by M. N. Forgy
“So, what are you going to do?” I whisper against his lips.
“Save the fucking day.” He smiles before deepening the kiss.
11
Romeo
Standing in the kitchen, eating a banana, I contemplate everything Luna just said.
How she was left in that state hospital, her foster family selling her. She’s been betrayed by everyone she’s ever known, and now she wants revenge. I don’t blame her.
I could do it for her, she’s right, I do have the resources to make her desire a reality. I guess I just never saw myself as anything other than the other son. Kieran always took the jobs Dad ordered, and I went along and did my part.
I finish my banana and toss the peel into the overflowing trash next to the kitchen island. My feet picking up crumbs and dirt, I decide it might be a good time to turn on the robot vacuum. I don’t have a maid, I don’t like people in here in my space before Luna came along, so the closest thing I have to house cleaning is the Roomba. Grabbing the remote, I turn it on and hear the little motor start up as it begins sweeping up the hardwood floors. Crossing my legs, I place my hand on the counter and watch the robot move about as I think about the dangerous job I’m contemplating.
Where do we even start?
Actually, where do I start, I don’t want Luna to do this. It’s too risky. What if we go in there over our heads? Not only will they have a field day with me being the son of Emilio DeAngelo, but they’ll take Luna back into the ring. A place I don’t think many women escape, if at all. Her captors will take it out on her, making what she thought was a rough life look like a walk in the park. She won’t be invisible anymore.
The rain splashing against the window from a hard side wind has me staring at it, rivulets of water rushing down the glass. It’s been raining all day.
The sound of dainty little footsteps has me look up to find Luna coming out of my room with freshly washed hair and wearing a light pink silk robe that I got her. She sits on a stool, resting her head on her hand, her brows furrow. My eyes fall to her lips, I just want to lie in bed and stare at them all day. To have my hands explore her body and feel her skin against mine. But I’ll never admit it, not out loud. I’ve never been scared of anything in my life, but the things she’s making me feel lately. They terrify me. What will life be like when this job is over and she can be on her own? Out there, without me. What will I do? Will I long for an actual relationship now that I’ve experienced a taste of it? Or will I just gag Denise more, wanting to get farther away from it?
“I can hear you thinking,” she says with a little sarcasm, and I smirk. She’s come a long way in just a couple days.
“Just about your plan,” I reply, opening the fridge, I grab the gallon of milk and take a large swig. It helps wash down the banana, but I need something stronger to help shift this plan into action. Putting the gallon back into the fridge, my eyes sweep across my wet bar, the need for a drink growing stronger by the second, before meeting her gaze.
“I just. I really don’t want you a part of this,” I explain.
Her face doesn’t change. She’s not budging. She’s being fucking stubborn.
“Flower, I’ve seen you hold a gun and—”
“Wait, what’d you call me?” she interrupts me.
I re-track my words, unsure of what I said.
“You called me… flower?” she says with an unreadable tone.
I did? I did. What the fuck is happening to me? Now I have a pet name for her?
Rounding the island, I reach for a glass on the wet bar and pour myself a small drink. Neither of us saying anything as I finish it in one swallow and set it back down. Turning, my hands behind me on the bar, I inhale.
“You’re the biggest ray of sunshine in my corner of darkness, Luna,” I explain, and her cheeks redden with the flattery. My eyes drift anywhere but in her direction, the words I spoke feeling cliché but honest.
She slides off the stool and walks up to me. I look down at her, her up at me. She wraps her arms around me and like a lit candle my flame of anxiety is snuffed and I relax into her. Why am I so relaxed around her?
She lays her head on my chest and I raise my hand to cup her head. The feeling of her touching me still so foreign, but I like it too. It’s hard for me to explain.
“You can teach me to shoot a gun,” she mumbles.
Inhaling sharply, my fingers in her wet hair, I know I’m not going to win this one. I’m going to take down the trafficking ring, and she’s going to be by my side. I’ll need a crew, one that isn’t up my father’s ass.
