by Ana Night
Juno stopped three feet from him and after a few seconds of silence, Juno said, “I didn’t say a word.”
Rome arched a brow at him.
Juno sighed. “About us, I mean.”
A lump formed in Rome’s throat because there wasn’t supposed to be an ‘us’ but somehow it felt wrong to say there wasn’t.
“I wasn’t worried,” Rome said.
Juno snorted. “Right.”
The corner of Rome’s lips quirked up and he pushed away from the wall to cup Juno’s cheek in one hand. He lowered his head and pressed his lips to Juno’s. A small gasp from Juno gave him the opening to thrust his tongue inside. He owned Juno’s mouth, a hand in Juno’s hair as he tugged his head back to get better access. Juno dug his fingers into Rome’s upper arms, his body nothing but pliant against Rome. He sucked on Juno’s tongue and squeezed his ass with one hand, earning himself a throaty moan from Juno.
He pulled back to the sight of a flustered Juno. He brushed his fingertips over Juno’s lips, wishing he had more time to explore, to taste, to touch.
“I’ll see you around, Juno,” he said before forcing himself to walk back to the restaurant.
Chapter Six
Rome
ALL HE wanted to do was go to Juno. But he couldn’t. Not yet. He had to do his damned job, even if it was a fucking pain. He was waiting for Marco at the restaurant. Marco never stayed until closing time. If he couldn’t be home in time for dinner, he wanted to at least be home to tuck Dante in.
The meeting with King had gone as well as he’d anticipated. He doubted they’d help, but King didn’t have to put it to a vote and yet he was still going to. It’d been nice to see Juno even if it’d left him a needy mess. That was mostly his own fault, though. He’d kissed Juno and he hadn’t wanted to stop.
Rome shifted his weight from one foot to the other for the third time in less than a minute. He knew his impatience was starting to show from the glare Marco gave him.
“Have somewhere to be, Rome?”
Rome grunted. “No.”
Marco straightened in his chair and narrowed his eyes at Rome. “Don’t lie to me.”
There was a hint of a threat in Marco’s voice and Rome shouldn’t have been surprised. Marco was running low on people to trust, so giving him any reason to distrust him probably wasn’t a good idea.
Rome let out a sigh and said, “Thought you didn’t want to know about my love life.”
Marco pushed his chair back and stood, then walked up in front of Rome who raised his chin and met Marco’s steely gaze.
“Is that why you didn’t want to get on your knees for me?” Marco asked.
Rome clenched his teeth for a second before forcing himself to relax.
“No, and you know that.”
What they’d once had, had been fleeting, dangerous, and out of necessity. There hadn’t been anything to it but release and companionship. They weren’t compatible. Marco mostly drove him crazy and not in an adorable way. He loved the man but only as family. Marco was his boss. He was also a close friend. But he could never be more than that.
“You know it’s wrong for us,” Rome said firmly.
Marco stared at him for a moment before releasing a sigh. “I know.”
Rome nodded slowly.
“You can go,” Marco said.
“No.”
Marco arched a brow at him. “Rome. You can leave. It’s all right.”
“I’m not leaving you at a time like this,” Rome said and crossed his arms.
“I’ll be fine. Neil is here anyway.”
Rome clenched his teeth. “Then I’m definitely not leaving you.”
A smile tugged at Marco’s lips.
“I’m very frustrated, Rome, and you don’t seem very inclined to help me work it out, so I suggest you go work out your own frustration. Preferably, right now,” Marco said and motioned at the door.
Rome only just stopped himself from rolling his eyes. Whether Marco would end up using Neil as a punching bag or as a vastly different form of release was anyone’s guess. Even Marco’s, he was sure. But as much as he wanted to protect Marco, he couldn’t exactly protect the man from himself, and if Marco wanted to give him the night off, who was he to look a gift horse in the mouth?
Juno
The tiramisu had been heavenly. He was definitely buying from Serrano’s more often. He didn’t really cook much, usually relying on junk food or someone else to feed him. The thought had him wondering if Rome cooked. The man seemed more than competent to work a kitchen and considering the guy was Italian, there was a good chance he could cook. Then again, he probably spent all his time catering to a mobster’s every whim. He realized he was stereotyping and doing so because he simply didn’t know enough about Rome. He hoped he’d get the chance to rectify that.
