But by this time tomorrow, she would probably lose everything. Didn’t she deserve one moment of happiness? One wild, passionate night before her world came crumbling down?
But as she turned the corner, her breath hitched.
Romeo.
His black hair shone in the moonlight and framed his ruggedly handsome face. His lips were plump, and she wanted to feel his mouth on hers.
Her pulse pounded so deeply she was sure Romeo could hear it.
Romeo’s gaze started at her face and then slowly moved down every inch of her body and back up to meet her eyes. He gave her a devilishly handsome grin. “I didn’t think you’d return, Juliet.”
“That makes two of us. Did you have a good night?”
“It was okay.” He walked closer to her, and she could smell the lust burning between them. He was like an intoxicating drug, and she wanted to get high. “But now that you’re here, I’ll make sure it’s a night we’ll never forget.”
Chapter Five
She came back.
I knew she would.
He couldn’t explain it, but there was something special about his Juliet. Most of the women he dated were like his mom’s fine china—gorgeous to look at but very fragile and too focused on appearing perfect and acting like prim and proper ladies. They always wanted to talk about the two Fs—the future, in which they saw a big ol’ wedding, and his finances, which Ramón wasn’t keen to discuss.
Tonight, Ramón wanted a different kind of F.
F... un. And to not think about his job.
A gust of cold November wind caused Juliet to shiver. She hunched her shoulders and covered her chest with her hands.
Always the gentleman, Ramón took off his jacket and shook it out grandly. “Here, put this on.”
She pulled it over her dress. “Thank you. That’s really kind of you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
She beamed at him. “Oh, I brought you something.” She handed him a plastic bag.
Ramón was taken aback. He was used to giving gifts, not receiving them. He reached into the bag and pulled out two packages of foil. He unwrapped the first one to reveal a fish taco with a slice of lime.
He stared at the taco for a moment—did she know who he was? Or was this just a coincidence?
“I didn’t know if you’d had a chance to eat.”
Probably a coincidence. They were in Old Town on Day of the Dead—tacos were currency here. “I hadn’t. Thanks. That was very thoughtful of you.” Ramón sat on the lip of the tiled fountain, doused the taco in the side of hot sauce that was in the bag, squeezed some limón over the fish, and took a bite. She sat down a few inches away from him.
Whoa. These tacos were incredible! They were nothing like the ones they served at his restaurants. The full irony was that the entire idea of Taco King came from Papá eating the most incredible fish tacos made with fresh ingredients in Mexico. And when the business had first opened, they’d stayed authentic to that recipe. But over the years, cost cutting and catering to gringo palates had turned their taco into a shadow of its former self. The fish was now frozen, the tomatoes came from a can, and the tortillas were mass-produced in a factory. Ramón imagined that the taco he was eating now was close to the original one his company was based on.
This fish was so fresh and was coated in some type of spicy batter. The tortilla was crispy and light. And that sauce! What kind of chiles were used in it?
“Where did you get these? They are amazing.”
She smirked and tossed her hair. “Oh, just some stand I passed on the way here. Glad you liked them.”
Liked them? Ramón loved them. But more importantly, he was touched by her sweet gesture.
Normally, people he met only did nice things for him if they wanted something in return—usually his wallet. This woman didn’t know a thing about him. She didn’t know how rich he was or what kind of car he drove.
Maybe she would like him for who he was. Was that even possible? Who was he without his wealth or name?