“Yeah. Yeah, I can,” I reply. My hands slide down her back, pushing her into me more, the feel of her perky nipples pressing against my chest. I can’t help the hardness of my cock, I want her. I want her real fucking bad.
But I’ll jerk myself off a million times before pushing Luna into something she’s not ready for. I’ll wait. For her.
“Today, we lie around and I put something into motion,” I tell her. She pushes away from me ready to object and I cut her off.
“You need to learn to trust me if we are doing this.” My tone grim.
You can’t do a simple job without loyalty, let alone something as massive as the one we’re about to walk into. She closes her mouth and nods. Flicking my finger under her chin, I push her mouth where I want it, lean down and kiss her again. She closes her eyes and I pick her up, her legs wrapping around me. Deepening the kiss, I groan into her mouth. My now hard cock presses against the bottom of her ass, and I desperately want to move the silk of her robe to the side and slip into her heat. I need her off me. I need space before I make a move and scare her away.
I pull my lips from hers, my head resting against hers.
“I’m not going any further until you say the words, Flower.” My words come out strangled and desperate.
She unwraps her legs from my body, her feet slipping to the floor.
“Thank you,” she whispers. She doesn’t say anything else about the matter though. She looks toward the window, biting her bottom lip.
See, she’s not ready and that’s okay.
“I’m going to call my brother, Kieran. He’ll know who in the crew I can trust. Why don’t you go get dressed and find us a movie to watch in the meantime?” I tell her.
Her eyes snap to mine, she nods and starts to walk toward the guest bedroom but stops. “Oh, can we get more of that Chinese stuff, especially those ragoony things?”
I bite back a grin. “Yeah, I’ll order us some.” I hope that when this is all over with, she still has the glow in her that she has today. This job is going to be dirty, and people are going to die. It’s a life not meant for everyone.
When she disappears around the corner, I go to my room in search of my cell phone. This is the first job I’m putting into motion without Kieran, but he knows the crew better than anyone. I text Kieran to come over. It’s better that I talk to him in person than over the phone about the matter. Besides, having my brother around will help get my head out of Luna’s ass.
Luna
Lying on the couch in some yoga pants and a tank, I bite into another ragoon as we watch Single White Female, I picked it. Romeo sits on the other couch in a pair of sweats, I catch him staring at me every once in a while and every time my heart quickens when our eyes meet. My body wants him, it does. When he touches me, my skin heats at first then a delicious tingle follows. I never wanted to be touched by another man after the last guy touched me wrongfully. Some fat political figure with blocky hands. The burn of that man’s hands scorched my skin in a different kind of way, but the more I’m around Romeo, the more my body overcomes my mind and I want him to get closer, to take me to a world I only fantasized about.
A knock on the door has me freeze mid-chew. I look to Romeo, and his lips curl up in that sexy way that he does.
“It’s my brother. He’s here to help us,” he explains. He grabs the remote and presses pause on the movie, stands, and leaves the room.
<
br /> I swallow. I know Romeo trusts his brother, and that means I should, but I’m nervous. All it takes is one wrong person to make this blow up in our faces.
12
Romeo
Opening the front door, Kieran sighs, adjusting the tie of his suit. He slips both of his hands over his wet hair, slicking it back as he gets closer, his eyes looking right at me. I notice it’s just him this time, I thought Leona and him were inseparable.
“Your better half didn’t come with?” I ask, letting him inside.
“I had a feeling this was a one-on-one meeting,” he replies, glancing over his shoulder at me. “Plus, she’s not feeling well.”
I shut the door, and watch him make a beeline for the wet bar, pouring himself a hefty drink, he takes a small sip walking to my kitchen island, sitting on the stool.
“Talk to me, little brother,” he requests, the lights in the ceiling casting down a light on him shadowing his features.
I open my mouth to start but then notice Luna standing at the threshold of the living room, her outfit fit for running around Central Park. Those tight yoga pants were a good idea, they outline her figure beautifully. I tilt my head in a gesture telling her to come in.