His doorbell ringing had him sighing and reaching for the remote. He’d only just turned on the TV, settling in to watch a movie. He got up from the couch with a groan and made his way to the front door. He looked through the peephole, his pulse spiking when he saw who was on the other side. He unlocked the door and pulled it open. He wore a wry smile as he leaned a shoulder against the doorframe and ran his gaze over Rome. He looked fucking sexy in his jeans and black T-shirt. He was sure it wasn’t often Rome wore anything other than a suit, so he savored the sight.
“This is becoming a bit stalkerish, wouldn’t you say?” Juno said.
Rome narrowed his eyes at him. “You wanna fuck or not?”
“Well, when you put it that way,” Juno said and pushed the door all the way open.
Rome walked inside and while he took his shoes off, Juno had a nice peek at his ass before closing the door. He turned around, unsurprised when Rome pushed him back against the door and kissed him. The kiss was hard and when Rome bit into Juno’s bottom lip, he gasped, a shiver rocking through his body.
“Right to it, huh?” Juno asked, his voice breathy.
Rome pulled back. “You complaining?”
Juno slammed his mouth over Rome’s in answer. Their tongues played for a while before Rome kissed his way up the side of Juno’s neck.
“You wanna fuck me?” Rome asked, his mouth next to Juno’s ear.
Juno nearly swallowed his tongue in surprise. Rome moved back to look at him with a cocked brow.
“If I ever say no to that, please shoot me,” Juno said and when Rome frowned at him, he added, “I mean it. Shoot me. Just not in the groin area. That wouldn’t help.”
Rome stared at him for a full five seconds, and Juno started to worry. Did he just break Rome? That wouldn’t be good. Why was he babbling, anyway? He never babbled. But, of course, he’d do it in front of Rome.
A smile spread on Rome’s face and he let out a chuckle while shaking his head. Juno breathed a silent sigh of relief. At least it looked like he hadn’t fucked things up completely.
Rome cupped Juno’s face in his hands and pressed his lips to Juno’s in a soft kiss.
“You’re crazy,” Rome said against Juno’s lips.
Juno felt a smile spread on his face. “Thanks.”
Rome snorted, then grabbed Juno by the hip and pulled him closer. He crushed his mouth over Juno’s, biting at his lip before sucking Juno’s tongue into his mouth. Juno groaned and dug his fingers into the back of Rome’s shoulders.
Rome
Heat and need coursed through him as they attacked each other’s mouth. Juno turned them around and pushed Rome against the door. He backed away from Rome, a naughty look in his eyes and a wicked smile on his lips. Rome followed before he could stop himself. Not that he wanted to. By now, he was sure he’d probably follow Juno anywhere. Especially if all he was wearing was that cocky smile of his.
Juno led him into the bedroom, staying just out of Rome’s reach the whole time. Juno sat down on the bed and moved further onto it, holding Rome’s gaze. When Juno reached the middle of the bed, Rome followed. He got between Juno’s legs, running a hand up Juno’s thigh. He l
eaned down and brushed a kiss across Juno’s lips before pulling back just enough to meet Juno’s gaze.
“How do you want me?”
“Any fucking way,” Juno said, his voice sounding breathy.
Rome’s lips quirked. He tugged his shirt over his head and threw it on the floor. Fingers brushing over his stomach had his muscles contracting and heat spreading through his body. Juno’s gaze snapped up to meet Rome’s as he moved his hand down to the waistband of Rome’s jeans. Rome didn’t move as Juno slowly popped open the button and pulled the zipper down. Juno slid his hand inside, his fingers wrapping around Rome’s hard length. Rome hissed, his hips bucking into Juno’s grip. Juno let go to push Rome’s jeans down. With a groan, Rome moved off the bed to take them off.
Juno pulled his shirt off and was tucking his sweatpants down when Rome crawled back on the bed. He helped rid Juno of his pants, then got back between his legs. He lowered his head but before he could kiss Juno, he was rolled onto his back. He huffed out a laugh as he looked up at Juno who was smirking at him.
