Fabio's Remorse (Hell Raiders MC Book 5)

by Aden Lowe

  I took Justine's arm and led her to the SUV. When we reached the house, I sat Tyler and Nicole down at the table for a serious conversation. I needed them to understand the threat on some level, and to cooperate. That sick bastard would have no qualms about using them to help him reach his target.

  "What's wrong, Fahv-bio?" Serious, Tyler seemed entirely focused.

  "Li'l man, you remember this morning when you asked why Justine was here?" I tried to figure out how to explain without giving too much information, but still get the danger across.

  Tyler nodded. "A bad mans hurted her, and now we's pertecting her."

  "That's right. And while we were getting ice cream, the bad man called her. He wants to hurt her again. I need both of you to stay where Crank, or I, know where you are. This man is really bad, he would hurt you, too, if he had the chance. Understand?" Fuck, I hoped that got my point across.

  He nodded again. "Yep. I has to get my laser guns ready." Like a miniature hurricane, he blasted away from the table and pounded up the stairs. Seconds later, the sound of toys hitting his floor came through the ceiling.

  Nicole stood, more slowly. "Are we still going back to school Monday?"

  I considered briefly. "I think so. By then, we'll have some friends here. They'll be able to help us watch over you." The logistics of something like that could turn into a nightmare. Realistically, they might have to wait a few days to go back to school.

  "I'm going up to do some homework, then. I don't want to be too far behind." She left, leaving awkward silence behind her.

  Crank grabbed a beer from the fridge. "Justine, can I have your phone? I'm going to see if I can get any information about that call." He accepted it when she handed it over, and disappeared up the stairs to work.

  Left alone with Justine, I suddenly found myself searching for some neutral topic of conversation, and coming up empty. I glanced at her, finding her pale, her eyes filled with tears, and her lip trembling.

  Fuck me. I could face a room full of armed psychos, but a woman's tears left me feeling helpless. So I did the only thing I could think of. The same as I did last night at her parents' house. I took her in my arms and held her close, and let her cry.

  Having her so close again turned into a minefield. My head might get the trauma she went through, and how it might affect her now, but my body had other ideas. Her belly brushed against my groin while I held her, and my dick responded instantly. When I tried to shift away a little, she followed, clinging while she sobbed.

  "Let's sit down, baby." I led her to the sofa, and tucked her close against my side.

  Gradually, her tears eased. "I don't understand. Why would he do this to me?"

  Should I tell her what I thought? I decided not to, hesitating to frighten her further. If she realized this bastard probably saw her as a loose end that needed tying up, her fears would only grow. "I don't know, baby, but we're going to stop him." I tried to shift a little, before my jeans did permanent damage.

  Did physical contact frighten her? Probably, considering she'd tried to deal on her own. But so far, she seemed okay with me holding her. Unable to resist, I risked losing that to brush my lips over her forehead.

  Fuck, I'd missed the feel and taste of her so fucking much. A tremor ran through me as I fought every instinct in me that drove me to possess her. She tipped her head back a little, allowing me access to her mouth. I groaned and dropped to kiss her. It nearly killed me to keep it light and gentle, but if I devoured her the way I needed to, I might lose her forever.

  So I settled for a bare whisper of a touch, sweeping my mouth across hers. The texture of her lips hadn't changed. The instant I started to pursue a real taste of her, she froze in my arms.

  I opened my eyes, and the stark terror on her face acted like an ice bath. "I'm sorry, baby."

  She put distance between us, scooting to the other end of the sofa. "I'm sorry." Her voice dropped. "I want to, but I can't."

  I patted the cushion at my side, pleased when she slid a little closer. "Don't worry, Jus. We have time. Just know I won't push you into anything you don't want." I hoped to fuck I could keep my word. Time to change the subject to something safe. "I hope you like my Brothers."

  "Tell me about them?" Almost unconsciously, she inched closer.

  My chest swelled with satisfaction. She might not realize it, but she felt safe with me. I fully intended to exploit that. Now that I tasted her again, I needed more. Much more. "I'm not sure who all is coming. Ryker might, even though he's been busy settling in with his ol' lady, and chasing championship fights. And I expect Trip will. He's our VP." I went on to describe several of the others.

