Gio's Dream

An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication

www.ellorascave.com

Gio’s Dream ISBN 9781419910524 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Gio’s Dream Copyright © 2008 Carol Lynne Edited by Briana St. James. Photography and cover art by Les Byerley. Electronic book Publication April 2008 With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502. Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/) This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.

GIO’S DREAM

Carol Lynne

Dedicated to my new coffee buddy, Lyn Cash.

Trademarks Acknowledgement The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction: Audi: Audi A.G. Corporation Cadillac Escalade: General Motors Corporation Country Club Plaza: J.C. Nichols Company Corporation Jaguar: Ford Motor Company Limited KU: The University of Kansas State Educational Institution Kansas Revenge of the Nerds: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

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Chapter One It was two a.m. when Gio pulled up to his parents’ house. He’d been driving for two days, but he was finally back in his hometown of Kansas City. Opening the door to his Audi, Gio stood and stretched his six-foot-two-inch frame. He wished he’d gotten in earlier. He would have liked to stop in at the hospital to see his dad. Nino Brunelli was the reason Gio was moving back to Kansas City from Manhattan. His father was having triple bypass surgery in the morning. Looking at the two-story brick house he’d grown up in, Gio shook his head and sighed. Without his mom’s touch, the house didn’t look as friendly. Teresa had loved to plant flowers along the sidewalk leading to the front door. Pink begonias were her favorite. Gio swallowed a lump in his throat. “I miss you, Mom,” Gio whispered to the house. Gio’s mother passed away three years ago last month. “Maybe I’ll plant the flowers for you this year.” Opening the trunk, he decided to just take in one of his bags. He was tired as hell and the rest of his stuff could wait until morning. Making his way toward the front door, Gio fished the keys out of his pocket. His sister Sophie said she’d make sure the fridge was stocked by the time he arrived. He wasn’t sure what he needed most, food or sleep. It would’ve been much easier to fly home, but he wasn’t sure how long it would take for his dad to recuperate after the surgery and Gio wanted his car with him. Hell, why lie to himself? He was tired of the hustle and bustle of New York City. He’d been thinking about moving home for six months anyway. He thought he might just go ahead and look for a job and a house in one of the other suburbs around Kansas City. Jobs weren’t hard for him to find. He was one of the top advertising executives in Manhattan. Fortunate enough to get a job with the best ad firm, his creative energy

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brought new life to old slogans. He was considered the golden child of the advertising world. Unfortunately, money wasn’t enough to keep him in New York anymore. He had a very impressive stock portfolio. He could retire from the business world tomorrow and still be set for life. Gio was ready to settle down. He may not be looking for the perfect wife to give him two-point-five children, but he was ready for a serious committed partnership. The short-term dating and one-night stands had gotten old. Bars and clubs were fine for a night of meaningless sex, but he needed more. Now that he had the money, it was time to get the rest of his life in order. Deciding that sleep was what he needed most, he locked the door and immediately headed upstairs to his boyhood room. Opening the last door in the hallway, Gio turned on the light and stepped back in time. The room was just as he’d left it thirteen years ago when he went off to college. The full-size bed with the red, white and blue patchwork quilt his mom had made was still saggy in the middle. Maybe he should buy a new mattress this week. Gio knew he’d be sleeping in his old room at least until his dad recovered. What the hell, maybe he’d go crazy and buy a whole new bed. A king-size should fit. He wouldn’t have much room to move around, but he could always take it with him when he left. Gio put his suitcase down and removed his shoes and socks and threw them into a corner of the room. His shirt, pants and boxer briefs soon followed. Pulling back the covers, Gio spotted the picture on his bedside table. It was taken the summer before he went to college when his dad had taken him on a fishing trip to Mexico. In the picture, Gio was standing beside a swordfish alongside his dad and Rafe, his dad’s business partner and best friend. Gio turned on the bedside lamp and turned off the glaring overhead light. Slipping under the covers, he reached over and snagged the framed photo. God, he looked young. Where had the years gone? His attention swung to Rafe Gargano. Gio’s crush on Rafe spanned almost two decades.

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Rafe didn’t have any family to speak of, so he always celebrated birthdays and holidays with Gio’s family. It had been torture for a horny teenager to have the object of his wet dreams across the table from him at Thanksgiving dinner. Smiling, Gio ran his finger over the one-dimensional image of Rafe. He’d jerked off to the photo so many times over the years, he was surprised it was still intact. Most recently last year at Christmas, when he was home visiting his dad and his sister. Reaching under the covers, Gio ran his hand along his impossibly hard erection. Gio shook his head, chuckling, “You still got it, Rafe.” Reaching over the side of the bed, he dug in his suitcase for his bottle of lube. Setting the picture on his chest, Gio squirted a large dollop of the slick stuff into his hand. He put the lube on the table and picked up the photo again. Kicking the covers off, Gio reached down and began stroking his hard shaft. Picturing Rafe’s curly black hair and bronze complexion, Gio’s legs spread as his rhythm increased. Rafe was about three inches taller than Gio, and just as muscular. No one would ever guess he was forty-nine. Other than some delicious tiny lines around his eyes, the man was still rock solid. Gio supposed it was the running and swimming Rafe did every day that kept him in such great shape. Thrusting into his own hand, his breathing became erratic. He lay the picture down and reached behind himself to push two fingers into his waiting ass. Thrusting between the hand on his cock and the fingers in his hole, Gio came howling Rafe’s name.

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Chapter Two It was just after eight a.m. when Gio pulled into the parking garage of the hospital. Making his way to the reception desk, he struggled to wake up. Having had just four dream-filled hours of sleep was taking its toll on his eyes and it felt like the sandman had really dumped a load on him. He asked for his dad’s room number and then slipped into the pharmacy for a bottle of eye drops. He felt much better by the time he reached room 302. Opening the door, Gio spotted his sister Sophie at his dad’s bedside. Sophie was a beautiful, raven-haired mother of three who lived with her husband Mark about fifteen minutes away in Overland Park. Walking over to the bed, Gio noticed his dad’s complexion. It looked like Nino had aged ten years in the last eight months. His skin seemed an odd shade of gray and he’d lost weight. Schooling his face to hide his surprise he bent over and gave his dad a kiss on the forehead. “Hi ya, Pop.” Sophie came running around the foot of the bed and threw herself into Gio’s arms. “Oh Gio. I’m so glad you made it. How was the drive? What time did you get in?” Hugging Sophie, Gio half turned to his father. “I got in about two this morning after a very long boring drive. At least I had my CDs to keep me company. It was nice to be able to turn my music up as loud as I wanted without having the neighbors pounding on the walls.” Sophie looked up at him and smiled. “I can’t believe you’re still listening to that garbage. Don’t you know Italians don’t like country music?” She kissed him on the cheek and went back to her bedside chair.

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“I’ve heard that same argument from about every Italian in New York, but it makes me happy.” Gio shrugged his shoulders. Turning toward his dad, Gio placed his hand on Nino’s. “How are you feeling today?” Even though he looked terrible, Nino’s eyes lit up for Gio. “Much better now that you’re here, sport.” His dad had called Gio sport for as long as he could remember. “They’re taking me into surgery in about an hour.” “Glad I made it in time. Is there anything I can do for you?” Nino looked over to his daughter and nodded toward the door. Sophie got up and grabbed her purse off the floor. “I’m going to get some coffee. Do you want some, Gio?” “Yes, please. Extra-large, black.” Sophie left and Gio turned back to his dad. “What’s up?” Nino took Gio’s hand. “I want you to do something for me. I’ve been stressing out about the store.” Nino and Rafe were co-owners of N.R. Element, a sporting goods store in downtown Kansas City. “While I’m laid up, all the work is falling on Rafe. Could you call him and see if there’s anything you can do?” Schooling his features again, Gio looked at his dad. “What’s up with the store? You guys have been in business for over twenty-five years.” Nino looked at his son and slowly shook his head. “Got me. The numbers just aren’t there anymore. We thought maybe we needed different advertising, but that’s not getting us anywhere.” “I’ll talk to Rafe. We’ll come up with something. You just concentrate on getting well.” Sophie came back into the room, carrying two cups of coffee. “I called Rafe while I was out. He said to give him an update after the surgery.” She looked at Nino and winked. “He also said it was typical that you were lying around in bed while he was up working.”

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That got a smile out of Nino. “Yeah, a regular lazybones, that’s what I am.” Nino looked at his two children and reached for their hands. “Promise if something happens to me, you’ll still keep in touch with Rafe. We’re the only family he has left.” Gio swallowed around the lump in his throat. “We promise. But let’s not think that way, okay?” “Sure, I understand. I just wanted to make sure you knew. I think it weighs on Rafe’s mind quite a bit that he doesn’t have a real family of his own.” Nino wiped the pooling moisture from his eyes. “He’s been like a little brother to me for twenty-seven years. I hope you both consider him to be an uncle.” That stopped Gio’s thoughts. He definitely didn’t think of Rafe as an uncle. The hot, hot friend of his father, but in no way were his feelings familial. What would his dad say if he told him he’d beaten off to “Uncle” Rafe’s picture last night? That brought a smile to Gio’s face just remembering. Sophie patted their dad’s hand. “Don’t worry about Rafe. We’ll take care of him.” She looked at Gio with a glint of something mischievous in her eyes. Gio looked questioningly at Sophie. “I’ll call Rafe this afternoon and see if he needs any help with the store.” The nurses came to prepare Nino for the operation and Sophie and Gio were ushered to the waiting room just outside the operating room. Sitting in an uncomfortable vinyl chair, Gio took a sip of his coffee and looked sideways at Sophie. “So, sis, what was the look about in Dad’s room?” Sophie smiled and took her brother’s hand. “The look was nothing. I just happen to know you’ve always had a crush on Rafe.” Sophie was the only one in his family who knew he was gay. Were his feelings toward Rafe that obvious? “Does it show that much?” Shaking her head, Sophie squeezed his hand. “No. It doesn’t show at all to most people, but I’m not ‘most people’. We grew up together. I know your facial features like I know my own.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I see the light that comes into your eyes 10

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whenever Rafe walks into the room. There’s nothing wrong with it, but I understand why you wouldn’t want Dad to know.” “It would kill him to know his son was lusting after his best friend. I just can’t believe you picked up on it. I thought I’d hidden it so well all these years. So tell me how long you’ve known?” Giggling, Sophie took a drink of her coffee. “Uh… I figured it out about ten years ago when you came out of the closet to me. I always thought there was something funny about the way you looked at Rafe when he was around. After you told me you were gay, all the pieces fell together.” “Damn. Do you think Rafe suspects anything?” Sophie looked taken back. “You mean you’ve never told him?” Letting go of her hand, Gio got up to refill his coffee cup. When he sat back down, he turned to her. “Why would you ever think I’d tell him? Do you honestly see Rafe knowing that kind of information and not sharing it with his best friend?” “I guess you’re right.” Sophie got up and grabbed her purse. “I’m going to run across the street to get something better than hospital food. Would you like me to bring you back something?” Startled by Sophie’s statement, it took Gio a minute to answer. “Yeah. You can bring me a sausage biscuit and a decent cup of coffee. Please?” “Okay, be back in about fifteen minutes.” Gio took the rawhide tie out of his hair. Running his fingers through his shoulderlength hair always helped soothe him. His thoughts were on his dad and Rafe. Two of the best men he’d ever known. Sophie came back, sausage biscuit and coffee in hand and they waited. After several hours of small talk, the doctor approached them. “Are you two Giovanni and Sophia?” Gio stuck out his hand in greeting. “Yes, sir. How is my father?”