Juno sucked his fingers into his mouth, then slid them between Rome’s cheeks. He rubbed his fingers against Rome’s entrance, then pushed the tip of one inside. Rome groaned. Fuck. It’d been a while, but he wanted this more than anything. Wanted Juno inside him. Juno fucking him. Juno owning him.
Juno worked him open, watching Rome’s reactions as he took his time. Rome watched Juno in return. His tattoos were a mismatch of many different styles spread across his chest and arms. They were mostly black but there was a bit of color in between as well. Rome couldn’t help himself as he ran his fingertips along some of the ones he could reach.
Juno crooked his fingers, hitting a spot that had Rome moaning and trying to push himself onto Juno’s fingers. Juno let him for a while before he removed his fingers.
“You good?” Juno asked.
Rome nodded. “Need you to fuck me.”
Juno moved up the bed to pull open his bedside drawer. He returned with a bottle of lube and a condom. Rome took the condom packet from him and opened it, watching Juno’s expression as he rolled the condom down Juno’s hard length. Juno poured lube into Rome’s hand and Rome wrapped it around Juno’s cock. He gave it a few strokes that had Juno sucking in a sharp breath. Fuck. He couldn’t wait to have Juno inside him. He dried off his hand in the sheets and looked up at Juno, the lust he saw in those green eyes mirroring his own.
Juno pushed one of Rome’s knees against his chest and said, “Keep it there.”
Rome did as he was told, desire burning through him. Cold, wet fingers slid between his cheeks, making him jump. Juno glanced up and when Rome smiled at him, Juno pushed two fingers inside him, then lowered his head to suck Rome’s cock into his mouth. The wet heat surrounding his cock had his eyes rolling into the back of his head. Juno took him deep while fucking him hard with his fingers.
Rome threw his head back, a loud moan escaping him when Juno found his prostate. Juno kept at it until Rome was a rambling mess and close to coming, before he pulled back.
Rome let his knees fall to the side and when Juno got between his legs, he wrapped his arms around Juno’s shoulders. He felt the head of Juno’s cock between his cheeks and instinctively clenched. Juno ran a soothing hand up and down Rome’s thigh and pressed his lips to Rome’s in a soft kiss. Rome closed his eyes and parted his lips for Juno’s tongue, his body relaxing and allowing Juno to sink inside him. Juno rotated his hips then pulled back a bit to thrust into him. Rome met Juno’s heated gaze and held it as Juno thrust his hips, driving his cock deep inside Rome over and over.
“Fuck,” he gasped out.
“I thought we were,” Juno said, sounding breathless.
Rome snorted and pulled Juno down for a kiss to stop him from talking. Juno smiled against his lips until Rome pushed his tongue into Juno’s mouth. He threaded his fingers through Juno’s hair and held on tight, loving the feel of the soft strands. Loved pulling on them. Loved how much Juno liked having his hair pulled.
Juno leaned back, pushing Rome’s knees to his chest as he began thrusting into him hard. Rome gasped and fisted the sheets in his hands. Juno snapped his hips against Rome’s ass, the sound of skin hitting skin mixing with their panting and Rome’s moaning.
Juno made a throaty sound, his thrusting turning frantic. Juno let go of Rome’s leg with one hand to wrap it around his cock, jerking him off with firm strokes. Juno cursed, his eyes closing as he threw back his head. He looked fucking beautiful like that and the sight coupled with Juno’s tight grip on his cock pushed him over the edge. Rome arched his back, his muscles tensing as his orgasm barreled through him. Juno kept stroking him as he came all over his chest.
Juno collapsed on top of him and he’d be lying if he said he didn’t love having the weight on him. While he caught his breath, he shut his eyes and just enjoyed the moment. Juno pulled away to roll onto his back next to Rome.
“Is it just me or does that keep getting better?” Juno asked, his words a bit slurred.
Rome grunted in answer.
They laid there for a while until Rome was close to falling asleep. He sat up with a groan and glanced at Juno who looked just as tired. He went to the bathroom to clean up. He was gonna be sore for a while, but he didn’t care. It was well worth it. When he walked back into the bedroom, Juno was sprawled across the bed, wearing Rome’s shirt. He tried not to think too hard about why he liked that as much as he did.
