Runner (Riders of Apollo #3)

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Mika Sage

I hate wedding planning or decorating, Lexie is running us ragged. Except Raphael, obviously, who is sitting with the kids and making bouquets for the second day in a row while I have to lift heavy pillars with Boulder and Breaker. This whole thing is rigged I swear.

I don't know why this needs to be such a big thing, they love each other and that should be enough. The whole place is decorated with white and gold fabrics, curtains hanging off of verandas with vines curling around it. It looks like something out of a magazine and the place looks so different to normal.

I remember Lexie and Bear's wedding. Lexie loved playing dress up but even then the place wasn't this extreme. To be honest though we didn't exactly have the money to fork out at that point, we were still in a crucial part of our growth and couldn't afford to waste cash. I think Lex is living through Mari at this point and Bear is letting her.

Even he has been dragged out of his office to help despite fighting against it at every level. Only Gears is excused from work and he's enjoying his newfound freedom. Gears has been spending a lot of time at Marie's house - Saviour's mother has taken quite the liking to him - and Saviour is happy that her mother is happy. 

"Romeo! Snap out of the daydreams! Finish up, I need you on something else!" Lexie shouts at me with her stupid little clipboard in her hands. If I could, I would snap that board in two and jump on the pieces but I don't want to face the wrath of Bear for antagonising his wife so I finish securing the pillar and follow after the Queen.

"Hey Lex, can I borrow Romeo for a minute please?" Lexie groans in protest but since Hunter is the groom, she has no choice but to relinquish me with a sarcastic smile.

"Thanks for saving my ass, man."

"She'll just come find you later, I've only postponed the inevitable." He laughs and I stand awkwardly as he just stares at me. He looks like he's getting the courage up for something so I let him, the fuck is he so messed up about? "So, uhhh..." He is never this awkward, he's military and used to giving the orders and I'm basically his kid that annoys him all the time and does stupid stuff.

"You alright, man? You're turning purple." I mock and that seems to snap him out of whatever was freaking him out and he sharpens his glare at me so I smile innocently.

"Look, okay, this is really late but willyoubemybestman?" I just look at him, how the fuck am I supposed to understand gibberish? "Ugh, will you be my best man?" He slows it down and I grin wildly and cheer.

"Fucking knew I was your favourite, I've gotta rub it in these fuckers' face. Course I will man, bachelor party here we come!"

"Thanks man." I just clap his shoulder and hurry off to avoid Lexie, I land on the grass next to Raphe who is chattering away with Gem as they all tie flowers together.

"Hey, love." I greet and he turns his blinding smile on me until his eyes become hooded with lust. I'm not wearing a shirt under my cut because it's too hot and I'm covered in sweat, most people would find that disgusting, Raphael is not one of them. "You're looking at Hunter's best man."

"Of course he chose you, I thought he'd pick Bear or something."

"Hey! I am his best friend, I've known him just as long as Gears."

"Yeah!" Ollie cheers, joining in despite not knowing what the conversation is about. We high five while Raphael rolls his eyes.

"You always take his side, Ollie. It breaks my heart."

"Sorry daddy but dad said that he's always right." Raphael's jaw drops and I'm on my feet and gone in seconds. I'd rather put up with Lexie than the wrath of him, I'll get punished later but the punishment is always more fun behind closed doors.

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The bachelor party is in full swing. Lexie decided that we should have it three days before the wedding so that we have time to recover. We closed one of our strip clubs to just the club and a few hangarounds that we tolerate, even Doc and Tatts are here grinding against the club whores.

There are only three strippers here though, the rest opted to go home so we let them. The waitresses are quite happy handing out drinks and getting hundred dollar notes as tips. Drunk bikers are very generous.

Raphael's arms find their way around me from behind and his lips press against the skin behind my ear. I try and keep my resolve, ignoring him as his lips move slyly across the back of my neck. 

I spin around in his arms and land my hand on his face. I kiss him, hard, hot and heavy. Slamming him against the wall and biting his lip as he groans. Just as quickly as it happened, I pull away, wink and disappear into the crowd.

Rile him up enough and he'll punish me properly, I learned that in the early stages of our relationship.

It takes him a good ten minutes to find me again, dragging me to the dancefloor and grinding against me. I accept a shot from Hunter and manage to escape Raphael's tight grip. "You are so getting it later."

And mission is successful. I smirk up at him and slink off to the bar to neck some more shots with my brothers. Rubble cheers as I join them and slides me an entire bottle of tequila to drink from, which I accept with a grin.

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The party doesn't finish until four am when all of the men except a few of us are passed out on the club floor, or the stage, or the bar, or on the beds upstairs. Raphael and I are two of the last standing and he looks just as pissed and as horny as earlier.

Oops? Ha!

Nah, I'm not even sorry.

He has already called an UBER to take us back to our house because I'm still tipsy. The car ride is heavy with sexual tension and I feel bad for the driver that is probably suffocating.

I head straight to the kitchen to put some coffee on but he slams me against the kitchen counter and wraps his hand around my throat, applying some light pressure. He kicks my legs apart and presses his entire body against me, tugging me closer by one of my belt loops.

His hands then move to force mine onto the counter so that I can't move them. His lips continue their torturous pace, running over every part of bare skin he can access to have me shivering in his hold. He won't let me touch him, that's part of the punishment, but I accept that with reluctant temptation.

I'll fix that later.

He manoeuvres me so he can get my shirt and cut off, this time making me face him when he slams me back against the counter. Just as he's about to get on his knees to undo my belt my phone rings and I can see Lexie's ID from here.

It could be a problem with little man so I reach out and accept the call, still staring at Raphael's lips and debating on whether we could have a quickie if there is a problem. "Dad..." He whispers and my lust crumbles, he sounds so scared that it rips my heart in two.

"We're on our way, little man. Everything is okay."

"Okay." He cries softly and I put my clothes back on while Raphael calls a car to get us to Saviour's house where they were looking after the babies. When we get there the house is silent, I mean it is still early in the morning so Raphe uses his key to get in and turns off the alarm. There's no point in waking anyone, we'll leave a note and a text so that they don't worry about him.

I find little man curled up in the corner of Miracle's room and I hurry over to him to smother him in a hug. "It's okay, I'm here." He sobs into the crook of my neck as I carry him back out to the car, letting Raphe leave the note and reset the alarm.

Little man has calmed down by the time we get back to our house but he is still shaking in my hold and breathing funny. I decide to just bring him into our bedroom and I hold him while Raph gets ready for bed. He takes him shortly after for me to do the same.

All three of us settle down into the bed with Ollie basically crushed between the two of us but he doesn't seem to mind. If anything, he wants us closer as he tangles his hands in my shirt hard enough to make his knuckles turn white.

Raphe sings softly in Spanish while stroking little man's back while I try and coax his fingers to release the tight grip.

He falls asleep just as the sun comes up and I find myself doing the same.