Page 149 of Forbidden Romeo

Connor grunts in frustration, “He’s amonster.Why can’t you see that?”

Finally, I manage to break free of his grip, landing awkwardly but still upright as I face off against my brother.

“Because I love him!”

Connor looks at me as if I’ve grown a second head. “You can’t be fucking serious.”

“Deadly.”

Connor roars. This time, I have a moment to brace myself before his arms lift me up again.

This time I scream. I shout. I scratch. I bite. Anything. Everything. “No! No!! Let go of me!”

But his grasp only tightens. Through the skirmish, I see the Italian again waiting for me to be manhandled out of the ring.

“No,” I whisper helplessly.

No. No. No.

“I’d appreciate it,” a voice says from behind us, “if you would let my fiance go.”

I sob in relief. Filled with new defiance, I wriggle free of Connor’s shocked grasp.

I run to him. Tears streaming down my face when I see Jack standing there, ready to fight my brother for me. Our bodies collide roughly, and my hands seek out his face immediately.

“Are you okay? Do you remember your name? What year is it?” I say as I scan his eyes, looking for any sign of concussion.

Jack gently takes my fussing hand in his. “You said you loved me.”

“I…”

The kiss is soft and unprovocative. Yet it tastes sweeter than anything else. When he withdraws, he places his forehead against mine.

“I love you too.”

It’s hardly the time to be swooning, so I simply stare at his face. Committing it to memory so that I will never forget this moment. Bruises and battle scars be damned.

“What the fuck did you do to her?”

Jack immediately takes a defensive position around me, shielding me from Connor’s view. “I didn’t force her to be here.”

“You’ve manipulated her!”

I try to step around Jack. “Connor, please. This has nothing to do with you.”

“It has everything to do with me! You’re a Maguire, Aimee. You belong with me at home.”

There’s a roar from the sidelines, and a gunshot goes off.Padraic is shouting orders from the VIP box, gathering Dead Eyes to him to mount a counterattack.

Jack pulls us both to the floor instinctively. We need to move now—before the fighting gets any worse. The cars should still be waiting for us outside.

A dark figure finally breaks through the side of the ring and approaches Connor.

“We’re leaving.”

Connor sneers at him. “I’m not going anywhere without my sister.”

“You stay here, you’re dead.I’mdead,” the Italian says harshly. “We can fight about this another day.”

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