The Bounty Hunters: The Marino Bros.: Box Set (37 page)

Lou sat by
Jay on the sofa. Relief swept through her for her daughter. She was glad this nightmare was behind her, behind all of them, yet she felt guilty not being there even though her doctor advised her not to fly right now.

Jay sensed her disappointment. “She’ll come home.” He pulled his wife onto his lap and patted her stomach, his baby inside this remarkable woman.

“But where is home?” she asked sadly, thinking of what the future might hold for her head strong daughter.

“She’s sweet on Nikko. More than sweet. She’ll come here,” he stated with confidence and gently kissed his wife’s lips. He needed to distract her. Soon she was only thinking about those lips.

Love’s Bounty

T
here was a
soft knock on Ronnie’s hospital room door, and her eyes fluttered open. Despite her nerves, she managed to doze off. Her grandparents left to get two rooms together at the hotel for when she was released tomorrow. They also wanted to freshen up and grab a quick bite to eat before coming back for evening visiting hours. Her grandfather also promised to bring her something back that was better than the hospital food.

She glanced at the clock. It was only six-thirty.

“Come in,” she called out groggily sitting up a bit, but stopped short when the door began to open and she heard a male voice in the hall.

“Get out of the way, Nurse Daniels,” she heard Gio announce. “I’ve got Dr. White’s permission right here.”

“But orderlies should be doing this,” she heard the nervous nurse announce.

“My brother was going to get out of bed and do this himself. He wasn’t waiting two hours for the orderlies.”

Ronnie saw the foot of a bed being pushed through the door.

“Well, let me help you then,” the Nurse sighed loudly, knowing she wasn’t getting this large man to stop what he was doing. “Give me that pole.”

She heard Gio’s rumble of laughter at the nurse’s command. She’d already picked up on the fact that everything turned into a sexual innuendo with this man.

“Yes ma’am. I mean Nurse Daniels,” he teased, answering her with just the right amount of sexual undertones. “Nice uniform by the way,” he added at the pretty lady with the mop of sandy hair framing her oval face. She blushed.

The bed was almost entirely through the doorway and Ronnie could make out a form upon it. Her heart beat faster.

“What’s going on?” she asked sitting up straighter in her bed.

“Ask him,” the nurse announced, revealing her name plate that stated she was Lacy Daniels. It was the same nurse who had come in earlier to give her some medication.

Gio peered around the corner, face tight with concentration. He finally answered her question. “Baby brother didn’t want the private room. He wanted a roomie, but he passed out cold again on the way here.”

“That’s Nikko?” Ronnie sat up straight.

“Stay in bed,” the nurse ordered when it looked like this patient, too, was going to get tangled up in this mess.

Ronnie sat back down. Her heart raced. Nikko asked to be here. In this room with her. She had been so worried, but his first thoughts when waking had been to be with her.

With one more push, Gio had the bed all the way in. He bumped it against the door frame, and jostled Nikko who groaned in his sleep.

“Be careful with him,” Ronnie cautioned, wincing for Nikko. She examined him more closely as Gio moved his brother’s bed over to position it next to hers.

“Geesh, that’s the thanks I get for all this trouble,” he teased.

“Oh, sorry,” Ronnie giggled softly. Obviously Gio letting him come here, meant he didn’t hate her. “Where are your brothers?” she asked. “Did they know you were moving him?”

The nurse hastily plugged all the equipment back in. When Gio looked back up from watching the cute nurse’s derriere, he saw the fear in Ronnie’s eyes. He decided to put her mind at ease. His brothers had been too anxious about Nikko to pop in on her. They had also been answering questions from Detective Alexander and other officials while he had been running around doing all the drudge work. He may have to reward himself, he thought wryly, checking out the cute nurse one more time.

“No, but they’ll be fine with it. They ran out to get something to eat. They’re bringing me back something.” When he still saw her doubtful expression, he gave her more words of encouragement. “They know you love him, I told him what you said in the ambulance. He loves you. You’re family now and to us that means a lot. No one is mad at you, Ronnie.” He winked at the nurse, and she blushed again as the door swung shut on her.

“Oh, thank you,” Ronnie cried, a small gasp escaping her lips. She had been really worried about what Nikko’s brothers thought of her. Her worries dissipated when Nikko murmured in the bed next to her. It sounded like her name.

“I’ll leave you two alone for a bit,” Gio offered as he looked at her and then back towards the door. “I’ll keep my brothers away too. For a bit. You’ve got an hour,” he winked conspiratorially. Without waiting for her answer, he began to leave.

“Thank you,” she mouthed the word as he left.

“Oh Nurse Daniels, honey,” she heard him call out in the hall way. She couldn’t help but laugh. He was such a tease, that one.

Nikko was waking to her left, and she reached over to take his hand. It was wonderfully warm.

“R-ronnie,” he murmured, coming to wakefulness.

“I’m here,” she whispered and squeezed his hand reassuringly.

He tried to sit up and groaned from the effort and pain. “You okay?” he asked and winced at the same time peering at her under heavy eyelids.

“I’m fine,” she hastily moved, swinging her legs onto his bed careful to avoid jostling him. She slid into bed next to him.

“Oh good,” he let out a breath and cracked one startling blue eye fully open. “I love you, Ronnie.”

She propped herself up on one elbow, lying on her side, careful not to move him too much for fear of causing his injured shoulder any pain. When both of his eyes were on hers and he moved his right arm, the one nearest her, and luckily the one that wasn’t injured, she was able to snuggle into the crook of his arm. She gazed at him one more second before finally saying the words he longed to hear.

