.”

“Why should I care? You did it to me.”

He sighed, dropped his head, and squeezed his forehead. “Don’t gotta forgive me, Maddie. Just askin’ for you to hear me out.”

“You didn’t hearme. If you did, you would’ve left well enough alone.”

“Yeah,” he admitted softly.

“Is that an apology?” Not that an apology would fix what he broke, but it would at least show remorse.

His chest slowly rose and fell. “Fucked up and regret it.”

Her eyebrows rose. “Is that a sorry?”

“No. Ain’t sorry. Once you hear me out, you’ll know why.”

She flung out a hand. “So talk.”

He shook his head. “Not out here.”

“I don’t think anyone is going to overhear you, Rome. This place is a deserted dump.” When she glanced around to make her point, she noticed something she missed upon arriving.

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