Damn, he smelled good.
I inhaled the scent of his cologne, letting it wrap around me like a comforting blanket. I could feel the warmth of his breath against my ear. I felt so small having him next to me this way, towering over me.
Yet, I wasn’t afraid. Neither was I intimidated. In my heart, this was where I belonged, right next to my Romeo. The shop faded away around us, and the world outside ceased to exist. For one stolen moment, there was only us.
Blossom and Rome, together, admiring flowers. In that moment, I let myself imagine a different life. A life where we’d met under normal circumstances. A life where it was safe for something beautiful to bloom between us.
A life where he could give me red tulips, and I could kiss his cheek, thanking him for loving me.Man... that would be great.Perfect. I mean, what more could a girl ask for? But this wasn’t a fairytale.
This was reality. And reality was a cruel, unforgiving bitch. I needed to remember that before I got lost in the make-believe. Pulling my hand away from the tulips, I took a step back, putting space between us before I forgot why that space existed in the first place.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Rome take a step toward me. My heart skipped a beat. Before he could close the distance, I forced myself back into the role I'd been playing since the moment he'd walked through that door.
Clearing my throat, I asked, "What flowers will you be purchasing today, Mr. Cattaneo?"
“Blossom...” he started.
“Tulips? Or would you prefer roses?”
He just stood there, staring at me, hoping for something I could never give him. Hoping for my love, my heart, the fairytale ending that I craved. He wanted the same thing I wanted.
I could see it in his eyes. This man knew who I was. And he loved me. It was written all over his face. The love, the yearning, the pain, it was all there in his dark gaze. And it killed me to ignore it.
But then I pictured my mother’s face, Kelly’s face, and I forced myself to turn and walk away from Rome Cattaneo and all the love he had to give. Because I knew that the other side of lovewas hate. And that was one emotion I couldn’t bear to see in his eyes when he looked at me.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
ROME
––––––––
This woman was my Juliet.
I knew it in my heart, in my soul, in my fucking bones. I trusted my gut. I didn’t need further proof or another coincidence. I didn’t even need another report from Tony to confirm it. Every instinct I possessed screamed the same thing.
Juliet With Curves was Blossom Brooks.
She was mine. And she was just as in love with me as I was with her. So why wouldn't she tell me who she was? I was here, in her face, in her space. Why wouldn’t she admit to what we both knew to be true?
That question had been eating away at me ever since she dropped her hand from those tulips and took a step away from me. I’d thought she was close to opening up to me, close to revealing who she was. But then she shut down on me. I'd almost asked her outright.
Are you Juliet?
The words had been right there on the tip of my tongue. Then I'd looked into her eyes, and what I saw there chilled me to the bone.Fear. Not nervousness. Not guilt.
Fear.
Gone was the playfulness that had been there when we’d been discussing tulips. She’d gone from being relaxed next to me tolooking terrified. I had to find out the cause of that fear and rid her of it before she could be honest with me.
But how could I do that if she wouldn’t talk to me? I hoped Tony’s investigation would reveal something useful for me because I was clueless right now. I rubbed the back of my neck, frustrated as hell.
Was love always this fucking complicated and confusing? If so, I could see why Raz and Cas had taken matters into their own hands. I could make things easier if she’d just talk to me. If someone was threatening her, I'd make them disappear before sunset.
If someone had something over her, I'd take care of them. I’d make sure they never threatened her again. If she needed protection, I'd give her a fucking army of guards. And I’d be the general, making sure she knew her enemies would have to kill me before they could even lay eyes on her.
Hell, if she wanted to disappear and start a new life somewhere, I’d provide us with new identities and relocate us to an island no one would find us on. I could solve any problem she was facing. I just needed her to talk to me.
However, I couldn’t force her to do that. And that left me feeling more helpless than I'd ever felt in my life.Helpless, frustrated, irritated, ready to kill. I hated not knowing how to help the woman I loved.
