His Juliet: An Age Gap Hurt Comfort Mafia Romance (Empire of Royals Book 2)

Someone was screaming.

The second I had the thought, the scream cut off. Gasping breaths filled the air, and I realized I was the source of the sound.

As I slowly came back to my body, I heard him. Romeo.

“I’ve got you. You’re safe.”

His body curled around mine, and he slowly stroked his hand up and down my back. I clung to him, pressing my face into the crook of his neck.

“Sorry,” I whispered.

I felt horrible for interrupting his sleep. Both lamps on the bedside tables cast a glow around the room. Romeo refused to let me turn them off, insisting he could sleep perfectly fine with them on. Maybe that was true, but he certainly wasn’t sleeping through my screams.

His grip on me tightened. “Don’t apologize. Never to me.”

The intensity in his tone raised a lump in my throat. “I’ll stop apologizing once you stop feeling guilty about what happened.”

“Juliet…”

“No, just listen. You can’t control everything. Sometimes, bad things happen. The difference is that this time, I had someone to save me.” I curled my fingers in his hair. He needed another trim soon.

“If what happened to you wasn’t my fault, then what happened to Breanna wasn’t your fault,” Romeo said. “You can’t control everything, either.”

For the first time since I found out Breanna had taken her life, some of my shame loosened its grip. Blaming myself was a way of maintaining the illusion that I could have changed the situation when there was nothing I could have done. While it was a tragic pill to swallow, maybe it was the way for me to move forward.

“I’ll try to let go of my guilt if you do, too,” I said. “I love you, baby. I don’t want you carrying this around.”

His lips brushed my forehead. “I’ll try. Promise.”

Calm surrounded us as we held each other close. Even with my persistent nightmares, there was something special about being awake with him in the middle of the night.

“Want to tell me about the dream?” He cupped the back of my head, gently massaging my scalp.

“It was just the same. Being stuck in the dark alone.”

“Never again. Never.” He scowled. “I wish I could accompany you into your nightmares and fight off the darkness.”

I pressed my smile to his throat. How was it that I could be sucked into my trauma and be happy at the same time? The nightmares, panic attacks, agoraphobia, and urges to cut had all returned, but I wasn’t alone in coping with them… and maybe that meant I wouldn’t drown again.

I kissed his throat and worked my way down to his shoulder and across his collarbone. He smelled so good, like leather and salt and my strawberry body wash.

His grip tightened on my hip, and I arched against him. For the first time since I got home, I desired. I wanted to be in my body. I wanted to feel.

My hands skated down his chest.

He groaned. “Sweetheart, are you sure⁠—”

“I want you.”

His hand shifted to my ass and squeezed. My heart ached with emotion. I hadn’t realized how much I missed his touch, missed feeling sexy and wanted.

I slipped my hand into his boxers and squeezed his cock. My pussy clenched with emptiness. I needed him inside me.

He growled and flipped me so I was on my back.

“If you think there’s a fucking chance you’re not coming first tonight, you don’t know me, pretty girl.” His lips crashed against mine and I wrapped my legs around his hips, pulling him flush to me. We both moaned, running our hands hungrily across the other’s body. Sparks of pleasure shot from my core up to my stomach.

Romeo ran his hands down my sides and hips and, for once, I didn’t have even a flash of self-conscious anxiety. Almost dying had apparently cured my body image issues.

He kissed his way down my body, spending several long minutes sucking on my nipples until I was dripping wet before moving down to my core. My pussy clenched in anticipation, desperate for him.

He started slowly, easing me in with gentle touches. His tongue pressed against my clit, his fingers teasing my entrance until I begged for more.

“Please,” I cried out.

“My greedy girl, so desperate for me.” He pulled back enough to flash a smirk at my pink cheeks. “I love it.”

I gasped when he finally pressed his thick finger inside me. His mouth returned to my pussy, and I let out a sob when he sucked on my clit.

“Romeo. Feels so good.”

“Fucking love hearing you cry my name.”

I arched against his mouth, my body desperate for release. “I’m almost there.” I threw my arm across my face with a whimper, the pleasure almost overwhelming.

Romeo’s fingers trailed up my skin, cupping my breast and playing with my nipple. “I’ve got you, baby. Just let go.”

His reassurance pushed me over the edge. He licked me through the waves of pleasure until they built into another orgasm. The intensity stole my breath until I felt like I was floating out of my body.