  "They sound interesting." The way her voice trembled betrayed her apprehension at meeting so many strange men.

  Careful, I reached for her hand. "Don't worry. They won't all be here, at least not right away. Most won't be able to get away from their normal day to day on such short notice. They're all good guys, even if they're a little rough around the edges. And they'll protect you with their lives."

  She allowed my touch, even returning it a little, tightening her fingers around mine. "Why would they do that?"

  I hesitated for an instant, before telling her the truth. "Because you're mine. And they're my Brothers. It's what we do."

  Her eyes flickered for an instant. "Yours?"

  My deep breath did absolutely nothing to bolster my courage. "My woman. At least until you're safe. After that, I guess it's up to you."

  She shook her head. "I don't know if I can do this, Fabio."

  A thumb under her chin lifted her face to mine. "There's nothing you have to do, Jus. I care for you, never stopped caring. They all know that. It's the only thing that matters to them."

  Her mouth softened for an instant. "You never stopped?"

  "Fuck, no, Jus." I let my head drop back for a second. "I didn't know why, but I couldn't stop. I tried to numb the feeling with alcohol, and only managed to make it worse. I tried to get involved with other women, but…" I hesitated. Did I dare tell her? Give her that ammunition against me? "I couldn't even manage to fuck another woman, Jus. It felt like cheating on you, even after that letter. I couldn't do it."

  Yet more tears filled her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Fabio. I never meant to hurt you so badly."

  I accepted her apology. "I know that now." I took a deep breath for courage. "I'm going to kiss you, Justine. Really kiss you."

  She didn't pull away, so I took that as acceptance, and lowered my head to claim the mouth that had haunted my dreams for so long. When I probed at the seam of her lips, she opened for me. The first dip of my tongue into her mouth sent my dick surging in my jeans.

  28

  Justine

  Fabio's kiss brought all kinds of memories, both good and bad, storming through me. I started to pull away, end the kiss, but he followed, threading his fingers through my hair to hold me steady. My senses reeled. God, I had missed him so much, for so long. My body responded to him, even while my fears sought to push him away.

  Finally, he drew back a little, breathless, and leaned his forehead against mine. "Fuck, baby, I missed you so much. Stopping with just a kiss is killing me. I need so fucking much more of you."

  My heart urged me to lean in, to encourage him, accept his touch. But terror stood stark in my way, reminding me, refusing to allow me to surrender to him. Still, when he came back for more, I didn't push him away. I might not be able to put it into words, but I had missed his touch, his taste, so much I ached for him now.

  He deepened the kiss, exploring my mouth thoroughly, while his hand traced up and down my spine in a soothing pattern. How I wished I could just give in and enjoy him.

  "Fahv-bio, is you and Justine making a baby?"

  His mouth curved into a smile against mine. "No, Tyler, I'm just kissing her."

  "Why?"

  Fabio's shoulders shook with silent laughter as he turned, tugging me even closer and wrapping his arm around me. "You got the laser guns
all ready?"

  The little boy gave a serious nod, hair falling into his eyes. "Yep. I'm ready for the bad mans." He cocked his head a little. "I'm hungry."

  Fabio glanced at his watch. "I think we're late for dinner. Would you like some of Mrs. Coleson's mac and cheese?"

  Tyler gave an enthusiastic nod, and Fabio went to warm up what seemed like a favorite. Nicole came down a moment later, followed closely by Crank. The big biker took one glance at me, evidently noticed my kiss-swollen mouth. An expression I couldn't read crossed over his face, only to be quickly hidden. He disapproved of Fabio getting involved with me.

  Maybe he was right. Maybe I would only end up hurting him all over again. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if that happened. His sharing of some of his misery only made me feel worse. I had to be careful, not just fall back into his arms.

  I stayed quiet and kept my distance while Fabio fed the kids, and Crank searched out something for himself. The tantalizing scent of meatloaf filled the room, reminding me I'd skipped out on the snack during our park excursion.

