Page 2 of Romeo

Shade went about it quietly.

He was the kind who’d slice your throat and disappear before you even knew what the fuck happened. Breathing one second, bleeding out the next.

With one last glance at the strawberry blonde and thegroup she was with, he wandered away to find himself a cold beer.

And while he was sipping that beer, he’d work on his plan of attack.

Her back was pressedto one of the pavilion’s wood posts. Above her head, so was his forearm. Romeo leaned into it and dipped his head until their eyes locked. Her big brown ones held a gleam, and her mouth curved up at the corners as she stared back up at him with those inviting lips slightly parted.

He remembered her name now after hearing another man mention it. So, at least he didn’t have to ask and risk her putting him off because of it.

Women liked to be remembered. They never wanted to be forgettable.

But again, names weren’t at the top of the list when it came to what was important to him.

“How old are you, Maddie?”

“Why?”

“Just wanna make sure you’re legal.”

“For what?”

For you and me to share a little skin-to-skin contact.“To make sure you’re supposed to be having that beer.”

She lifted the red plastic cup. “You mean this one?”

“That one.”

She put it to her lips and swallowed a mouthful. When she was done, she smiled. “Why does what I do concern you? I get enough of that around here from Shade and the rest of the Fury. I don’t need it from you, too.”

“He keep you on a short leash?”

Her eyebrows knitted together. “Who? Shade?”

He nodded and took a tiny step closer, closing the small gap between them. The visible pulse pounding in her neck drew his attention for a hot minute.

“No, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t pay attention. You, out of anyone, should know how a club works. Anyone with a vagina is property for them to protect.”

“You don’t wanna be protected?”

“I don’t want to be dictated to. I’m an adult, a college graduate and about to head to graduate school.”

Damn.Proof she was too damn far out of his league. But,fuck, he didn’t want to discuss Shakespeare with her. He only wanted to share some basic human urges.

Like procreating.

Without the “creating” part.

As far as he knew, he didn’t have any of his DNA waddling around on two short, chubby legs. He was good about making sure he collected it in a wrap and tossed that shit in the garbage.

Where it belonged.

Where it didn’t force him to make child support payments. A sentence of eighteen to twenty-one years.

Too many of his brothers paid out the ass every month for the mistake of not wrapping it tight.

He wanted to wrap it tight with Madison. He only needed to convince her that it was a good idea.

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