Life of a Fool (London Brothers Book 2)

by Cm Hutton

  I slowly stood, allowing my hands to gently caress her legs, hips, waist, and arms. “I want you. But we can’t take a chance on hurting anything.” I kissed her pouty lips.

  She smiled, but it was off. I couldn’t tell if she was sad, mad, embarrassed, or disappointed, but there was something in her eyes that told me she wasn’t okay. And if the look wasn’t enough, the fact that she stepped around me and got out of the shower was certainly a sign. I watched as she struggled to wrap herself in a towel. I rinsed my body and jumped out right behind her, wrapping a towel around my waist as I reached to grab her right elbow before she made it out of the bathroom. “Hey, stop. What’s wrong?”

  Without turning to face me, she said, “I’m tired. Ready to get in bed. That’s all.” Bullshit.

  I continued to grip her arm. “Don’t do that. Please. Don’t shut me out. Let me help you get your pajamas on.”

  “No. I can do it, Jason.” She still wasn’t looking at me as she pulled her arm away from mine.

  I immediately wrapped my arms around her waist, stopping her from moving. “You are the most stubborn woman on the planet. And as smart as you are, you’re a terrible actress, and I can see right through what you’re doing.”

  She turned to face me, completely pissed off. “What the hell do you think I’m doing?”

  I smirked, feeling happy that I could see the fight back in her eyes. “You’re trying to put on this brave act of taking care of yourself to prove God knows what to me. But I know you too well, Legs. You’re freaking out about this baby, about how I’m handling it, about what Antonio is going to do if he finds you and realizes your pregnant…I get it. There’s no point in trying to hide what you’re feeling, baby. I can see right through you.”

  “You pompous asshole! You think you know everything, don’t you? Well, you haven’t been around me day in and day out for YEARS! So you don’t know me as well as you think you do, Jason.” She backed away a few steps, then continued yelling at me. “Yes, this baby is not what I want right now, especially with a man I hate, who beat the shit out of me more than once, who just fucked two girls in our bed then sent me a picture and is still threatening to come find me just to take me back and torture me…most likely killing me.” She casually added the last part with a sarcastic tone as if it wasn’t a big deal. “This isn’t just about how I feel about you, or my fear that adding this baby to our relationship will destroy us, or the fact that I want to stay here and start a new life with you. No, this is about doing what’s right for you, for me, and now for an innocent baby that didn’t deserve to be a part of this fucked up mess. I need to get back to taking care of myself, and if that begins with dressing my fucked up, broken body all on my own, then that’s what I’m going to do. I. DON’T. WANT. YOUR. HELP. RIGHT. NOW.”

  There were so many things in Lori Ann’s rant that I needed to correct, but first things first. She’d been keeping something from me, and now I was fucking pissed. She was still standing in front of me, seething with anger. I stepped close. “Feel better?” I asked with a measured amount of amusement. I knew she needed to let some of her anger out, and I could certainly take it.

  “Yes!” She tried to fold her arms over her chest, but the cast on her left arm prevented it and I could see the resolve of defeat flash in her eyes for just a second.

  I stepped even closer until our chests were touching. We were both still wrapped in towels and breathing heavy with frustration, anger, and want. “Good. Now, you are going to sit your sexy ass down on that fucking bed and tell me what the hell you’ve been keeping from me. Don’t think I didn’t catch it in your little rant, Legs.” She gasped, and I could see her mind going into overdrive trying to recall what she’d let slip. “Sit.” She backed toward the bed and carefully sat down. “Spill it. Now.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Bullshit!” We sat in a staring contest for almost a full minute. “Fine, how about this…first of all, let’s put aside the ‘beat the shit out of me more than once’ statement for just a few minutes and move straight to the ‘sent me a picture and still threatening to come find me, torture and kill me’ epiphany that you just laid at my feet. Care to enlighten me on that little tidbit a little more…seeing as how Craig and I are fighting like hell to protect you?” I didn’t mean to sound so angry or like protecting her was some sort of painful chore, but I could see by the look of shock and hurt on her face that my tone had damaged any ground I’d gained with my earlier argument. Fuck!