  Fabio approached with two full plates and two bottles of beer balanced precariously. I hurried to help, rescuing the bottles before they could topple out of his grasp. "Thanks, that was a close call." He motioned for me to sit. "I hope you still like meatloaf."

  "I'm not really hungry right now." Of course, my stomach had to growl like a bear coming out of hibernation.

  His devilish half-grin confirmed he had heard. "Your stomach seems to have other plans." He passed me one of the plates. "Eat up." He followed his own orders and dug in. "Soon as the others get here, all that food will disappear like magic. Better get the good stuff now."

  Happy with a safe topic of conversation, I started to eat. "When do you think they'll get here?"

  "Trip texted. They'll start getting here middle of the night."

  Anxiety pooled in my belly. The thought of meeting Fabio's friends made me uneasy. Did they know what happened in the past, how I treated him? Would they hate me for hurting him? Evidently they were the ones who picked up the pieces when he came home. Someday, I hoped to ask him how he became involved with a biker gang.

  That thought prompted more anxiety. Weren't biker gangs criminals? I struggled to reconcile the responsible, law-abiding boy I knew with a man who joined a gang. Was he a criminal, too?

  I gave myself a mental shake, determined to put those thoughts out of my head. It didn't matter. Despite everything I'd put him through, my feelings for him never changed. The biggest concern now had to be protecting him from me.

  He seemed to sense my uneasiness. "A couple of the ol' ladies are coming along, too. Figured you could do with some female company, and they're as tough as their men."

  My heart sank into my stomach. Not only bikers, but biker chicks, too? "Oh, okay." I didn't know what else to say.

  His chuckle made something in my stomach flip. "Stop worrying. They're tough, but kind, too. Cherry's ol' man died a few years back, and she kind of adopted us all. She's not around as much as she used to be, but she still keeps us in line. Tanya, Trip's ol' lady, used a screwdriver to gut a bastard that helped kidnap her, and thought to rape her. They're wanting a baby, but the docs aren't giving them much hope."

  When he put things in those terms, he made me think maybe the women wouldn't be so bad. I guessed I would just have to wait and see. "I'm not worried. Not really. Just meeting new people is sometimes rough for me."

  His eyes darkened a little with concern, then he turned back to his plate. "Yeah, kinda figured. Crank is moving his computer shit to the basement, and he'll crash down there, so you can have the guest room. We figured you wouldn't be okay with sleeping on the sofa while people you don't know wonder in and out."

  The idea made me nauseous. "You figured right." I took a sip of my beer, then tried to keep my voice casual. "You'll be upstairs, too?"

  He shrugged a little. "I'll probably stay down here. I'm sorta getting used to sleeping on this piece of crap. And I don't sleep all that much, anyway."

  Sudden panic struck. "I-I can't do that." My breath froze in my chest. "I have to go." I stood, nearly dropping my plate in the process.

  "Whoa, there. Take a deep breath, and tell me what's wrong." He'd moved so quickly I didn't even notice, rescuing my plate, and bringing me to a halt.

  "It's stupid." I shook my head. "I need to go."

  "Justine, I know I said I wouldn't push you, but I have to on this. If I'm going to keep you safe, and I am, I need you near…Oh." His pupils dilated a little. "I'll stay upstairs with you."

  I hated the gravitational pull he exerted me, but at the same time, I was helpless to resist it. When his eyes went dark like that, and his mouth softened, it didn't matter what I wanted. I leaned into him, despite the demands of my past.

  He pulled me into his arms, and I didn't bother trying to maintain my distance. His big hand cupped my jaw, tilting my head to the angle he wanted, as he bent to claim my lips again. Lordy, this was becoming a habit, and I found myself with fewer objections each time. This time, he didn't bother hiding his arousal, pressing against me.

  "Fahv-bio an' Justine is making babies." Tyler's announcement served as a dose of reality.

  Fabio laughed. "Not at the moment, Tyler."

  Crank cracked up. "Fabio, man, there's a perfectly good room upstairs. I promise, I didn't even drool on pillow too much."

  "Eww!" Nicole's snort clearly declared her disgust at the idea. "Please, take it somewhere else."

