Author's Note - I am so appreciative to all you amazing people sending me messages and leaving me feedback, it is so inspiring! Thank you so much, I'm glad you're enjoying the ride. Hope you give into temptation this evening... everyone in Charming is!
Nero knew it was a mistake from the very first second but he couldn't help himself, he was in love with her and it killed him to be apart from her. Conditions or no conditions, he simply couldn't and wouldn't let Gemma go.
He leaned on his elbow, smiling at her as she slept beside him. Her dark hair was a mess, sprawled out on the white pillow of his bed. He toyed with one of the curls softly, careful not to tug at her. The last thing he wanted to do was wake her, he hadn't seen her sleep so peacefully for way too long and he'd be damned if he drew her from her rest.
It didn't seem fair, to have to keep this little interaction a secret. The involvement of the club in Diosa was worth way too much, the kind of figures the Cara Cara girls were pulling in were much, much higher than Nero had ever expected them to be. This could be the fast track, that was what he wanted, a chance to get out of the life. The end game. He smiled to himself, wondering if Gemma might be interested in joining him for that.
She winked one eye open as he stared at her dreamily. With a half-smile, she murmured,
"You know, it's kinda creepy to watch someone sleeping."
"I didn't want to disturb you," he murmured, leaning down and pressing a kiss on her temple. "Didn't seem fair."
She didn't move from her spot but pulled him closer. Nero's arm wrapped around her possessively, pulling her body to his and holding her tightly in his grip. He swore his whole body felt lighter for her presence, she did something to him that nobody else had ever done. Nero had given up on love a long time ago, a lifetime of pimping had taught him that it was not a dream worth holding on to. Now, though, he was beginning to feel that fluttering in his stomach again.
"I love you too," Gemma murmured into his chest. Nero drew back a little and she smiled shyly. "I didn't say it back last night."
He beamed proudly and stroked her hair. "I gotta tell you the truth, Gemma." He nuzzled her hair gently. "Your boy... he doesn't want us getting involved." He gave her a tight smile. "SAMCRO's got... investments here. I'm not looking for trouble, I'm just... this? Us? We can't."
Gemma hated that she was a pawn. She was a strong woman, she was used to a degree of control, especially when it had come to Clay and the club, but knowing that her own son was treating her as a piece irritated her. "If he'd talked to me about it, I might have a little more respect," she admitted. "But honestly? Jax has got no say in my life."
Nero smiled, he loved how she tried to be such a badass all the time. "Don't put your defences up with me, mama," he teased, rubbing his nose against hers affectionately. "He might no have say in yours, but he's got plenty of sway over mine. I... I can't take the risk."
Gemma's eyes lit up as she thought about it. "But he doesn't have to know."
Nero laughed, he didn't doubt for a second that Jax had far too many ways of keeping eyes where they weren't welcome. He was about to object when Lyla knocked on the door and opened it in an instant. Gemma blushed, pulling the sheet up around her, and Lyla shielded her eyes.
"Jax is here," she said softly, trying not to look. "He's looking for Gemma."
Gemma pulled a face as she slipped off the bed, taking the sheet with her and leaving the comforter across Nero's body. "Shit," she muttered, glancing at herself in the mirror before turning her gaze to Nero. "What do we do?"
"Damage control," Nero winked. He got up and pulled on his underwear quickly. He gave Lyla a charming little smile. "Tell him I'll be right down, she wasn't here."
Lyla nodded, only too eager to support Nero. She slipped out and Gemma watched for a moment as Nero dragged on his pants and searched for a clean white vest.
"That's it? She'll just lie for you?"
Nero chuckled and paused to give Gemma a kiss. "It's for you too, Gem," he said. "Lyla, she's a good girl but in the end, she just wants us both to be happy. Telling Jax'll do nothing but rock the boat." He crossed to the door and paused for a second before opening it. "We'll talk later. About... this." He pointed between them and Gemma nodded.
"I'd really like that."
Chibs scowled as he put his hands flat on the counter of the motel, leaning threateningly over the desk. "What do you mean? You haven't got a single room in this place?"
The clerk, a large, balding Mexican, shrugged nonchalantly and swung a bunch of keys lazily on his finger. The heat was leaving a sheen on his forehead, he was sweltering in his stuffy shirt and jacket. He sucked on the straw of his frozen slush drink and burped loudly before he explained the situation again. "I got two whole blocks down, air con's busted. Waiting on my repair guy, could be hours. Listen, man, I'm losing a tonne of money tonight as it is. You want one of those rooms? I can give you a good deal but it's fuckin' warm." He looked past Chibs at Nina as she sat on the front of the truck. "Not that you'll have any clothes on with that piece."
Chibs shook his head, there was no way he could leave Nina in this cesspit. He groaned and waved his hand as he rebalanced himself on his crutches. "Don't worry about it." He circled out of the reception and limped back to her. She was smoking a joint casually and Chibs chuckled, she was definitely Tig's kind of girl.
