Page 48 of His Juliet

“Is there treatment for agoraphobia?”

An immediate wave of shame assaulted me, along with the desire to run away and hide. It was a perfectly reasonable question, one I’d googled many times, but hearing Romeo ask it reminded me of how broken I was. How could I hope to be his girlfriend when I couldn’t go anywhere? Would all our dates take place in the bookstore? He was bound to get bored soon, especially if he ever found out how broken I truly was.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked, cupping my face with both hands.

I swallowed hard. “Nothing.” I took a deep breath and pasted on a small smile. “I’m sure there is treatment, but I don’t know… I kind of doubt it would fix me.” I shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal.

He frowned. “You don’t need to befixed, Juliet. I just hate to see you suffer.”

I looked away. “Yeah, well, sometimes that’s life.”

The silence between us felt awkward and stilted, and I cursed myself for ruining things, especially when we weren’t going to see each other for a while.

“Next time we hang out, I’ll bring dessert from this Italian bakery, Marco’s. It’s just a few blocks from here,” he said.

Next time.He’d said next time. I hadn’t ruined this.

His hands were still cradling my face, steady and tender. I braved a glance at him, taking in his soft eyes and smile. “Pizza and pastries. You’re going to spoil me.”

“That’s the plan, angel.”

His words made me feel warm inside but also confused me. What were we? Were we dating? Hooking up? Casual friends who sometimes made out? But my question stuck in my throat. I didn’t want to come across as needy or make him feel like I was demanding something. He’d already given me more than I had a right to.

He cocked his head. “What is it?”

“Nothing,” I said quickly, with a small shake of my head. “I’ll miss you when you’re in Chicago.”

He hugged me into his chest but didn’t say it back. I squeezed my eyes shut, embarrassed by my confession, but then I heard it. His words were quiet and muffled as his face pressed into my hair.

“I’ll miss you, too.”

25

ROMEO

The cold Chicagowind slapped my face as I descended the jet stairs.

I didn’t want to be in this fucking city.

I’d thought about Juliet the entire flight. My hard-on had made for an uncomfortable journey, but it’s not like I could control my dick when thinking about my angel.

Her pink lips were so soft, her cheeks so pretty when she blushed. I wanted to explore her whole body, to strip her down until she screamed my name with pleasure, but the memory of how she’d tensed when I’d tried to go further replayed in my mind. The thought of doing anything that hurt her or made her uncomfortable killed me. I assumed her hesitation was because she was inexperienced. My brain wouldn’t allow any other possibility—that maybe Juliet had been hurt in some way. No matter the reason, I surprisingly wasn’t in a rush. After years of anonymous one-night-stands, I hardly recognized this new Romeo who would be perfectly content to just sit in Juliet’s presence, basking in it like a flower soaking up her sunshine.

I scowled as Enzo, Dante, Alessandro, and I approached the armored SUV waiting for us on the tarmac. Ivanov had offered us a driver, but we’d declined. Our trust in the new Pakhan was tenuous, and we needed to maintain control on this trip.

I slammed the driver’s side door after I got in, the other guys following.

“You’ve been spending too much time with the Boss,” Enzo said as I pulled out of the private airport.

“What?”

“You’ve stolen his scowl.”

I flipped him off as I merged one-handed into Chicago traffic.

“Let’s just get the Bratva backup we need and get out of here,” I said.

“Eager to get back to someone?” Dante asked with a shit-eating smile.

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