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“He’s doing very well at the moment. He came through the operation well and is in recovery. Mr. Brunelli should be in a room in about two hours.” Dr. Anderson looked at Sophie and then Gio. “We need to discuss some lifestyle changes for your father. Even though the surgery went well, he’s going to have to make some changes in his daily work habits. It seems the stress of running the store and worrying about finances is elevating his blood pressure quite a bit. I don’t know what can be done, but it’s something for the two of you to talk over as a family.” Gio nodded his head. “I’m moving back to the area to help Dad and his partner out at the store. Hopefully, we can come up with a compromise that can ease his stress level.” Dr. Anderson shook their hands and promised to stop by Nino’s room later that day. After he left, Gio turned to Sophie, “I’m going to call Rafe and let him know Dad made it through just fine.” Kissing his cheek, Sophie smiled at him. “You do that, big brother. I’m going to call Mark and check on the rug rats.” Sophie had three kids under the age of five. Nathan— Nate—would be five in another month, then Michael—Mic—was three and the baby Emily—Emmy—was nine months old. Gio walked outside the hospital to use his cell phone. He punched in the number his sister had given him. Waiting for Rafe to pick up, Gio’s stomach started doing flipflops. Rafe answered on the third ring. “Hello.” Oh man, Rafe’s voice still got to him. “Hi, Rafe. It’s Gio.” “Hey, Gio. How’s he doin’?” Gio swallowed, “Good. Real good. The doctor said he’d be back in his room in a couple of hours.” “Excellent. I’ll be by when my evening manager gets here to take over.” There was a pause in the conversation. “Will…uh… you still be there around five thirty?”

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Sweat started to break out on Gio’s forehead. “Yeah. I’ll still be around. See ya then, Rafe.” “Okay. See you later.” It was twenty after five when Rafe walked through the door. Nino was taking a nap, so Gio put his finger to his lips and pointed to the hall. The two men walked out so they could speak. Rafe embraced Gio in a friendly greeting. “How’s he doin’?” The hug lasted a little longer than was necessary, but Gio didn’t want to let go. Damn, the man felt good in his arms. “He’s pretty tired. He’s been sleeping a lot today, but I guess that’s pretty normal. The doctor said the surgery was a success, but Dad needs to make a few lifestyle changes. That’s something I wanted to talk to you about.” Rafe nodded his head slowly. “I’m glad he’s doing well. Let me check on him and then we can go get a cup of coffee and discuss what’s on your mind.” “That sounds good. I think it would be all right if we woke him. I’m sure he’d be glad to see you.” Gio ushered Rafe back into the room. Was it his fault his eyes kept wandering to Rafe’s fine-looking ass? After all, he was a healthy gay man. Rafe walked to the hospital bed and softly patted Nino’s hand. “Hey, buddy, are you planning to sleep all day?” Nino smiled and opened his eyes. “Hi. How’re the store?” “Don’t you even think about the store, I’m handling that. You just concentrate on getting your beauty sleep. Lord knows you could use it.” Rafe chuckled and took Nino’s hand. “The doctors are getting you all fixed up good as new. Don’t worry about the silly stuff.” Nino looked over Rafe’s shoulder toward Gio. “I asked Gio to help you at the store.”

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Rafe looked over his shoulder at Gio. “I think that’s a fine idea. As a matter of fact, Gio and I are going downstairs for a cup of coffee after we leave here. We can discuss it then, okay?” “Sounds good. Why don’t you two go ahead and take off? I’m starting to feel a little sleepy anyway.” Rafe squeezed Nino’s hand once more and moved to the side. Gio came forward and kissed his dad on the cheek. “I’ll be back in the morning. Don’t give those pretty nurses a hard time.” Rafe and Gio walked out into the hallway. Rafe turned to Gio. “Cafeteria okay with you?” Gio started walking toward the elevator. “Yeah. The coffee isn’t very good, but it’ll do.” He pushed the elevator button and they waited in silence. Getting on, Gio pushed the button for the basement and stepped to the back. “When did Sophie leave?” Gio was thankful for the easy topic. “About an hour ago. She needed to get dinner ready. She said she’d be back in the morning if Mark’s mother could watch the kids again.” Arriving in the cafeteria, they went through the line and found a quiet table in the corner. Gio turned to Rafe and tipped his coffee toward him. “So, tell me what’s going on down at the store?” A look of worry crossed Rafe’s face, then was quickly gone. “Most of our problems right now are financial. The store just doesn’t get the traffic it once did.” He took a drink of his coffee and shook his head. “We’ve also had some employee problems. A couple of months ago, I started noticing the receipts weren’t matching up with the stock. I questioned several employees and they all told me in private they suspected my daytime manager was sneaking supplies out the back door. I didn’t have any proof, so I couldn’t go to the police, but I fired the guy anyway.”

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Rafe once again ran his fingers through his silky black hair. Gio’s fingers itched to do that one simple movement for him. What would it feel like to grab a handful of that silk in a moment of passion? He gave himself a mental slap as Rafe continued talking. “Since I fired Dennis, little things have been happening around the store. Nothing really serious, just odd things like a brick thrown through the window one morning while I was opening the store. We had a little fire in the garbage bin out back last week. Stuff like that. Not enough to catch him, but I’m sure it’s Dennis. I haven’t told Nino about it. He hasn’t looked well for a couple of months now. I’ve been trying to deal with it on my own, but I’m starting to get a little frustrated.” Gio could see the anger and worry rolling off Rafe in waves. He automatically reached out and squeezed Rafe’s hand. “Sounds like you could use some help. How about I come down tomorrow afternoon and take a look around? It’s been several years since I’ve been in to the store.” Rafe squeezed back. “Thanks, it would mean a lot to me.”

***** In the early hours of the morning, Gio woke to the ringing phone. He threw back the covers and staggered into the hall. Picking up the cordless handset from the hall table, he headed back toward the bedroom. “Hello.” “Gio? It’s Rafe. Sorry to wake you, but I got a call from the police. Someone broke into the store during the night. Whoever it was set off the silent alarm, but managed somehow to trash the place before the police got there.” Gio rubbed his right eye with the heel of his hand. “Are the police still there?” He fell back on the bed, but tried to keep his eyes open. “Yeah. They’re still dusting for prints. As you can image, the store’s full of them, so I don’t see how they’ll come up with anything. We’ve got several security cameras. They tape different areas of the store twenty-four hours a day, but the tapes are missing.”

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“Would you like me to come down there?” “I think the police should be done in about another hour, but I could use your help putting the store back together. I’ve called the rest of the dayshift employees and asked them to come in early to help, but I think we’ll have to close the store for the day. Whoever it was did quite a number on it.” Gio looked at the clock. “It’s six o’clock now. I’ll be there by seven, but I’ll have to leave at nine to see Dad. If we’re going to keep this from him, he’ll be expecting me then. I’ll come back to the store after that.” “Sounds good. I’ll see you then.” Rafe hung up and Gio headed for the shower. Gio showered and dressed in jeans and a KU T-shirt. March was still a little cool to wear short sleeves, but he could always take his jacket along. He pulled his hair back and fastened it with the leather thong. Going downstairs, he stopped off in the kitchen to get a bite to eat. As he searched for something in the fridge, he decided that maybe he should just stop off and get the employees donuts. He had a feeling it was going to be a long day. Maybe he would even order in pizza for everyone. With that in mind, he locked up the house and headed for his favorite donut shop. He bought three dozen assorted and a dozen bottles of water and juice. If he remembered right, the store had a coffeepot in the breakroom. Arriving at six fifty, he walked around to the front of the store. With no hands free, he knocked on the front door with his foot. A young guy walked toward the door. He looked at Gio and opened the door a crack. “I’m sorry, sir, but the store will be closed today. We’ve had a break-in overnight.” Gio smiled at the pimply-faced kid. “I know. I’m Gio Brunelli, Nino’s son. Rafe called about an hour ago and said you guys could use a little help cleaning.” Gio lifted the boxes of donuts. “I brought breakfast.”

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The kid opened the door and stepped back. “I’m Lyle. I work the shoe department. Rafe’s in his office, trying to figure out if any merchandise was stolen.” He walked Gio to the breakroom. Setting the boxes on the small table, Gio held up the bag of beverages. “I brought some juice and water too. Go ahead and tell the others to take a break and eat something. I’ll go catch up with Rafe.” Lyle nodded and headed out the door. Gio walked to the office and knocked. At Rafe’s answer to enter, he opened the door. Rafe sat behind the desk with a pile of papers in front of him. It looked as though he’d been worrying his hair. Gio was fascinated by the way the once-smooth waves had been transformed into little curls. He stepped farther inside the office. “Hey, Rafe.” He motioned to the breakroom. “I brought some donuts and stuff.” Rafe leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. “Right now all I need is a complete inventory sheet and a large cup of strong coffee. I’m having a hard time figuring out what has been taken and what has been broken. Did you see the mess out there?” Gio looked at the dark circles under Rafe’s eyes. The man looked about to drop. What was it about Rafe that made Gio long to wrap him up in his arms and take care of him? “Yeah, I saw. What can I do to help?” Rafe threw the pen on his desk and folded his hands in his lap. “I’ve got the employees putting the good stock back on the shelf and the broken stock in large piles, one for each department. If I run you a list of stock on the floor, can you go through the broken stuff? I’d say mark an S next to the number of a particular item still on the shelf and a B with a quantity next to the damaged items. I can then compare the numbers against what my computer says we should have out on the shelf.” Rafe ran his fingers through his hair once more. “I’m sorry, it’s going to be boring, tedious work, but it needs to be done before we can open again. If you see an employee

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who’s finished restocking, give them a sheet and explain what you’re doing and they can help.” “That sounds fine. I’ve got to leave in about an hour and a half to see Dad, but I shouldn’t be gone more than a couple hours.” Gio sat down as Rafe pulled up the records he needed and started printing them out by department. The entire time he waited, Gio studied Rafe. His sensuous lips tended to get a little pouty when he was concentrating. Gio licked his own lips, wanting—no, needing—to taste Rafe. When he was done, Rafe handed him a stack of papers and a clipboard and pencil. “Thanks for the help, Gio.” Taking the items, Gio shrugged. “No problem. I’m just sorry this had to happen in the first place. Do the police have any leads?” “I told them about Dennis Allen, but without the tapes, we might be out of luck. They said they would try to track him down, though.” Rafe got up and came around the desk. “How ‘bout I buy you a cup of coffee before you get started?” Gio nodded and followed him out of the office and into the breakroom. All the employees seemed to be in here. Gio counted five in all. “Is this everyone?” Rafe looked around the table. “Yeah. All the day shift anyway. I’ll introduce you.” He went to stand beside the table, pulling Gio with him. “Everyone, I’d like you to meet Gio Brunelli, Nino’s son. He’ll be helping us out while Nino’s on medical leave.” Rafe introduced him to the four people he hadn’t met yet. Mary, a plain woman of about thirty, Lenny, a young guy working his way through college, Travis, an older man of maybe sixty with snow white hair, and Keith, a guy in his late twenties. He’d already met Lyle, so he acknowledged him by name before Rafe could introduce him. After Gio drank a quick cup of coffee, the whole gang got back to work, with Gio promising them he’d bring back pizza for lunch. Gio worked the inventory sheets for another hour and fifteen minutes, then handed it off to Keith. “I’ll be back in a couple hours. I need to go see Dad.”

