hard up for cash. Oh, wait. You’re married to a billionaire.” He fiddled with the napkin on the table. “How do you do it?”
“That’s a loaded question, buddy. You might want to be a little more specific.”
“Ass. I meant, how do you live in Colton’s world? All those fancy parties, big spenders, investment portfolios, and stocks. It’s not you.”
“Oh, well, that’s easy. I don’t live in that world. Colton likes having me at his galas and events to support him, to keep him grounded. I never pretend to be something I’m not, and Colton never expects me to. He loves me, and he’s proud to be with me. I’m not going to say it’s always a blast, but it’s a few hours here and there. That kind of thing doesn’t bug me, and I don’t let it bug Colton.”
“But don’t you feel… out of place?”
Ace shrugged. “Not really, but that’s down to Colton. He always finds ways to include me in the conversation. A lot of the time, he introduces me to people he knows I’d have a good time talking to or someone I might have something in common with, whether it’s the military or a favorite football team.” He smiled knowingly. “Not everyone is an asshole.”
Joker grunted.
Fitz and Jack returned with their drinks, and Joker shook his head in shame at them. As if they wouldn’t have been able to guess what the two had been up to, with Fitz’s kiss-swollen lips, messy hair, and faint beard burn. What was it like to want someone so badly all the time that you couldn’t keep your hands or mouth off them? The memory of his kiss with Gio flooded his brain, and he shifted uncomfortably. Great, just what he needed, to get a hard-on in front of Ace.
The music was thumping, and the dance floor was packed as usual. Their crew started arriving, with everyone there except Gio. Joker turned to Laz while the guys were giving Ace shit over something.
“Hey, was Gio getting a ride with you guys?”
Laz smiled brightly at him. “No, Saint drove him here, but they got here at the same time we did. They’re at the bar getting us drinks.”
The guy who didn’t drink alcohol was getting the booze. Nice. Gio never mentioned why he didn’t drink alcohol, only that he didn’t. Not that he had to explain himself to anyone. If he said he didn’t drink, they respected that, but Joker was curious. He’d heard Laz tell stories of Gio and Colton in college coming home all giggly or drunk off their asses, so at some point, Gio did consume alcohol. Knowing Gio was close by had Joker feeling restless.
“I’ll go see if he needs help,” Joker said to Laz, not that Gio would, considering Saint was with him, but he doubted Laz was going to give it as much thought as he was. His friends moved so he could get out of the booth, and he ignored Ace’s knowing look. Joker flipped him off for good measure.
It was like Gio had a homing beacon, one Joker was tuned in to. He spotted Gio right away, his long, lean body leaning casually against the bar as he talked to Saint. The dark curls of Gio’s hair were wild, as if he somehow knew how desperate it made Joker want to run his fingers through them. His expensive black dress shirt was tucked into his gray slacks, the sleeves of his shirt rolled up his toned forearms.
The air around Joker seemed to change, and he sucked in a breath when Gio straightened and turned, doing a legit double take when he saw Joker. His eyes looked black as he raked his gaze over Joker, the heat and want coming from him so palpable Joker stilled. His heart pounded in his ears, his pulse doing double time as he waited to see what Gio’s next move would be.
Gio turned and murmured something to Saint, who nodded, and then he strode up to Joker and cupped his face. “Sacha…” His eyes were impossibly dark, and Joker’s jeans tightened exponentially.
“Hey.”
“You’re all I can think about,” Gio admitted.
Joker worried his bottom lip with his teeth. Was he really going to be that much of a sap? One heated look and a few sweet words and he was going to fold like a bad hand on poker night? Fuck it. He grabbed Gio’s wrist and tugged him along as he hurried toward the back rooms. No overthinking, no excuses.
“If