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Waverly

I ESCAPED DOWNSTAIRS and hid like the coward I was. The look of pure hatred on Gio’s face was hard, but the pain I saw in his eyes was more than I could take.

I could tell his leg was bothering him, but there was nothing I could do about it. He needed to get a cast back on it or he could do far more damage than what had already been done.

A quiet knock sounded on my door.

“Come in,” I called, and Katie peeked her head in.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I said .

“Did you notice the idiot took off his cast?” she asked.

I nodded, flopping onto the bed and pulling a pillow to my chest.

She moved further into the room and sat on the edge of the mattress. “You’re not the only one who self-sabotages, you know.”

“I guess we really are two pig-headed peas in a pod.”

Katie chuckled. “Truer words have never been spoken.”

“Can I have a few minutes?” Gio asked from the doorway.

“I don’t know,” Katie sassed. “ Can you?”

“It’s fine, Katie,” I said.

She wagged a finger at him as she passed. “Don’t be a dick.”

Gio limped inside and closed the door.

“Get off that leg,” I demanded, sliding off the mattress, and pointing to the chair.

He made his way to the chair and practically fell into it.

“How bad’s the pain?” I asked.

“I’m not here to talk about that.”

“How bad, Gio?”

“Using medical terms? About a twelve.”

“Shit,” I hissed. “Do you have anything left?”

“Yeah, I have a few Vicodin left over.”

“Did you take one?”

He shook his head.

“Why not?”

“Because I was ridin’. ”

“Idiot,” I snapped. “Are they here?”

“Yeah. Upstairs. Cabinet above the dishwasher.”

“Don’t move,” I ordered, and rushed upstairs to grab his painkillers, returning quickly with them and some water. I thrust the pill at him. “Take it.”

He did, setting the water on the bureau next to him. “You doin’ okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“Are you going to talk to me about all of this?”

“I don’t know,” I said. “It’s a lot to process. I’m working it out.”

“You understand we’re trying to end this right? Jesus, woman, you don’t convict a coroner for murder just because he called the time of death.”

“Gio, just over two months ago, I was a girl living her life, trying her best to cope with what happened to her and now I’m in someone’s basement because I happened to fall in love with the one person I swore I’d never have anything to do with. You need to give me some time to wrap my mind around that.”

He grinned. “Love you too, baby.”

“Stop it.”

He leaned forward, settling his elbows on his knees. “You feel alive?”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Do you feel alive?” he repeated. “When you’re with me, are you scared?”

“No.”

“What about when you’re with Hatch?”

I squared my shoulders. “No.”

“Any of my brothers?”

“Buzz is a little scary,” I admitted .

“Buzz is supposed to be. But he’d die for you, beautiful. They all would.” He cocked his head. “So, I’ll ask again. Do you feel alive? Because what you were doin’ before wasn’t living. It was existing. It was shoving what happened to you down deep, so you didn’t have to face it. Now you’re facing it and it’s freaking you out, but you’re safe and you know it. You’re also enjoying the fuck outta life and I’ll bet that’s scaring you, too.”

I wrinkled my nose. “You don’t actually know that.”

“Of course I do.” He slid back in the chair. “Because I feel the same way.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah. You’re makin’ me face shit I wasn’t ready to, and I’ve been reactin’ badly to that. Not my finest hour, and I’m gonna need to make amends. But I can’t do that until you forgive me first.”

“I’m the one who walked out on you,” I reminded him.

“Yeah, but I pushed you to do that, honey.”

“I think we’ve been pushing each other to do things that probably aren’t healthy,” I conceded.

“Probably.”

“But I didn’t push you to do that.” I pointed to his leg. “And you really need to get back in and get it re-casted.”

He dragged his hands down his face. “I need to ride.”

“If you don’t get a cast back on that leg, you might lose it and then you’ll never ride again, so how about you don’t be an idiot and take care of it? ”

“Come here,” he said, holding his hand out to me.

“Gio, you need—”

“Baby, come here.”

I crossed my arms. “Not until you promise me you’re going to get your leg back in a cast.”

He smirked. “Fizzy. Come. Here.”

“Promise me,” I demanded.

“Waverly,” he bit out.

“I will go there when you promise me you’ll get that leg back in a cast.”

He stared me down for a few seconds before letting out a long, dramatic, albeit manly, sigh. “Yeah, baby, I’ll go get my leg back in the cast.”

I closed the distance between us, and he tugged me onto his lap, sliding his hand to my neck. “Missed you.”

“Missed you too,” I rasped, leaning down to kiss him. “I’m sorry I bailed.”

“Sorry I didn’t tell you everything.” He stroked my pulse. “Are you in now?”

“Yeah, honey, I’m in,” I said. “Like, in, in.”

“Fuckin’ finally.” He grinned, kissing me again. “Love you, baby.”

“Love you too.”

“Am I sleeping in here with you?”

“Is that an option?”

He frowned. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

“I don’t know.” I dropped my head to his shoulder and snuggled close. “I feel a bit like I’m staying with your parents or something.”

