Page 114 of Romeo

I’d spent months learning about her through a phone screen, memorizing the rhythm of the way she texted and how long she paused before answering a question that mattered. Sitting beside her was different. Her thoughts wandered. She interrupted herself. Her laugh came easier when she forgot anyone was listening.

I could’ve stayed there until sunrise.

The idea of climbing onto my bike and putting fifteen hundred miles between us again felt worse every minute.

Eventually, though, the light in one of the front windows flickered.

I looked toward it and sighed. “Come on. Let’s get you inside before Georgie comes out here with a shotgun.”

Fiona laughed and let me pull her to her feet.

At the door, neither of us immediately let go.

“Dors bien, Ma Belle,” I said quietly. “Un jour, je te dirai pourquoi mon cœur refuse toujours de te dire adieu.”

Her brow furrowed. “What does that mean?”

I smiled.

Some truths were easier to say when the person hearing them didn’t understand the words.

“Some things are better left untranslated, Cher. At least for now.”

“Jasper...”

“Goodnight, Fiona.”

I leaned down and kissed her forehead. Her breath caught. For one dangerous second, she didn’t move.

Neither did I.

Then her gaze dropped to my mouth.

Fuck.

Every instinct I possessed told me to close the last few inches.

Instead, I straightened.

Fiona looked back at my eyes, and something about her expression told me she knew exactly what I’d almost done. She smiled, though there was a touch of frustration in it now.

Good.

Frustration I could survive. Regret would’ve been harder.

She opened the door and stepped inside, pausing long enough to look back at me before closing it. I stood on the porch until I heard her footsteps disappear deeper into the house.

Only then did I let the words out.

“Je t’aime, Ma Belle.”

The empty porch kept my secret. For now, that was where it belonged.

I walked toward Sugar’s car without looking back because if I saw her bedroom light come on, there was a decent chance I’d find another excuse to stay.

And I’d already tested my restraint enough for one night.

CHAPTER TWENTY