saved my little brother’s life. More than once, in fact. The more I’ve gotten to know Red, and through him your family, the more I want to help where I can. Tonight provided me with the perfect opportunity. A date with you is simply a lovely bonus.”
Sacha glared at him and thrust a finger at him. “Whatever your game is, I’m not playing; you got that?”
Gio moved closer, and Sacha quickly retreated a step, unaware he had nowhere to go until his back hit the wall behind him. His eyes widened.
“I never play games,” Gio whispered, cupping Sacha’s face. He ran a thumb over Sacha’s bottom lip, his pulse racing when those gorgeous eyes fluttered shut and Sacha leaned into Gio’s touch. His lips parted ever so softly, and Gio lowered his head to brush his lips along the side of Sacha’s mouth. Heat flared through him at the sound of Sacha’s sharp intake of breath. A barely-there moan escaped from between those sweet lips. “Let me give you what you need.”
Sacha shivered beneath his touch. Then his eyes popped open, and he glared at Gio. “I don’t need anything from anyone, especially you. Get the hell out of my way.”
Gio held up his hands in front of him and stepped aside. After that, Gio had canceled the date. Of course, he’d still donated the money, but he wasn’t going to force Sacha into doing something he didn’t want to do. To his absolute bewilderment, Sacha texted him several days later, informing him the date was back on. Gio had no idea what had prompted the change of heart, but he’d been thrilled. The heat and tension between them had almost killed him, but spending that time alone with Sacha had been worth every second.
“Home sweet home.”
Ace’s voice interrupted Gio’s thoughts, and he climbed out of the parked car. He followed the two into the house from the garage, thanking Ace for everything. Colton led Gio to one of the many guest rooms and went to find him some clothes he could change into, along with something to wrap his arm in so he could shower.
“Thanks, Colt.”
“You let me know if you need anything, okay? And don’t worry if your bandage needs changing. Ace can do that for you.” He smiled brightly. “Having a former Green Beret for a husband is pretty handy.” His eyes widened. “Just don’t ask him to fix anything.”
Gio frowned. “I would have thought he’d be good at fixing things.”
“Oh, he is. The problem is that when he goes to fix something, like oh, let’s say the bottom board on the steps of the walkway leading from the deck to the beach, upon further inspection, he discovers how uneven the rest of it is and ends up tearing the whole thing up.” Colton looked slightly traumatized. “Our house might get swept away by a hurricane, but the military-grade walkway will survive. Also, he fixed the Roomba, so unless you want to get sucked into another dimension, stay away from it.”
Laughter bubbled out of Gio so hard, he had tears in his eyes, and Colton was right there with him. They were so loud, Ace appeared, a bemused smile on his handsome face.
“You two are adorable. By the way,” Ace told Colton, “the showerhead broke in our bathroom, but don’t worry, I fixed it.”
Colton and Gio exchanged glances before they started laughing again. Gio could barely breathe.
“What?” Ace said. “What’s so funny?”
Colton wiped a tear from his eye and wrapped his arms around Ace’s waist. “Nothing, baby. Let’s go to bed. Goodnight, Gio.”
“Goodnight, you two.” Gio shook his head and closed the door behind his friends. It was so good to be home.
As much as Gio would have loved to take a long hot shower, it wasn’t a good idea after the night he’d had, so he made it quick, mindful of the bandage on his arm, and then changed into the pajamas Colton had brought him. He was a little lightheaded but okay. Knowing he wouldn’t be getting much sleep despite his exhaustion, he stepped outside onto the balcony that ran along the back of the house facing the beach.
The March weather was perfect. Still early enough in the year for a cool evening breeze, but late enough for the winter chill to have gone. He’d forgotten how peaceful it was to be on the beach.
When he’d returned home, he’d stayed with Colton and Ace while his broker found him the perfect house. Laz had been