Reno Gabrini: A Man in Full by Mallory Monroe Page A

have been a no-brainer.  If Jimmy was any other man he wouldn’t stand a chance.  But Jimmy was his son.  And Reno was looking at the hurt, the shame, the pain in his son’s eyes.
    Jimmy balled up his fist, lifted his arm, and was ready to start beating the shit out of his own father.  He always felt inadequate around Reno.  He always felt he could never measure up to Reno’s standards.  He remembered the time Reno had to choose a family member to be the sacrificial lamb.  And Reno chose Jimmy.  It was a hurt that would never leave Jimmy.  Although he knew Reno had no other choice at that time, and Jimmy had to be the one sacrificed, it was a pain that still gave Jimmy night sweats and nightmares.  It was a pain that still made Jimmy feel as if nobody would ever really love him, and he would therefore have to take love where he could get it.  Which meant it wasn’t going to ever be real love, but as close as he could get.
    But even with all of that old, hidden stuff between father and son, Jimmy couldn’t do it.  His hand just stood there, lifted and ready to attack, trembling with anger.  But he couldn’t do it.  He couldn’t hit his own father.
    Reno remembered the time when he had to take his own father down too.  It was twenty-one years ago.  It was in defense of Jimmy’s biological mother, whom Reno’s father had tried to rape.  But Reno couldn’t do it either.  He couldn’t beat his own father down.
    Jimmy was staring at Reno.  Tears were dropping freely from his big eyes as he stared at his father.  And he was frozen there, straddling him.  This was the man he still loved above any other human being alive.  And he couldn’t do it.
    He stood up, went to his girlfriend, and threw his arms around her.
    Reno, still lying there with his arms folded across his forehead, closed his eyes.  Trina didn’t run to him, because she knew he wouldn’t want that.  He’d get up when he was good and ready to get up.  Because she knew her husband.  She knew he was already in far more pain than any beat down could ever put him in. 
    She knew Reno.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

 
     
    EIGHT
     
    Jimmy groaned as she fucked him.  She was naked and on top, he was naked and lying flat on his back, and he’d never been on a ride like this.  Several times he thought he was going to ejaculate prematurely, because of the intensity of the ride, but he didn’t.  He held on.  Her small, firm breasts were bouncing in his face as she rode him, and every time he reached up to suck those breasts, they bounced up some more.  He was awkward as hell.  But that didn’t stop him from enjoying the ride.
    And even more remarkable to Jimmy, he was enjoying her .  This desirable dark-skinned woman was his dream image of what beauty looked like.  And she was older and sophisticated and was so great in bed that he felt as if he’d never had sex before, until he had it with her.  He felt as if she was turning him out.  And man, Jimmy though as she fucked him, she was turning him big time.  He’d never felt more turned in his entire life.  And to be so beautiful too.  He stared at her dark skin.  He stared into her creamy-chocolate eyes.  And she was blowing his mind.  There was no other word for it.  Melita Murphy was blowing his mind.
    He took the part of her hair that had matted against her now sweat-filled face, and smoothed it back and out of her face.  She smiled adoringly at him when he did what he thought was such a small thing.  And he speculated wildly.  Did she smile because she wasn’t accustomed to affection?  Had she, like Jimmy, been used and abused by the opposite sex?   Did men only want to fuck her without really noticing her?  They noticed what she did for them.  But did they notice her, Jimmy wondered.  Because he did. More than he would have ever thought possible.   He noticed her . 
    So much so that he wanted her to know it.  He placed his arms around her and pulled