Page 6 of His Juliet

“Who did you lose?” he asked, voice hoarse as he twined our fingers together.

“My friend.”

He nodded. We sat there for a moment until it grew too intimate and we both pulled back. I let out a watery chuckle and took a sip of my tequila. It burned as it went down.

Romeo leaned forward and tucked my hair behind my ear. “I love this,” he said, running his fingers down the pink strands.

“My friends taught me how to do it.” I smiled at the memory of Breanna and Daniela sneaking bleach and hair dye into our rooms and dying all our hair. I’d finally figured out how to give myself a decent ombre balayage, and it was one of the few things that actually made me feel pretty.

“Do you have a boyfriend?” he asked suddenly.

“Pretty sure you have to ask me truth or dare first,” I said, grinning.

He let out a sound almost like a growl. “Fine. Truth or dare?”

I chose dare, just to mess with him. He shook his head, his lips twisting into a reluctant smile. “You’re trouble. Okay… what should I make you do?”

He leaned forward until our faces were so close I thought he might kiss me, or dare me to kiss him. A thrill ofsomethingseized my chest, but I wasn’t sure if it was fear or excitement. Romeo blinked before sitting back, leaning against the counter. He looked around and grabbed a set of Sharpies I had lying on a stack of books.

“I want you to give me a temporary tattoo,” he said.

I cocked an eyebrow.

“On my chest.”

Before I knew what was happening, he’d whipped off his shirt and was handing me a marker.

“Right here, above my heart.” He tapped the right side of his pec. I blinked. The statue of David had nothing on Romeo. His chest was broad, muscular, and firm. His skin was smooth and golden brown, with a dusting of dark hair leading all the way down to…

My face burned when I realized I’d been staring at his crotch. Romeo’s smug expression told me he knew exactly what I’d been doing. Whatever. Everyone probably stared at him.

“I’m pretty sure your heart is on the left side,” I said with a sniff. But I moved in until I was close enough to feel the heat of his skin. Our eyes met, but I averted mine quickly. “Just warning you, I am not an artist.”

Romeo just stretched and put his hands behind his head, giving me full access to his chest. “Have your way with me, stellina.”

I scrunched my nose and considered what I wanted to draw. Before I could psych myself out too much, I braced one hand on his chest and started drawing with the other. His skin was so warm against mine. It was impossible to ignore how large and powerful his body was, being this close. I should have been terrified. He could do anything to me right now and I wouldn’t be able to fight him off. I must have been more broken than I thought because fear was not what I felt coursing through my body. I blushed as I put the final touches on his “tattoo.” It was as childish and hideous as I imagined it would be, but when I sat back—reluctantly removing my hand from his skin—Romeo looked down at it and beamed.

“It’s perfect.”

I snorted. I’d drawn a wonky heart with an arrow going through it… with my name written in the middle. Now that he was looking at it, I felt embarrassed that I’d put my name on him. But Romeo just traced his fingers down along the sharpie marks.

“I like having your name on me. Feels like it belongs there.”

“You’re ridiculous,” I muttered. I took another big gulp of tequila to distract myself from whatever was going on between us. Nothing about this night was real, and maybe that gave me just enough freedom to embrace it.

3

ROMEO

It wasthree in the morning, and Juliet was fading. Her eyes drooped as she slumped against the wall. We’d finished all my travel-sized bottles of liquor and, judging by how much she had giggled through the rest of our game, she was a lightweight.

I’d gotten more truths out of her—she lived alone and didnothave a boyfriend. She hadn’t asked me if I was dating anyone, so I’d pointedly volunteered the information. It felt essential that she knew I was single, but I wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t like we could date. We were from different worlds, but the more time I spent with her, the more captivated I became.

Juliet was stunningly gorgeous—every move she made drew my eyes to the curve of her hips, her lush thighs, her cute tummy. Her hair had been so fucking soft when I touched it, and I wanted to wrap it around my fist just to keep her close to me. I’d reluctantly put my shirt back on, but I wanted her hands on me again, and I wanted to keep looking at the tattoo she’d marked me with.

I shifted to hide my hard-on. Juliet was handling this wholebeing held hostage in her own storething much better than the average person—or so I would imagine, not having spent time with anyone outside the Family in years—but she still had a careful look in her eyes.

It was smart. Good. She should be wary of strange men.

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