When I finally came back down to earth, my limbs were relaxed and heavy, and Romeo was still between my legs.

He pressed his face to my pussy, breathing in deeply. “Fuck, you’re everything.” He slowly worked his way up my body. The feel of him against my sensitized skin was too much and not enough. I wrapped my arms and legs around him, needing his weight.

He ran his nose down the side of my face. “I love you, angel. So much.”

I tightened my hold on him. “I love you, too.”

His cock notched against my entrance, waiting until I gave him a nod. His eyes stayed on mine as he slowly pressed inside me. I leaned into him while he caressed my face. Tears pricked my eyes at his tenderness. He brushed them away as they spilled onto my cheeks.

“Are you okay?”

I kissed his cheek. “More than okay. Please. Keep going.”

A smile broke across his face, utterly transforming it. He was the most handsome man I’d ever seen, and somehow he was mine.

“I can do that.”

He pulled out almost all the way and thrust back inside, causing me to arch and cry out. We moved together, in sync like we’d known each other for much longer than we had, but that was how our relationship had been from the beginning. I giggled thinking about it, and he raised an eyebrow.

“I’m doing my best work here, pretty girl, and you’re laughing?”

I dragged my fingers through his hair, scraping my fingers against his scalp. “I’m just happy and thinking about how you’ve never felt like a stranger, even when you were holding me hostage in my store.”

He scoffed. “I didn’t hold you hostage.”

My mouth quirked into a smile, and it was his turn to laugh.

“Fine. Maybe I did, but I’m not sorry. I’ll hold you hostage any time.”

He grabbed my thigh, raising it so I was even more open to him. He thrust in hard, pushing me up the mattress.

“You’re ridiculous,” I gasped.

“Nah, I’m just completely obsessed with my Juliet.”

My fingers dug into his skin. He was so soft and warm and real. After spending the past few days numb and out of my body, it was such a relief to be back in it and experiencing pleasure and safety.

Romeo was my safety.

He snaked his hand between us and his thumb rubbed my clit. It barely took anything for me to come again.

“Fuck, you’re clenching around me so tight.” He buried his face in my hair as he came. His breaths and moans were almost enough to put me over the edge again.

I ran my fingers down his jaw, drawing him back to my lips. When he finally pulled out of me, I pressed my thighs together to keep from leaking out all over the sheets.

He kissed me on the nose. “Be right back.”

He returned with a washcloth and cleaned me up. My cheeks flamed red when he spread my pussy lips apart and stared intently.

“What are you doing?” I squealed.

He released me with a gentle pat. “Just checking on you. I need to make sure my girl’s not too sore.”

I rolled my eyes when he flopped back on the bed. We lay on our sides, facing each other.

“I got something for you,” he said.

“Yeah?”

He grabbed something from his nightstand drawer but kept it hidden from me. He ran his hand down my arm until I felt something slip onto my finger. I scrunched my forehead and tugged my hand out of his hold.

My heart stuttered.

On my finger was the most gorgeous engagement ring I’d ever seen. The center diamond was a princess cut, surrounded by diamonds arranged in a sunburst pattern.

My jaw dropped, and I met Romeo’s eyes.

“I chose this design because it reminded me of a star, and you’re my stellina. The light in my darkness.”noveldrama

I gaped at him. “Umm, aren’t you missing a step?”

“What step?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Does this ring come with a question?”

“Nope.”

“Nope?” I looked back down at the ring. I loved it so much, but maybe it wasn’t an engagement ring? Was I reading this wrong?

Romeo gripped my chin. “I don’t have a question because you’re going to marry me, Juliet. I’m never letting you go, so I will do whatever I can to make sure you’re so closely tied to me that you can never untangle the knot.”

My lips twitched.

I slipped the ring off my finger and handed it back to him. “Get on your knee and ask me properly.”

He growled and nipped my lip in punishment, but he moved off the bed. His hands spanned my thighs as he pulled me to the edge of the mattress. He knelt before me, holding out the ring.

“Juliet, my angel. No one has ever loved the way I love you. I want forever with you. Will you marry me?”

Tears sprung to my eyes. “I love you so much.”

“And?” he asked impatiently.

I let out a watery chuckle. “Yes, of course I’ll marry you.”

“Of course you will.” He smirked, then placed the ring back on my finger.

It sparkled even in the low light. “It’s so pretty. Thank you.”