  I reached out to cup her face, but she pulled away and looked down into her lap, trying to hide her eyes from me. “I’m sorry. That didn’t come out right. I’m just pissed off that you’ve been hiding things from me. I need to know if what you’re saying about Antonio coming for you is something you think he will do or something you heard…” I paused as my mind caught up with her statement. “You heard it, didn’t you?” She wouldn’t look at me, so I lifted her chin with my fingers. “Answer me.” I worked to soften my tone. “You heard those men…Antonio’s men say something at the hotel. Am I right?” Lori Ann closed her eyes and let two tears drain down her cheeks as she barely nodded her head. I let go of her chin and stood to pace the room. I needed to calm down before I asked any more questions. Two minutes went by, and the silence was only making my blood boil more. Finally, I turned to stare at Lori Ann and said, “Tell me what they said…everything they said.”

  Chapter 15

  Lori Ann

  I took a deep breath and tried not to let the hurt that filled my chest show on my face or seep through my voice. Jason was really angry and his words screamed with regret for leaving his life to help me when I wasn’t completely honest with him. He was right. I’d put both Jason and Craig in danger, made them targets without sharing everything I knew about the devil I was married to.

  I stared into Jason’s face and told him what I’d heard.

  “Antonio’s men were talking to each other about their orders to keep me in one piece until they got me back to our house. He wanted to be the one to hurt me. They laughed and said Antonio promised they could watch him fuck me, then would give them a turn if they were successful in bringing me to him. He was going to kill me, they said…for turning to you for help and running away.” I wanted to throw up, but I held my breath until the nausea passed. Jason sat there silently, not uttering a single sound. “Then last week, right after we got back here, I turned on my phone to find a text and a picture from Antonio.”

  “A picture of what?”

  “He had two girls tied to our bed, naked with his cum all over them. His text said he was going to let his men do that to me as much as they wanted and when they were done, he was going to send you a picture…of me.” I put my face in my hands and tried to take a few deep breaths before I continued.

  “What else?”

  I shook my head. I didn’t want to tell him.

  Jason moved my hands and lifted my chin so I would look at him. “What else?”

  “He said he was going to send you a message that said ‘She has to die because you have to be punished,’ and told me I should never have left him.”

  Jason didn’t say anything. He just watched as a few tears rolled down my cheeks.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. At first, all I cared about was getting out of Italy and as far from him as possible. I was afraid you and Craig would get angry, veer off course by going to try to find Antonio, and we’d never get out of that country. And then I saw that stupid fucked-up picture and it made me sick. I didn’t want you to see what I had married—the monster that not only beat me, but was evil enough to send that to his own wife. I was scared to tell you, Jason. I knew I was never going to let him get his hands on me again. I’d do whatever it took…whatever it takes…to keep him from getting to me.” I paused. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I don’t want to think about Antonio anymore, but this baby changes things.”

  Neither of us moved. I knew I needed to gather the str
ength to pack up and go somewhere else, somewhere away from Jason and Craig so I could protect them. This baby thing added a whole new level of danger to all of us, but especially to them. Antonio would see Jason as more of a threat now. If he got his hands on either Jason or Craig, he knows I’d go back to Italy with him to protect them. And I knew he was just sick enough to keep me alive until the baby was born. Then, I’d be useless to him. I’d seen and heard enough to know this to be true. I stayed married to him longer than I should have hoping to gain enough control, enough leverage that he’d never come after me once I’d left, but things fell apart and I let my cards show that night we fought. I had to protect my boys now. I couldn’t let them get hurt or taken by Antonio and his men because I didn’t want to ever go back. But the reality of it was this baby was my insurance policy. It would buy me some time to figure out another way to get rid on Antonio for good.

  After several minutes, I turned my body and went to stand up off the bed, but Jason’s hand shot out and stopped me. “What are you doing?” His voice was still full of anger.

  “I’d like to get some clothes on.”

