Chapter 23
Leo
Ijust saw Alessa blow someone’s brains out right in front of me.
I don’t know how to deal with that. The body itself doesn’t bother me, I notice.
It’s the fact I saw her pull the trigger with no remorse on her face.
He called her the same name that triggered her the night of the fight, so I know that word means something to her, and it isn’t good.
Can I really do this after seeing the real her?
Someone knocks on the door to my room, and then Gage sticks his head through. “Can I come in?”
I motion him in, and he walks in, shutting the door. It’s like all the air has been sucked out of the room. I haven’t been alone with him since our near kiss, and I don’t know how to act around him anymore.
He sits on the bed beside me. “How ya doing, man?”
I look over at him and give him the truth. “I don’t know.”
“Talk to me about it, then. Work it out.” Can I really talk to him? Attraction and sharing Alessa aside, we don’t know each other. Will he listen without judgment? “Whatever you say stays between us,” he promises like he can read my mind.
“That was hard to watch,” I start. “Not that asshole dying, although that should bother me too, but watching her kill like that without a second thought. That’s not the girl I know.”
“It’s always been the girl you know,” he says gently. “You just didn’t know all of her. Les does what she has to do to protect this family and anyone else she can. Jerry Moretto is a low-life piece of shit who was having kids sell dope for him to other kids.”
“I get that,” I say, standing up from the bed to pace. “I just have to wrap my head around the fact that she’s a killer.”
“A killer who does what she has to do,” Gage says harshly, and I look at him. He’s sitting on the bed with his arms braced on his knees, watching me pace. “This is the life, Leo. Take it or leave it.”
“So that’s it? Accept it, or fuck off?”
He stands up. “That’s exactly how it is. You can’t come in here and expect to change something we’ve known our whole lives.”
“I thought you guys are supposed to protect her,” I scoff. “All I see is you guys standing on the fucking sidelines while she handles everything.” I know the moment that leaves my mouth, I fucked up. Gage’s whole expression changes, and he’s pissed. Fuck.
“She’s the leader of the Italian Mafia. Do you know what that fucking means?
” he asks, taking a step forward. He continues, not waiting for an answer.
“It means that if people see us doing what she does, it makes her look weak, and more people will come after her. Is that what you want? You want every fucking family coming for her blood just because you can’t handle that your girl is a badass?
” By the time he’s done talking, he’s standing in front of me, and I can see that crazy look in his eyes.
“You don’t think we would rather tuck her away somewhere safe and do it for her?
We would in a fucking heartbeat, but that’s not who Les is.
She doesn’t need to be put in an ivory tower; she needs someone to respect and accept her for who she is.
If that isn’t you, you need to get the fuck out. Now.”
He walks around me to leave my room, and I reach out, grabbing his arm. “I’m not going anywhere,” I tell him, knowing I will have to suck it up and accept who Alessa is, no matter what.
He grabs where my hand is holding his arm and spins us, so my back is to the door. He pushes in until his chest is pressed against mine, his face inches away. I know it’s meant to be threatening, but I can’t help my reaction. My breath quickens, and my cock jerks to attention in my jeans.
What the fuck is wrong with me?
Gage catches my reaction and steps in closer until our entire bodies are touching, not even a breath separating us.
“You like this, don’t you?” he asks. “You like my body pressing into yours.” How did we go from arguing about Alessa to him pressing me against the door?
He shifts his hips, and I feel his hard cock rub against mine.
My head falls back onto the door with a thud, all the fight leaving my body. “Tell me,” he demands.
“Yes.”
“Yes, what?” he demands again, moving his hips and rubbing against me.
“Yes, I like this,” I grit out. He has my dick so hard in my jeans that I think I’ll bust.
“Then why are you fighting it so bad? You know I want it,” he muses, pressing his face closer to mine, his breath fanning across my lips.
Just when I think he’s going to kiss me, he takes a step back, breaking the connection.
“I won’t force you. This decision has to be yours.
”I know he’ll wait for me to make the first move. Can I do that?
He runs his teeth across his bottom lip, and my control snaps.
I take one step forward to press my body back against his and slant my mouth over his.
He instantly sinks his tongue into my mouth and walks us backward until my back hits the door again.