He crawled onto the bed and got under the blanket. A smile found his lips when Juno plastered himself against Rome’s side. He slid a hand into Juno’s hair and closed his eyes.
Juno
He woke up with a groan. He rolled over and opened his eyes to find the reason he’d woken. Rome was bending down to pick up whatever he’d dropped on the floor. His alarm clock, Juno realized. That thing tended to always end up on the floor whether on purpose or not. Rome put it back on the nightstand and turned, grimacing when he saw Juno watching him.
“Sorry. Didn’t mean to wake you.”
Juno sat up and said, “S’alright. You trying to sneak out on me?”
The quirking of Rome’s lips made Juno grin up at the man. Rome was wearing one of Juno’s only dress shirts and it was just the right kind of too tight.
“I’d have preferred to wake you up a different way but duty calls,” Rome said, looking like he’d much rather have stayed in bed with Juno.
“Well, raincheck, then?” Juno asked with a raised brow. “You know where to find me.”
The look in Rome’s eyes had him pushing up on his knees. Rome slid a hand around the back of Juno’s neck and tilted Juno’s head back with his other hand on his chin. The heat in Rome’s eyes had Juno biting his lip.
“You’re gonna be right here in this bed, wearing my shirt, and thinking about me, aren’t you?” Rome said, his gaze lowering to Juno’s mouth before he ran his thumb along Juno’s bottom lip.
A pitiful sound escaped Juno. Rome’s lips quirked, then he lowered his head to take Juno’s mouth in a searing kiss that had lust pooling in his stomach in no time. Rome pulled back and when Juno opened his eyes to see the smug look on Rome’s face, he let out a groan.
“Gonna be thinking about me while you take care of that?” Rome asked with a glance at the very not hidden hard-on between Juno’s legs.
“Why don’t you take care of it for me?”
Rome groaned and shook his head. “Can’t. No time.”
Juno sighed and flopped back on the bed. He threw an arm over his eyes. “You’re no fun.”
Rome’s low chuckle did nothing to calm down Juno’s cock. Why did he like everything about that man? Even his fucking laugh.
He felt the bed dip and moved his arm to squint up at Rome who was smiling at him.
“I’ll see you soon, il mio re.”
“Your what?” Juno asked, frowning up at Rome.
Rome just grinned and bent down to press a quick kiss to Juno’s lips before walking out of t
he room. Juno stared after him, only knowing enough Italian to know Rome had said ‘my’ something. Not knowing was gonna drive him crazy, but he was too stubborn to look it up. He wanted Rome to tell him.
Chapter Seven
Rome
LEAVING JUNO definitely hadn’t been on the list of things he’d wanted to do that day, but when his boss called, he came. He parked his car next to Marco’s silver-blue 1959 Bentley and got out. He walked into the house and after finding Marco’s office empty, he headed toward the backyard. The second he stepped out of the patio door, he heard squealing and splashing. A smile found his lips as he made his way to the pool. Dante was climbing up the slide, a floatie under one arm. Marco was lying in one of the sun chairs, sunglasses on, and a book in hand. His attention was mostly on Dante, though.
Rome watched Dante go down the slide, laughing as he hit the water, before walking up to Marco. He felt Marco’s eyes on him and resisted the urge to tug on the hem of his shirt. Showing up in jeans and Juno’s shirt didn’t seem like such a good idea now that he was there. He just hadn’t wanted to spend the time going home to change. Not when Marco needed him there.
“Did King call?” Rome asked.
Marco sat up and put his book on the side table. He pushed his sunglasses up and met Rome’s gaze.
“No. Neil did.”
Rome didn’t like the sound of that. The amused look on Marco’s face had him grumbling out, “What?”
Marco’s lips quirked. “You really don’t like him, do you?”
Rome let out a grunt and sat down on the sun chair next to Marco’s.
“You know I don’t.”
Marco sighed, then said, “He found the little fucker.”
“Don’t tell me. He’s close.”
“Been right under our fucking noses the whole time,” Marco growled.
A phone ringing had Rome arching a brow at Marco who glared at him for all of a second before letting out a sigh and grabbing his phone.