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Keith nodded and Gio left, driving the twenty miles to the hospital. Sophie was laughing with Nino when he got there. “Hey, what’s so funny?” Gio said, entering the room. Sophie waved her hand. “Just something that Mic did this morning. How did you sleep? You look a little tired.” Gio bent to give his dad a kiss on the forehead, then moved to Sophie to bestow a kiss on her cheek. “All right. I guess I’m gonna have to break down and buy a new mattress today. I think my old one has seen better days.” Gio hoped Sophie wouldn’t ask him any more questions. He didn’t want to lie to either of them. Gio had a pleasant visit with his dad and sister before telling them he had some errands to run. “I’ll be back this evening, Pop. I’m going to buy a mattress. Maybe a new bed and I’ll run by the store to see if there’s anything I can do to help Rafe.” He bent and kissed his dad goodbye and told Sophie he’d be over in a couple days to see the kids and have dinner. Gio stopped by a furniture store on the way back to N.R. Element. He settled on a black iron and wood king-size bed and made arrangements to have it delivered. Arriving back at the store with five large pizzas, he was met with a smile by the hungry employees. After lunch, Gio followed Rafe back to the office. Shutting the door behind him, Gio sat in the chair in front of Rafe’s desk. “Have you been able to determine yet if anything’s missing?” Rafe blew out a weary breath. “So far, nothing seems to be missing. I’ve got Lenny and Mary going through the backroom checking stock, but I don’t expect anything to be missing from there either.” He covered and rubbed at his eyes. “I just don’t understand it. How could one person cause so much damage in such a short amount of time, and why?” Gio stood and went behind Rafe’s chair. He knew he was playing with fire, but Gio needed to touch and comfort. Putting his hands on Rafe’s shoulder, he began a massage. “Is it possible that it could have been more than one person?” 19

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Rafe groaned and dropped his head forward, allowing Gio better access to his shoulders. “At this point, I’d say anything’s possible.” Gio’s cock was taking notice of the strong, solid muscle of Rafe’s shoulders and neck. He had to get himself and his libido under control before Rafe saw the evidence of his desire. It was made even worse when Rafe reached up and covered Gio’s hands. “That’s good, Gio. Thanks.” Rafe left his hands on top of Gio’s for a few more seconds. Withdrawing them, Rafe stood, “I’m going to see how things are progressing out in the store. Are you going back by the hospital on your way home tonight?” Gio stepped back and started to follow Rafe out the door. “Yeah. I told Dad I would. Why? Is there something you’d like me to tell him?” “No. I was planning on stopping by myself and thought maybe we could have dinner afterward?” Rafe stood in the doorway, looking very good for a man only a couple of years younger than his father. Licking his lips unconsciously, Gio smiled. “Yeah, I’d like that.” They worked side by side the rest of the day. Gio wondered whether it was just his overactive libido or if the man was actually flirting with him. On several occasions, Gio caught Rafe watching him with a funny look on his face. If it wasn’t for the flirting, Gio would have thought Rafe was disgusted with him for some reason. Maybe he knew that he’d been the object of his fantasies for years. Gio didn’t know what the looks were about, but the subtle touches were driving him and his cock mad. Around seven o’clock, the store was cleaned enough to reopen the next day. Rafe told everyone they could go home and he’d close up for the night. Gio thanked them for their hard work as they left the store. After the employees had gone, Gio went to find Rafe.

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Rafe was in the breakroom, cleaning up after a day of donuts and pizzas. Gio went to the coffeemaker and started cleaning the pot. “So, what do you think about the break-in? Did you come up with any missing items?” Rafe leaned against the counter beside Gio and sighed. “The only things missing were the balls—soccer, basketball and volleyball. I can’t figure it out.” Rafe ran his fingers through his hair. Gio never realized before how often Rafe did that particular gesture. Maybe because he’d never seen Rafe this stressed before. Gio reached over and fingered one of the curly locks without even thinking about it. “You know, when you do that your hair goes from the sleek waves it’s normally in to a mass of black curls.” He suddenly realized what he was doing and dropped his hand. Rafe smiled sheepishly. “Bad habit. I’ve done since I was a kid.” He surveyed the room and nodded. “Come on, let’s go see Nino. I’m hungry as hell.” They visited with Nino for about an hour and then they walked to their cars. Gio suggested a steak place down on the Country Club Plaza. It was one of his favorites. Rafe nodded his approval of the location. “I’ll meet you there.” He patted Gio on the back before taking off toward his car. Gio walked to his car with a semi-hard cock lodged in his jeans.

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Chapter Three The Country Club Plaza was in full swing. People walking along the storefronts and eating at the outdoor dining areas reminded Gio he was home. God, he loved this city. Seeing Rafe waiting outside the restaurant, he waved. “Sorry. I couldn’t find a place to park.” Rafe smiled at him. “No problem. It’ll be about thirty minutes before we can get a table anyway. Would you like to go in and get a drink while we wait?” They finally got seated at their table and ordered their dinner. The corner booth was a little too small for two men of their build and height and Rafe’s knees kept brushing his. Gio thought he’d never make it through dinner. He was already aroused sitting that close to Rafe, but when their knees touched for the first time, he became instantly, painfully hard. Shifting a little in his seat, Gio tried to make small talk while willing his erection under control. Finally, he reached down and thumped his cock. Down, boy. Rafe seemed to be oblivious to his condition at least, although he did catch him staring a little too deeply into his eyes when he talked. They finished dinner and both fought over the check. Gio finally won the battle, but Rafe promised to pay next time. Gio smiled to himself. Good. Rafe was already planning a next time. They walked outside and turned toward each other. Rafe looked a little shy and cleared his throat. “The night’s still early. Would you like to go back to my place and watch a movie? I just got a new DVD. Maybe you could stop by and get us a six-pack and we could make an evening of it?” Gio’s palms started to sweat. “That’s sounds great. I’ll stop by the store and get some munchies too. I’ll be over in a few.”

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***** Rafe was kicking himself by the time he got home. He parked his Cadillac Escalade and took the elevator up to his fifth-floor loft. He’d chosen this particular unit because it came with a rooftop garden and courtyard. Rafe went into his bedroom and changed into comfy sweats and a T-shirt. He was so nervous he thought he might be sick. How could he have invited Gio up to his place? Hell, beside the fact that he was old enough to be Gio’s father, Nino was his best friend. Rafe had tried to get over his attraction to Gio for years. It seemed every time he dated someone, he compared them to Gio. Not to mention they were all tall Italians, but none of them could even compare. Gio had the best body Rafe had ever seen. He had the face of a god and the voice of the devil, low and gravelly. Just listening to Gio talk tonight at dinner gave Rafe a stiff cock. Now he was going to tempt fate and actually be alone with him? Rafe had suspected for some time that Gio was gay. Not that he acted in any way feminine. It was the little things Gio did that clued him in. He was always dressed to the nines. He’d never had a girlfriend that Rafe was aware of and Rafe had caught him looking at his ass on more that one occasion. God, what was he thinking? Tonight would either be the best night of his life or the worst mistake he’d ever made. Rafe looked around his home to make sure everything was put where it should be. His loft was fairly large, about twenty-five hundred square feet. With high ceilings and a wall of windows, it seemed even larger than it was. He’d decorated it in a fairly simple manner. Extra-deep black leather furniture with antique end tables and a large wall-mounted television. The wide plank floors had all been refinished before he’d moved in. In the living room, Rafe added a dark red area rug large enough to set the furniture on. He opened the French doors that looked out onto the courtyard. Maybe Gio would like to sit outside and catch the breeze instead? Fifteen minutes after he arrived, the downstairs buzzer sounded. Rafe walked over to the intercom and pushed the button

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so Gio could get into the building. He wiped his sweaty palms on his pants and opened the front door.

***** Gio got into the elevator and ascended to the fifth floor. He’d only been here once with Nino several years ago, but if things went the way he was hoping, he’d be here a lot more in the future. The elevator stopped, and when the doors opened, Rafe was standing there to greet him. Startled, Gio was brought up short. “Oh. Hi. I didn’t expect you to be standing there.” Gio held up the bags he carried. “I got a twelve-pack of beer and some limes and munchies.” “Sounds great. Come on in.” Rafe stepped back a little and Gio brushed against him lightly as he squeezed between Rafe and the doorframe. Rafe shut the door and led the way into the kitchen. “Just put the food on the counter. I’ll take the beer and get it in the fridge.” Gio put the bag where Rafe had instructed and looked around the open kitchen. The loft was set up as basically one large room with glass block walls dividing up the space into living room, kitchen, weight room and bedroom. The only room with three solid walls was the bathroom. The kitchen was separated from the living room with a short glass block wall used as a bar. The rest of the kitchen was furnished industrialstyle with stainless-steel appliances and open-fronted cabinets. The countertops were some kind of concrete with a dark blue tint added. Gio liked it all, especially the large man bending over, putting the beer in the fridge. Gio’s hands itched to reach out and touch. Scolding himself, Gio cleared his throat. “Um…Rafe? Do you have a cutting board? I can get started on these limes if you can just point it out.” Rafe stood up and turned around, holding two beers. “No need for a cutting board with those countertops. You can’t hurt ‘em.” He motioned to the magnetic strip on the

