by Ana Night
The man’s deep, gravelly voice did things to Juno’s body. It wasn’t that often he was attracted to men, but this guy just hit all the right buttons.
“I’m sorry about the misunderstanding,” Juno said.
Rome grunted. “It happens.”
Juno smiled at him, then motioned for him to follow as he led the way to the room. Rome shrugged out of his suit jacket and hung it on one of the hooks on the back of the door, then he took off his shoulder holster. With a glance at Juno, Rome hung it next to his jacket. Rome sat down on the chair and pulled off his shirt, leaving Juno staring, his mouth drying out. The ink on the man’s chest and arms were nothing short of delicious. He took a long minute to just take it all in. Rome had a full sleeve on his right arm and a half sleeve on his left, from wrist to elbow. It was mostly blackwork and tribal tattoos. He liked the look on Rome, and the tats coupled with the stubble and those dark, brown eyes, made the man even sexier in Juno’s book.
There was only one thing uncomplete. The piece on the right side of Rome’s upper chest needed filling in by the collarbone and over the shoulder.
“This all Bones’ work?” Juno asked.
“Most.”
It was quickly becoming clear that Rome wasn’t a chatty guy.
Juno had to talk himself into wiping off Rome’s chest. Touching the man was not gonna make this easy for him. But he could be professional. He usually was. Stiletto had beaten that into him early on. It was necessary for the business to thrive and with a guy like Rome? It could mean the difference between life and death. Not that either of them were dumb enough to start a war over it. Mostly. Probably.
Juno sat down on his stool and rolled it up next to Rome’s chair and turned to his table. He prepared the ink, then took a box of new needles and inserted them into his tattoo machine.
He took a deep breath, then pulled on new gloves. He glanced up at Rome for a second before stepping on the foot pedal. Rome didn’t move, didn’t even clench his jaw as Juno got started. The whole tattoo had been done in freehand which was usually more something he or Stiletto would do and not so much Bones. He preferred following a stencil to the letter. As did Scar. Saint didn’t care either way when he came to help them out on busy days. More often than not, he’d join Juno in handling the walk-ins.
“Hey,” Scar said from the doorway. “I’mma head out. You guys good?”
Juno lifted his tattoo machine and glanced up at Scar. “We’re fine.”
Being alone with the guy wasn’t a good idea. Because it made him think of all the dirty things he could do to Rome. All the things Rome could do to him.
Rome
He ran his gaze over the tattoo artist. He was sexy as all hell and from the way he held himself, he knew it, too. Used it to his advantage, most likely. His blond hair was tousled, falling in front of those piercing green eyes of his. There was a playful gleam in them Rome couldn’t help but like. The needles stabbing his skin was the only thing keeping his dick down. Thoughts of shoving his dick down Juno’s throat kept filling his head. It didn’t help that the guy had a hand on his chest as he leaned over Rome to tattoo him.
“When did you start coming here?” Juno asked.
“A few years ago.”
Juno glanced up, surprise in his green eyes. “Really? How come I’ve never seen you before?”
Rome stopped himself from shrugging and said, “I’ve been here after hours most of the time.”
They didn’t exactly keep a normal schedule in the mafia. When he first started going there, he’d usually just drop in whenever he found the time but now Bones was insisting on a set time. It was likely to do with that girlfriend of his he’d gotten a call from last Rome had been there.
“Your tats mean anything, or did you just want to look cool?” Juno asked, a teasing tone to his voice.
Rome grunted. “You saying I wouldn’t look cool without them?”
Juno pulled the tattoo machine back and glanced up at Rome, meeting his eyes.
“Aw, you care what I think?” Juno teased.
Rome narrowed his eyes in a glare at Juno, but the man just smiled, completely unfazed even though he had to know Rome was a dangerous man. He’d always liked Bones because he didn’t ask any questions and he certainly didn’t talk too much. He wasn’t sure if he wanted Juno to stop talking, though, and that couldn’t be good.
“No,” Rome said.