Romeo kissed my knee. “Anything for you.” He ran his hands up my legs, lightly squeezing my scars before moving in towards my core. He gave me a wolfish grin. “Since I’m already kneeling here, I might as well take advantage of my position.”

“Mmm, might as well.”

I squealed when he yanked me closer. I fell back as he spread my legs wide.

And he showed me how happy he was with my answer over and over again.

I woke up feeling unexpectedly rested. The first thing I did when I opened my eyes was stare at my new ring.

A low chuckle vibrated against my back. “Should I be jealous of the ring?”

I slowly rotated in the tangle of Romeo’s arms and legs until I faced him. “Don’t worry, your face is way prettier.”

He squeezed my ass hard. “Brat.”

I wiggled against him. I was a little sore from last night, but that didn’t stop my pussy from clenching with desperation to be filled again.

Romeo kissed me. “I know that look. You need to get fucked, don’t you, baby?”

I whimpered when he pressed his leg firmly between mine. I ground myself against it, the pleasure delicious, but nowhere near enough.

“That’s my girl. I’m going to fuck you until you scream my name. Do you want that?”

“Yes. Please.”

“You beg so prettily for me. But we have to do something else first.”

My forehead scrunched in a disgruntled frown. “Something else?”

“Yes. And if you’re a very good girl, you’ll get a reward.”

I clutched at him as he moved away, but when he reached for something inside his nightstand, I perked up. Maybe I was getting more presents. But what Romeo pulled out of the drawer was definitely not jewelry.

My heart pounded when I saw the syringe and gauze in his hand. “Umm, what is that?”

He shifted us until we were sitting against the headboard. “This is lidocaine and this—” he grabbed something else out of the drawer—“is an autoinjector for a tracker.”

“A tracker?”

His eyes were tight as he nodded. “I got it from Leona. The Irish have developed a GPS chip that’s small enough to be injected under the skin but powerful enough to send a signal to my phone wherever you are.”

My jaw dropped. “You want to put that inside me?”

He ran his fingers through his hair. “There’s already a tracker embedded in your ring.”

I stared at my ring, trying to figure out where a tracker could be hiding. It must be miniscule. “If there’s one in my ring, why do you need to inject me with another one?”

“Because I’m not taking any chances, Juliet. You could take your ring off or lose it somewhere. Someone could take your ring across the country while they steal you away in the opposite direction.”

Romeo’s jaw was set in that stubborn way that told me he wouldn’t budge on this. This was the most unhinged, absurd, possessive thing I could imagine… so why did I like it? I’d spent my entire life feeling lost. As twisted as it was, the thought of the man I loved always being able to find me made me feel safe.

I took a deep breath. “Okay.”

“Okay?”

I held my arm out. “Do it fast before I wake up fully and realize you are an actual psycho for wanting to do this.”

Romeo didn’t make me wait. The alcohol wipe was cool on my skin as he cleaned it. “I have to inject the lidocaine first.”

I closed my eyes so I didn’t have to see the needle go in. My nose scrunched at the sting, but it was over quickly.

Once my arm was numb, Romeo positioned the injector against my skin.

“Are you sure it’s safe?” I asked, eyeing the device.

Romeo pointed at a small scab on his upper bicep. “I would never do something to you if I wasn’t completely sure it was safe.”

I gently ran my finger over the spot in his skin. “You have a tracker?”

He nodded.

A slow smile spread across my face. “Does this mean I get to track you?”

He gripped my chin and leaned in for a kiss. “Of course. I want you to be able to hunt me down and have your way with me.”

My cheeks flushed and I rolled my eyes. “Stop flirting with me right now.”

“Never.” He pressed the autoinjector against my arm. “Take a deep breath, baby.”

I squeezed my eyes shut and forced the air into my lungs. The injector clicked, and I felt a deep pressure in my arm, almost like a bruise.

Then Romeo’s lips were soft against mine. “You did so well for me.”

I braved a look. Romeo had wrapped gauze around the small injection site.

“Tell me if it starts hurting or bothering you in any way.”

I flopped back on the mattress with a sigh, adrenaline still coursing through me. “Something else is bothering me right now.”

Romeo braced himself over me, grinning. “Who’s flirting now?”

Laughter burst from my chest, unexpected and wonderful. Romeo’s eyes widened and his lips parted. He looked at me like I was magic, but it was all because of him. His love left me utterly transformed.