Page 87 of Romeo

As she headed toward the front, she glanced longingly at the peach clutched within her fingers. She had hoped to eat it before her next appointment showed up.

She ignored the fact her heart did a tumble, and her pulse quickened the second Romeo spotted her heading his way and blinded her with a 100-watt smile.

Then took his time inspecting her from head to toe.

She almost smoothed her hair into place, then got annoyed with herself for even having that urge.

She stopped at Maribeth’s desk. “I’ll take him back for Chuck. He’s running a little behind.”

She missed the receptionist’s response because Romeo was staring at her so hard, Maddie swore he had X-ray vision and could see right through her clothes. Especially when he said, “Nice peach,” in a way that made her pussy clench.

“Come with me, Mr. Carter,” came out more breathless than she’d like. Annoyed at her own reaction, she set her jaw, turned, and strode past a few other patients working with their therapists. “You should probably wear sneakers for your appointments. Does Chuck let you wear your biker boots while he’s working with you?”

“Think I fuckin’ got sneakers?”

Who didn’t own a pair of damn sneakers? “Weren’t you wearing them while running that marathon? If you ran over twenty-six miles in heavy biker boots, no wonder you pulled your hammy.”

She heard a snort behind her. “Woman’s got plenty of jokes.”

Making light of the situation was the best way to deal with it.

She stopped at a matted area along the wall and pointed to a large inflatable exercise ball. “You can sit on that and wait. I’m sure Chuck will be with you shortly.”

Of course, he didn’t follow her directions. Instead, he turned to face her. “Don’t give a fuck about Chuck. Ain’t why I’m here.”

“So, how are you recovering from that devastating injury?” Maddie asked. “Are you enjoying Chuck’s massages? He’s got some very strong hands and a special touch, doesn’t he?”

“The best,” Romeo muttered.

She finally lifted her eyes and met his. “When are you going to end this farce?”

“Soon’s I find out the info I came for.”

“I can’t believe you continue to go to this extreme. It has to be costing you a fortune.”

“Think about what you just said. Coulda told me the problem when I asked. Now it’s costin’ me. Doin’ this for you, Maddie, not me.”

“If it’s costing you, that’s on you, not me, because I asked you not to get involved. You should’ve respected my request to stay out of it.”

“Stubborn.”

Hold up.He was callingherstubborn? “Huh.” Trying to avoid more verbal sparring, she took a bite of her peach. Riper than she expected, the juice ended up dribbling down her chin. She should’ve grabbed a napkin or two. Or ten. Her mistake.

Since she didn’t want to use her sleeve, she turned to head back to the kitchen to grab one. Romeo jerked her to a stop by grabbing her arm, making her very aware of her messy face. When she went to clean it off herself, he batted her hand away and wiped the sticky juice away with his thumb. He kept his heated gaze locked with hers when he plugged that thumb into his mouth.

Holy shit.It wasn’t just the action but the way he did it that made her weak in the knees and regret avoiding his bed lately.

Why did this particular man make her so damn weak? Why couldn’t it be anyone else?

When he pulled his clean thumb from between his lips, his voice was low and grumbly. “Haven’t been over lately.”

“Did—” She cleared her tight throat and tried again. “Did you miss me?”

He grabbed his crotch but didn’t hold onto it long enough for anyone to notice. Other than her, at least. “Hard not to think ‘bout you and that pussy.”

Her peach ended up forgotten in her hand as they stared at each other.

Chuck came rushing over. “Thank you, Maddie. I got it from here. Come with me, Mr. Carter, and we’ll get you started.”

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