“I don’t think I’ve ever missed anyone as much as I’ve missed you,” I admitted. “It's been almost two weeks. I was about to start going through withdrawals.”
Her chuckle drifted through my speakers.Damn. I missed that sound.
“I've been experiencing some withdrawals of my own,” she confessed.
For a second, I just sat there staring at the dark screen of my laptop, unable to believe how happy it made me to hear her say that. Then I got a hold of myself and cleared my throat.
“We can feed our addiction better if we could meet,” I said.
Silence. Seconds ticked by as my smile faded.
“Romeo, I'm just... so busy.”
“Everyone is busy,” I countered. “We can meet for lunch or dinner. You've got to eat. You may as well eat with me.”
And if I'm lucky, you'll let me eat you.
My mouth watered at the thought. But there was no point in getting my hopes up. I already knew she wasn't going to agree. She'd been avoiding direct contact with me for months. Now she wouldn’t even let me see her on video.
She was pulling away from me. I wasn’t about to let that happen. I just couldn't push too hard. If I spooked her, she'd disappear again. And I couldn't handle another two weeks of silence.
“Romeo, I just need more time.”
Just as I expected.
“Okay, baby,” I said, knowing I needed to work harder to get that code running properly. “How was your week?” I asked, wanting to take her mind off meeting me.
“Busy,” she admitted. “I'm so glad it's over. But next week is going to be a busy week too.”
“I wish I were next to you so I could massage your feet for you.”
My own words shocked me. Mentally groaning, I stared at the ceiling. Had I really just said that? I'd never massaged anyone's feet in my life. Not once. Yet somehow, the idea of taking care of Juliet in that way sounded perfectly normal.
“That would be lovely, Romeo. I need a full-body massage. Every part of me is tense.”
I leaned back against my headboard. Though I'd never massaged anyone before, I'd give anything to massage her. Anything to help her relax. Anything to be the person she turned to when life became overwhelming.
If I could be this woman’s haven, I would make sure she never had to worry about anything.Shit. I was starting to sound like Raz and Cas now. Leo too.
“I know you're just as busy as I am,” she told me. “You deserve a massage too, lover. I would love to give you one to help you forget about all the stresses of your workday.”
Damn, her words made me want to kidnap her ass tonight and lock her away until she meant everything she was saying. She didn’t realize how much her words affected me. How theirwarmth chased away the coldness that clung to me every hour of every day.
She didn’t know how comforting they were, how dangerous they were. Nor did she know how much I wished what she was saying was true. I closed my eyes, a sense of longing creeping over me that was unlike anything I’d ever felt before.
If I had a woman like her to come home to, I’d probably never leave the house. I’d work from home so I could spend all my time with her. But that would make me clingy, and that wasn’t like me.
Plus, I had a feeling Juliet didn’t do clingy. One thing I was learning from Raz’s relationship was to follow your woman’s lead and anticipate what she wanted before she voiced it.
Raz had gotten good at that in the time I was away. And he was a clingy motherfucker, though he tried to blame it on Monique. Every time he talked, he ended the conversation with,I need to get home before my future wife starts missing me too much.
I think he was trying to rub it in that he had someone waiting for him at home, while I didn’t. I'd give anything to have what he had. But I wanted it with Juliet. No one else would do. It had to be her. Itwouldbe her. Opening my eyes, I stared at the dark laptop screen.
“Coming home to get a massage from you sounds... it sounds great,” I told her. “What do I have to do to make that our reality, baby?”
I hated how fucking desperate I sounded. How vulnerable it made me feel. I hated that she could do this to me. Make meresort to damn near begging her to step into my world fully. I fucking hated needing her this much.
But at the same time, I didn’t want to stop feeling this way. I just hoped she’d soon join me in this insanity. I understood she probably needed time. But I wished she’d tell me what to do to make her comfortable enough to let me into her world.
