While I waited, my gaze wandered to another case. It landed on a gleaming little gold butterfly suspended on a thin gold chain. I was afraid to ask, but still needed a present for Juliet. “Can I see this?” I asked.
The clerk keyed open the case and handed me the small velvet box holding the necklace. It had two tiny diamond chips on its wings.
“It’s solid gold, so it will last her a lifetime,” the clerk said. He named a price that seemed downright reasonable after the ring.
“I’ll take this today.”
“Excellent.” He snapped the box closed with a quick thwack. “Do you want it wrapped?”
“That’d be great.”
For the first time in months, hope flickered in my chest as I walked out of the store and into the mall. I had a job that wouldn’t get me tossed back in jail and a plan to propose to my girl.
Now, I just needed to win her heart again. I’d done it before when I had nothing to offer her. I could do it again.
Should I show up at the house? Call her? Pick her up from school? Visit her at the drive-in? I couldn’t do any of it because I didn’t know her schedule.
I flipped through all my options as I approached the food court. The place was jam-packed. My stomach growled. I hadn’t exactly eaten a lot in jail. I drifted toward the pizza counter when someone caught my eye.
Juliet.
Was it really her? Or was I seeing things because she was so heavily on my mind? Damn, she was even prettier than I remembered.
I was so busy staring at her, it took a few seconds for the other details of the scene to register. Vienna had her back toward me, but I recognized her easily. She kept turning and looking up at the two guys standing next to the table. Doug, that jackass from school. I thought Vienna hated him. Why was she so obviously flirting with him? Jameson also seemed to be angling for Vienna’s affection. Where was Chloe? Those two had always been attached at the hip.
But all those thoughts were to distract me from the worst part.
A guy sitting all cozy with Juliet. They were pressed up tight, touching from shoulder to elbow as he leaned in to say something in her ear.
Fuck. I couldn’t watch another second.
I was too late. She’d done what I asked.
She’d moved on and found someone else.
Chapter Sixty
Juliet
The uncomfortable feeling from the mall followed me all the way home. I tried to convince myself it was the crappy food court pizza landing wrong in my stomach, but it was more than that.
“Are you sure you don’t want to sleep over at my house tonight?” Vienna asked, while flipping on the blinker for my driveway.
“I have a bunch of stuff to do to get ready for tomorrow.” I needed time to decompress. Maybe take a long, hot bath.
She gasped and hit the brakes so hard, my hand flew forward to brace myself against the dashboard.
“Juliet.” The awe in her voice made my head snap up.
“Wha—?
Roman. In my driveway.
Waiting for me?
Somehow, he seemed taller and broader than ever. More menacing too, as if he’d kill any man who stood in our way.
He leaned on a black motorcycle I didn’t recognize. A stab of hurt poked me in the chest. How long had he been out? Why didn’t he contact me? Obviously, he’d been free long enough to buy a motorcycle. That stung.
Where was he living?
Who was he living with?
His arms were crossed over his chest and the short sleeves of his T-shirt showcased powerful forearms. Beard scruff darkened his jaw, adding an extra dose of menace to his sexy scowl.
No longer the boy I’d fallen in love with.
He was now a man I didn’t know.
“Why are you sitting here drooling?” Vienna’s voice yanked me out of my trance. “Go climb that man like a tree.”
Without answering Vienna, I flung the door open and jumped out of the car.
Roman turned and the frightening expression on his face melted into pure affection.
Even though I wanted to be furious with him, I couldn’t fly over the blacktop fast enough. My hands were dying to run through his thick, messy hair. My legs couldn’t wait to wrap around his waist.
My heart thumped against my ribcage as if urging me to pump my legs faster. Get to him quicker.
Our bodies collided and he caught me, burying his face in my hair while I squeezed the ever-loving daylights out of him.
“Juliet,” he rasped. “I missed you.”
“Me too. Me too,” I whispered.
He squeezed me tighter, then he pulled away to stare at me for a few agonizing seconds before fusing our lips together.
We kissed for what seemed like the first time in our lives. Except, the burning sweetness felt like home. His lips were as demanding as I remembered. In his arms, I was safe. I inhaled his crisp scent—now mixed with oil and leather.