Rivals ? - Chapter 24: Chapter 24

Raine was relieved that besides four of his brothers, also Chibs and the Son's vice-president entered his room. Hopefully he could solve this misunderstanding and prevent a real war. That would only make things more difficult for Juice and him.
His boyfriend had left a few hours ago. Raine had tried to reassure him by telling him that he would make sure that both clubs would reconcile, but Juice's voice of doom would probably turn into a winner again.
He smiled sadly as his brothers hugged him and Esai kissed his forehead.
"You scared the shit out of us, bro," he said quietly.
Raine's glance wandered to Chibs and his blond brother. He didn't know if he was glad that Chibs knew his secret. It might do Juice well, but Raine kept in mind that Chibs might only be this compliant because he was in a hospital bed, with a chance that he might never leave it.
"The Sons insisted on visiting you," Alvarez spoke, the approval in his voice telling him he hadn't been glad about it.
Raine nodded slowly. "Your brothers who were driven off the road... how are they?"
The alert blue eyes of the vice-president studied his face. It took a while before he answered. "One is fine. The other awaits a long haul."
Silence fell. Raine closed his eyes. He felt exhausted; he really wasn't in the mood for a conversation like this. He missed Juice's calming presence, his fingers which wandered across his body in admiration and his soft kisses which made him forget about every pain and fear.
"I saw them driven off the road by a van," he told them eventually. He wasn't sure if someone had asked him a question; for a moment his mind had slipped to a reality in which Juice and he had been alone. His voice sounded hoarse and he felt feverish. Nevertheless, he aimed his eyes on the blond biker. "I knew they were Sons. But the moment they laid their bikes down, I could only see two men in need of help."
"And then they shot you," Esai said in a grunt. "Fuckin' assholes." He scowled at the two Sons.
The blonde raised his hands in defeat. "My man acted out of instinct. He had no reason to assume that a Mayan would be willing to help them. Also, your boy reached for something inside his inside pocket. Hap thought it was a gun."
"I wanted to grab my phone to call an ambulance," Raine sighed. He squeezed his eyes shut – sighing hurt. "But when that bald guy was about to be crushed under his bike, I wanted to help him first."
The two men kept silent.
"I'm sorry things ended the way they did," Chibs said eventually.
Esai snorted. "Easy for you to say. He coulda been dead. Don't think we–"
"Esai..." he sighed. "I knew what risk I was taking. But letting someone bleed to death because I'm a coward – that's not me. I got a bullet in the stomach in return, but I don't think I would change my mind during a next time. I don't want anyone to avenge me. If you want to do something, just shake hands and put this behind you. I know I was transferred to Oakland only a while ago and that I'm not part of the history between your clubs, but it's sad to leave someone to die only because there are different symbols sewn to their kuttes. If I'm judged for helping someone, there might not be a future for me in this club."
"Nobody is judging you, son," Alvarez said, squeezing his shoulder. He turned his face towards the Sons. "Hopefully you are now convinced that we are not the ones who drove your boys off the road."
Raine's glance rested on Chibs, who gave him an almost imperceptible nod.
"You sound sincere," Jax told him when Raine moved his glance to him. "I'm grateful for how you wanted to take care of my men. It shows courage. I hope you will recover well and that we can indeed put this behind us."
A suffocating silence filled the room. Alvarez held out his hand to the blond Son. When he answered the gesture, Raine closed his eyes in relief.
No gang war. His lover and he weren't forced to become real enemies.
At least for now.
. . .
Juice had wanted to see his boyfriend the moment he was dismissed from the hospital, but he had to wait almost two weeks. Raine wasn't allowed to ride and even though Juice had wanted to visit him, Raine had refused. His brothers didn't leave him out of sight and Juice had no excuse to come anywhere near Oakland, while both Mayans and Sons knew Raine's lover was living in Charming. Furthermore, they still didn't know who had driven Happy and Tig off the road, so hitting the road all alone was a bad idea anyway. As hard as it was – Juice had decided to be wise and to take no risks. If he became a victim now, it would take even longer before they would see each other again.
But today, Raine had visited the doctor and he was finally allowed to ride his bike again, and to build up his activities. They would be alone tonight – Skye had decided to visit her family.
