Page 65 of Don't Break My Heart
“What is going on, Romeo?”
“These are your rules, Sloane, I’m just following them. Each girl who participates gets to have a two-hour spa treatment first.” He recites my rule for the contestants entering our love-match game.
I cock an eyebrow, my expression bitchy as fuck. “But I’m not participating in the game, I’m just going to look at the new rooms,” I respond, keeping my voice low, just for him.
He smirks cheekily, delight dancing in his eyes. “Someone has to do a test run.” He picks up my hand again and kisses the back of it while I stand frozen to the spot. What the actual fuck. “Have fun.”
Onyx follows us into the day spa, leaning into the wall like he’s staying.
Romeo taps him on the chest on his way past. “Make sure she doesn’t leave until she has the full treatment,” he says before leaving me staring at his back as he scurries out the door quickly.
I glance back at Onyx. He knows he’s on thin ice, but he’s still willing to help Romeo. “What the hell is going on, Onyx?”
His lips twitch up at the sides and even his dark eyes light up. “Just enjoy yourself, trouble.”
I turn to Abigale, one of the beauticians who works for me, and mouthwhat the fuck. She laughs as she takes my hand in hers and leads me into a treatment room. “That poor boy has it bad for you, girlfriend.”
“He’s delusional if he thinks this is going to work.”
“Is he, though? I see that smile creeping onto your face.”
I stare at her blankly. Fuck, Romeo is wearing me down.
Twohourslater,Ihave to admit I’m glowing. Every inch of me has been plucked and moisturized. My lashes and eyebrows have been tinted and my nails done. This used to be a weekly ritual with Abigale. I called it self care, but really, it was all about looking the part, something I have skipped on while I was just trying to survive. I do have to admit I feel more relaxed than I have in so damn long, and I look like a new woman, ready to take on the world. Or just Romeo and whatever he has planned for me. Something tells me I already know. I was the one who came up with the game and all the rules, after all.
I step back out of the treatment room to a wolf whistle and turn to find Romeo leaning up against a wall beside Onyx. The two of them look me over like they want to eat me alive, and damn if it doesn’t do something to my lady parts. But since I don’t want them knowing that, I roll my eyes and give them a bitchy stare. “Hurry up and show me the room. You have already wasted enough of my time today,” I huff out.
Abigale leans in. “That’s it, girl, play hard to get.” She laughs at my pain.
Oh, she has no idea. If he wants a game, it’s a game he’s going to get. He takes my hand and leads me back into The Raven’s Nest. Throughthe bar, with Sally and Myriah looking at me likewhat the hell, girl. Through the VIP lounge and past Erica who must be wondering the same, and I fake a smile, not sure what else to do.
With his swipe key he unlocks the new entrance, a massive grin on his face as he waits for my reaction. I glance back at Onyx, wondering if he’s coming as well, but he stays at the bar with Erica.
Romeo and I are on our own. Fuck.
I step through to the room, nervous butterflies dancing in my stomach. The last time I was in this space it was wall-to-wall concrete. I had to use my imagination to even see what Romeo was envisioning. But now… this place is breathtaking. “It’s different to what we talked about.” I glance back at him with a brow raised.
“It is, but do you like it?” He looks nervous.
“I can’t believe you did all this. It’s so glamorous.” Polished concrete floors, metallic trim everywhere like the place has been dipped in gold, black leather seats that feel so damn soft to touch, the most beautiful crystal chandeliers I have ever seen, and black marble countertops. It’s seductive luxury at its finest. “It’s perfect, Romeo, I couldn’t have done it better myself. Truly.”
His lips break into a full smile, showing me just how important my opinion was to him. “I’m glad you like it. It would have been a shame to rip it apart if you didn’t.” He hands me a sleek black iPad. “Now the game begins. I’ve already filled in my part, now you need to fill in yours. Let’s see if we’re compatible.”
I glance down at the screen. I was the one who came up with these questions, and Romeo knows the rules. If we don’t get eighty percent or higher, we don’t progress to the next round. There is no denying we have insane sexual chemistry, but this is the real stuff, the stuff that could make or break a relationship. “Aren’t you worried we won’t match?”
He huffs out a laugh. “Not a chance in hell, doll face. Don’t forget to fill out your sexual preferences, and be careful what you put, every last thing on your list I plan on doing with you.”
This time I can’t help but smirk back at him. Fuck, he’s cocky for a man who is still in my bad books. “Who says I will let you?”
His hand trails up my bare arm, leaving goosebumps in its wake. “You know the rules, sweetheart. If you fill in that form and we get a match, I’m yours and you’re mine for the next two weeks.”
Fuck, that is my rule. I made it to give the contestants time to really get to know each other before they make their final decision. “Romeo, this is a bad idea.”
He takes a step closer to me, our bodies pressed to one another, his hand on my waist as his lips press into my neck with feather-light kisses. “When has playing a game with me ever worked out badly for you?”
My eyes close as he keeps kissing down my neck, then he raises his head, his eyes locking with mine, his lips just a breath away. All air is sucked from my lungs. I know this is a bad idea, just like every other game I have ever played with him, but this, this is what makes us so good together, the push and pull, the fire between us, and he knows I can’t walk away from a challenge.
“Play with me, doll face. If we’re not compatible, I will let you walk away once and for all.” He takes a step back from me, allowing me space to think.
