Reaching out, I clutched his hair and brought him towards my lips, only breaking the contact to say, “You need to tell me if you’re going through stuff with your parents. Tell me so I can’t doubt you. It’s hard for me to trust, but I’m learning to trust you. Please… confide in me.”

Rome brushed his stubbled chin along my throat, inhaling my scent. “Baby… you’re safe with me, and I would’ve told you everythin’ that happened when I got home. I didn’t expect to see you. God, it almost destroyed me when I saw your reaction from across the road… and then you ran, after you promised you’d never run from me.”

His hips tilted and his hard groin pressed between my legs. I had to bite my tongue to stop from moaning out loud. “I do trust you. I-it just looked bad. She kissed you. I… I didn’t like it. I needed to get away.”

Rome continued grinding against me, my eyes rolling back in pleasure. “I’ll never cheat on you, Shakespeare. You’re too damn important to me for that. I told you I’d never f**k around on you, and I don’t like to be doubted.”

Nervous excitement surged within me at his usual brusque tone. “Okay.”

I twisted the sheet in my fists as his hardness pressed against me with more pressure and I felt that delicious feeling build at the bottom of my spine.

I stared down into Rome’s eyes and they brightened.

“Romeo,” I murmured as he moved and began shifting to the foot of my bed. “What—”

“Shh…”

Romeo’s hands drifted up my bare thighs and under my dress. My breath caught in my throat when two fingers grasped the edge of my panties and slowly pulled them down.

My head pressed into the pillow as Romeo discarded my underwear to the floor and set to lifting up my dress to my hips. I made sure my tattoo was well covered.

“I’m gonna taste you, baby. You’re gonna come in my mouth.”

“Ah… God,” I whispered, only to suddenly lift my back off the mattress on a moan when Romeo’s mouth latched onto me.

“I only want you, Mol. You get me?” he said as his tongue built up speed.

“Yes! I get you!” I screamed, unable to focus, mouth lax.

“Fuck, you’re so beautiful.”

He didn’t let up until I exploded, panting feverishly as I held on tight to his dirty-blond hair, only pushing him away when his actions became too much for me to take.

Romeo shifted to his knees, straightening my dress, drinking me in, spread on my back, and crawled beside me, wrapping me tightly in his arms. I knew he was relieved that he’d taken back some control by the calm that had settled upon his flushed face.

Once I’d caught my breath, I turned and ran the back of my hand across his cheek. “God, Rome. You’ve got me so confused. I never know whether I’m coming or going with you.”

“Always comin’ I hope,” he said slyly, pursing his lips. I play-punched him in the ribs and watched his smile slowly fade away. “I’m not sure if you get the significance of what I did today in comin’ after you, in leavin’ my momma like that.” I didn’t, but I understood by his shaken demeanour that it was huge.

Romeo gripped the sides of my dress, pain evident in his large eyes. I smoothed his hair from his face. “What is it, baby?”

He swallowed and glanced out of my balcony doors, before fixing his attention back on me, whispering a heartbreaking, “Don’t ever leave me.”

I felt my heart miss a beat in response to his desperate plea. “Hey, what’s all this?”

Romeo pressed his forehead to the warmth of my stomach, wrapping his arms tightly around my waist. “I just can’t believe I’ve got you in my life. You make everythin’ better and I don’t wanna lose you.”

I ran my fingers through his hair, concerned at his strange behaviour. “I won’t leave you.”

“You almost did today. You told me to leave you.”

“It was a misunderstanding.” I swallowed nervously. “Truthfully, Rome, how much trouble are your parents going to cause us?”

I shuddered as I remembered his mother’s disgusted face and catty wave my way. Even from today, I could tell she wasn’t going to let our relationship drop, and Romeo’s erratic emotions were playing heavily on my mind.

“Don’t know. Not gonna let you near them to risk findin’ out. I’m gonna protect what we have no matter what. I explained to your friends what happened. They understood, but Cass punched me in the stomach and called me a stupid shithead for hurtin’ you. Jimmy-Don has his hands full with that one. She’s one scary gal!”

I giggled and guided his mouth off my stomach and to my lips before laying my head next to his on the soft pillow. “What did your momma whisper in your ear when you saw me? You went white.”

Rome immediately crashed his mouth to mine and spoke against my lips. “Shut up, Shakespeare. I’m done talkin’ and need to show you again how sorry I am for hurtin’ you.”

The master of deflection struck again.

13

Saturday arrived, and when I opened my eyes, lying in place of Romeo on his pillow was a ladies red Crimson Tide jersey, number seven on the back with the name PRINCE above it in large white lettering. I ran my hands over the writing and flipped it to the front. His number was there again and in the upper left hand corner was a four-leaf clover stitched into the material. A note was pinned to the collar:

My jersey for MY girl to wear at the game.

Sit with Ally and I’ll come to collect my good luck sweet kiss.

Your Romeo x

* * *

The stadium was packed. It was an expansive sea of red and white shirts. Groups of students had painted their chests red with R-O-L-L-T-I-D-E white lettering branding their skin. On the away team side, navy and white shirts dominated the stands.

Cass, Ally, and I grabbed a Coke and snacks from the indoor vendors and set off walking to our seats. As soon as we passed the full stands, people began cheering, and when the three of us looked to the screen in confusion, there I was, being followed by the camera, with digital four-leaf clovers scattered around my face, creating a border. I stumbled at the sight and Cass and Ally screamed.

“Oh my God, Molly, you’re famous!” Cass trilled in awe as she waved to the camera and blew a kiss. She was in her typical Stetson and jeans, wearing Jimmy-Don’s jersey, and she lapped up all the attention.