Chapter Fifteen
HUDSON
I WOKE UP EARLY in the morning to find Gaby still wrapped in my arms. I was sure that after all the events of yesterday, she would appreciate sleeping in, and seeing as it was only just coming up to eight in the morning, I decided to leave her there. I carefully got out of bed, trying not to disturb her, and headed down toward the kitchen. I needed caffeine, and I needed it soon. I could already smell the strong aroma of coffee as I walked toward the kitchen door. This meant that Nico was already back and waiting for a blow-by-blow account of the evening.
He couldn’t have heard me coming down the stairs, because he was staring out the window at the gorgeous spring morning. Life was so different in New York with all the hustle and bustle 24/7. There was always something going on, but here on the outskirts of Detroit, it was calm and peaceful. Maybe too peaceful for his liking, but he had been away from here for so long that it wasn’t surprising.
I walked up behind him and placed my arms around his chest, feeling his hard muscles desperately trying to escape the excuse for a t-shirt that he insisted on wearing. Not that I really minded; any chance to feel them against me, I would gladly take. He turned in my arms, giving me a disapproving look, the one that always told me he wasn’t happy with me. I leaned in toward him, and he immediately put his hand on my chest to stop me.
“What have I done wrong now?”
He raised his eyebrows at me as if to say, you really want me to tell you? He knew the score last night, so I wondered why he was being such an asshole this morning.
“Took you long enough to get up, didn’t it? Do you know how long I have been waiting here?”
Before he could say another word, I seized my opportunity, as he had taken his hand off my chest, and slammed my lips against his, slowly moving my hand down his chest and placing it on his cock, giving it a slight squeeze. I knew he wouldn’t be able to resist me for too long. It was only a few moments before his hands were in my hair and he was kissing me as though we had been apart for months. We broke apart after a while both breathing heavily and almost desperate to pull each other’s clothes off. But I needed coffee and we needed to talk, and not just about last night.
“So, how was the lovely Rosa?”
I had to laugh that he was already calling her Rosa and not Gaby. I was sure that it would stick both inside and outside the bedroom.
“Coffee first, then we can talk.”
I sat down at the table while Nico got us both a cup of coffee. He placed the cups down on the table and then sat down.
“Well?”
Nico was never a very patient man. If he wanted to know something, he wanted to know it now and couldn’t even wait for someone to have a drink. However, I would make him wait just a little while as I took a sip of my coffee. The bitter flavor hit my tastebuds like nectar to a bee. I placed my cup back down and took a deep breath.
“She’s perfect for us, Nico. Most of the time, I didn’t even have to direct her. It was as though she knew exactly what I expected her to do as my sub without even being told. She is an amazing lover and great at sucking cock.”
I knew that would get him going. It was the one thing that Nico truly enjoyed more than anything. To hear that would be music to his ears.
“So, is she coming back with us to New York?”
Now there was a problem.
“It’s not going to be quite as easy as that, and that is what we really need to talk about. Do you remember Vincent Forbes-Stuart?”
“How could I forget that asshole?”
I knew they’d had run-ins years ago. I also knew that Nico had threatened to kill him if he ever hurt another woman again, after seeing what he had done to some of the women at the club he used to go into. This was one of the reasons why I was worried about telling him Gaby’s story. It would be just like him to walk out of the house, go to his apartment, and kill him there and then. He knew plenty of people to dispose of the body and pay off any witnesses who saw him. Much as I knew it would sort out Gaby’s problem, I didn’t want to make matters worse for either her or us.
“Before I keep going, I need to get you to promise to control your temper. I don’t want to make matters worse than they already are for any of us.”
I saw a look come over his face, one that even scared me and made me wonder whether I should have said anything.
“What do you mean, control my temper? I’m perfectly calm.”
I looked him straight in the eyes, trying to hide the fear I was actually feeling with how he looked at me.
“Dominico Veronese.”
I could tell I had shocked him when I used his full name like his mother would when he was in trouble. I placed my hand over his, a sure way to immediately calm him. I really needed him to listen to me and not fly off the handle.
“Nico, it’s really important that you listen to me, please.”
He took my hand in his, brought it up to his lips, and pressed them against my knuckles. Even in his angered state, he always knew when he had taken things too far with me, and this was a sure sign that he realized that. He placed his eyes down on the table. He wasn’t submissive toward me. In fact, he was usually the dominant one in the bedroom, even though we did not have a Dom/sub relationship.
He raised his head, looking at me, and started to speak. “I’m sorry, Hud. You know what the sound of that name means to me. I promise I won’t fly out of here and do something stupid. But I can’t promise I won’t get angry.”
It was probably the best I could expect from him. I returned the kiss to his hand and began to talk.
“I know you hate him and what he does to women. Unfortunately, after what I am about to tell you, you are about to hate him a whole lot more.”
I continued to tell him everything. All about what he had put Gaby through, the beatings, the forced sex with other men. The only thing I decided to leave out was the fact that Vincent had caused Gaby to have several miscarriages.