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wall holding his knives. “The little one on the right would probably be the best one for the job.” Gio began cutting up three limes. Looking sideways at Rafe leaning on the cabinet watching him, he smiled nervously. “I like a lot of lime with my beer.” After they were cut and put into a bowl, Gio took a beer from Rafe and squeezed two limes into his and then stuck the peel into his mouth to suck out the remaining juice. Rafe grabbed the bowl of limes and turned to put them into the fridge, but not before Gio saw the hard ridge tenting the front of Rafe’s sweats. Rafe grabbed his own beer and they headed into the living room. Sitting down on the deep couch, Rafe put down his beer and grabbed the remote. “Would you like to borrow some sweats? I’ve got about a million pairs. It would be a lot more comfortable for an evening of lounging around.” Gio looked down at his jeans. Yep, he was half-hard. No way would Rafe be able to miss that in a pair of sweats, but maybe that was why he was offering. “Sounds good. Just point the way and I can change while you set up the movie.” “Right around that curved wall. The sweats will be in the bottom drawer of the dresser.” Gio found the sweats and stripped down. He decided to go ahead and take his underwear off just in case things got interesting later. He also decided to forego a shirt. Walking out of the bedroom, he took a deep breath and crossed his fingers. Rafe was sitting in the corner of the couch with his long legs bent and resting on the cushion. His legs were spread in a relaxed position and he was drinking his beer. Gio decided to sit in the opposite corner in the same position. “Thanks for the sweats. I feel much better already. It’s been a hell of a long day.” Looking Gio up and down, Rafe looked like he was about to swallow his tongue. “No problem. My house is your house. Just make yourself comfortable. I went ahead and decided just to bring a small cooler in here with the beer. That way we don’t have to keep getting up. The limes are in a baggie in there too.” 25

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“Cool. Thanks. Okay, I’m ready. Go ahead and start the movie.” Gio watched the opening credits out of one eye and Rafe out of the other. He slid down a little on the big sofa and stretched his leg out a little farther. His foot was only about an inch or two away from Rafe’s. The film started and they began chatting about the movie and comparing it to the first one. Rafe slid his foot a little and touched Gio’s. “I think I liked the first one better, but I’ll buy anything with Brad Pitt and George Clooney.” Rafe’s head snapped to Gio’s, evidently realizing what he’d said. Gio rubbed his foot against Rafe’s a little more intentionally. The touch felt like electricity running straight up his leg to his cock. Gio was stunned for a minute. He was afraid to look down, but he was worried the tip of his cock was now visible above the waist of his sweats. “Yeah. I’ve always loved those guys too. Not as much as The Rock, though. That guy has a seriously fine body.” Rafe slid his body down farther on the couch. He turned back to the movie, but slowly ran his foot up Gio’s leg. Okay, it was official. His cock was now definitely poking out the top of his pants. Gio flexed his foot and softly brushed Rafe’s cock. Immediately he saw results in the size of Rafe’s package. Yum. He did it again a little harder and Rafe moaned, eyes rolling to the back of his head. Rafe’s foot traveled farther up Gio’s thigh to caress his balls. “Oh God, Rafe, that feels so good.” “Not half as good as I’m feeling right now. The sight of your cock is killing me. Do you mind if I come a little closer?” “Hell no, I don’t mind. I’ve been dreaming about this since I was a teenager. Come on over here with your sexy ass.” Gio spread his legs a little more and Rafe crawled across the couch between them. He immediately reached for Gio’s cock and rubbed it while he kissed him all the way up his naked torso. Rafe nipped at Gio’s jaw and then grabbed the back of his neck and 26

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began devouring his mouth. There was no coy pretense involved, it was straight mouth fucking. Rafe’s tongue thrust in and out as Gio moaned around it. Coming up for air, he looked into Rafe’s half-lidded eyes. “Damn. I’ve wanted you.” Gio pulled Rafe up a little more so they could rub their cocks against each other. It was like setting a match to a case of dynamite. They both were panting and thrusting while still kissing each other into oblivion. Realizing how fast things were progressing, Rafe pulled back. “I shouldn’t be doing this with you. Nino’s my best friend, for Christ’s sake.” Rafe resumed his seat on the other end of the couch and worried his hair. Gio sat up and pulled his sweats back up over his cock. “What are we going to do? I mean, it’s obvious that you want me as much as I want you. We’re two single men. I’m not a boy any longer. I don’t know if this is right or wrong, but I know what I feel. And right now, Dad’s the farthest thing from my mind.” Closing his eyes, Rafe threw his head back onto the back of the couch. “I know what you’re saying, but my feeling go deeper than a one-night stand, and I’m not sure either of us is prepared for more.” “I’m sorry, but I’m not ready to throw away a lifetime fantasy because my dad might not approve.” He crawled back over to Rafe. “I want you. I’ve wanted you for years. Is that enough of an incentive for you to see I’m not just playing a game?” Gio ran his hands up Rafe’s naked chest. He bent and took one of Rafe’s nipples into his mouth and sucked. He knew he was trying to seduce Rafe now, but things had gone too far for him to pretend there was nothing between them. It was now or never as far as he was concerned. He just needed to get Rafe to see things his way. Arching his back, Rafe ran his fingers through Gio’s hair. “God, I may go to hell for this, but I want it so badly I can’t tell you to stop.” Gio leaned into Rafe a little more and rubbed his still-hard cock against Rafe’s thigh. “Don’t stop then. Enjoy the journey.” He worked his way up Rafe’s neck to his 27

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jaw. He stopped to lick and suck at Rafe’s ever-present five o’clock shadow before moving to his lips. Gio licked and sucked on Rafe’s lips until he let him inside. Rafe pulled back. “I need to taste you. Is it safe? I’m good. Just had a checkup a couple months ago and haven’t been with anyone since.” Gio shook his head. “I haven’t been with anyone in a long time and never without protection, but I’d rather get tested to be on the safe side. I care too much to put you in danger.” “Just let me know before you come and I’ll pull off. But I gotta know how you feel.” Rafe moved down Gio’s chest, first stopping to pay homage to his nipples. Rafe licked and sucked the hard nubs before finally latching on. “Feels so good, so damn right.” Gio ran his fingers through Rafe’s hair and held on. Rafe slowly roamed his way down Gio’s abdomen, pushing his own sweats down as he did. He traced the cut six-pack with his tongue, and looked up into Gio’s eyes. “God, you’re beautiful. I’ve always thought so. Now I can actually get the chance to know so.” He continued down to where the head of Gio’s cock was clearly visible sticking out above the waistband of his sweats. Rafe swallowed the head and pushed the sweats down and off. Running his tongue along the veined sides of Gio’s cock, Rafe started moaning and thrusting his own cock against Gio’s leg. He made it back up to the tip and swallowed Gio deeply. Gio closed his eyes and moaned. No one had ever gotten that much of Gio’s cock in his mouth. Rafe was a pro at this. Easing Gio’s cock even deeper down his throat, Rafe began to fondle Gio’s sac. From there he inched his way to the crevice of his ass. Rafe pulled up and off Gio’s cock and stuck his finger in his mouth. With his finger nice and wet, Rafe went back down on Gio’s cock and inched his wet finger around and then into Gio’s puckered hole. “Gonna come, Rafe,” Gio panted and tried to pull away from Rafe’s face. “Can’t hold it anymore.” 28

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Rafe hummed and thrust his finger farther into Gio’s hole, replacing his mouth with his hand. Gio came with a growl loud enough to wake the dead. Rafe slid back up his body to hold him. As Gio recovered from the most intense orgasm he’d ever experienced, he stroked Rafe’s curls. “Oh damn. I don’t think I’ll ever be the same again.” Gio looked into Rafe’s eyes. “I think you’ve spoiled me for other men for the rest of my life. That was just, wow!” Gio put his hands on Rafe’s face and kissed him lightly. “Sorry, I forgot about you.” Gio started to ease his hand toward Rafe’s cock. Rafe stopped his progression. “I’m the one who should be sorry.” Rafe shrugged as Gio noticed his cheeks redden. “Check your leg. Seeing and feeling you come was the sexiest damn thing ever. I couldn’t help myself.” Rafe looked at him a little sheepishly. Gio looked down and watched as Rafe’s cum dripped off his bare leg onto the sofa. Laughing, Gio kissed him again. “That tells you how far gone I was. I didn’t even feel all that hot cum hit me.” Rafe kissed him back and reached to pull his sweats the rest of the way off. He cleaned Gio’s leg and the sofa with his sweats and then cleaned himself. Crawling back into Gio’s arms, Rafe snuggled against him. “Is this wrong of us?” Rafe asked. He looked up into Gio’s black eyes. “How can it be wrong? My feelings for you are genuine. They always have been. It just took my sister to get the ball rolling.” Rafe looked startled. “What does Sophie have to do with this?” Gio laid Rafe’s head back on his chest and started playing with his hair. “Sophie evidently has known for years how I felt about you. She basically told me yesterday at the hospital that I should stop dreaming about it and go for it. Then when you asked me to dinner and then up to your loft, I decided maybe she was right.” Rafe turned his head and kissed Gio’s chest. “I’ve always wanted you, had I known you felt the same way, I’d have gone to New York and dragged you back a long time ago. I always suspected you might be gay.” Gio raised his eyebrows at Rafe. “Come on. 29

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No one looks the way you do and doesn’t have a string of women surrounding them, unless they don’t want them.” Gio laughed and kissed the top of his head. “I thought the same thing about you. You’re the sexiest man I’ve ever known.” Gio traced the hair around Rafe’s face. “I like the gray you’ve got coming in at your temples.” Gio stopped and swallowed. He closed his eyes and whispered. “I guess I just basically like you, Rafe.” He looked down at Rafe’s face. “Does that freak you out?” Rafe cleared his throat and seemed to wipe moisture out of his eyes. He looked up at Gio and shook his head. “It doesn’t freak me out. I like you too.” Gio hauled Rafe back up for another passionate kiss. “I think maybe we owe Sophie a nice steak dinner. How about a shower and then more snuggling in bed?” “Good plan.” Rafe rose off the sofa and helped Gio up. Arm in arm, they walked into the bathroom.

