a filter and said whatever was on his mind. Other times he was a complete mystery, as if he could shut down his emotions with the flick of a switch. It was a little terrifying.
“We’d finished a case earlier today. Ace, Chip, and I were heading back when Chip stopped me from getting run over by a motorcycle. Jack was manning one of his surveillance drones, but he didn’t see it because he’d been distracted by his phone. Namely, a text from you.”
Fitz removed his phone from his pocket and checked his outgoing texts. There it was. A reminder to Jack about his hair appointment followed by a kissy emoji. His face heated and his pulse fluttered. This was ridiculous. Since when did he blush over a damned emoji?
“More importantly,” Ace said, rounding the corner to join them in the kitchen. He grabbed Colton, dipped him, and kissed him. “Hey, sugarbear.” When he lifted Colton back up, the dreamy look in Colton’s eyes and the soft laugh he let out might have made Fitz a little bit jealous. Just a tad. A skosh. “Why was my emoji one of suspicion?”
Fitz stared down at his text. “I must have hit it by mistake. It was next to the happy-face emoji.” Right? That made sense.
“I knew it!” Ace poked a finger in Joker’s face. “He hadn’t meant to send me that.”
“Oh no, I totally meant to send you that emoji,” Fitz said, amused by Ace’s scandalized expression. “It was Jack’s I hadn’t meant to send.” He chewed on his bottom lip for a second, ignoring Joker teasing Ace. Why would something as small as an emoji from Fitz distract Jack? Oh God, poor Jack. What must he be thinking? Two years of avoiding him and suddenly a text ending in heart kisses? “I’ll go.”
Everyone stopped midconversation and stared intently at him. Oh, wonderful. So this was what it was like to have close friends. He cleared his throat and returned his phone to the pocket of his skinny jeans.
“It’s been a while since I’ve had an excuse to wear something outrageously fabulous.”
Laz hurried around the counter. “You’ll come to the charity auction?”
Fitz nodded. The one thing he missed was getting the chance to dress up. Sure, he could wear Louis Vuitton to the supermarket the next time he needed to buy milk, but somehow that wasn’t as fun.
“Woo!” Laz did a little victory dance, the remains of his cocktail splashing around his glass.
“Okay, Boozie McGee, watch the cashmere.”
“Who wears cashmere in Florida?” Ace asked. “In the summer?”
“I do,” Fitz said. “It might be summer outside, but it’s winter indoors.” He tended to run cold, which didn’t help when everyone had their AC temperature turned to “polar ice cap.”
Laz grinned like a loon at Colton. “This is going to be so much fun, isn’t it?”
Fitz peered at his friend, then at Colton, who was also grinning like a dope. “What’s going on?”
“Um, nothing,” Laz said, eyes big and innocent.
Fitz wasn’t buying it for a second. “Wow, and the Oscar goes to… not you.”
Ace came around the counter to throw an arm around Fitz. “Welcome to the family, Fitz. Question. What kind of health insurance do you have?”
“What?” Fitz blinked at him, puzzled by everyone breaking into laughter. “It’s nothing to shout about, but it’s decent. Why?”
“No reason.” Ace patted his chest before leaving him to pull Colton into his arms.
Laz’s phone rang, and he answered the call, his smile going huge, meaning only one thing—his big brother was on the other end.
“Hey, Gio! How are you?”
Fitz hadn’t thought Laz’s smile could get any wider. He was wrong.
“Oh my God, for real?” Laz whooped loud and did another little dance just as Red appeared, making Red chuckle. Red greeted everyone on his way to Laz, then kissed Laz’s cheek. With a smile that was only for Red, Laz turned his head to receive a sweet kiss on the lips. “Of course I’m listening. Red just got here. I’ll tell him. Actually, Colton, Ace, Fitz, and Joker are here too. Sure.” Laz moved his phone away from his ear and tapped the screen. “You’re on speaker.”
“Good evening, everyone. Forgive me for interrupting.”
Once upon a time, before Fitz had come to see Gio as a big brother, he’d thought Gio to be the sexiest man he’d ever met. Like Colton, Gio exuded elegance, but unlike Colton, who was sweet and a little adorkable at times, Gio was the epitome of smooth sophistication. His voice dripped with