Soulless Devil (Sons of Valentino #3)(48)

I run—okay, maybe stumble a little—to the door and swing it open. And standing on the other side is Romeo.

My Romeo. A not-so-happy Romeo. I don’t really care though. I’m so happy to see him, so excited that he’s here, that I ignore his scowl and throw my arms around him. He catches me, stopping me from falling on my ass when I trip over the doorstep in my haste to get to him.

“Fuck,” he curses, picking me up, walking inside, and kicking the door closed behind him.

My arms cling to his neck as tight as I can, too scared that if I let him go, he’ll disappear. “If I’m dreaming, I never want to wake up,” I whisper.

Romeo’s grip tightens around my waist. “Babe, you’re not dreaming. Also, if you ever don’t wake up, I will find a voodoo witch to bring you back. I’m not fucking doing this life without you, Livvy.”

“Aw, you always say the sweetest things.” I giggle, leaning back a little so I can look at his face. Those dark eyes pierce into mine.

“How much have you had to drink? And where the fuck are we, Livvy? Because I’m pretty sure this crappy little cabin isn’t your family home.”

Oh shit. Romeo is here. In Covington. In Kirk’s cabin. “Ah, this is a friend’s cabin,” I say, untangling myself from him. I sit back on the sofa and pick up the now half-empty bottle of vodka from the coffee table.

Romeo comes over and snatches it out of my hands. “Olivia, why are you here?”

“Oh, it’s Olivia now? That means I’m in trouble. Am I in trouble, Romeo?” I ask him.

“That depends on the answer. Why are you here, Livvy?” he asks again, sitting down next to me.

“I couldn’t go home,” I admit.

“Why not? Did your parents say something? Do something?”

“No, they don’t know I’m here. I told them I was spending the holidays with Sandra.”

“Okay, why didn’t you tell me? I would have taken you with me. Have you been here alone all fucking week?” he asks, looking around the small cabin.

“I didn’t want to intrude on your family’s Christmas, Romeo, and I like it here.” I try to see the cramped living space through his eyes. I can’t though. All I see is a lifetime of memories.

The door opens, and within seconds, Romeo is on his feet. I don’t see the gun he whips out until Kirk drops the bag of groceries he was holding.

“Shit, Romeo. No. Stop,” I say, jumping up and rushing to get in front of him.

“Livvy, move,” he says. His voice is feral, a tone I’ve never heard from him before. I should be scared, but I know he won’t hurt me.

“No. Put the gun down. He’s my friend.”

Romeo tilts his head to the side, staring at Kirk and ignoring me completely. “You have five seconds to tell me who the fuck you are and why you’re here, with my girlfriend, before I blow your fucking head off.”

I gasp. “No!” I yell, my voice firmer. This has Romeo finally turning to me.

“I know you’re not cheating on me, Livvy, so why is another man helping himself to the cabin you’ve been shacked up in.”

He knows I’m not cheating on him? I don’t know if he’s just extra cocky, or really secure in our relationship. Or maybe it’s what happened to me that solidifies his certainty.

“It’s his cabin, Romeo. This is Kirk, my friend from school. Please just put the damn gun away. You’re scaring me,” I beg him.

His face pales a little and he lowers the gun. He doesn’t put it away. He does, however, wrap one arm around my shoulder and pull me against his body. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” He kisses the top of my head, and I sink into him.

“Please don’t hurt him. Romeo. He’s just my friend. I swear,” I plead. I know that Romeo is capable of things I don’t even want to consider. He’s just showed me a side of him I’ve never had to see before. A side of him that should have me running for the hills. Instead, here I am, taking comfort in his embrace.

“A friend you used to fucking date,” he grunts.

“I promise nothing like that is happening here. He just drops in to bring me food. That’s all.”

“You should have told me. If I knew you were here alone, I would have come sooner.”

“I know you would have,” I say, slipping out of his embrace. “So, Romeo, meet Kirk. Kirk, this is Romeo.” I point between them.

Kirk is still pale. He nods his head, but doesn’t say anything.

“Ah, hey,” Romeo says.

“Okay, well, now that we all know each other, I’m going back to my drinking,” I announce.

“I dropped the bottle. Sorry, babe.” Romeo sidesteps me.

“No, you didn’t,” I counter at the same time Romeo snatches the bottle, walks into the kitchen, and tips the contents down the sink. “Wait! I was enjoying that.”

“Yeah, I could tell,” he groans.

“Come on, Romeo, it’s not like you never drink.”

“You’re right, which is why I know you’ll be thanking me tomorrow when you don’t wake up feeling like death,” he says as he fills a glass with water. “Drink this instead.” He holds the water out in front of me.