Juice had left the garage a little earlier to cook. Usually Raine and he ate something simple but today he wanted to surprise his boyfriend with a real dinner. He was smiling from ear to ear when he heard the doorbell ring, and he felt like a ten year old boy who was receiving his biggest birthday gift.
Butterflies swirled through his stomach when he opened the door and saw his boyfriend. Even though he wasn't wearing his kutte, he was still wearing leather; a brown jacket over a white shirt. It was a colour Juice hadn't seen him wear much, but it looked good on him.
"Hey," Raine said, stepping inside.
The door was barely closed when the two men were pressed against the wall, kissing each other as if their lives depended on it. Their hands slipped underneath their shirts, touching the flesh they'd missed for so long.
"Fuck – you smell so good," Raine grumbled before his lips attacked Juice's neck. "A new cologne, huh?"
Juice's hands glided to Raine's ass, pulling his friend against his waist. His excitement wasn't inferior to that of his lover. "Just for you," he answered. He moved his left hand to Raine's neck while his boyfriend sucked his skin.
"This one is just for you, too," Raine chuckled, stroking his tongue across the hickey he'd just left.
His eyes were sparkling when he looked at Juice again. The impetuousness faded away when he cupped Juice's face with both of his hands and pressed a loving kiss to his lips.
"I missed you, baby."
Juice closed his eyes as Raine's thumbs slightly caressed his cheeks. He had missed Raine, too – he had missed him terribly. More than once he had woken up in sweat, convinced that Raine had died in the hospital. His arms slipped around Raine's upper body and he held him tight.
"Missed you too," he said quietly. "I hope it won't take that long next time."
Raine heaved a sigh, the look in his eyes becoming bleak.
"W–"
Before he could ask a question, Raine pecked his lips. "I don't wanna think about club shit now, okay? This evening it's you and me. You and me alone."
This evening? Was he not going to stay the night? Juice bit his lip. He kept the question to himself; he didn't want to ruin the mood by acting like a clingy boyfriend.
"I made dinner," he said instead. He forced a smile around his lips, even though he knew Raine would see through. "For the first time in my life I looked up a recipe."
Raine smirked at him and entered the living room. "You Sons are so bored you start cookin'?" he teased.
"Fucker," he muttered, but he smirked back and followed him into the room. He caught his friend staring at the set table.
"This almost looks romantic," Raine said with a grin. He wrapped an arm around Juice and kissed his jaw. "Where is the candle light?"
"I don't have candles."
Raine looked him in the eye, brushing his nose with his own. "Yeah, you do," he whispered. "But you were afraid I would call your romantic approach cheesy."
Blushing, Juice dropped his eyes. His boyfriend knew him too well.
Raine laughed quietly, lifting his chin with his index finger and kissing him. "I want candles," he said. "And wine. And romantic music."
A little insecure, Juice tried to read the look in his eyes, not knowing if the man was mocking him or not. Raine's hand glided to the back of his head and he pulled him closer for a kiss. Controlled and with a tenderness setting his whole body on fire.
When Raine pulled back his head, he brushed Juice's bottom lip. "I'm in love with you, Juan. I'm very much in love with you." With his beautiful brown eyes, he looked at Juice. "And I'd love to have a romantic dinner with my boyfriend."
Juice felt his knees go weak. The warm feelings that were swirling inside him, almost became too much for him and it caused a lump in his throat. Not trusting his voice, he hugged his boyfriend. For a long time, they kept standing there like that, until Juice was sure he had recomposed himself.
"Well – I guess I'll pull up the candles," he said. "You can put on some music."
. . .
They were sitting at the table for almost two hours tasting Juice's cooking, talking to each other and laughing. There were a few silences, in which they listened to the music, their fingers laced while they were enjoying each other's company. It all felt so good. There had been many moments Juice had felt awkward to do things like this with a man, but Raine made everything feel normal. Made everything feel better.
Juice read the longing in Raine's eyes – a longing he felt too, which filled every inch of his body.
"Come," he said, shoving his chair backwards. Their hands laced as they headed to Juice's bedroom, where they took off their shirts. Before Juice could decide if he wanted to keep it at that, he felt Raine's lips on his. He kissed him hard, his fingers gliding across the buckle of Juice's belt while Juice did the same. Almost synchronously their pants slid down.
