Page 87 of His Juliet

Juliet grabbed the things she needed and headed into the bathroom. The second the door closed, I leapt into action, pulling out all her things from the trash bags. It was mainly clothes and toiletries, but she had also packed some books, journals, and a small wooden box.

I pulled my dresser drawer open and shoved my stuff to the side, making room for her clothes. The books went on the dresser and I put the box on the nightstand by her side of the bed—the one furthest from the door. I gathered the trash bags and threw them away just in time for Juliet to come out of the bathroom. She was wearing baggy sweatpants and a sweatshirt, and I wanted to replace them with my clothes.

Her lips parted when she didn’t see her things. “I put your stuff in here.” I gestured at the dresser. “And I can put that in the laundry.” I took her clothes out of her stunned arms. “I’ll be just a minute. Go get into bed, baby.” I kissed her before heading into the bathroom.

My cock was rock hard, and I thought about jumping in the shower to take care of things, but I couldn’t bear to be away from her for a minute longer than I needed to. Besides, the second her body was curled up against mine, I would be hard again.

When I emerged from the bathroom, Juliet was almost completely covered by the blankets. My heart ached. I’d never invited a woman home with me. I had only slept with them in hotel rooms. Seeing Juliet in my bed confirmed that the reason I hadn’t brought any of those women home was because she was the only one who belonged here. With me.

Forever.

I pulled back the covers on my side and got in.

“Can I check your cuts, sweetheart?” I needed to see with my own eyes that they were healing, especially the deepest one. It might need glue or stitches.

“It’s fine,” she whispered. “You don’t have to?—”

“I want to.” I slowly peeled back the blankets. “Can I?” My fingers gently tugged at her waistband, and she nodded. I pulled down her sweatpants, trying to convince my cock that this was still not an appropriate moment to tent my pants, and took a look at the bandages. Some blood had seeped through, but for the most part, everything looked good.

“Are you in pain, angel?”

“It’s fine.”

“That’s not what I asked,” I growled. I bracketed her body with my hands, hovering above her.

She pressed her lips together. “It stings a bit, but it’s fine.”

I slowly leaned down and pressed gentle kisses to the bandages and to her pale scars. A tentative hand brushed through my hair and I inhaled sharply. Juliet so rarely initiated touch.

I kept kissing her scars, and she stroked my hair. We were wrapped together in this darkness, but not in the way I’d always experienced it. There was nothing sinister here—there couldn’t be when I was with Juliet. It was a tender darkness that shielded us from the world. She was the only thing that mattered.

I gently tugged her sweatpants back up and then worked my way up her body, placing kisses over her sweatshirt until I was level with her face.

“Hi,” she whispered.

Fuck, she was cute.

“Hi.” My lips brushed against hers. “You ready to sleep, angel?”

“I guess so.”

I kissed her again before arranging her so her back was to me and my arms were around her. She fit against me perfectly, all her softness to my hardness.

“Sweet dreams, baby.”

“You too, Romeo.”

* * *

Blood drenchedthe narrow hallway I was in, running across the gray tile floor like a river. I squinted through the dim light until I saw a door. The blood was coming through the crack underneath the door, and I knew I had to go through it. I grabbed the handle and threw it open to find myself in another hallway. The river of red grew deeper, my shoes splashing as I ran until I came across another door. I pushed it open, bracing myself to find the source of the blood, and let out a frustrated shout when yet another hallway greeted me.

The hallways and doors were never-ending, and my chest grew so tight my breaths came out in wheezing gasps. Sometimes, the doors unlocked easily, and other times, I had to slam them open with my body. My limbs trembled as I ran. Every fiber of my being needed to find the source of the blood.

Finally, I found myself in a long, narrow hallway with bare bulbs hanging from the ceiling and a metal slab door at the end. This was it. What I was looking for was through there. The river was up to my waist now, and I struggled to wade through it. Finally, I made it to the last door. I curled my fingers around the handle and slowly pushed it open.

There, floating on top of the blood, was my father, pale and still. I fought to get to him, but my legs wouldn’t move. “Papà!” I screamed until it felt like my throat was bleeding. I plunged head first into the blood, trying to swim to him, but he floated further away until he sank below the surface, lost forever. “No, please, don’t leave me.” Tears streamed down my face and a gaping, empty hole opened in my chest.

Movement to the left caught my eye and I whirled around. Another body floated near.Mamma. There was a dead look in her open eyes, and I screamed.No, no, no. I couldn’t fail her. Not again. I thrashed in the blood, doing everything I could to get to her until my arms and legs were weak and shaking. I could do nothing as she sank beneath the surface, only to be replaced by a third body.

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