Page 29 of Star Crossed
“No shit. I’m done with the circus.”
“I fucking love the circus,” Romeo said with a bemused laugh. “Retiring at the top of your game, that’s crazy, man. This has gotta be a joke.”
“I agree.” Wyatt leaned into Jules and whispered in her ear, “Didja slip him one of those pain pills on the sly?”
She kicked Wyatt in response. She was trying to pay attention to the conversation without seeming too obvious, which was probably a joke. Jules, like everyone around them, was leaning in, listening to every word.
“We’re hiring you a full-time jujitsu coach,” Nova was saying, giving Clay an apologetic smile. “But we appreciate the offer.”
“You’re not gonna find a better jujitsu coach than me,” Clay assured Romeo with well-deserved confidence. “With the skill sets you already got, I could make you fucking invincible.”
Romeo rubbed a hand over his mouth, obviously considering it. Jules knew that offer was a little too sweet to pass up. Romeo was one of the fiercest fighters she’d ever seen. His boxing skills were unmatched and his karate was beautifully perfect, but he was an average wrestler at best and in the world of MMA that was a weakness. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, Romeo could win without intense grappling coming into play, but there was always going to be that one fighter like Clay who could get him to the ground and would beat him once he did.
“No.” Nova shook his head as he looked at Romeo with wide eyes. “You can’t do it. Not right now.”
“I’mreallygonna consider it,” Romeo said, completely ignoring his brother’s protest. His gaze darted to Jules for one hot moment before he turned back to Clay. “I’ll probably say yes.”
Clay smiled as he reached out and wrapped his left arm around Melody, pulling her to him. “I hope you do.”
“This whole thing just keeps getting better and better,” Wyatt groaned under his breath to Jules. “What a nightmare.”
Wyatt voiced Jules’s thoughts out loud. Romeo underfoot in Garnet was just asking for trouble. A constant temptation. Always available. She knew it was drama waiting to happen, but there was still that tiny part inside of her that secretly hoped he’d end up saying yes.