  Fabio raised a brow at me, and gave me that devastating smile. "No pushing?"

  Embarrassment set my cheeks on fire, but I still allowed him to lead me toward the stairs. He'd promised not to rush into anything I wasn't ready for, and judging by my reaction to his kisses, I thought it might not take too much persuasion on his part.

  All the way up the stairs, his words from earlier kept repeating in my mind. I couldn't even manage to fuck another woman, Jus. It felt like cheating on you… Could that possibly be true? I was no expert on men, but I always had the impression they needed release kind of regularly.

  Of course, even if he hadn't been with another woman, it didn't mean he'd been celibate, either. Did Crank's disapproval of me have something to do with that? Neither of them really struck me as gay, but then, I'd never been around any gay men that I knew of, either.

  He led me into the small guest room and closed the door behind us. "Don't let Crank fool you. I made him change the sheets. Who knows what kind of nastiness he's carrying around, fucking man-whore." He sat on the foot of the bed. "Come here, Jus."

  The tremor that ran through me at his words nearly made my knees let go, but I caught myself at the last second. He reached out to steady me, and the sudden movement set off the alarms in my subconscious. I jerked back, out of his grasp, and my heart stuttered to a stop.

  My already questionable balance failed, dumping me right on my butt at his feet. Fear forgotten, embarrassment set my face on fire.

  He chuckled a little. "Are you okay?" This time, he offered his hands, and let me make the first move.

  Cautious, I put my hands in his and let him help me to my feet. "I think so." At least nothing seemed broken. When he guided me to sit beside him, I didn't object, despite the sudden nerves that assailed me. What was I doing here?

  "Stop overthinking, Jus." He read my easily. "Remember, I'm not going to push you into anything you don't want. Well, unless it's related to your safety. I won't draw any lines there. But I will keep you safe from that motherfucker." The force of his will felt like an irresistible force.

  I had no doubts he would do anything and everything he felt necessary to keep me safe. "Okay." The same as earlier, his safety from me meant more. "I just…I'm worried, Fabio. When I called you for help, I put us in an odd circumstance. I hurt you before, badly. I don't want that to happen again."

  Moving slowly, he pushed my hair back, then cradled my jaw. "Did you want to hurt me then?"

  "Of course not!"
That he could even think something like that offended me.

  "Okay, then. Do you want to hurt me now?"

  "Really?" His shrug was my only reply. "No, I don't want to hurt you now, either."

  The pad of his thumb brushed over my lower lip. "Then let me worry about that part."

  I looked away from the hypnotic power of his gaze. "But, you said, all this time you couldn't be with another woman. I-I can't risk hurting you like that again."

  "Look at me, Justine." He waited until I complied. "I said I couldn't fuck another woman. I did not say I was a saint, or something." He sighed. "I tried, several times, to build something with another girl. I learned a lot of ways to satisfy a woman, and myself, but I never learned to put my cock in another pussy." He paused for a second. "Jus, do you like when I kiss you?"

  The impulse to say no occurred and faded in a heartbeat. If he were going to be honest with me, surely I owed him that much. "Yes. I like it very much."

  "Good. Because I plan on doing it a lot. Starting right now." He dipped his head, giving me an instant to object, and brought his mouth to mine.

  This time, when he asked me to open, I didn't hesitate.

  29

  Fabio

  Her mouth softened under mine, allowing me entrance, and I took what she gave, greedy for her taste. The silk of her inner lips fascinated me, and I took my time exploring. Her breath quickened, assuring me she enjoyed it.

  Wary of spooking her, I let my hand trace her back. As much as I wanted to strip her and experience all of her, I knew I had to take my time. She had to get used to me again, learn she had nothing to fear in my touch. I planned to spend as much time with her as possible, with my hands and mouth on her body, while she got used to me again. So I could give her the time she needed.

  I believed her when she said she hadn't intentionally hurt me, and I didn't think she would do it again. Had she not been attacked, that would never have happened. Still, I had to remind myself, a lot of time passed. She and I both changed. Physical contact seemed the most immediate personal obstacle, but what if one of us had changed in some way the other couldn't tolerate?