Juno shrugged, the smile still on his lips as he returned to stabbing Rome’s chest with tiny needles. Rome couldn’t help his fascination. He watched Juno. Watched that concentration line appear on Juno’s forehead when he got to the harder parts of the tattoo. Felt the warmth of Juno’s hand on his skin. He dug his nails into the palm of his hand to keep from cursing when Juno bit his lip. He’d never had this much trouble keeping his dick down and from the way Juno looked at him, he wasn’t sure if he should.
Juno
Rome tensed under his hand so he figured the guy could use a break. Tattooing on someone who was on edge wasn’t any fun. For either party. He pulled the tattoo machine away and was brought short by Rome’s grip on his chin. Juno wrapped his fingers around Rome’s wrist, his gaze shooting up to meet Rome’s.
Rome turned in the chair to face Juno and said, “You don’t hide it well.”
“Don’t hide what?” Juno bristled.
“I see it in your eyes. In the way you lick your lips. The way you look at me when you think I won’t see. You’re not used to hiding it, are you?”
Juno swallowed, then licked his lips. It was pretty clear what Rome was talking about. He never hid who he was attracted to. Normally. Rome was different. Dangerous to want. Which was also part of why Juno wanted him.
Rome rubbed his thumb across Juno’s bottom lip. What would he do if Juno parted his lips? If he sucked Rome’s thumb into his mouth? Would he shoot Juno or fuck him?
“What do you want? To suck me? To have my cock buried in your ass?”
Juno whimpered before he could stop himself. Fuck. What was it about this guy? Usually, he was the one in control. But not with Rome, that was for sure, and for some reason, he didn’t want to be in control.
“On your knees,” Rome ordered, his voice rough.
Juno pushed his stool back and sank to his knees, putting the tattoo machine on the floor next to him. He was vividly aware of just how vulnerable he was as he looked up into Rome’s dark eyes. This could go wrong. So fucking wrong.
“Go on,” Rome said.
Juno swallowed hard before reaching for Rome’s zipper. Why was he so fucking nervous?
He pulled the zipper down and popped open the button, then took a breath before tugging Rome’s pants and underwear down. Finding Rome as hard as himself sent a wave of lust through him. He wrapped a hand around Rome’s cock, nearly salivating at the sight.
He glanced up at Rome as he licked across the head, dipping his tongue into the slit. Rome cursed and grabbed a handful of Juno’s hair, tugging his head back. He met Rome’s heated gaze, a shiver rocking through him at the lust he saw in Rome’s eyes. He wrapped his lips around Rome’s cock, sucking hard as he took him to the back of his throat.
He started out slow, moving his mouth up and down Rome’s hard length, then picked up the pace. He put his hands on Rome’s hips, his fingers digging into the hot skin there as he deepthroated Rome. A thrill went through him when Rome groaned.
“Yeah. That’s it. Suck that cock.”
Juno glanced up, meeting Rome’s gaze. The heat and need in those dark eyes turned him on like nothing else. He dug his fingers into one of Rome’s cheeks. Rome’s hips jerked and he shoved his cock deep into Juno’s throat.
“Take your cock out. Get yourself off,” Rome said and Juno nearly whimpered.
He took a hand off Rome to unzip his own pants. He pulled his hard cock out and moaned around Rome’s.
“So fucking good,” Rome breathed.
Rome put a hand on the back of Juno’s head, his fingers threading thro
ugh Juno’s hair. Rome thrust his hips and Juno was only glad to let the man take over. To let Rome use him. He stroked himself while Rome fucked his mouth. Rome’s grip on Juno’s hair tightened to the point of pain. It only made his cock that much harder. Hot come hit his tongue and he made sure to swallow every last drop. Wanting it all.
Rome was breathing heavily as he leaned back against the chair, his hand still in Juno’s hair.
“Get up,” Rome ordered, his voice sounding gravelly.
Juno got to his feet, the nerves kicking in again as he stood in front of Rome.
Rome straightened and raised a hand to cup Juno’s cheek. There was still heat in Rome’s eyes as he met Juno’s gaze. Rome lowered his head and brushed his lips across Juno’s. A gasp of surprise escaped Juno when their lips met. He hadn’t expected that. Not at all.
