Chapter 27
Vincent da Silva
Pulling the vehicle into the carport, I shut off the engine, got out, and went to the back to unbuckle Piera first. She hopped to the ground, practically vibrating with energy, despite it being almost two in the morning. Fishing through the keys, I handed her the one that unlocked the door.
“Go on and open it for me, okay?”
“Okay.”
She jogged away and I went to the front passenger side.
When I opened the door, he was staring at me with that intensity again, so I took a small backward step.
His brow cocking, I cursed under my breath, bent, and unfastened his belt.
In no rush, my hand dragged over his stomach as I carefully let the belt retract.
My heart thumping in my ears, a shudder ran down my spine at his hot breaths against my cheek.
His heat circled, pulling me in, making me feel part of his energy as I cast a fleeting glimpse his way.
Coughing, I tried to focus since it was already so damn late. Thankfully, getting into my house would be easier since all he had to do was step over the threshold. Sliding my arm behind his back, I helped him rise to his feet.
“Don’t pick me up this time. Not in front of my little girl.”
“Got it.”
His muscles tensed and his teeth gleamed, bracing for the pain.
“Ready, baby?” I whispered, already hating this.
“Nope. Let’s go.”
“On three. One, two, three.”
We both heaved a grunt, both feeling the ache as I hoisted him from the seat. He stumbled, one of his knees almost buckling. “Fuck,” he whimpered, briefly resting his forehead to my shoulder.
I shushed him and petted his nape that was already damp with sweat. “Tell me when, babe.”
Pulling deep breaths through his nose and exhaling through his mouth, his pants were seeping through my tee shirt, warming my skin. After a couple moments, he nodded and then lifted his head. “Ready.”
“Okay. Let’s go.”
Taking things as slow as possible, I led him into my house through the side door in the carport. Piera was already in the playroom, blasting the television, my keys discarded on the kitchen counter. We made our way past it to the hallway on the other side, both our bodies at the edge of exhaustion.
“I ain’t taking your room, Vin—”
“Then I gotta take you upstairs. You ready for that?”
“Shit.”
“Just shut up and let me take care of you. Goddamn.”
Kicking open the door, I was nearly dragging him the last few feet to the bed. Much like earlier, he crumbled to the mattress and shouted in protest, curling to hug his stomach.
“Fuck,” he whimpered, turning his face into the pillow. “I can’t do this no more, Vin. Please, just let me stay right here.”
My heart went out to him and hardened for Jackyl. “I can’t, baby. We’re almost done.”
“No, no—”
I held his ankles, lifted, and gently shifted them, rotating his body. He cried out, actual tears sliding down his face. “Stop, fucking stop, please.”
“I’m almost done, baby.”
“No, you’re done now—”
“Just…” In a fit of urgency, I shoved him as carefully as I could, at last getting him fully into the bed. He bellowed and swung, nearly blackening my other eye. “I’m so sorry—”
“Get your fucking hands off me,” he seethed, covering his face as a sob burst forth. “Don’t ever fucking touch me again.”
Clucking my teeth, I stood upright and leaned into one leg, my fingers brushing his damp hair from his brow. “I mean, do you really want that?”
His fingers parted to peek at me and he laughed. They lowered to his chest, and he gulped in a few breaths, closing his eyes. “Goddamn, Vin. You got a nice bed. These some expensive sheets.”
Trying to lighten the mood, I moved to the side to take off his shoes. “Yeah, well, I’m gay, so you know. Boujee, and all.”
He snorted and then grunted, his neck arching to show the veins sticking out. “Yeah, well, you’re good at it, so I suggest you stick to it.”
A chuckle pushed through my nostrils. Tossing his shoes aside, I propped my hands to my sides and huffed, staring down at him. “Don’t worry, I ain’t gonna move you to put you under the sheets.”
His eyes rolling, he held his good arm out and lifted his head to look at himself. “Not that I need it. I don’t think the sweat’s stopped since I left the hospital. I feel fucking gross. What I need is a shower.”
Smirking and wiggling my brows, I once again brushed my fingers along his hairline to sweep the locks away. “Say the word, Dash, and I’ll more than happily give you a sponge bath.”
