Sweet Rome (Sweet Home, #1.5)(51)

My stomach sank.

“Romeo, don’t,” she begged.

A war broke out within me. Michaels needed to pay for talking about my girl like that, but the way she was looking at me, like I was letting her down, was killing me.

Michaels laughed, and my decision was made. “Get the f*ck back, Mol,” I ordered and pushed her away. She let go of my arm, and my attention refocused on the smug face below me.

I lifted my arm again, but Mol suddenly shouted, “Romeo, stop. Now. You’re better than this!”

Wincing at her words, I stalled, Michaels taking advantage to sneer, “Yeah, Romeo, stop. Listen to your girl.”

With one last glance at Molly and her devastated face, I sagged. What the f*ck was I doing? Here I was trying to be better for her, be what she deserved, so I would listen and back away this time.

But only for her.

Looking down at Michaels, I spat, “You’re lucky I don’t cave your f*ckin’ skull in, but I won’t do it in front of my girl.”

I stood abruptly and, seeing Molly behind me, racked with nerves, I held her to my chest, breathing in the vanilla on her skin, using it to simmer the hell down.

Glancing up, I saw Michaels being lifted off the floor by his teammates, and he brought two fingers to his mouth and spread them open, flicking his tongue toward Molly’s back. It took all the strength I had not to go after him, the pervert.

“Fuck off, Michaels, and get outta my sight before I change my f*ckin’ mind and end you!” I shouted, commending his friends for dragging his dumb ass away.

I held on to Molly, the motion of her hands on my back gradually calming me down. After a few minutes, I confessed, “I should’ve beaten him good after what he said.” I didn’t go any further into the specifics, couldn’t bring myself to repeat them.

Pulling back and meeting my eyes, Mol said, “No, you shouldn’t have. What would’ve been the point? We both knew that you being in an ‘official’ relationship was going to cause some talk.”

“Yeah, but he’s had it coming for a long time, babe. He f*ckin’ deserves a good beat down.”

I could see her thinking, always f*cking thinking. Staring me straight in the eye, she asked, “Why was he so hostile towards you in the first place?”

Shit! I never wanted my past to affect her. I was so ashamed of the way I’d been living before she came into my life.

“What?” she asked, swallowing in apprehension at my refusal to speak.

“I… I—” Dammit! I couldn’t tell her… She’d hate me, be ashamed.

Golden eyes clouded and she pressed, “You what?”

I panicked. I didn’t want what we’d just found with each other to be put in jeopardy. I needed her to still want me the same as this morning, as last night.

“Just spit it out, Rome,” she said, but this time with much more force.

Focusing on the ground, I admitted, “I f*cked his girl a few months back.”

Looking back up, I could see the disappointment in her expression and she stepped back, hands out in dismissal, rejecting me.

Fucking Michaels!

“Now you’re pissed at me. I’m totally kicking his ass now!”

I couldn’t take that look of censure in her eyes, but when I turned to go, a soft hand gripped mine. “Leave him,” she whispered quietly.

“You’re pissed, aren’t you?”

“Well, I’m not exactly doing backflips on hearing that you shagged his girlfriend, am I?”

A whole load of hurt was evident in her voice, but her speaking to me so shittily, on top of everything so far today, really pissed me off.

“I’ll let that go since you’re clearly annoyed, and I suppose justifiably,” I said moodily. And then she surprised me again by f*cking smirking at me.

She was now finding it all funny? Christ almighty, I had no idea what the hell to think! One minute she was pissed, the next laughing… complete mindf*ck.

“Did you hear what he said about you?” I pushed.

Shrugging, she answered, “Yes, but I don’t care, never have cared what others thought of me.” She was telling the truth; the bland expression on her face told me so.

“Come on, sit down with me a while longer.” My girl held out her hand, but I couldn’t take it. This kind of treatment was only going to continue. I’d done a lot of shit in the last few years, stuff that I’d give anything to take back at this moment. I needed to put a stop to it.

“Mol, let me just sort the f*cker once and for all. It’ll send a message to everyone else to leave us be. There are a lot of *s who I’ve pissed off that’ll enjoy ragging on us being together.”

But she wouldn’t have it and held out her hand again, nodding sternly for me to take it. She looked so damn cute, being all insistent. I friggin’ loved this girl. “Fuck, Mol, I’ll be getting a new rep—Rome Prince, newest member of * Whipped-R-Us!”

We sat down under a tree and I held on to Molly tightly. She played with my fingers, softly kissing each one, and I caught our friends watching us, a mix of disbelief and happiness on their faces.

Being with Molly just made me better. She made everything in my life better.

“What the hell is this?” My eyes closed in exasperation as I recognized the voice.