A hand on Juno’s hip pulled him flush against Rome who tilted his head to kiss Juno harder, his tongue pushing past Juno’s lips. Juno groaned and wrapped his arms around Rome, sliding his fingers into Rome’s hair.
A hand wrapped around Juno’s cock, jerking him off with hard and fast movements. Juno shivered and gasped into Rome’s mouth. The thought of Rome touching him was enough to get him off, but actually having Rome’s hands on him? It was… indescribable. So fucking good.
He came with a muffled shout, driving his cock into Rome’s fist. Pleasure spread through his body, his breathing hard as he came down from the high.
Juno rested his forehead against Rome’s shoulder while Rome tucked him away. Rome turned them around and then Juno found himself sitting on the chair, disoriented and more sated than he thought possible. He barely registered Rome moving around until Rome was back in front of him, running two fingers down Juno’s cheek. Juno looked up just as Rome bent down to take Juno’s mouth in a soft, unhurried kiss that surprised Juno more than anything else had since the man had shown up at the tattoo shop. There was something warm about Rome. It was well hidden, but it was there.
When Rome pulled back, Juno’s gaze landed on Rome’s tattoo which he still hadn’t cleaned up or even finished. Rome didn’t seem like he was going to stick around for long, so Juno stood and grabbed a bandage and wipes from his table.
“Here, let me…” He trailed off when Rome met his gaze.
Fuck, but those eyes? It was like Rome was seeing right through his soul or something. It was as exhilarating as it was frightening.
He made Rome sit down and then he cleaned and bandaged the tattoo with swift but careful movements.
When he was done, Rome said, “Thank you,” in a soft voice before getting up and walking to the door. Rome took his suit jacket and shoulder holster from the hook then opened the door. He stopped in the doorway and turned to Juno.
“You say a word about this to anyone—”
Juno waved him off. “I’m not an idiot.”
As he watched Rome walk out the door, he thought to himself that maybe he really was an idiot, because the only thing he wanted right then was for Rome to turn around and come back.
Chapter Three
Juno
WHEN HE walked into work the next day, Scar and Bones were already there and when Scar saw him, a teasing smile found her lips for a second before she hid it. He made his way to them, preparing himself for whatever Scar was no doubt gonna throw his way.
“You’re alive,” Scar mock-gasped, a hand on her chest. “I don’t believe it.”
Juno flipped her off.
“I take it you didn’t offer to blow him, then?”
Juno shook his head. It wasn’t technically a lie. He hadn’t asked to suck Rome’s cock.
“Blow who?” Bones asked.
“The mafia guy you tattoo,” Scar told him.
Bones jerked his head toward Juno. “Don’t even fucking think about it.”
Juno shrugged. “I didn’t offer to blow him, all right? Did I want to? Fuck, yeah. Did I offer? No. I’m not suicidal.”
Well. Only a little. Or a lot, where Rome was concerned.
Bones snorted, then said, “You’re a little suicidal.”
“Aren’t we all?” Stiletto said from behind Juno.
Juno and Scar chuckled while Bones rolled his eyes. Stiletto walked up next to Juno, her gaze on Bones as she said, “Oh, come on. We wouldn’t be in an MC if we weren’t.”
“I prefer the term ‘adrenaline junkie,’” Bones mumbled.
“That why you’re with Em?” Scar asked with a raised brow.
Bones flipped her off but didn’t answer her, which Juno figured was answer enough in itself.
“How is your girl doing?” Stiletto asked. “Her and Auggie have been so busy lately I’ve barely seen any of them.”
“Yeah. They’re working hard on their newest products. Please don’t ask me about it because I don’t understand a word those two say when they talk about it.”
Emery had quit her job at the Senate to move home and be with Bones, but she and Auggie had been working on a security system before she’d moved to DC and now, they were back at it. Well, they’d been back at it for over seven months, their new company Save ‘n’ IT turning out to be a big success. Not surprising really. Those two were geniuses.
“They gonna add bodyguards, or what?” Juno asked Bones.
“Probably,” Bones said while nodding. “It would make sense to move the company in that direction.”