***** Rafe had a huge walk-in steam shower with a wide bench built into one side. While Gio started the water, Rafe put two towels out and dug into the medicine cabinet for a condom. Stepping in, Gio held out his arms for the sexy older man. Rafe moved into his embrace and kissed him. What was it that he was feeling? Was he insane? “I know this sounds totally crazy, but I feel like I’ve come home.” He slowly rimmed Rafe’s lips with his tongue and gave him another kiss. “Thank you.” Moving his hands down to Gio’s butt, Rafe squeezed gently. “I have to admit I’m a little thrown by the intensity of my feelings. Nino’s my best friend and I don’t want to lose him, but I’m willing to risk it. I’ve hidden my feelings long enough and I can’t do it anymore.” “I think it would be better to wait until Dad’s a lot stronger. We also need to figure out what to do about Dennis. If he’s the one responsible for the break-in, we need to do 30

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something about it. That way Dad only has the stress of our relationship to deal with and not the store. Okay?” Squeezing Gio’s butt a little harder, Rafe licked his cheek. “I agree. We’ll wait awhile. As long as you stay here with me until he gets out of the hospital. I know you’ll need to be home to help take care of him, but let me have you until then. We’ve got a lot of wasted time to make up for.” Gio rubbed his already filled cock against Rafe’s. “I’d like that. I’ll go to the house and get my bags in the morning. I guess I also need to make a few phone calls to New York and let them know I’ll be moving back here permanently.” Gio saw the freaked-out look on Rafe’s face. “Relax. I’m not some kind of wacko who plans to stalk you. I’ve been thinking about moving back for the past year. This new development between us just helped solidify things in my mind. Actually, I should go ahead and call a moving company and make arrangement to get my stuff shipped back here. I may need to fly to New York to make arrangements with a realtor to sell my apartment.” Gio started thinking about all the changes coming in his life. He knew he was probably being foolish, but he’d been so unhappy in New York. Now that he had Rafe in his arms, Gio understood why he’d been restless. Unrequited love was hell to live with, especially when spread over so many years. Rafe ran his finger around Gio’s hole and kissed him. “I’m sorry. I feel like I’m forcing you to make all the sacrifices. Quitting your job, selling your apartment and leaving your friends are not easy things to do.” Gio pushed back against Rafe’s probing finger. “No sacrifice whatsoever. I can get a job anywhere. My apartment has skyrocketed in value since I bought it and I really don’t have any close friends to speak of. It wouldn’t matter to me if I had a whole group of really great friends, though. I’d give up everything to be right here with you and my family.” He pushed back again and Rafe’s finger pushed inside. “As long as you continue to work your magic with those incredibly long fingers, I’m yours.” 31

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Rafe pumped into Gio with his soap-slicked finger, slowly adding another. Gio’s breathing became erratic and his head fell back. “God, Rafe, I want you in me. I want to feel your cock pounding my ass.” Grabbing the condom from the built-in shelf, Rafe sheathed his cock. Squirting some more liquid soap into his hands, he positioned Gio where he wanted him. Bent over with his hands on the steam bench, Gio held on. “Now. Need you.” “I think I’m going to have to buy lube for every room in the house.” Rafe lined his cock up with Gio’s ass and pushed his way in. The initial thrust of Rafe’s cock took Gio’s breath. He wasn’t a virgin by any stretch of the imagination, but never had he been filled to this extent. Rafe’s cock was every bit as long as his, but even thicker. Now Gio had a whole new way of looking at the men he had fucked in the past. They always complained about him being too much for them and Gio never understood the concept. With Rafe’s cock in his ass, he now understood. As soon as he caught his breath, Gio thrust back against Rafe’s shaft, burying him to the hilt. Rafe laid his head on Gio’s back and stopped. “So tight. Christ, I’ve never felt anything like it. Give me a second or it’ll be over before it really begins.” Rafe kissed his way around the back of Gio’s neck. With a tight grip on his hips, Rafe slowly pulled out and slammed back in. Thrusting again and again, they set a grueling pattern. Rafe’s hips were snapping faster and faster, ramming his cock in and out of Gio. “Can’t. Gonna blow.” Rafe reached around and took hold of Gio’s cock. Pumping Gio to the same rhythm he’d set, he and his lover came on a roar. They slowly melted to the floor and held each other, trying to catch their breath. “Yeah. I’m definitely keeping you,” Rafe grunted. They rinsed off and climbed out of the shower. “Let’s get dried off and go to bed. I’m not as young as I used to be.”

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Chapter Four Gio tried to open his eyes the next morning, but was blinded by the morning sun shining in the wall of windows. Grumpily, he buried his head into Rafe’s neck and tried to go back to sleep. Rafe chuckled, “Not a morning person, huh? Why didn’t I remember that?” Rafe kissed the top of Gio’s head and rubbed his back. “Well, you just stay right there and I’ll do all the work.” Rafe started to move to the foot of the bed, but Gio’s hands stopped him. “No, it’s my turn to taste you.” Rafe stopped and grinned. “Well, who am I to argue.” He rolled onto his back and spread his legs. “Do your best and there’ll be breakfast waiting after your shower.” Rafe smiled and Gio rolled his eyes. “Geez, talk about pressure to perform.” With breakfast as his incentive, Gio attacked Rafe’s cock with hunger. His lips barely fit over the huge erection. Gio pulled back and wet his lips. “Don’t really need a split lip today.” He went back to his job, working for his breakfast. Pumping his lips over Rafe’s cock was thrilling. Rafe moved with Gio, thrusting his cock deeper and deeper down Gio’s throat. Gio could tell Rafe was about to come, but he wasn’t ready for this to be over. Gio pulled off and licked his way down to Rafe’s balls. Rolling first one and then the other around in his mouth, he made his way down even farther to the crevice of Rafe’s ass. Rafe groaned and pulled his legs up to rest on his chest. “Oh. Keep going. That feels good.” Gio licked around Rafe’s hole and nipped the soft skin with his teeth. He inserted a finger and kept licking. When he got him loosened up, he French-kissed Rafe’s ass, Gio’s tongue darting in and out. He knew neither of them would last much longer and 33

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he still wanted a taste. Gio moved back up to swallow Rafe’s cock, but he kept two fingers pumping his hole. As soon as Gio got Rafe’s cock most of the way down his throat, Rafe thrust a little deeper. “Gonna,” Rafe shouted. With one last lick, Gio pulled off the tasty cock and milked Rafe to completion with his hand. The sounds Rafe made as he painted his own stomach and chest with seed made Gio come too. Gio collapsed on Rafe’s stomach and thought maybe he needed a nap. He slowly ran his fingers through the thick white semen, enjoying the scent of his man. Wow, he still couldn’t believe how much his life had changed in less than twelve hours. A little while later, Rafe pulled him up for a good morning kiss. “Morning. Did you sleep well?” Gio grinned and licked the side of his face. “The best sleep I’ve had in years. What’s for breakfast?”

***** After the dishes were done, Rafe and Gio headed for the front door. Gio reached out and hugged Rafe one more time. “I’m going to head to the house and pick up my stuff before going to the hospital for a while. I also want to see if I can have tests run today or if I have to make an appointment. I should be at the store around three.” “Sounds good. I’ll dig out my test results from a couple of months ago to show you.” Gio started to object, but Rafe raised his hand. “It’s the responsible thing to do. I also have to stop off at the pharmacy and pick up about ten bottles of lube and a couple boxes of rubbers. There’s no way I’m going to go searching for stuff with you around. I’ll be at the store when you get there. I get off work around five, then I’d like to stop and see how Nino’s doing. I thought we’d come back here and make something easy for dinner.”

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They locked up and took the elevator. When they stepped outside the building, they turned toward the residents’ parking lot. Holding hands like a couple of teenagers, they entered the lot and Rafe stopped short. “What the fuck!” Rafe’s SUV had been destroyed. Windows broken, tires slashed and white spray paint all over the beautiful black paint job. The words written on the side of the vehicle made Gio’s blood run cold. “You’re next!” Gio grabbed Rafe’s hand. “Call the police. I think you’ve just been threatened.” Nodding his head, Rafe pulled out his cell phone. Half an hour later, the police showed up to take the report. They asked all the typical questions. “Do you know who could have done this? What does that person have against you?” Yada…yada…yada. They dusted for prints, but thought it unlikely they would get one that belonged to the suspect. Gio and Rafe thanked the police and headed toward Gio’s Audi. “Why don’t you just ride to the house with me and borrow Dad’s Jag? He’s not going to need it for a while and it could be a couple of weeks before your Cadillac is fixed.” Rafe nodded and got in. Once in the car, he laid his head back against the seat and closed his eyes. Gio reached out and held his hand. “We’ll get to the bottom of this, I promise.” Rolling his head to the side, Rafe opened his eyes and looked at Gio’s profile as he drove toward Nino’s house in Prairie Village. “I’m glad I have you on my side.” Gio raised Rafe’s hand and kissed it. “You’ve got me for as long as you want me.” Rafe gave a slight nod. “Forever, then. I’m not letting you get away.”

***** Gio got to the store around three thirty that afternoon. Walking in, he felt a certain amount of pride. N.R. Element had always been one of the premier sporting and outdoor stores in the Midwest. Gio just had to figure out what was going wrong with it.

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Looking around the store, he didn’t see Rafe. He stopped one of the employees, Mary, and asked where Rafe was. Mary’s eyes were clearly checking him out. It made Gio grin. “Um…Rafe’s in his office, I believe.” Mary batted her eyelashes and smiled. “Thanks.” Gio headed to the back of the store. He knocked on Rafe’s door and went on in. Rafe looked up from his computer and smiled. Turning his chair to face Gio, Rafe held out his arms. “Hey, you. C’mere and hold me. It’s been a shitty day.” Gio turned and locked the door and went and knelt between Rafe’s spread legs drawing him into a tight embrace. “Good news. I was able to get my test done this morning. They’ve already called my cell with the results.” “And?” He kissed him deeply, then leaned back and looked at Rafe. “Hmm, let me see if I can show you.” Gio ran his hand down Rafe’s torso and rubbed his growing erection. “Ahhh.” Gio lowered the zipper on Rafe’s jeans and chuckled. “I can’t believe you still don’t wear underwear. I thought that was sexy as hell when I found out fifteen years ago and it still turns me on.” Gio separated the denim and rubbed his face against Rafe’s evergrowing shaft. “How’d you find out?” Rafe asked. Gio rolled his eyes. “Duh, I was a gay teenager with his first real crush. I peeked, of course. I used to find any excuse to be around when I knew you were changing.” Gio buried his face once again in Rafe’s lap. “Damn, you smell good.” He began to lick around Rafe’s cock head, dipping his tongue in and out of the slit to lap at the precum. He unbuttoned his own jeans and took himself in hand. Gio ran his tongue up and down the length of Rafe’s cock and then slid him down his throat in one swallow. Slowly stroking himself, Gio went to work on Rafe’s cock.

