Sweet Home

“Shouldn’t you be with Shelly?”

“Why the f**k would I be with her?”

I shrugged. “She was with you after the game, the two of you looked cosy. I thought you might have wanted to celebrate with her tonight.”

His whole body stiffened. “Let’s get this straight right now. She’s not f**kin’ anythin’ to me. Never will be.” His head cocked to the side as he stared up at me. “Is that why you bailed on the party? ‘Cause you thought I’d be with that connivin’ bitch?”

I grimaced at this whole conversation. “Rome, I just didn’t fancy the party tonight, that’s all. You go and enjoy yourself. You don’t need to check on me.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

My heart beat rapidly as I stared at him directly below my room—below my room, assuring me nothing was happening with Shelly. I relaxed and realised just how much I’d been strung out over the thought of him with someone else.

I peered over the railing and couldn’t control the slip of a chuckle that escaped my throat.

Chocolate eyes narrowed, menacingly. “What you findin’ so funny, Shakespeare?”

“That Romeo has come to my balcony to strive for my attention.” I muffled my mouth with my hand before clasping them together and resting them against my shoulder. “The Orchard walls are high and hard to climb, and the place death, considering who thou art, if any of my kinsmen find thee here… they will murder thee.” I batted my eyelashes for extra effect.

An arch pulled at his top lip as he unsuccessfully fought a smirk. “How the hell d’you know that from memory?”

“I’ve read it about a hundred times. It’s beautifully tragic.” I snorted a laugh. “Kind of like us, don’t you think?”

Romeo disappeared from my view and I detected the sound of rustling. I ran to the farthest corner of my balcony to see what he was doing, and there he was, scaling the wooden trellis that ran up the wall.

“Romeo, be careful! What the hell are you doing?”

Reaching for the next piece of fragile wood, he looked up with a playful glint in his eye. “Coming to see my Juliet.”

I stumbled backwards. He was coming up to see me… in my room… alone.

Fuck.

Two hands gripped my stone balcony rail and Rome pulled himself over the top, righting himself on his feet and dusting his hands on his fitted jeans. When he glanced up at me, his breath stilled and his hands froze on his thighs, taking in the sight of me in my nightdress.

Casting a glimpse down, I inwardly cringed at my state of exposure. I lifted my head to explain that I was already in bed when he turned up, but he was already before me, a hairsbreadth away. Big dark eyes drank in every curve of my body, his long pink tongue licking full lips, and I watched as his wandering eyes made their way from my hips to my br**sts.

Rome lifted a hand and ran it through my long, wavy hair. “I like your hair down,” he said in a rough voice, as though it pained him to speak.

I automatically went to fiddle with my locks, but instead, my palm landed on top of his. I went to pull it back when his fingers captured mine and he lowered them to our sides. As I looked down, his thumb stroked across my palm, causing shivers to race up my arms. Rome gently moved my hair from my shoulder, his index finger running up and down the exposed skin in a hypnotising motion.

My eyes closed and my ni**les hardened, brushing almost painfully against the light cotton fabric. “Romeo? W-what are you doing?”

Minty breath tickled the skin on my face. “I ain’t sure. But I don’t wanna stop.”

“Rome, I don’t think—” I snapped open my eyes at the sudden piercing sound of sorority sisters drunkenly returning to the house, interrupting our moment. If they tried hard enough, they would be able to see us up here touching, caressing, getting closer by the second.

Rome nuzzled into my neck; my back arched by instinct, surrendering to his forward ministrations.

“We… we need to stop.”

Groaning, Rome licked at my sun-kissed skin. “No, Mol. I’ve held off for long enough. I’ve tried to take things slow, but no more. I won’t be a nothin’ to you anymore. I want you. I want you, so f**kin’ bad…”

“Rome. This isn’t a good idea. I can’t do this.”

“Sure you can,” he said with a humoured edge to his voice, his hands drifting low on my waist.

I pushed on his hard chest. “Please… just… hold on a moment.”

Romeo stepped back and blinked in surprise.