  He let go, and I slowly made my way to my bag. I pulled out a blue tank top, panties, and a pair of blue and white pajama pants before walking back into the bathroom to dress. As I turned to close the door, I saw Jason still sitting on the edge of the bed, watching me. I couldn’t discern the look on his face. He didn’t exactly look mad anymore, but I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. I shut the door, locking it, then slowly sank down against it and cried. I tried to be as quiet as possible. I didn’t want him to hear me. My tears were more about my resolve of what I had to do to keep him safe. I’d need to leave, and I hated myself for wanting to stay.

  I wasn’t sure how long I was in the bathroom, but Jason never knocked or asked if I was okay, and it broke my heart. When I finally dressed and stepped out of the bathroom and into the bedroom, the bed was turned back, bedside lamp on, and a glass of ice water was sitting on the nightstand. But Jason wasn’t in the room. I considered going to look for him, but decided not to. I climbed into the plush tan sheets and pulled the down comforter over my body. I was slowly getting better with maneuvering around the soreness in my ribs. I didn’t turn the lamp off. Not sure why. Maybe I was waiting to see if Jason would come back, or maybe I was afraid to be in the dark. Either way, I fell asleep just fine with it on.

  *****

  The feel of something warm wrapping around my body woke me up. I could smell his scent and knew Jason had crawled into my bed. His lips kissed the back of my neck, making me sigh.

  “Where were you?”

  “Shh…go back to sleep. I was just doing some work.”

  I turned my head to peek over my shoulder at him. “I was afraid you didn’t want to sleep in here with me.”

  “Never.”

  “Are you still mad at me?”

  “Yes, but I love you. I understand why you didn’t tell us. I even understand you not wanting me to see the picture and more of his threats, but you have to tell me everything he’s doing and saying. It’s the only way to protect you.”

  “Okay.”

  “I hate that he sent that to you. I want to kill him.”

  “I know. I deleted it. I never wanted you to see it.”

  “I’m not sure I would have wanted to see it…to see what that bastard wanted to do to you. But I still needed to know what he was saying. It’s important, baby. Every detail is important when it comes to keeping you safe.”

  “Okay, Jace.”

  He kissed the top of my shoulder and smiled. “And just so you know, as soon as you’re healed, I’m going to spank that hot little ass of yours for keeping it from me.”

  I let out a little laugh, then winced. My ribs still couldn’t handle the laughing thing.

  Jason held me tighter, then said, “Is that okay? I mean, the ‘spanking’ part. You know I’d never hurt you. It’s all about pleasure, baby.”

  “Yes, Jace. I know that. And the thought of you doing naughty, pleasurable things to me is good…overwhelming, but really good.”

  His hand moved to my ass and slipped underneath my panties, then started making slow, rhythmic circles on my cheeks. “Glad to hear it because after I’m done with your ass, I’m going to take my time rubbing your entire body down with sensual, sexy oils until you’re so relaxed and stress-free that you come without me ever putting a finger or my cock inside you.”

  “Oh, God. You can’t talk like that right now. It makes me want you too much, baby.”

  “Good. Now, is there anything else you want to confess to me?”

  “I don’t know. You’ve got me so turned on I might confess to killing JFK at the moment.”

  Jason’s deep laugh rumbled in my ear. “Is that right?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “So tell me…are you planning to run in order to keep me safe?”

  “Yes.” Oh shit. I stiffened in his arms, suddenly realizing what I’d said. My libido dove under the bed, hiding in shame for “outing” me. I tried to move, but Jason’s hand moved back to my waist and held me in place.

  “Relax. I’m not mad,” he whispered into my ear. “See, I know you, Legs. I knew that was rolling around in your head the minute you told me what those men were saying. I gave you time in that damn bathroom to think, even though I could hear you crying, baby. I left you alone hoping you would come to your senses and realize that that is not the solution. It would only make me insane with worry and cause me to do reckless shit to find you. So, stop. You are not leaving. Got it?”

  “Jace…” I wanted to cry.

  “No.” His hand moved back to my ass and started its slow, caressing assault again. “No, Lori Ann. We do this together. I can’t take the chance on something happening to you.”