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Rafe started moaning and running his hands over the top of Gio’s head. “I love your hair. I love the way it feels against my skin.” Rafe reached lower and pulled up Gio’s shirt so he could play with his nipples. Gio moaned at the sharp sting of Rafe’s fingers pinching and pulling his aroused nubs. Rafe thrust deep and shot down his throat on a groan. Gio licked Rafe clean and pumped himself to completion. Raising his head, he grinned at Rafe. “I could get used to this,” he said, pulling several tissues from the box on Rafe’s desk. After wiping his hand, he sat up and kissed his way around Rafe’s neck. “Me too. Best remedy for stress I’ve come across.” “Heard anything new on the break-in? Do the cops think it was tied to what happened to your SUV?” Rafe stroked Gio’s back and shoulders. “Nothing definite. But I got an earful from Mary this morning. The balls that were damaged were from her department and she wants me to put a rush order in for more. I thought we had another pallet upstairs in the storage area, but I can’t find them. I told her I’d call our supplier and get some more, but with business being so slow lately, I don’t see the need for a rush charge on the damn things.” “Well, that’s the reason I’m here. I thought I’d see if I could figure out why your sales have dropped off.” Rafe raised Gio up and kissed him. They just held each other for a few more minutes and then Rafe pulled back a little. “So tell me what you want to do first. Would you like to go over the books?” Shaking his head, Gio leaned in and stole another quick kiss. “I don’t need to look at the books at all. As far as I’m concerned, you’re the expert at that part of the business. What I’m interested in is watching the traffic flow. I thought maybe I’d just go find a chair somewhere out of the way and watch awhile. Okay?” “Sure, anything you need. There are some camping chairs displayed on the right side of the store. It’s fairly close to the front door, so you can watch the customers 37

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coming and going.” Rafe reached down and buttoned Gio’s jeans. “Don’t want to give poor Mary any ideas.” “I’m not the one who walks around going commando all day,” Gio teased as he ran his thumb over the head of Rafe’s cock. Rafe chuckled and started zipping his own jeans. “For your information, I’ve found that my cock fits better in pants if it’s not being strangled to death by a pair of underwear, smartass.” He grinned and smacked Gio on the butt. “Go to work. I’ve got payroll to finish before I can go home.” Walking toward the door, Gio turned to look over his shoulder at Rafe. “Maybe you should have picked up some more vitamins when you went to the pharmacy this morning.” Gio gave Rafe a toothy grin. “Get out of here, punk, before I turn you over my knee.” Gio lifted an eyebrow. “Mmmm…sounds kinky, ‘Uncle’ Rafe.” Gio let out a belly laugh and ran out the door.

***** Rafe locked up his office at five o’clock and went in search of Gio. He found him sitting behind the counter talking to Mary. “Ready?” Gio gave Mary one last heart-stopping smile and followed Rafe out of the store. “I’ll see you at home.” “Sure thing, flirt.” Rafe narrowed his eyes at Gio in a mock mad face. Gio laughed, “You get more information with honey than vinegar, old man.” “Yeah, I’ll show you old man once I get you home. Are we still going by the hospital first?” “I think it would be better if you go alone tonight. I know if I’m there, Dad will ask what I think about the store, and I want to run a few things by you first. Just tell him I was still at the store when you left and I’ll see him tomorrow. I’ll stand right here in the parking lot until you drive away so you won’t have to lie to him.” 38

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Rafe smiled and shook his head. “Will do. See you at home in about an hour and a half.” Rafe got into Nino’s red Jaguar and drove away.

***** When Rafe walked through the door to the loft, the first thing he noticed was the heavenly smell of red sauce simmering on the stove. The second thing he noticed was the hunk of a man asleep on the couch, wearing only midnight blue lightweight silk pajama bottoms. Man, I’m glad I gave him a key. Rafe took a deep breath and began undressing where he stood. He still couldn’t believe Gio was here. Pulling off his jeans, Rafe shook his head. Damn, the man was just sex on a stick and Rafe was suddenly feeling very hungry. Rafe knelt beside the couch and took the opportunity to just look at Gio in sleep. Even the man’s feet were sexy, perfectly shaped with well-cared-for nails. Rafe lightly traced the raised veins on the top of Gio’s foot with his finger. He looked toward Gio’s face to make sure he hadn’t woken him. Nope, those incredibly long black lashes were still fanned across his high cheekbones. Next, Rafe moved to Gio’s abdomen. Powerful muscles stood out beautifully against his dark Italian skin. He saw the scar on Gio’s side. Shaking his head, Rafe remembered where Gio’d gotten that scar. It was on their fishing trip to Mexico when Gio was a teenager. He was a cocky sonofabitch back then. Hell, he still was. Gio had jumped off the top of the fishing boat they’d rented and hit the side rail as he entered the ocean. Blood was everywhere. They’d taken him into town and gotten him fixed up. Thirty-three stitches later, he was still cocky. Speaking of cocky… Rafe looked at Gio’s pretty shaft resting under the thin silk pants. He outlined the length with his finger and it started to grow. Using a little more pressure, Rafe continued to rub Gio through his pants. Gio gave a small thrust into Rafe’s hand and opened his eyes.

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Running his fingers through Rafe’s hair, Gio smiled. “Hey. How’s Dad tonight?” Rafe bent and placed a kiss on Gio’s stomach. “He’s better. But please, let’s not talk about your father while I am fixing to swallow this pretty cock of yours. Kinda makes me feel a little perverted.” Rafe replaced his hand with his tongue. The silk pants become wetter with every lick and nibble. “Let’s get these off.” Gio lifted his hips and Rafe pulled his pants down and off. “Wait. I want to fuck you. I’ve dreamed about doing it for too many years. I gotta have it.” “My pleasure.” Rafe stood and pulled Gio up off the couch. “Trade me places, big guy.” Gio stood and Rafe replaced him on the couch. “Oh, grab that pharmacy bag by the door.” Gio retrieved the sack and dumped the contents onto the coffee table. Ten bottles of lube spilled out. “Damn. What did the checkout clerk think of your purchase?” “It was a young woman. She just smiled and winked at me,” Rafe grinned. Gio was already lubing up his hole and Rafe couldn’t help but to moan. “Besides, I told you I didn’t want to go searching in the heat of the moment. I bought enough to hide all over the loft. God, that feels so good. It’s been a long time for me, Gio. Usually I only top, but I can’t wait to have your cock inside me.” Rafe pushed against Gio’s fingers. After Gio worked his way up to three fingers, he lubed his cock and positioned the crown at Rafe’s entrance. “Tell me if I’m hurting you,” Gio said as he breeched Rafe’s opening. He continued to push gently until his full length was inside Rafe. “I can tell it’s been awhile for you. You’re as tight as a virgin, but hotter than lava.” “Feels great. Give me all you’ve got. I’m ready.” Rafe pulled his legs up higher on his chest. Gio straddled him, one knee on the couch beside Rafe’s hip and one leg on the floor for leverage. Gio pulled out and pushed back in hard. Rafe felt Gio’s cock move in and out of him, his balls slapping Rafe’s ass on every stroke.

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“You’d better brace yourself or you’re going to hit your head on the arm of the couch,” Gio warned. Rafe reached up and braced himself seconds before Gio picked up his pace. Gio’s hips were snapping back and forth so fast, Rafe could barely breathe. Never had it felt like this. Suddenly, Rafe felt a spurt of jealousy for all the men in Gio’s past. “You’re mine, Gio. No one else should ever feel this but me. Got it?” Sweat was dripping off Gio’s body as he pumped at lightning speed. “Got it. Never going to be anyone else.” Gio reached one hand out and wrapped it around Rafe’s swollen cock, stroking him with every thrust of his hips. It didn’t take long for Rafe to unleash the heat of his passion. Rafe’s orgasm released Gio’s and they both cried out in unison. Collapsing on top of Rafe, Gio kissed him. “That was by far the best sex of my life.” They curled up together and snuggled a little longer. “We need a quick shower. We both kind of stink.” Gio sat up and looked toward the kitchen. “If I’ve burned Nana Brunelli’s red sauce, she’ll turn over in her grave.” Gio managed to stand on the first try and reached to pull Rafe up. “Why don’t you shower first and I’ll check on the sauce and start the water for the pasta. You know if we shower together we’ll never make it to dinner, and suddenly I’m starving.” Laughing, Rafe picked up his clothes and headed for the shower. He heard a low whistle from behind him and knew Gio was watching him go as he put his silk bottoms back on. “Damn, you’ve got a sexy ass.” Rafe stopped and wiggled it a little for him. “All yours. Every square inch and hole.” He disappeared around the glass block wall, heading toward the shower.

Gio blew out a breath and headed for the kitchen to continue making dinner for his man. His man. Gio couldn’t get over that. He figured his mom must be helping him out from heaven. “Thank you, Mom. If you had any part of this, I’ll thank you a million times.” 41

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***** After Gio’s shower, they decided to eat dinner out in the garden. Rafe set the table while Gio fixed the salad. Once they sat and started eating, Gio brought up his plans for the store. “We all know the problem is traffic. There just aren’t enough people coming in.” At Rafe’s nod, he continued. “The only solution for that is going to ruffle some feathers, I’m afraid. I think you should move the store out to the suburbs. There just aren’t enough people shopping downtown anymore.” Rafe took a deep breath, and Gio could see he was about to argue. Gio held up his hand. “Let me finish. Back when you opened the store, the city was a little different. These days, the suburbs are where the money is. Yuppies should be your target buyers and most of them live outside the city.” Gio took a breath. “I say the best bet for the store would be to move it to the people instead of trying to get the people to come all the way into the city.” “What about our loyal customers? Won’t we lose them if we move ten to fifteen miles outside the city?” Shaking his head, Gio took a drink of wine. “Your loyal customers will be happy to drive the extra miles if it keeps the store in business. I also think we should have a website designed so the store can get customers from outside the area.” Gio reached out and took Rafe’s hand. “I know this is a big step, but I honestly don’t see any other way to save it.” Rafe closed his eyes and nodded. “I know you’re right, it’s just hard to think about uprooting twenty-five years of my life.” Rafe opened his eyes and looked at Gio. “So, you’ve convinced me, but what about Nino?” “Dad’s going to be tough, but hell, he already lives in the suburbs, so maybe we can find a location close to him. The shorter drive should relieve some of the stress on him, if nothing else. There’s one more thing I want to approach you two about.” Gio leaned over and kissed Rafe. “Would you and Dad be interested in taking on another partner?” 42

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Rafe looked shocked. “Are you kidding me? Why would a hot-shot ad exec want to work in a sporting goods store?” Gio shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t really want to work in the store. I was thinking more along the lines of investing some of my savings in exchange for an office in the back. I’d like to slow down my lifestyle so I don’t end up like Dad, with a triple bypass at fifty-three.” Rafe kissed him again. “It all sounds fine with me, but would it make you happy?” “Yeah. I think it would. I thought I could pick up a few local clients and also do all the advertising and website management for the store. I’d have as much work as I wanted, with plenty of time to spare for you. Plus, the added bonus in all this is I could have an office next to yours.” Rafe squeezed Gio’s hand. “Well, how do we begin?” “I thought maybe I’d contact a real estate agent tomorrow and see what’s available in the size and location we need. After I get some ideas from the agent, we need to talk to Dad. I’d like to give him a couple more days to gain some of his strength back, though. I also think now would be a good time for me to fly back to New York for two days while he’s still in the hospital. I can quit my job. I already tied up loose ends on my accounts before I left. Management knows I’ve been considering moving back to Kansas City.” Gio shrugged and rubbed his chin. “They might not be happy that I’m leaving without notice, but they owe me over two months’ worth of accrued vacation. I’ll tell them to put that against a notice. I’ll also make arrangements for shipping my stuff and selling the apartment.” Rafe ran his fingers through Gio’s hair. “As much as I hate to think about you being gone for two days, I love that you’d be doing it to move here. Thanks for turning your life upside down.” Rafe framed Gio’s face and devoured his mouth. “Are you going to ship all your stuff here to the loft?” Gio looked at Rafe with questions in his eyes. “Is that what you really want?” 43