I could see him getting angrier by the minute the more I went on, but he needed to know the truth. I would need his help more than ever if I was going to make Gaby mine. However, we had to be sensible about things and come up with a plausible plan. Much as I knew he would like to go in all gung ho, bullets blazing, we couldn’t do that. I took his hand, which was now balled into a fist.
“I’m sorry I had to tell you all that. Believe me, I was as angry as you are when Gaby told me last night. But we have until Sunday night to come up with a plan to get her away from him. Because if we don’t, I’m not sure how much longer she is going to live.”
I could see him taking deep breaths, trying to calm his feelings of hate and anger toward Vincent. One thing about Nico was he wore his heart on his sleeve. No matter how hard he tried, he could never hide his feelings from me.
“Believe me, once she is safe and in your arms, I will go after him. I may not do the deed, but I will make sure he never hurts another woman again. As for what we do, leave it with me. I will make some calls. She may have to go back to the apartment, but she won’t be there long.”
Just as I was about to ask him what he had in mind, I heard her gentle footsteps coming toward the kitchen. I just gave Nico a look, and he understood me instantly. No more talking about this until we were alone again.
She walked into the room, looking just as gorgeous as last night when I put her to bed. I didn’t think she was expecting to see Nico sitting at the table across from me, especially as she was still wearing the t-shirt I gave her. I saw Nico smirk as she initially came into the room. Gaby jumped as Nico spoke.
“Signorina Rosa, I hope you slept well.”
I glared over at him as he held back the laughter.
“Molto bene, grazie, Nico.” Very well, thank you.
It was my turn to laugh as Gaby replied in Italian to him. His shocked face said it all. He shook his head and got up from his seat holding it out for Gaby, and like the gentleman he was, pushed it in for her.
“What would you both like for breakfast?”
I saw Gaby look over at Nico with shock on her face. “You really don’t have to do that, Nico. I can get us all something if you would like me to. After all, I should pay my way for all the money Hudson spent.”
Both Nico and I looked at her as she spoke. Did she really think that she had to pay me back for the amount of money I had spent to have her with me this weekend? I would have gladly spent every single dollar I had if it meant I had even just one night with her. I watched in horror as she went to get up from her seat. I was just about to say something when Nico beat me to it.
“Rosa, you are Hud’s guest. You are not expected to lift a finger this weekend. Well, except in the bedroom.”
He gave her a wink and then turned to go to the fridge. I saw her start to blush and couldn’t help the chuckle that left my lips. Nico may have been your typical hard man, but he also had a wicked sense of humor, one that most people didn’t know how to take.
“I’m sorry for Nico’s sense of humor, Gaby. He seems to be on form this morning. Nico, whatever you make for breakfast, I’m sure will be fine.”
I saw a smirk come across his face. Luckily, it was out of Gaby’s eyeshot. I knew what he was doing, trying to build up a rapport with Gaby, and from what I could see, he was doing a good job. However, I also knew he was trying to get me wound up. Again, he was succeeding, but I would never let him see that.
We both sat there chatting away, with Nico dropping a comment in every so often while he made breakfast. When it was ready, he placed our plates in front of us, picked up his own, and went to walk out of the room.
Gaby instantly spoke to stop him. “Please don’t go to another room on my account. Please stay.”
He glanced over to me, and I just shrugged my shoulders. If that was what Gaby wanted, it was fine by me. Internally, though, I was jumping for joy that she seemed to be accepting Nico so readily. I hoped that would make our relationship together as a threesome even easier when the time came.
Nico smiled at her. “Thank you, Rosa. I know he wouldn’t have invited me.”
I gave him a look and Gaby burst out into laughter. Hearing her laugh was such a sweet sound after she had told me about her time with Vincent. It gave me more hope for the future. I looked over at her as well, causing Nico to start laughing. After a while, I just decided to join in as well. If you can’t beat them, join them, as they say. We sat there in relative silence for a while eating breakfast until Gaby turned to Nico and asked the one question I had been waiting for since last night.
“Nico, if you don’t mind me asking, why call me Rosa?”
The trademark Nico smile came over his face, the one I had fallen in love with many years ago.
He took Gaby’s hand in his and spoke. “Well, as you have probably already guessed, I am Italian by birth. As your name is Gabriella-Rose and Hud calls you Gaby, I decided to give you a nickname of my own.”
Before he could continue, Gaby spoke.
“And as Rosa is Italian for Rose, you decided on that.”
He smiled, lifted her hand to his lips, and pressed a gentle kiss to it. Nico the charmer was coming next; I knew it.
“That and you are as beautiful as a rose.”
I coughed to remind him not to push things too far too fast. He let go of her hand, winked at her, and smiled at me. I just shook my head at the pair of them, but the look in Gaby’s eyes didn’t escape my notice. It was almost the same look she had given me many times last night: one of love and lust. I decided to break up this moment and spoke.
“So, what would you like to do today? We can do whatever you like. This weekend is all about you and taking care of you.”
She smiled. “As long as I get to spend it with both of you, I really don’t care.”