Juice started to feel nervous. Would today be the day they cuddled with all their clothes stripped off for the first time? He wanted it – yet it made him feel shy. Raine however, made no attempt to take off their boxer briefs.
They crawled on top of the bed, letting their hands roam across their upper bodies, kissing the skin they found access to. Juice sighed in pleasure when his lover's fingers caressed every inch of his skin, setting his whole body on fire. He rolled on top of his boyfriend; feeling how their bodies were being pressed together caused an almost ecstatic feeling. He was aware of Raine's erection pressing against his own hard length. He had never seen it. He could no longer deny his curiosity – not only to what he would look like, also to how he would taste. Would Raine already want that?
He kissed the tattoo covering the largest part of Raine's chest, and from there he found a way to his neck and lips. His lover's hands glided into his boxers, kneading his behind. His dick hardened even more and he rubbed it across Raine's waist, who let out a deep groan setting his stomach on fire. Increasing the friction, he left heated kisses at his lover's neck.
"Juice..." His name sounded like a mixture of a moan and a sigh. Raine's hands left his briefs and settled on his back when Raine rolled them on their sides. "I'd love to go on with this for the next few hours, but I gotta tell you somethin' before I leave."
"Leave?" Juice asked quietly. The excitement vanished. It was obviously not something nice that his boyfriend was about to tell him.
"Yeah." Raine sighed, moving his hand across Juice's chest. "I can't stay tonight. Only when I leave at 5, but if I let my desires drag me along, we will barely be asleep by then. I'm sure I won't hear the alarm clock."
Despite the pit in his stomach, Juice's cheeks flushed. "Where will you go?" he asked softly.
He read the hesitation in Raine's eyes and dropped his glance. He couldn't tell him.
Raine cupped his jaw with his hand, raising his head. "Santo Padre," he said. "They got beef with another club and need extra man power."
"But you left the hospital only two weeks ago!" Indignantly, Juice sat up straight. "You have to take it easy for at least four weeks!"
"I will be fine."
"I can't believe they're sending you after what happened to you!" He pursed his lips.
"I know the guys, I know the area and I have a good shot. It's not that weird, Juice. I can take care of myself. I'm not reckless."
"Not reckless? You're tellin' me you were shot because you were so careful?!"
Raine sat up straight too, hard lines appeared on his face. It made him flinch – he had never seen his boyfriend angry.
"I was shot because your brothers needed help. Because I didn't want you to lose a friend, because I love you, Juice. What I did wasn't because I don't care about my own life, but because I care so much about yours."
Juice bent his head. He knew his snark had been unfair, but he was just... scared. Raine wasn't completely healed, he would be an easy target.
Raine added no other word, nor did he touch him. With a stab in his stomach, Juice looked up. He had hurt his friend, who had turned his head away. Hesitating, Juice took his hands, afraid the man would pull them away. He didn't.
"I care about you too," he said softly. "I'm just –" His throat felt thick and he took a deep breath. "I'm just afraid something will happen to you. Every night... Every night I see you in that hospital bed. You were so close to dying..."
"Love..." Raine sighed, lifted his hands and pressed them against his lips before he continued to talk. "Don't think you're the only one with thoughts like that. I was scared, Juice. I was terrified that I would never be able to hold you again, that I would never see you again. I won't let that happen again, okay? I won't take any unnecessary risks; I will only be there to back up the guys and they won't throw me for the wolves in my current condition. But I have to go. You understand that, right?"
Of course Juice understood. If they told him to go to Tacoma for a month, he wouldn't have a choice either. "I do," he sighed. "But I hate having to miss you again."
"Me too, love. Me too. But that's just how things are. And don't forget that I've barely shown my face the past year because of Rosa's sickness. I just want to show them they can count on me."
Juice understood. He also felt the continuous need to prove himself and Raine was still 'the new one'. He laid down on his side again, snuggling up to his lover. "How long will you be gone?"
"I don't know. At least a week. Maybe a month. Sasha will stay with my dad. They told me this afternoon, so I took care of that immediately."
A week. A month.