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Rafe smiled. “Of course that’s what I want. I wasn’t joking when I said I was keeping you.” “Well, then… yes. I’d love to live with you, but are you sure it’s not too early for that? I mean, what if you decide it’s not going to work out in the next couple of weeks? I don’t want you to ask me to move in just because I’ll be homeless for a while. I can always stay with Dad until I find a house.” Rafe shook his head. “I don’t know why I’m feeling the way I am, but I truly want you here with me. I’ll admit it scares me to death. I have to be honest. I’ve never lived with a lover before, but I don’t see my feelings doing anything but growing. I can’t explain it and I don’t understand it. Maybe it’s because I’ve been around you most of your life. I think I know you pretty well and I want you in my life.” Gio kissed him. “I’m scared of my feelings too. I’ve never felt like this about anyone before. It’s starting to move on from lust to something more. I keep telling myself to slow down, but I don’t think ‘myself’ is listening.” He leaned in for another devastating kiss. “I think I’ll probably bring back everything and sell the furniture once things settle down a little. Oh, wait, maybe I’ll save my couch for my new office. It’s incredible, you’ll love it. Other than that, I’ll probably sell most of it.” Rafe ran his hands up and down Gio’s arms. “Would you rather I sell this place and we could get a new place together?” “No. I love this loft. The only thing I miss is having a yard. I’ve always wanted a dog, but Mom was allergic. I just can’t picture the two of us living in the burbs, dog or no dog.” Gio took Rafe’s hand and led him inside. “Do you think the garden could hold the weight of a hot tub, though? Of course, we’d have to put a privacy fence around it. I’d like us to fuck in a hot tub at least once a week and I’m not sure I want anyone else to see you naked but me.” By the time they got into the house, they were both naked again. Rubbing their cocks together as they touched and kissed, Rafe leaned Gio against the door for support. Rafe sucked a mark on his neck before moving his way down to tease the hard nubs of 44

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his chest. The scraping of Rafe’s heavy five o’clock shadow was delicious torture. “God, I can’t get enough of you, Rafe. It’s a damn good thing you keep in shape because we can’t seem to go an hour without touching each other. And when I touch you, I wanna fuck you.” Rafe wrapped his arms around Gio and held on to his ass. Rubbing their cocks together, Rafe’s hand went exploring as he continued to kiss and bite on Gio’s neck. Gio moaned as Rafe’s finger found its way down the crevice of his ass. Pushing against the puckered hole, Rafe groaned. “Damn. I bought ten bottles of lube and still don’t have one on me. I’m going to have to attach one to a chain and put it around your neck.” “Do it dry, Rafe. Make me burn.” Gio thrust his hips toward Rafe. “I’m about done anyway, even without the finger up my ass.” Gio leaned in and suckled the skin below Rafe’s ear. “God, you’re sexy. I want to leave my mark on you so everyone will know you’re taken.” He sucked harder and left a deep mark on Rafe’s skin. Rafe buried two fingers in Gio’s ass and found his pleasure spot. That’s all it took for Gio to shoot his seed all over both of them. Rafe’s warmth soon followed. Gio rubbed their cum into his stomach and looked at Rafe. “Let’s get cleaned up and you can help me with the dishes.”

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Chapter Five After a night spent loving and saying goodbye, Gio headed to the airport to catch a flight to New York City while Rafe headed to the store. On the way, Rafe thought about Gio. What exactly was going on inside him? He’d never felt the emotions that were burning in him. How in the hell could it be possible that the first time he felt like he was falling love was with his best friend’s son? He’d loved Gio as a person for years and lusted over him since he was barely legal, but to fall in love scared the shit out of him. Rafe’s thoughts turned to relocating the store. He knew Gio was right, but the store had been his baby for the last twenty-five years. Rafe wasn’t even sure if he’d be able to sell the building and not take a huge loss. The structure itself was beautiful, with the bottom floor used for the actual store and three floors for inventory stock. Rafe started turning over plans in his mind. “I wonder…” Rafe picked up his cell phone and called an architect friend of his. He made plans to meet him at a local sports bar that night. Rafe suddenly felt much better about relocating. He made another call, this time to the store, and told Mary he was going to stop by and see Nino on his way in. Rafe executed an illegal U-turn and headed to the hospital.

***** Nino was just finishing his breakfast when Rafe strolled through the open door. “Hey, buddy. How’re you feeling this morning?” Rafe took the chair next to Nino’s bed. “To be perfectly honest, I feel better than I have in years. I’m still a little sore, but I feel like my energy is coming back stronger than ever. What’s got you down here this morning?”

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Rafe ran his fingers through his hair. “Well, there are some things I think we need to talk about. Gio thinks we should wait until you’re stronger, but you look plenty strong to me.” “I’m strong enough. I don’t like the thought of the two of you keeping things from me. What’s going on, Rafe?” He studied his old friend for several seconds before deciding to just come out with it. “Gio thinks we should relocate the store.” He held up his hand to stop any protest from Nino. “I didn’t agree either at first, but the more Gio talked, the more it made sense.” Rafe filled Nino in on Gio’s way of thinking. Nino listened patiently until Rafe was finished. “I’m not sure if it will work, but it does seem like the only recourse we have at this point. If things keep going the way they have been, we’ll be bankrupt in another year anyway. Tell Gio to go ahead with his plans. I trust him.” Rafe nodded and squeezed his friend’s hand. “My next item of business is to ask about the building. I’d like to keep it. I don’t really have enough disposable capital to buy your half right now, but I thought I’d renovate and live there. After I get enough of the renovations done, I can sell my loft and pay you with the proceeds. It should come out to quite a pretty penny if I’m up on my market values. What do you think?” Nino raised his eyebrow. “The money part is just fine, Rafe, but what in the hell are you going to do with that huge building? It’s way too big for a single home.” Rafe chuckled, “Well, I’m not exactly sure yet, but I’m meeting that architect friend of mine tonight to go over some ideas.” Nino and Rafe talked a little more. Rafe told Nino that Gio had gone to New York to take care of things so he could relocate back to Kansas City. “I don’t know if I should bring this up without Gio here, but he asked if we’d let him buy into the business. I’m great with the idea, but we weren’t sure about your feelings.”

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Nino smiled a knowing smile at Rafe. “I think if that’s really what he wants, we should welcome him into the partnership with open arms. I’ve always dreamed of being in business with my son. Do you think he’ll be happy though?” Rafe nodded, “I asked him the same question. Gio told me he wanted to slow his life down. He wants an office at the store so he can work on store business and also take on a few advertising clients. It sounded to me like he’d given it a lot of thought.” “Good. Why don’t you go ahead and call the lawyer’s office and have him draw up new partnership papers before Gio gets back? That way we can surprise him with them. You know how much Gio loves surprises. He may be thirty-one in age, but when it comes to gifts, that man’s still a boy.” Rafe could see the pride shining in Nino’s eyes at the thought of going into business with Gio. He just hoped things wouldn’t fall apart once he found out Gio would be living with Rafe. He said goodbye and drove to work.

***** Rafe’s day was spent on phone calls and planning. He’d called the police station to check on the situation with the break-in and his car. He was told there weren’t any unusual fingerprints found on the car and too many fingerprints in the store. They promised to continue the patrols in the area and told him to keep his eyes open for any more trouble. At five o’clock, Rafe left the store and headed to the bar to meet Tim. He punched in Gio’s cell phone number on the way. Gio picked up on the first ring. “Hey. I was just thinking about you. I found a fantastic realtor who’s agreed to oversee the shipping of the furniture. I’m wrapping everything up here quicker than I thought, so I should be able to get a flight out before noon tomorrow.” “That’s great, because I’m really missing you.” “So, are you on the way to the hospital?”

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“No. I saw Nino this morning. Please don’t be mad, but I’ve come up with a few ideas and wanted to run them by Nino before I went any further. He was feeling great this morning, so I told him about relocating the store.” Rafe waited for Gio to explode, but it didn’t come. “What did he say?” Gio asked a little uncomfortably. “He agrees with his brilliant son, of course. We also talked about him selling his half of the building the store’s in now to me. I’m thinking that maybe we could renovate it and live there. It would give us a lot more room and no nosy neighbors looking at your naked ass in the hot tub.” “I would have never thought of that, but let me buy Dad’s half. Then the building will truly belong to both of us. How much does Dad want for it anyway?” Rafe told Gio the sum Nino and he had agreed on. “I told him that’s how much I could get for my loft. I guess since I won’t be using that money to buy the building, we can use it for renovations.” “That sounds like a plan. My apartment should bring in about double that. With giving Dad what was agreed upon, it would still leave a good chunk to put toward renovations too.” “I’m on my way to the sports bar down the street from the loft to meet an architect friend to give him some ideas.” Gio’s voice turned a little gruffer. “Just how good a friend is he?” Rafe laughed, “A good friend with a nice wife and four grandchildren. You have absolutely nothing to be jealous of. Yours is the only cock for me. Do you have any ideas you’d like me to pass along on the renovations?” “First of all, I’m always going to be the jealous type. You’re too damned goodlooking for me not to be. Secondly, the only thing I can think of right now is to see if there’s any way we can turn part of the first floor into a garage. I don’t ever want to see hateful words sprayed onto your car again.”

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“Wow. Indoor parking? I would have never thought of that. Keep thinking and let me know. I’ll call you tonight before I go to bed.” “My damn cock went hard as soon as I answered the phone. Don’t call until you’re in bed, naked. I’m thinking a little phone sex is in order.” “Okay. Stop talking about it. I’m in the parking lot of the bar with a major hard-on. As it is, I’m going to have to sit in my car and say my ABCs until this thing goes down. I really don’t need to walk in there with cum all over my jeans.” Gio laughed and promised to talk to him later.

