Star-Crossed Read Online Free PDF Page A

her eyes. “He’s my brother, but don’t hold that against me.” Bingo.
    Romeo grinned in triumph. Of course she was his sister. He should’ve known with how tall she was. Wyatt Conner was nearly his height, and Romeo was sure if he had a full-blooded sister, she’d have easily been as tall as Juliet.
    “I’m Romeo Wellings,” he offered, though it seemed redundant. He just used the moment to hold on to her hand for a few more milliseconds. “It’s nice to meet you.”
    “Are y’all in town another night?” Jules asked, looking from Romeo to his brothers beside him.
    Nova and Tino spoke in unison. “No.”
    “Yes,” Romeo said at the same time. His brothers turned to him, dark eyes wide and concerned, but he ignored them. “They’re leaving tonight,” he lied and stomped on Nova’s foot for good measure when he made a choked sound of denial. “ Now , actually.
    But I’m free all night.”

    25
    “Lemme buy you dinner,” Jules said so earnestly Romeo would have been inclined to agree even if this woman didn’t have him feeling fidgety and sixteen. “It’s the least I can do.” Her smile grew broader, more endearing and genuine. “Say yes.”
    “Yes,” Romeo said without hesitation. “What time?” Jules glanced at her phone and then looked up with a guilty wince. “I’ll be a while.
    I’m Clay’s lawyer. I got to finish a few more things with the police, and I wanna make sure Clay’s settled. Melody’s likely staying the night with him at the hospital, so I’ll have to grab them some things from the hotel. Is eight too late?”
    “Eight’s perfect.” Romeo resisted the urge to take in all of her with a long, sweeping look, because it was obvious Jules was in that strange lawyer mode that was common for her breed. She was friendly and professional and obviously intent to wrap up everything for Clay, including a proper thank-you to the big fool who’d saved Melody’s life. Trying to play the game, he became cordial. “You wanna give me your phone number, and we’ll touch base once you’re done with everything here?”
    “Oh yes, good idea.” Jules reached into her purse to pull out a business card and an expensive gold pen. She laughed to herself, shaking her head as she wrote on the back of the card. “If you would’ve told me yesterday I’d be buying Romeo Wellings dinner, I’d have called you crazy. Things change faster than I can keep up with sometimes.”
    Romeo had to agree. The very last thing he expected to be doing on his remaining night in Las Vegas was having dinner with Wyatt Conner’s sister. He’d spent a good deal of time hating the bastard. The irony wasn’t lost on him, and his smile was wide as he took Jules’s card when she offered it. He stared at her cell number on the back.
    “I’m not your enemy.” Romeo lifted his gaze to hers and studied her beautiful face under the bright Nevada sun. “Juliet.”
    She gasped in surprise, her eyes growing wide. “I don’t—” She floundered. Her cheeks flushed pink as she narrowed icy eyes at him. “How?” 26
     
    “That’s what Jules is short for, isn’t it?” he asked simply, refusing to look away.
    “Juliet.”
    “I go by Jules,” she said rather than rise to the bait. For a brief moment it looked like she might reach over and snatch the card back. Her guard was obviously up, but instead of lashing out and rescinding the offer, she looked to his left hand that was wrapped in a white gauze bandage and sighed in defeat. “I’ll see ya at eight, Wellings.”
    “I go by Romeo.”
    “Fine.” Jules took a deep breath, her cheeks more flushed than ever. “Then eight o’clock, Romeo.”
    He did it then, took one long, hard look of Jules Conner standing there in formfitting jeans that clung to her long legs like a second skin. It took everything he had not to adjust himself, because eyeing her made his jeans tighter than usual.
    Romeo gave her a devious smile. With a voice low and husky with