Juice didn't even want to think about it. Burying his face against Raine's chest, he started to press small kisses to his skin. They had only a few more hours, he didn't want to waste them by dreading their goodbye.
"You might be gone for a month..." he said, looking up. "While your ex is livin' close, right?"
"She is. And don't forget about the guy I kissed," Raine teased.
Juice rolled his boyfriend on his back, climbed on top of him, grabbed his wrists and pressed them against the mattress. Raine's eyes were sparkling with lust.
"Then I'll have to mark you so they all know you belong to me."
Raine laughed quietly when Juice started to kiss his neck, painting his skin with hickeys.
"And I should also give you a memory to live on the next weeks."
When their eyes met again, Raine raised himself and kissed him hungrily.
"Go ahead, gimme that memory," he grunted in Juice's ear.
Juice pushed him back on the mattress. The satisfied smirk on Raine's face sent tingling's through his body. He started to kiss Raine's chest and descended further down, licking and kissing the deliciously warm skin. Very lightly, he pressed kisses around the scar on his stomach, then he went further down. Raine gasped when Juice traced his tongue across the skin above his waistband. A deep longing swam through his veins, making him shiver.
Yet, he looked up until his eyes met Raine's. "I want more," he said in a hoarse voice.
"Then take more," his lover whispered. "Take everything you want."
Juice's breathing faltered as he realized what Raine's words meant. His cheeks started to flush and he felt his hard member twitch at the thought of burying himself deep inside his lover. But not now, he told himself. It would be their first time and he didn't want Raine to leave afterwards.
Once more he pressed his lips against Raine's lower stomach, then his fingers curled around his friend's underwear and pulled it down. From the way Raine had felt in his hand, he had already concluded they didn't differ much in size. He leaned back a little and glanced at his lover's body, who was completely naked now. He was gorgeous. Sexy, tough, beautiful... His stomach fluttered.
"You're so beautiful." He looked up to him, leaned into him and kissed him lovingly. "You're perfect."
Raine's fingertips caressed his cheek. He smiled. "And I'm all yours. Claim what's yours." He winked.
Another pink tinge spread across his cheeks. Bending his head, he continued his love-making, leaving behind a bit of his love for this man at every inch of his chest and stomach and further down.
. . .
"That felt fuckin' good." Raine kept Juice's glance. "You're delicious."
"You don't know that for sure yet," Juice teased.
"Every part of you is delicious." He kissed his lips before he rolled him on his back. "But maybe I should indeed find out if it's really true."
With a dreamy smile, Juice closed his eyes while Raine's lips explored his body. It felt amazing – he could do this all night. Fingers caressed his muscles, lips followed. As Raine reached his waist, the heat flared up. He wanted nothing more than being taken into the wonderful heat of Raine's mouth; the thought of it already made him moan. Raine's fingers glided across his boxers, stroking his erection before he moved them to his waistband.
And then a phone rang.
It rang twice before Juice was able to identify the sound.
"Fucking hell," he grumbled as he realized it was his burner. He was tempted to ignore it, but he knew they wouldn't call him for no reason at this hour.
"The club?" Raine asked.
"I guess," he sighed.
Raine smirked. "Then I better not blow you during your phone call."
"You wouldn't be the first one."
Raine's hand slid underneath him, squeezing his ass. "But it might be a little problematic if you moan my name." He winked. "Enough with the dirty talk. Take that damn call."
Shaking his head, Juice nudged him with his knee before sliding off his bed, taking the device from the pants that were lying on the floor.
"Hey," he said.
"Juice." It was Chibs. "Ye took yer time."
"Yeah – it was in my room."
"Your phone or your lover?"
His cheeks felt heated. "Both," he answered softly. "Is there something wrong?"
"I'm afraid there is," Chibs sighed. "We need you at the clubhouse."
"What? Why?"
"See you there."
Chibs ended the call.
With a heavy feeling in his chest, Juice tossed the phone on the bed, wondering if Chibs kept any details from him because of Raine.
"You gotta go?" Raine asked. He sounded as disappointed as Juice felt.
"Yeah," he sighed. "We already had so little time... and now it's been even less."
Raine got up, left the bed and pulled him into a hug. He seemed close to saying something, but in the end they kept silent, letting the silence speak for itself.