Sensing someone else in the room, Kieran looks over his shoulder, he sits straighter.
“Oh!” he claims in surprise.
“Kieran, this is Luna,” I introduce. Luna shyly tucks a wild hair behind her ear. She gives a small wave, coming off as a scaredy cat, but that woman has the roar of a feral lion. I’ve seen it before.
“We’ve met before, but you weren’t really with it,” Kieran informs her his tone conveying just how uncomfortable their introduction is.
“I remember,” she says softly. But she doesn’t come any closer. She stays back, she’s still learning who she can trust.
Swallowing the lump suddenly in my throat, I press my hands to the island and prepare myself to tell Kieran about the suicidal job I’m putting into motion.
“Luna has been trafficked her whole life and we want to take down the ring she was in. I need a crew to do that,” I cut to the chase.
Kieran’s eyes widen, and he takes a sip of the McCallan.
“Who can I trust?” I continue.
“You know Dad is within that ring, right?” Kieran says matter-of-factly.
My face grim, eyes hooded, I lift my right eyebrow. “I know,” is all I say. For now.
He looks back at Luna then to me. “You’re not doing this just to get some ass, are you?” His voice bitter.
I push off the island, anger mounting inside my chest. Jesus Christ.
“I can get ass anytime I want. I’m doing this because it’s the right thing to do. Do you even know what that feels like, to do the right thing?” I sneer sharply, and Kieran stills. He doesn’t have a clue. He’s always played the bad guy, taking the path less traveled. Hurting anyone and anything without thinking about the impact.
“Right. Well, there’s only one guy I can think of. I recruited him and Dad put him in the bottom ranks as a soldier. His name is Gideon,” Kieran informs, polishing off the rest of his drink.
Gideon. Never heard of him.
“Where can I find him?”
He looks up at me through hooded eyes.
“I’ll contact him. If you guys are going to do this, you’re going to need all the hands you can get and that’s a problem because I don’t trust anyone else not to run to daddy.”
“So you’re helping?” Luna asks, coming into the room farther. If we can’t get a crew together then we need him. If we can’t get him then this is a fail before we even started.
He doesn’t even look over his shoulder at her, he stares at the empty glass in front of him.
“Yes, because I might have a little girl one day and if something as vile as trafficking is in my city, then I want it shut down.”
His eyes snap to mine, and I give him a look. He’s never talked about having children before.
“Leona is pregnant,” he says softly. My eyes widen, my mouth parting with surprise. Our family is at war and then Leona gets pregnant. It will either bring us closer together or farther apart.
“Congrats, Uncle Romey.” I laugh. He smirks, standing from the stool.
Holy shit. I’m going to be an uncle, the feeling I’m feeling right now is different. Now I’m not just doing this for Luna, but for my family.
Straightening his suit jacket, he stares at Luna. She smiles sweetly.
“Congratulations on the baby,” she tells him.
He smirks in reply, coming around the island, he stops just beside me. Us standing side by side, you can see the physical resemblance, but if you knew both of us you’d think otherwise.
“Keep your phone on, little brother.”
“Yep,” I reply. The smell of his expensive cologne lingers as he heads for the door, the sound of it shutting behind him as he leaves. I notice the room has become darker, the clouds outside giving little light to shine through as the storm moves in.
“Wow,” Luna says on an exhale. “This is happening. We’re really going to do this.” Her fingers fidget with each other, her face looking more pale than seconds ago.
I walk around the island and pull her close to me, my hand rubbing up and down her back. I can’t help but notice our touching doesn’t bother me anymore. In fact, I find myself seeking the feel of her skin next to mine.
“Yes, we are.”
“What about your dad?” she asks, her head against my chest. My nostrils flare thinking about what I’m going to have to do to my dad to keep him out of my way.
“I’ll take care of it,” I clip.