“I love you too, Nikko Marino. I love you!” She kissed his lips, and pulled back. “I love you,” she kissed him again. “I love you.” And again.

“Thank God!” he whispered. And despite his injury, he was kissing her back. This bounty was worth it.

The
End

Book 2 of The Bounty Hunters (The Marino Bros.)

By
MJ Nightingale

To the ladies at IEZ!

Being on this journey with you

and having your friendship and support

means everything.

Keep Twirling!

-MJ

The Nightmare

H
is heart pounded
in his chest beating a furious tattoo. It was much later than normal for him to head to his fiancée Nicole’s apartment. She wasn’t expecting him tonight. He had a paper due tomorrow for his Constitutional Amendment Rights course and he told her he’d be working late. It was the last class he needed to ace in order to graduate with his law degree, and he was also cramming for his BAR exam next month.

Nicole had been patient with him. For the last two years, their relationship was strained because of all the time he needed to put into his studies. But they had been together for four years, and he knew she was the one. Once he found a job with the Prosecutor’s office in Manhattan, he was planning to propose. It was just after one o’clock and he had been packing up to head to his apartment in the city when he received a strange text. It was a picture of Nicole dancing with someone. The picture revealed her kissing that someone, someone he recognized, and it floored him. It must be some kind of mistake. He had to ask her about this, and see what it all meant.

Nicole was finishing her undergraduate degree and shared a small apartment with two other girls. They were both out of town this weekend, so he let himself into her apartment with the key she had given him.

He was immediately struck by the sounds of passion. It shocked him, but the sounds he heard could not be denied—the sounds she made while making love with him. He knew that murmur of satisfaction very well.

“Oh God, yes,” she purred. “Yes, baby, fuck me.”

His heart that had been beating so fast, now began to slow, but he could feel the blood pumping in his brain. What the hell? It couldn’t be. Nicole, sweet and innocent when he met her as a freshman, and he a senior. He had fallen for her innocence immediately. Her southern charm, and wavy brown hair reminded him of photos of his mother when she was just married. His mom died six years earlier. He still felt the pang of her loss, and his father’s. They died together in the end.

But Nicole. It just seemed so unreal as he crept down the hallway. He had been her first. Well, he thought that, but this picture told a different tale. A tale he hadn’t even suspected her capable of.

Yes, she had expressed loneliness these past two years at times, but he thought she understood. He was working hard for their future together. But from what he was hearing, it was him who didn’t understand her at all.

“Oh, Alex, baby, that feels so . . . so . . .” her voice trailed off.

He couldn’t believe it. She was with Alex. Alex, a friend to both of them. He liked Alex right away when they met. They had become great friends. A serious student, here on scholarship, playing ball for the university. They met Alex at a party two years ago, and quickly developed a friendship over their shared love of the game, and the similar professors and classes they had taken. Alex was studying law too.

He could hear his heart pounding as it tore into shreds. Not only was Nicole betraying him, but Alex as well. It was too much. He almost chose to turn and leave, but some sick perverseness overtook him, and he had to see it for himself. Had to see the woman he loved fucking their friend. He had to witness this betrayal.

He walked down the hallway, and saw Nicole’s bedroom door slightly ajar.

“Oh, Alex, so good. Yes . . .” she murmured. He couldn’t hear Alex at all, didn’t want to, but he still walked forward, as if in slow motion, towards that door that loomed larger as he got closer. His tunnel vision made it appear like it was miles away, yet he was just steps away from seeing her, seeing them together.

“Oh-oh,” her cries of pleasure were coming faster and getting louder. He could hear her thrashing about on the bed. He could envision her there, gripping the twisted sheets like she did when he pleasured her, and it sickened him. How could they destroy them all with this act?

Just one more foot to go and he took that final step as Nicole cried out her final release. “Oh fuck me. Yesssss!” He was standing in the door, and now there could be no denying it. There she was, Alexandra Martin, at the foot of the bed on her knees, licking Nicole’s pussy, sucking her clit, while she climaxed and reached her pinnacle. Nicole’s brown waves were splayed across the sheets just like he imagined, as she gasped for breath, and Alex crawled up her body taking her nipple into her mouth and suckled at the rosy peaks. Breaking free of her nipple, Alex whispered to Nicole, “I love you, Nicky. Always.”

Nicole reached a hand upward to take hold of Alex’s auburn hair, and in her dainty fist grasped it pulling her closer. They began to kiss, and soon Nicole used her body to turn Alex onto the bed.

Blaze took a step back in that moment, back into the shadows of the hallway, but not before Alexandra saw him. Releasing a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, he turned without saying a word. He walked down the hallway, and out the door, closing it softly behind him. He took the stairs two at a time, not wanting to wait for the elevator. He just had to get out. Out of the building, and out of the city. At twenty-five when he thought his life was just about to really begin with a family of his own, he realized that it simply wasn’t. His faith had been tested before, but now he had lost it. This betrayal and the image of the two of them together would be burned into his mind’s eye forever, into his soul in that moment. Happily ever after wouldn’t happen for him. Not now. Not ever, he thought bitterly as he made it to the bus stop just in time to catch the city transport.

And four years later, when he woke up from that nightmare it was like he had lived it all over again. It was the reason he agreed to move from New York. It was the reason he didn’t trust woman. It was the reason he took what he needed, and walked away. That was how Blaze felt, and there wasn’t anything, or anyone, who could ever change his mind again.

Home Sweet Home

A
ndreas was packing
his suitcase when there was a knock at the door. Another job done and he was ready to go home. The door swung open before he had a chance to look up.

“I used my key. You ready?” Blaze asked his oldest brother who still hadn’t bothered to turn around.