Gio laughed. “Baby, we could strip down naked in front of them and fuck on their kitchen table. Hatch wouldn’t give a shit. He and Maisie’d give us our privacy and let us do our thing.”

I gasped, meeting his eyes. “Well, we really don’t need to do that.”

“It’d be kinda fun, though.”

“We’ll put a pin in that for when we’re actually alone.”

“So, am I sleeping in here?” he asked again.

“Yes, please,” I said, grinning.

“Correct answer.”

“But you’re going to get into the bed, elevate that leg, and not get out of said bed unless you have to use the bathroom. Got it?”

“You gonna fuck me like you did before?”

I shivered. “If you like.”

“I’d like very much, beautiful.”

“Okay,” I breathed out, kissing him again.

With my world back on its axis, I cuddled back against him. After a few minutes of listening to him breathe, I nuzzled his neck before running my tongue along his pulse.

“Baby,” he rasped as I straddled him and covered his mouth with mine.

I let out a frustrated grunt, my yoga pants a barrier to what I needed from him, so I climbed off him and divested myself of my clothing.

“I don’t have condoms down here,” he warned.

I frowned. “Are you clean?”

“Yeah. Got tested last week. The paperwork’s upstairs.”

“I’m on the pill.” I climbed back on him and attacked his mouth as I slid my palms down his body, reaching the waistband of his jeans and releasing his cock.

Gio hissed, running his hands between our bodies, and burying his finger inside me. I mewed as he added another finger, and I began to ride his hand.

Without warning, he grabbed me around the waist, lifting me and slamming me onto his rock-hard cock. The feeling of him inside of me was like catnip and my pussy contracted as his girth filled me. I took a minute to relish the feeling and when I could no longer hold back my body, I gripped his cut and rode him like his cock was my reason for living.

Gio grunted, thrusting his cock deeper, filling me so deep, I nearly came.

“Razor,” I rasped, and he growled, so deep and low, it was almost feral.

“Jesus,” he bit out, his hands sliding into my hair and weaving into my scalp, pulling me forward.

I bit his ear, gently but hard enough to elicit a reaction, and I felt his cock grow harder. The force between my legs increased, and as his slams grew faster and faster, I felt my orgasm hit me harder than it ever had before, just as Gio’s cock pulsed inside of me.

I fell against him, kissing his neck as I worked to catch my breath.

“You calling me Razor, baby. Fuckin’ heaven.”

“I was trying it out.” I smiled against his skin. “I like it.”

“Yeah, I like it, too.”

He ran his hands down my spine, kissing the top of my head. “Love you, honey. ”

“Love you, too.” I sat up and met his eyes. “I’m going to clean up. Do not move.”

I headed into the bathroom to clean up, then helped him do the same.

“You hungry?” he asked.

“We just had dinner,” I pointed out.

“So?” he challenged.

I laughed, shimmying my panties back on. “Let me see what’s down here. I can make you something, but I don’t want you on that leg.”

“My crutches and walker are upstairs.”

“I’ll grab them and bring them down.”

I finished dressing, then leaned down and kissed him quickly before heading upstairs to grab his walking aids.

* * *

Razor

Two days later, I walked into the doctor’s office despite my protests. Unfortunately, both Waverly and Katie were with me, so those protests fell on deaf ears.

I’d already had another X-ray, so while we waited for the doctor to quickly review it, I wrapped an arm around Waverly and pulled her closer to me on the waiting room bench.

“How are you so calm?” she asked.

“Can’t control the outcome, Fizzy.”

She huffed. “You could have if you hadn’t put your own health in jeopardy.”

“Yeah, I know, baby. I won’t do it again. ”

“Gio,” a nurse called, and I grabbed my crutches.

Both Katie and Waverly stood and followed me back.

After my vitals were taken, the medial assistant left us and Dr. Kraft walked in, a frown on his face as he shook my hand. “What’s this I hear about you removing your cast, young man?”

“Momentary lapse of judgement,” I said.

He hummed in admonishment as he sat at his computer. “Well, the X-rays are concerning, but luckily, we don’t have to do another surgery. You are going to get another cast today and you’ll need to wear it for six weeks.”

“Six—?”

Waverly cleared her throat in warning, and I sighed.

“Right, six weeks,” I conceded.

“We’ll do another X-ray at that juncture and see how you’re doing.” He turned to face me. “But I must warn you, it’s possible you might have to do another week or two if it’s not looking like I want it to. You can still bear small amounts of weight, but only for limited amounts of time, so use your walker.” He speared me with a very doctorly stare. “Do you have someone to help you?”

“He does,” Waverly said.

He glanced her way. “Excellent.”

“And we’ll make sure he keeps it on,” Katie interjected.

“Even better.” Dr. Kraft smiled. “Right. Do you have any questions for me?”

I shook my head .

He reached out his hand and I shook it as he said, “Malcolm will be in to take you down to get your cast put back on.”

He left the room, and Waverly linked her fingers with mine. “You’re going to be fine, honey. This isn’t a death sentence.”

“Feels like it.”

“It’ll be less than two months, Razor. You can do it,” Katie encouraged.

I grunted in disbelief and both women chuckled.