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Romeo spread mayonnaise on a slice of bread while he spoke. “I have a box a few blocks away that receives everything. No mail or deliveries come here.”
“That makes sense.” Then something occurred to me. “Do people target those you care about, Jordan? Tristan’s not going to be in danger by staying here, is he?” If that was the case, I’d drag him to my place along with Romeo. The thought of either of them getting hurt sent ice through my veins.
How was it I got attached and protective of them so fast? I absently rubbed my chest. I’d never felt like this before. It was foreign as hell, but also a welcome change.
Should I question it or go with the flow? I liked to think my instincts were pretty solid. They hadn’t led me down a relationship path before though.
“No one bothers Romeo,” Jordan said. “They mostly target me. They used to target my son, but I’ve separated myself from him. He doesn’t want anything to do with the life I live. I respect that and his need to be away from me.”
“Yet you come into Romeo’s home uninvited.”
“I don’t mind him here,” Romeo said. His sandwich was piled with ham, turkey, cheese, lettuce, and tomato. To look as good as he did, he probably worked out when he wasn’t dancing.
Romeo set his sandwich down and launched into a story that had my jaw dropping. He told us who his father was, his connection to Jordan, and about his mother. The more he spoke, the more I realized Romeo needed what Jordan provided. Maybe not in the completely intrusive way he did so. Jordan was the kind of guy who ignored boundaries. While that didn’t work for everyone—most likely JJ—it did for Romeo. I wasn’t knocking him for it. We didn’t get to choose who we were related to, but we could choose who we brought into our fold and became ours. Jordan was Romeo’s and vice versa.
“If you want to leave, either of you, I understand,” Romeo said solemnly. There was more to the story, bits he’d held back. With every pause, he struggled with his words.
Glancing at Tristan, he shook his head. He wasn’t going anywhere, and neither was I. This explained more of who Romeo was, but it wasn’t a deal-breaker. We’d have to navigate around Jordan’s role in Romeo’s life. I had to be careful because of the band. If I was seen with Jordan, I could jeopardize my family and friends. He wasn’t a small-time criminal. Luckily, Jordan didn’t publicly go anywhere with Romeo, which probably helped keep Romeo under the radar.
“We’re here to stay,” I told Romeo.
I didn’t know what the future held. The thing we were starting could go down in an epic ball of flames. But I wasn’t willing to give up either of them. I had a date night to plan, after all.
10
TRISTAN
The process of moving out of my grandmother’s house took little effort. When I’d moved in with Oscar, I’d gotten rid of the furniture I had since he didn’t need more nor had room for it. Moving out of his place, I had boxes full of my belongings, but nothing big. Moving into Romeo’s home was much of the same. Luckily, he had a bed in the spare room like my grandmother did.
She wasn’t happy about me leaving, saying I should have listened to her and found a nice girl to settle down with. She tried to care, just not enough to see who I was and love me for it. She was my blood and for that; I didn’t wish her harm. But I was moving on with my life and away from her negativity. I’d told her if she wanted to speak to me again and accept me for who I was, she knew my number. There wasn’t room for people who didn’t support me. I was grateful to her for taking me in when I had nowhere to go, but trying to rule my life shouldn’t have been on the table.
I was getting settled into Romeo’s home. He put his schedule on the fridge, so I knew when he’d be home and didn’t worry. Having Jordan involved in his life was enough to put me on edge. Not for me, but for Romeo. For some reason, I wasn’tnervous about being within walking distance of one of the most powerful men in Dremest. It could have been because the man I used to sleep with had abused and raped his stepson. I had no high horse to sit on. I hadn’t known what my ex was capable of until Elic had told me.
I wasn’t numb to what Jordan did, but compared to Oscar, I’d take Jordan any day. There was also a sense of security, knowing he was down the block with an arsenal of guards ready to help and protect Romeo. Dash wasn’t thrilled about it, but he didn’t try to sway me to live with him, which I appreciated more than he knew.
As far as the relationship went, tonight was our first date. Dash had volunteered to plan it and was set to pick Romeo and me up within the next fifteen minutes.
Romeo and I were getting to know each other. We were forming a friendship with a hopeful desire for more. Whereas when Dash was in front of me, I barely held in my whimpers at having him so close. Not that I didn’t desire Romeo. He was sinful, as Dash put it. I loved watching him walk around the house with his graceful gait and the sweep of his hair on his shoulders. I already somewhat knew Dash prior to this. I didn’t have that with Romeo. The date was a good idea. Another way for us to learn more about the others.
I smoothed my hand down my shirt as I looked in the mirror above the long dresser in the bedroom I was renting. That was another thing—rent. Romeo wanted to charge me less than he should have, but I was determined to pull my weight. We settled in the middle, where I paid less than I thought he deserved but more than he wanted to charge.
Tonight, I wore a flattering navy shirt that showed off my slender frame. I didn’t have muscles like Romeo or Dash. I realized I was too thin when I got out of the relationship with Oscar and had been working at putting on weight, while alsotrying to stay active. Being in this new location, I could easily go for walks on the sidewalk without having to worry about a car clipping me like I did on country roads.
My shorts were a light gray slim fit that framed my ass nicely. I couldn’t show off muscles I didn’t have, but I could accentuate a feature I’d always liked. My ass had a nice curve to it that men had told me they appreciated. Hopefully, Romeo and Dash did as well. Without knowing where we were going, I was uncertain how to dress. It was hot outside. Jeans were out and the only slacks I owned I wore to work. They weren’t high end, but they didn’t have holes in them either.
I’d tried to tame my hair, getting the unruly locks to cooperate like I did for work. It wasn’t as wild as it could get. Once we were outside in the humid air, I had a feeling it was going to get a mind of its own.
A knock on the doorframe to my room caused me to turn. There, standing in all his gorgeous glory was Romeo. His shorts were a dark charcoal while his short-sleeved shirt was black with silver piping around the collar and down the front, framing silver buttons. He wore a pair of black boat shoes with no socks. Dark hair hung down, framing his face and jaw. The light blue of his eyes was a sharp contrast to his hair.
“How do you do that?” I asked.
“Do what?”
“Look that good while being so… casual about it? If I looked like you, I’d show it off with my head held high.”
“Don’t discount your looks, Tristan. You’re a beautiful man. Dash and I wouldn’t be going on a date with you tonight if we didn’t think so.”
“I still can’t believe we’re doing this. I told myself to find my footing again before falling for someone new. Not that I’ve fallen,” I rushed to say. At least, not yet. “I just hope this turns out better than the others.”