Luna
Sitting on the floor on one side of the coffee table, Romeo on the other, I laugh at something he said. Neither of us paying attention to what’s on TV at this point. We’ve both been drinking and I feel really good right now. My lips numb, vision a little hazy, and Romeo looks so sexy in just a pair of sweats, a smile on his face, and hair in his eyes. I think I want to go further than just kissing. I know I do. I’m definitely attracted to him, who wouldn’t be. The liquid courage makes me overlook my hard past and has me wanting to make a bold move.
Standing up, I walk over to the radio and turn it on.
“What are you doing?” he questions, taking the bottle from the table and sipping from it.
Touching the screen, listening for a song that feels right, ignoring him. A beat has my fingers stop and I look at the screen. “Makin’ Good Love” by Avant.
I turn on my heel and glance at Romeo. A devil and angel arguing inside my head. One saying I’m not ready for this, the other saying seize the moment. He smirks, watching me with hooded eyes.
Rocking my hips, hands above my head, I dance toward him, his eyes on me the whole time. Stepping over his lap, I straddle him and sit on him. Both of my hands on his bare chest, I notice my arm is quivering from the nerves building inside my chest. I haven’t willingly touched a man since my high school days.
“Romeo,” I say huskily.
He stares at me, those honey-brown eyes burning through my last restraint.
“Take me.”
Using his feet, he kicks the coffee table, pushing it into the couch. He’s on his knees, me underneath him in seconds. My breath quickens, eyes widening.
Hovering over me, he kisses me, but only for a second before his lips are on my neck. Holding his face, his scratchy facial hair under my palms, my body comes alive like it never has before. My breath is taken away, his attentive lips on my neck making my eyes flutter. His hands grasp my wrists, pinning them above my head, his fingers trailing down the inner skin of my arm, making sure to skip over my cut. His touch tickles but feels so good at the same time. I want him to do that everywhere, for his touch to erase the haunting traces left behind by vile men before him. His lips lower to my chest, kissing the skin in the dip of my shirt.
Yes, I want more!
One of my legs arch, my knee resting on his hip. Both o
f his hands grab the bottom of my shirt, pulling it up over my head. He throws it over his shoulder, and rubs both of my tits with the palms of his hand, my nipples so hard they almost hurt. Ducking his head downward, his face in between my breasts, he kisses and sucks the skin. A supple moan escapes my lips as he slips the pink bud into his warm mouth. My arousal dampening my pants. I’ve never felt so adored, so cherished before. Are all men like this or just Romeo? His head lowers, his breath against my belly button before his teeth grab the elastic of my yoga pants. He snaps it with his teeth and my back arches off the floor, my thigh feeling his hard length. I ignite, my movements shaky as I shimmy my pants down my hips and he quickly removes my them, I shove his down using my feet. He grabs my thigh and kisses the sensitive skin on the inside, and I drag my hand down from above my head, down my face. God, his touch is amazing. Erasing all the evil that has laid a finger upon my flesh before him.
Spreading my legs wide, he dips in between my thighs and sucks my clit into his warm mouth. I buck upward, nearly sitting fully upward, my fingers in his hair, I breathe heavily. My head lolls back as he licks and sucks my wetness into his mouth. I can feel it, that sweet climax rising, building just to have me crash into a state of ecstasy, but he pulls away.
“Don’t move,” he whispers huskily.
Standing up, his cock hard and erect, I notice a small dark circle of pubic hair surrounding it. Warmth blossoms inside of me making me feel giddy. He walks away, and I lie back down on the floor. A nervous smile on my face. I’ve only dreamed of this happening, and it’s actually a reality. He comes back in with a condom now on his cock. He drops to his knees, grasps me by the hips to position me right where he wants me and slowly pushes inside of me. I wince and moan as he fills me and stretches me. His hand slides up my back, putting me into a sitting position in his lap. I slide my hands around his neck and use my feet to push myself up and down onto his length. His mouth parts, his eyes staring right into mine, both of his hands on my ass he helps me thrust upon him. Up and down, in and out, never breaking eye contact, I feel that intense pressure build inside of me again. His movements become jerky and he leans forward, kissing my collarbone, and I drop my head back, my hair tickling my lower back, I feel him all over me, and in me.