Page 11 of Star Crossed
“He’s a cop,” she lied, knowing how deeply Wyatt despised Romeo Wellings. “I met him at the hospital. He asked me out to dinner. It’s mostly professional. He knows I’m not from here, and I told him I’m still a volunteer deputy back home. It’s just one cop reaching out to another. Like a business meeting.”
“Whatever, Jules.” Wyatt snorted in disbelief. “If he asked you out, it’s not to talk shop. ’Specially not if you’re wearing that. That’s a ‘fuck me’ dress.”
Jules held up the dress, looking at it once more. Even Wyatt, who’d been off the dating market for years, knew a “fuck me” dress when he saw it. This was starting to get more complicated than she wanted to deal with because Romeo Wellings was a littletoohandsome. Any heterosexual woman with a pulse would feel that throb of excitement over being near him. Jules knew it was a normal, biological reaction to a prime example of Grade A, all-American male, and usually she could keep her cool. She’d spent her entire life around big, tough, and buff men like Romeo. She just hadn’t seen one quite as good-looking as him before.
“It’s nothing,” she argued, more to convince herself than Wyatt. “And this is all I got to wear. It’ll have to do.”
“Then have fun. I won’t wait up.”
“I’m not sleeping with him,” Jules snapped, knowing she was being defensive enough to be obvious, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself. “Just ’cause you’re a pig, don’t mean he is.”
“By definition all men are pigs, and I believe you know that.” Wyatt shrugged dismissively, turning back to the television, remote in hand. “I’d buy condoms on the way down to yourbusiness meeting.”
* * * *
Jules felt eyes on her everywhere as she made her way to the Italian restaurant she and Romeo had agreed to meet at. Considering she was in Las Vegas, where long legs and low-cut dresses were a staple, Jules knew she was in trouble.
She’d gone out of her way to look good, and it was obvious. Maybe she shouldn’t have styled her hair, leaving it to hang in long, loose curls down the center of her back. She’d pulled up one side with an expensive gold hair clip she’d purchased specifically to match the dress when she’d been going through one of those dark bouts where she took out her depression over her nonexistent love life on her credit card and bought all the things she needed to get laid: sexy underwear, thigh-high stockings, garters, and high heels that left her standing well over six feet tall. She’d never expected to really wear all this, especially for a dinner with Romeo Wellings, but for some reason she was. Jules had even shaved her legs and wore perfume.
She stopped in front of the restaurant. Her pulse was beating wildly out of control, reminding her of being fourteen in a way that was so startling she fought to breathe through the nostalgia. She had the same warm feeling she’d gotten when she first discovered boys and spent all her spare time covering her room with boy band posters. It hadn’t mattered that Wyatt lost his voice teasing her about the new obsessions. Jules bought every album and watched every video over and over. Those boy bands taught her how to daydream. They taught her how to lie in the grass and look at the clouds and think of something besides what was next on her to-do list. Those unobtainable obsessions let her feel wild and free in a way she hadn’t been able to capture again—until now.
Jules thought this particular brand of hope was for the young and naive, but maybe she was wrong. Maybe she’d known it all along. Her other dresses weren’tthatdirty and regular panty hose would’ve worked just fine with this outfit. But she’d been full of anticipation since the moment she’d touched Romeo’s massive bicep in front of the hospital and felt that flash of attraction that was rare and special.
“Juliet.”
Jules lifted her gaze, finding Romeo standing at the entrance of the restaurant as if he’d been watching her deal with her midlife crisis for a while. She took a shuddering breath, because he looked incredible. It’d been so long since she’d seen a man in a real suit, and it fit him perfectly. She hadn’t realized it until right then, but Romeo Wellings was made to wear a suit like that in a way the men she knew would never be. The rich, deep gray hue made his eyes glow like green fire against his tan skin, and she felt drawn in by them.
He was so tall. His shoulders were so broad and for some odd reason Jules felt her eyes get watery as he walked up to her looking like a fantasy come to life. He stopped in front of her, and for once Jules didn’t feel like an Amazon woman. Even in three-inch heels, she was still short next to Romeo.
Maybe thiswasa date.
“Are we okay?” Romeo asked hesitantly.
“Yeah.” Jules threw caution to the wind and gave him a bright smile that reflected her excitement. “We’re great.”
Romeo breathed a sigh of relief, and then his gaze ran over her, making that warm feeling ignite into something white-hot and addictive. He smiled back at her, making him almost too handsome to handle.
“You look fantastic.” His voice became low and seductive as he tilted his head, eyeing her once more. “I was gonna try and play it cool, but there’s no way I’m gonna be able to pretend I don’t find you sexy as hell when you’re wearing a dress like that.”
“Thank you.” She felt a pleased blush stain her cheeks. “You look good too. Amazing, actually. That suit is, whew—” Jules shook her head as she studied him looking pressed and perfect, with his black hair pushed away from his chiseled, striking features. Even with the healing wounds from the fight with Clay and the scar through his left eyebrow, he looked incredible when she took in the full package. “You’re one fine-looking man, Romeo Wellings, but I suppose you know that.”
Romeo puffed out his chest in a way that was actually charming. He smoothed a hand down his suit jacket vainly, his smile growing broader. “It’s still nice to hear.”
Jules laughed and hit his shoulder, relieved for the crack in sexual tension that was so thick between them she could hardly breathe past it. “Cocky.”
“I won’t deny it. Which is why this is weird for me.” Romeo’s voice lowered as he leaned into her. His warm breath fanned against her neck, making Jules shiver as he said, “You’re so beautiful you make me feel humble. Being with you scares me, and I’m not real sure what to do about it.”
She tilted her head, meeting Romeo’s beautiful emerald gaze, knowing desire was written all over her face. She leaned into him rather than away and stood on her toes to whisper in his ear. “There’s nothing to be afraid of. I’m not your enemy.”
They stood there for one long moment, sharing the same space, vibrating with the strange passion that had welled up around them without any warning.
Then Romeo boldly slid one hand to the curve of her lower back and rested it there possessively as he smiled once more. “Then let’s have dinner.”
She smiled back. “I’d love to.”
Romeo kept ahold of her, his large hand sliding to the curve of her waist when they turned to walk into the restaurant. He pulled her closer, and Jules let herself enjoy the warm, masculine smell of him, man and expensive cologne mixing together perfectly.
The butterflies in her stomach were going crazy. Her neck was hot with exhilaration. A part of her was half-worried Wyatt was going to sneak down and spy on her date out of boredom, but Jules wouldn’t have changed anything about this night even with the risk. For just a moment Romeo had her feeling like a real-life Juliet, and she was okay with that.