  “But he’ll go through you or Craig to get to me. You know that, Jason. And I’d do whatever he wanted me to do to protect you.”

  “Then you know exactly how I feel. So think about that, would you? Sacrificing yourself isn’t the answer. You wouldn’t want me to do it for you any more than I would want you to do it for me. Okay?” He was right.

  “Okay. But if it comes to that and it’s my only way to protect you, Jason…I will return to him to save you.”

  His hand on my ass squeezed one cheek and held it tight. “I said no. He can’t have you…ever again. This is mine. You are mine. You’ve always been mine. Never his.” His hold on me, his deep, loving, possessive voice had my body on edge, my libido tap dancing around the bed. Antonio was never like that. His possession was all based on jealousy, anger, and control. Not overwhelming love and desire that filled Jason’s whole being. Jason was about protecting what was his…protecting me. Antonio only wanted to shut me up, keep me in a tightly controlled bottle, not by loving me, but by hurting me.

  “Yours, Jason,” was all I could say. His grip eased and the massage continued.

  “For now, we are going to keep working to figure out his next move. We’ll take this a step at a time, but promise me you won’t run off on your own or put yourself in unnecessary danger. I need to know I can trust you to do what Craig and I say. We all want the same thing, Legs. We want you away from him and safe…here with me.”

  “I promise.” I took a deep breath, finally able to think clearly. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. And I’m sorry for thinking about leaving. I didn’t want to…don’t ever want to.”

  “Then we are on the same page here, cause I never want you to leave.” Jason kissed the back of my neck again, then licked the sensitive spot behind my ear. I let out a moan of pleasure when he did it a second time. “I want to lick every single place on this body of yours. And I will…soon. For now, sleep, sweetheart.”

  “I don’t think I can. Feeling you next to me, the touch of your hands…I’m a little too turned on for sleep.”

  A small chuckled escaped both our mouths. “I know the feeling. My cock doesn’t understand how it can be so close and not be inside yo
u.”

  “Tell it I feel the same way.”

  He groaned, and as his hand made another circle on my ass, his fingers slipped slightly in between my cheeks. Neither of us said anything else as his body rocked against mine and his hand dipped and rubbed my ass and thighs before moving to my breasts. I closed my eyes in pleasure at the feel of Jason touching my whole body. I needed him. I wanted to make him feel as good. So, as ungraceful as humanly possible, I turned my body around and climbed to my knees on the bed. “What are you doing?” he asked.

  “Lie on your back.”

  His look of suspicion changed to a smirk. “What are you up to, Legs?”

  “Just do what I said.”

  When he lay flat, I carefully crawled up to him and smiled before kissing his beautiful lips. His hand grabbed the back of my neck and held me close as his tongue took over our kiss. By the time I got back to my original plan, I was out of breath and soaking wet.

  I pulled his boxers down on his hips with my one good hand. “Legs, what are you doing? You don’t have to do this.”

  “Hush. I want to do this. I need to have a part of you in me, Jace.” His growl told me all I needed to know. I leaned down and licked his cock from the edge of his balls, all the way up to the tip before circling the opening with my tongue, licking off the tiny drop of moisture. Jason watched everything I was doing, and it gave me such power that I didn’t notice any pain in my body for the first time in more than two weeks.

  “Oh, God…don’t stop. Please.” He was begging.

  I smiled and covered his cock with my mouth, sucking him deep. His hands flew to my hair and his hips started slowly pumping in to me. I took my right hand and massaged his balls before finding that small area just below his cock and applied a little pressure to it, knowing it would send him to another level. “Shit! I can’t…”

  I relentlessly sucked him deeper, swirling my tongue, letting my teeth graze him every now and then until I felt his balls draw deep, his cock get harder. “Baby…” he screamed right before coming in my mouth, deep down into my throat. The taste of him, the feel of what I was doing to this man I’d known for so long, had my body shaking with its own release as I rubbed my breast across his inner thighs and my pussy on his leg. It was almost surreal. This was my best friend, now my lover and protector. I couldn’t get enough of him.