Page 13 of One Weekend in Sydney

And, yes, I chickened out.

Can’t say I blame her for still being angry at me after more than a decade. My own shame still washes over me, even though I’ve learned to live with it.

Two other guys approach Tara, and she visibly exhales her frustration. How many times has she been propositioned since I left her alone?

I step in. “Hey—” I pause. Fuck, I almost called her Tara. I have to remember she’s Juliet tonight.

“Juliet,” I say, offering her my hand. “There you are. I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

“Romeo!” She grabs my hand, her smile showing her relief at seeing me. “I was looking for you, too!”

“Romeo and Juliet?” asks one of the men with a laugh. “I guess we won’t win here,” he tells his buddy.

“Guess not. Well, enjoy, lovers,” the other man says as they walk away.

“Hi.” I release Tara’s hand and sit next to her. “You okay?”

“Yeah. They go away when I say no. It’s just that…it’s been constant.” She sighs.

“Unfortunately, you can expect more people to chat you up in the next half hour if you just sit here by yourself, looking amazing.”

A sweet smile appears on her face. “You’re pretty popular yourself. I saw a woman in a catsuit caress your chest and blow you a kiss.”

My brows lift. Was she watching me?

“Do you get to participate?” she asks casually. “I bet you’ve been tempted. I mean, I look around, and I’m pretty tempted myself. But I didn’t pay, so…” She shrugs.

My mouth drops open, and my heart is racing in my chest. It feels wrong to have this conversation because she has no idea who I am, but I can’t help asking, “You want to have anonymous sex tonight?”

“I—” Her gaze flicks to something behind me. “Hey, your friend, the cat woman, is coming.”

Seriously? What bad timing.

I swivel my head, and Cathy stops in front of me. I’m annoyed, but I smile at her.

“Still a maybe?” she asks with a pout before throwing a glare at Tara.

“Yeah,” I answer, injecting some regret in my tone. It’s better to sound appeasing than to unwittingly create a dramatic situation. Who knows what Cathy is like?

“Okay,” Cathy says with a huff as she walks away.

I refocus on Tara, keen to get our conversation back on track. “So…” I start.

“Your wife or girlfriend won’t ever find out, would she?” Tara asks, gazing at me intently.

The unexpected question catches me off guard. Does she want to have a one-night stand with me?Me?Or did I just misinterpret that question?

Blood rushes to my groin, the desire immediately so strong that it surprises me. But my conscience comes to the fore, yelling at me.

I need to nip this in the bud before it gets out of hand. She doesn’t know I’m Mason Abril, for heaven’s sake!

I push through the temptation and give her a small smile. “Juliet, I find youexceptionallyattractive. Truly. But I can’t sleep with you. I have a policy not to mix business with pleasure. And it doesn’t have anything to do with my wife or girlfriend because I don’t have one.”

Tara seems to search my eyes, and then her lips curve up into a sweet grin that I remember so well. “You’re a good man, Romeo. Why are you still single? You must have women falling all over themselves to date you.”

I blink, chuffed at her compliment. “I haven’t found the right person. I have a good dating life, but nothing serious.”

Tara nods as if she approves. “I like that you didn’t take advantage of the situation and remained professional. I admire that kind of integrity.”

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