Scar looked like she was about to say something but was cut off by Stiletto saying, “All right, enough chitchat. Let’s get working.”
Juno gave Stiletto a sloppy salute. “Yes, sir.”
Stiletto narrowed her eyes at him, so he hurried away, knowing better than to piss her off for real. He sat down behind one of the desks and pulled out a design that needed some tweaking before he turned it into a stencil for his first client. It was gonna be a long day but he was looking forward to it. Always did.
Rome
He walked up the pathway, watching everything around him as he neared the house. When he reached the front door, he lifted the doormat, unsurprised to find a key there. Antonio wasn’t the smartest guy as it were. For someone who worked for the Cosa Nostra, you would at least expect them to be smart enough not to try and fuck over someone as dangerous as Marco Serrano.
Cosimo, like Antonio, had been an associate. A civilian working for the Mafia. Cosimo had been the accountant Marco used for local whitewashing while Antonio was a street dealer. The money wasn’t adding up compared to sale of products and Cosimo should’ve been the first to notice, except he’d clearly been in on it along with Antonio. But there was no way the two had come up with that scheme on their own. Someone had put them up to it. He was sure of that.
Antonio wasn’t home yet, but Rome knew he would be soon. He sat down on the couch where he had a nice view of Antonio’s driveway. It only took a few minutes before Antonio’s brand-new Mercedes rolled up. Guess he knew what the price of Antonio’s loyalty was.
Rome stood and walked to stand in the opposite doorway to the one Antonio would enter through and waited for Antonio to come inside. He heard the front door open, then footsteps heading into the living room. When the light flickered on, Rome stepped out from his hiding spot, gun raised.
Antonio froze when he saw Rome, the look on his face almost comical. But only almost because Rome didn’t find any of it fucking funny.
“What the fuck made you think it was a good idea to fuck over Serrano? Did you really think you’d get away with it?”
“No, I didn’t do… I didn’t,” Antonio blabbered.
Rome motioned for Antonio to get on his knees. Once he was there, Rome threw zip ties on the floor in front of him.
“Put them on.”
Once they were around Antonio’s wrists, Rome holstered his gun and pulled Antonio to his feet. He checked the zip ties to make sure they were tight enough before turning the man and pushing him toward the front door.
“We’re gonna go for a little drive,” Rome said.
“No
. Please, no.”
Antonio didn’t fight him as he dragged the man outside, he just whimpered and begged for his life the whole way. The streetlamp by Rome’s car was broken which worked well in his favor as he shoved Antonio into the trunk. He closed the trunk and got in the car. He turned on the radio and tried to focus on the road and not the task he knew he had ahead of him.
He’d known what he’d gotten himself into back when he’d decided to follow in his father’s footsteps, but this was one of the parts he’d never liked. Abhorred, really.
He turned down the mostly overgrown path he knew better than he would’ve liked, and once he reached the end of it, he parked the car and got out. He opened the trunk and pulled Antonio out, then grabbed the shovel from the trunk as well.
He dragged Antonio to a place in the forest where he knew no one would go of their own free will and pushed Antonio to his knees. He threw the shovel on the ground next to Antonio.
“Start digging.”
Antonio cried while he dug but Rome didn’t feel an ounce of pity for the man.
“Who else?” Rome asked.
Antonio stopped moving for a moment, then looked up at Rome.
“I don’t—”
“Did I say you could stop digging?”
Antonio swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. He started digging again, his hands shaking.
“Who recruited you? Who paid you?”
“I don’t know. Never met him.”
“So what you’re saying is that you don’t know anything?”
Antonio went even paler as he realized he’d given away too much. That Rome would have no need for him alive.
“No. No that’s not—”
Rome pointed his gun at Antonio’s head and said, “Dig.”
He hated killing like this. Executing. There was no immediate threat to himself. No reason to pull the trigger other than having gotten the order to. Not that Antonio didn’t deserve what he was getting ‘cause he deserved it, all right.
“My kids—”
“You should’ve fucking thought about them when you were taking money from Serrano. Fucked them and yourself over pretty good, didn’t you?”