He hooks his hand around my neck, holding me closer, and I slide my hands around his back because I need to touch him.
He kisses me harder, and a half groan, a half moan escapes my mouth before I can stop it. It’s like an electric shock to my system when my lips met his. My heart is hammering so hard I think it’ll pound out of my chest, and I can feel his beating in time with mine the way he is pressed against me.
Gage breaks the kiss, and my immediate reaction is to jerk him back.
He kisses my lips once. “I got you, Pretty boy,” he says before jerking my shirt over my head and then doing the same with his.
He steps back in so his skin is on mine, and it’s so much different from being pressed against Alessa.
Instead of the softness of her breasts pressed against me, it’s all hard planes from his pecs.
And I can’t get enough. “You want more?” he asks, moving his hips again. “Or do you want to stop here?”
“Fuck,” I rasp when he grinds his cock into mine; I respond, pushing my hips into him.
“Goddamn,” Gage breathes, placing his hands on either side of my head on the door, looking down to where our dicks are rubbing together. “Take what you want,” he encourages.
Right now, I want Gage.
I swallow and slide my hand between us, sliding it over his cock, massaging him through his jeans.
His eyes snap to mine; they are the darkest blue I’ve ever seen. “You want my cock, Pretty boy?” He pushes into my hand. “Because I want yours.”
He reaches between us, undoing my jeans. He pulls them down enough for my throbbing cock to spring free and then wraps a hand around it.
“Shit,” I choke out. His hold is tighter than Alessa’s and rougher.
His hand isn’t soft like hers; it’s calloused from working with his hands.
I push my hips forward, fucking his fist, seeking more.
I undo his jeans and shove them roughly down so I can feel him in my hand.
I stroke him just like he’s stroking me, staring him right in the eye.
There is no turning back now; I’m addicted. There is no doubt in my mind if I want Gage anymore, I will take whatever he’s willing to give me.
“Fuck Leo,” he groans. He swings us back around before stumbling to the bed with our pants still around our ankles.
We fall onto the bed in a tangle of limbs, his lips crashing down on mine. We rid ourselves of the rest of our clothes, and he slides his naked body against mine.
He straddles my waist, so his cock is directly on top of mine and starts moving his hips like he’s fucking me.
“Holy shit,” I whisper, breaking the kiss, my head dropping back onto the mattress. My eyes find his again, and he’s focused intently on my face.
“You feel this?” he asks, grinding his hips forward, and then groans, “because I do.”
I know what he’s talking about. He feels the absolute pleasure of our cocks rubbing together, jerking against each other.
He sits back on his heels, wrapping both hands around our cocks and pushing them together. He’s still moving his hips, and I feel so close to coming that it isn’t funny.
“Gage,” I groan, my hips moving with his.
His grip tightens, and he starts moving his hands in time with his thrusts. We start moving faster, and I know he’s close too. Our breath is sawing out of our lungs. I look down to where we are rubbing together but get drawn back to his eyes.
“You feel that?” he asks again, and I know he’s no longer talking about the physical part; he’s talking about the pull to stare each other in the eyes and not look away. I feel my release blazing up my spine with no hope of stopping it.
Stream after stream of cum hits my stomach and chest. “Gage,” I groan when it won’t stop. He drops our cocks and wraps a hand around his own, jerking himself roughly. He locks his eyes with mine and groans out his release, mixing it with mine.
Fuck, that shouldn’t be so hot.
He finally releases his hold on my eyes, letting them travel down to the mess we made on me. His eyes take on a primal look before he runs his finger through it, swirling it around, mixing it together.
When he leans his head down and licks a path up my chest, gathering it on his tongue, I’m more than ready to go again.
He moves up my body again and sinks his tongue into my mouth, with our combined cum still on his tongue.
The flavor explodes in my mouth, and I jerk him closer.
He relaxes against me, not caring that he’s a sticky mess like I am.
Someone bangs on the door with their fist, scaring the shit out of us and causing us to jerk apart. “Les wants you downstairs!” Ryder yells through the door.
“Fuck,” Gage breathes out with a chuckle. “Okay!” he yells back and then looks at me when he realizes he just got us busted for answering for me.
I can’t help but laugh at the look on his face. “It’s fine,” I assure him.