His complexion darkened and he groaned. “Don’t fucking start with me right now.”
I snickered and headed for the door.
“But don’t necessarily put that idea away,” he added before I left.
Pausing to look back, I winked. “Say when.”
He snickered but then groaned again, trying to get comfortable. “Where you going?”
“To tame that girl. Jesus, what I wouldn’t give to have half the energy she does.”
“That’s my little acorn. Growing stronger every day.”
“Mm hm. Get some sleep. I’ll check on you in a bit.”
When I gazed back, he was already drifting off. For a moment, I lingered, visually tracing every line of his face. Tapping the side of my fist to the frame, I released a long sigh. Yup, definitely in love with my best friend. This could only go wrong, terribly wrong.
Dario “Dash" Mangiacavallo
Sunday 09.15.2019
The gunshots blasting in my ears, my voice echoed as I hollered no when I saw Jackyl squeezing the trigger to kill Vincent.
My entire life’s future flashing before my eyes, my heart burst as if it were exploding and I jerked, snorting on an inhale, my eyelids snapping wide.
Panting, anguish consuming every inch of my body, I was soaking wet.
When I tried to move, I stilled, a weight pressing me into the mattress.
Lifting my head, I squinted against the paleness, the first traces of sunlight trickling through the blinds.
Vincent was on his side, his ankle over mine, his arm across my stomach, his cheek on my uninjured shoulder.
My pulse racing, I was breathless, all kinds of strange emotions surging through my system.
I just woke up in the arms of a man, my best friend, and I felt… relief? What the hell was happening?
He groaned in his sleep and rolled to his back, grunting because he was hurt, as well.
His head rolling away from me, his palm splayed over the top of my thigh, near my hip, his fingers curling toward the inside.
Despite my current condition, my dick tickled with arousal.
How was something like that so damn comforting?
I wasn’t one to cuddle, I never had been.
I hated when Mary touched me at night, always insisting she stayed on her side of the bed.
Having him against me, feeling his hard body, his heat, his strength, felt pretty damn amazing. I liked it. Like…a lot.
Lifting my head off the pillow, my sight traveled along his figure, pausing at the bulge in his sweatpants. Glimpsing at the part of his face I could see, I hesitantly cupped it and gave a firm squeeze.
“Mm, Dario,” he muttered in his sleep, rolling his face back toward me.
Adrenaline rushed to my head, making me dizzy. Uncurling my fingers, I gave a couple rubs through his pants, adding pressure. His head rolled against my palm, the thickness impressive. At his balls, I paused but then cupped, rolling them in my fingers. Small and firm, not unlike mine.
His hips bucked slightly and he moaned, his dick jerking against my touch. “Dario,” he whispered again. “Mm.”
“Shit,” I whispered, dragging the word out. That was so fucking erotic. Releasing him, I pinched the head of my own erection, savoring the pressure. “Dammit.”
His breathing pattern changed and I tensed, feeling his stare. Gulping down the constriction in my throat, I rolled my head and found him wide awake, staring at me.
“Hey,” I whispered. “Is, uh…Piera asleep?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh. Um. Okay.”
He looked away, turned to his side, and hissed on his teeth to stand.
Moving stiffly, he walked around the foot of the bed, his stare locked on mine the whole time.
He went to the door, paused, and then locked it.
My heart skipped a beat, my insides shaking as he made his way back to the other side of the bed.
Gradually lowering to his knee, he crawled closer and, for a moment, I thought he would take out his dick, jack off, and cum on me again.
Instead, he carefully laid on his side, slid one arm beneath my shoulders, the other tenderly resting across my upper torso, away from the holes in my gut. Scooting closer, he simply laid down, nuzzled my cheek, and went back to sleep.
Every nerve prickled with energy, reveling this newfound pleasure.
My hand shaking, I cupped his elbow, placed a kiss to his forehead, and drifted off, as well.
This time, feeling his strength around me, none of the nightmares that had been plaguing me every night since the shootout haunted my slumber.
In fact, I dreamed of slow, passionate, sensual love making between me and my best friend.