"You sorted something out?" she asked with a contemptuous sniff, looking at the beat-up looking motel with distaste. Maybe she would rather go to Diosa, whores and all. This place would be crawling with a different kind of roach, she was sure of it.
"Yeah, you're coming with me," Chibs muttered. "This place is a shitehole anyway."
Nina rolled her eyes, she was tired of this already. She didn't understand why he'd even bothered to bring her here if it was that bad, the first two places they'd stopped at were full with some trailer-trash wedding party. Chibs reversed the pick-up out and drove back to his place with her. He glanced forlornly at his bike on the drive and fumbled for his keys in his pocket. It had been a long time since he'd brought a woman back here, usually he'd just have some crow eater suck him off at the clubhouse before he passed out on the couch.
"Welcome to my humble abode, I guess," he joked, flicking the light on. He swept half a dozen empty beer cans into the trash shyly, wanting to make the place look a little more presentable for her. Nina grinned in delight as she looked around the space.
"It's cute," she said, picking up a photograph of Fiona and Kerrianne stuck up to the fridge. She ran her thumb over Kerrianne's face. "This your daughter?"
Chibs smiled as he glanced over her shoulder, shuffling around to clear up his laundry without her noticing. "Aye, my girl. Beautiful, isn't she?" She could hear the sadness in his tone and replaced the picture carefully. "You can help yourself to beer. Or coffee. That's pretty much all I have here."
Nina pursed her lips as she moved around the room, studying it for further clues. A faded map of Belfast was pinned to the wall, another of California, both with different routes mapped out in brightly-coloured pens.
"I'm okay," she shrugged. "Just, you know, tired."
Chibs nodded as he motioned for her to follow him. They walked through the house to the bedroom, if there was one thing he at least did do, it was make the bed every morning like any army man should. He'd not been so grateful for that training in a long time. "You can sleep in here," he offered. "I'll take the couch."
"I'm not going to boot you out of your bed," she laughed, sitting on the edge and fluffing the pillow in a bid to distract herself. "I can sleep in the living room, you're doing me a favour after all."
"I'd be mortified," he said firmly, shaking his head. "Probably slept on that damn thing more times than in here, don't worry." He looked at her awkwardly before rummaging in the closet for something for her to wear. He pulled out a faded grey Teller-Morrow tee and tossed it at her. Pausing for a moment at the door, he offered her a nervous smile. "Well, uh, goodnight."
He pulled the door and exhaled heavily, closing his eyes and leaning his head against it for a moment before padding back through to the sofa and throwing himself down on it. The usual broken springs in it poked at him like they always did but he was used to it. He kicked his boots off over the arm of the sofa and leaned back, closing his eyes and resting his head on his arm, trying not to think about the beautiful young woman lying in his bed, alone, in his shirt.
His breath caught in his throat as he suddenly felt her slight weight on him. He blinked his eyes open to see Nina straddling his lap, her lips nibbling along his neck playfully. She gazed up at him with a naughty little look in her eyes and he growled at the sensation of her lithe body on his.
"You've got the bed," he murmured, not wanting to push her away but trying to ease her back gently. She smiled teasingly, pulling at the edge of his shirt.
"Come and share with me," she insisted. "I'll be on my best behaviour."
Chibs chuckled at that. "I bet you will, that's what I'm worried about." She was insistent, he had to give her that. Her hand slid between her thighs as she stroked her fingers over his erection, stopping for a moment to toy with his belt buckle. "You should go to bed."
"Will you take me?"
She was pulling at her lower lip with her teeth and it was driving him wild. Trying to remember every lecture he had given Tig earlier, he sat up and pressed her back. Standing up, he ignored the pain in his leg to scoop her up in his arms and carry her tenderly to the other room. He dropped her down on the bed, fully meaning to just leave her there, but Nina gave his shirt a yank and dragged him down on top of her. Chibs felt her lips push up urgently against his and he murmured contently, addicted to the taste of cinnamon on her tongue as it curled against his.
Within a moment, she was pulling his shirt over his head and kissing him with fervour. He ran his hands up beneath her T-shirt and swore softly into her mouth as he felt her perfect breasts beneath his touch. What was he doing? This was wrong, this was exactly what Jax had said couldn't happen.
"I should go," he muttered, hovering over her uncertainly. He didn't want to, he really didn't want to, but it just seemed like the right thing to say. Nina pushed his long hair back from his eyes and smiled at him coyly.
"Are you sure?" she whispered, her bare leg sliding against his crotch. Chibs moaned at the sensation as her knee rubbed against him, she was every sort of temptation and he was struggling. Sons were men of instinct, they all were, game plans were hard. Especially when they looked like this one.
"Who am I kidding?"
She smiled wickedly, wriggling her hips against him eagerly. Chibs jerked down his pants and hissed as her hands ran over him with delicious precision. Daddy's little girl clearly knew what she wanted, and he wasn't about to deny her that.