***** The meeting with Tim was promising. His friend said he’d contact the zoning board to see if what they wanted was possible. He didn’t think there would be a problem, since half the old buildings in downtown were being renovated into residential dwellings. Tim promised to get back with him in a couple of days with some preliminary sketches. Rafe drove home feeling almost giddy. If a forty-nine-year-old man could actually feel giddy, that was. He parked the Jag in the lot and rode the elevator up to the top floor. He fished his keys out to unlock his front door and stopped dead in his tracks. The lock was busted all to hell and the door wasn’t even latched. He immediately took out his cell phone and called nine-one-one. Once the police were on their way, Rafe went back down to sit in the car. The police told him not to enter the loft until they got there to make sure it was safe. Rafe dialed Gio’s number on autopilot. “Are you naked and ready for me?” “Someone’s broken into the loft. I’m sitting out front in the car waiting for the police to arrive.” Rafe could hear sheets rustling in the background.

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“I’m getting dressed now. I’ll be on the next plane home. You stay put until the police get there. After they leave, have them escort you to your car and go to Dad’s house. I’ll meet you there as soon as I can.” “Thank you, Gio.” Rafe hung up and sighed. He hated himself for it, but he knew he’d feel much better when Gio returned to town. It took longer than expected for the police to finish at the loft. It was almost four a.m. when Rafe pulled into Nino’s driveway. Gio had called about a half-hour ago to say his plane had landed and he’d be there soon. Rafe walked into the house and made his way to Gio’s room. Undressing, he climbed into the shower and scrubbed himself thoroughly. He felt dirty and violated. When his skin was red and raw-looking, Rafe climbed into bed.

***** When Gio found Rafe twenty minutes later, he appeared to be in shock. Gio immediately ripped his clothes off and got under the covers, pulling Rafe into his arms. “Are you okay?” Rafe finally looked him in the eyes. “It’s awful, Gio. The whole loft is trashed. Almost everything I own was destroyed in one way or another. How could someone hate me that much?” Gio held Rafe, softly stroking his face, back and arms. “At least you weren’t there. The entire way home I couldn’t stop thanking God that you weren’t at home when that asshole showed up. We can replace everything else. It’s you that’s irreplaceable.” Rafe snuggled in closer to Gio. “The police are finally going to bring Dennis in for questioning. They lifted a few good prints. They’ll need to take your prints also, to compare to the ones they found that didn’t belong to me. Could you go over with me later? I need to start cleaning and salvaging. I need to get it sold. There’s no way I’m ever going to live there again.”

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“Of course I’ll help you. From now until the police catch this guy, consider me your shadow.” Rafe rolled his eyes in the first spark of life Gio had seen. “Oh, it’s so nice to have such a big, strong boyfriend around to protect me.” Rafe finished the sentence by batting his eyelashes. Gio playfully punched him in the arm. “You dork. I’m not saying you can’t take care of yourself. I’m saying two pairs of eyes can see twice as much. I’ll watch your back, you can watch mine.” Rafe kissed him sweetly. “I can’t believe how much this has freaked me out. I’m normally a pretty level-headed guy, but this?” Rafe kissed Gio again. “What do you think Nino will say when I have to tell him I’m moving in for a couple months? Do you think he’ll let me sleep in his son’s room?” Gio laughed and pinched his ass. “I was thinking about asking Sophie her opinion on how best to break the news to Dad. What do you think?” Rafe’s gaze landed on the photograph on his bedside table. Reaching over Gio, he picked the picture up to study it more closely. “Uh…yeah. I think it would be a good move to talk to Sophie. I love this picture. I have one just like it in my office at the store.” Gio smiled. “Really? And do you beat off to it too?” Rafe looked away from the picture and smiled. “No. Actually I use your college graduation picture for that.” Rafe stopped and ran his hand through his thick hair. “God, I can’t believe I just told you that. I swear, when I’m around you, I talk and act like a horny teenager.” “No need to feel embarrassed. I’ve been jerking off to that picture for years. As a matter of fact, I beat off to it the first night I arrived back in town. Anyway, look at it this way. Now you can beat me off instead of yourself if you feel horny.” Gio reached his hands down to grab the two hard globes of Rafe’s ass. He pulled him closer so their cocks touched. Despite everything that had gone on tonight, they were both still hard. 52

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Rafe stroked Gio’s cock and his own. Gio was paying special attention to Rafe’s ass. Their emotions were running too high to make this a slow, sweet loving. This was a down-and-dirty, let’s-get-our-rocks-off-and-go-to-sleep kind of loving. It only took a couple of minutes for both of them to explode. Gio kissed Rafe and got up to get a warm washcloth. He cleaned himself up and brought the warm cloth to the man he’d fallen in love with. Rafe was already asleep. “Poor baby,” he whispered. Gio carefully wiped Rafe’s cock and stomach before getting back in bed. He leaned over and kissed Rafe on the cheek. “Goodnight, my man.”

***** Later that morning, Rafe woke to an empty bed. Digging in Gio’s drawers, he came up with an old pair of sweats. He pulled them on and made a quick trip to the bathroom. When he passed by the mirror, he spotted the huge dark bruise on his neck. “Oh, hell. How am I gonna hide this from Nino?” Rafe finished in the bathroom and wandered downstairs. He could smell bacon frying and hot coffee. Rubbing his bare stomach, Rafe entered the kitchen to find Gio cooking breakfast and talking on the phone in a teeny-tiny pair of old gym shorts. Damn. What a way to start the day. He snuck up behind Gio and wrapped his arms around him to slip his hands down the front of his shorts. Gio tensed and then laid his head back on Rafe’s shoulder. He continued to talk on the phone, but his voice became even deeper, huskier. Rafe played with his sac and slid his hand up and down Gio’s erection. Stopping periodically to push his thumb against the slit, Rafe gathered the moisture and sucked it off. He spun Gio around, and dropped to his knees. Pulling Gio’s cock out of his shorts, Rafe licked a swirling pattern around the head, scooping the silky moisture out of the slit with his tongue. One hand held Gio’s balls while the other returned to its favorite place, Gio’s ass. Gio was talking a little faster now, trying to get off the phone, thrusting

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himself deep into Rafe’s throat. Rafe could tell he was about to come when his balls drew up and his skin broke out in goose bumps. “Oh shit. I gotta call you back, Stan.” Gio turned off the phone and dropped it on the counter. With both hands buried in Rafe’s hair, Gio thrust and swore. “Oh fuck. Oh fuck. I’m gonna come. Oh Goddamn. Oh fuuuuck!” Gio shot down Rafe’s throat and Rafe shot in Gio’s borrowed sweatpants. “Damn. You’re going to kill me with that mouth.” Gio pulled Rafe to his feet and kissed him. “You can’t be giving me blowjobs while I cook breakfast after Dad comes home tomorrow.” “Damn that Nino. He always ruins the fun.” Gio swatted him with the dishtowel. “You’d better go get on another pair of sweats. I think people might notice the wet stain on those.” Rafe looked down and nodded. “I must have done something right to come that much before breakfast.” Rafe walked out of the room like the cocky stud he was.

Gio just shook his head and bent over to pull up his shorts. He finished cooking breakfast and hollered. Rafe came back into the room, still dripping from the shower. He set the table and took a seat beside Rafe. “I talked to Sophie this earlier. She’s going to meet me for lunch in a couple of hours.” He looked down at his breakfast plate and grinned. He’d be well fed today. “Would you like to come, or do you want me to talk to her alone?” Rafe loaded bacon and eggs onto his plate while he thought about it. “Um… I think maybe I’d like to come. It’s going to be uncomfortable for me, but the sooner I get the initial shock out of the way, the sooner we can set up house for real. I love your sister and the kids. I just hope she won’t banish me for my perverted lifestyle involving her big brother.” “I already told you, Sophie will be fine. Hell, she’s the one who told me to go for it. I think she’ll be pleased as punch that you’re going to make an honest man out of me.” 54

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***** An hour later, Rafe and Gio walked into the destroyed loft. Gio couldn’t believe his eyes. All the glass block partitions were destroyed. Spray paint littered the walls with graphic language. Stuff about killing Rafe and every derogatory gay word known to man. Gio automatically reached out and put his arm around Rafe and pulled him closer. “That’s one sick fucker.” They stepped through the living room with its slashed and broken furniture and made their way to the bedroom. The bedding and mattress were also slashed into pieces, red paint thrown on the fluffy white comforter along with more graffiti on the walls. Gio left the room while Rafe went through his clothes. They were both hoping there was something the psycho hadn’t shredded in the closet. Gio walked into the bathroom and stopped. It was also destroyed, but that’s not what caught his eye. “Hey, Rafe? Can you come in here?” Rafe came through the doorway, holding a handful of his destroyed clothes. “What’s wrong?” Gio pointed to the toilet. “I know how anal you are about the toilet. And look, the seat’s up. Unless one of the policemen used our bathroom last night, I’d say Dennis had to take a little break from destroying your house to pee. Maybe you should give the police a call. There might be some DNA evidence they can gather from it. The man was obviously born in a barn. He didn’t even bother to flush.” Rafe looked hopeful, yet angry, and put in a call to the police. He explained the situation and hung up. “They’re going to send over the detective in charge of the case and a crime scene guy to take samples. I hope the one who was here before catches hell for missing it in the first place. I let them know I wasn’t happy with the slip.” Rafe took a deep breath, trying to release some of his tension. “It seems with the slurs to my sexual preference all over the walls, my case has been upgraded to a hate crime. That’s good news. The police can justify putting more man-hours into it now.” 55

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Gio kissed him and led him out of the room. He helped Rafe gather the few clothes they could find that weren’t destroyed. Not much, a pair of khakis and a few shirts. Rafe exchanged Gio’s old sweats for the pants and chose a light green T-shirt. Rafe went to his sock drawer and pulled it out. “Well, I’ll be damned. The bastard didn’t touch my socks. I guess he didn’t figure I could walk around in no clothes and socks on my feet.” Gio laughed, “Well, you could put one of those gigantic tube socks over your cock and call it good. Lord knows I wouldn’t complain.” Gio emptied the sock drawer into the trash bag they’d retrieved from the kitchen. “You need to call your insurance company. They might want to send an agent over to get a couple pictures of the damage before we start cleaning up. They may even give you some money up front to replace some necessities like clothes and stuff.” “Yeah. I’d forgotten about that. I’ll go find the number and give them a call. You might wanna call Sophie. It doesn’t look like we’re going to get out of here in time.” Rafe left the room to call the insurance company and Gio dialed Sophie’s number. “Hello.” “Hey, baby sister. It doesn’t look like Rafe and I are going to be able to meet you for lunch. Someone broke into his loft yesterday and trashed the place. We’ve got to stick around to talk to the police again, and Rafe’s calling the insurance company.” “Oh my God. Is Rafe all right? He wasn’t home at the time, was he? I’m coming over right now. If nothing else, I can help you clean up the mess. Does Dad know?” “Slow down, sis. One question at a time. Yes, Rafe’s fine. He’s a little shook up, but physically unharmed and, no, he wasn’t here at the time. We can use all the help we can get with putting this place back together.” Gio looked around the trashed loft. “It will be a little while before we can start. The insurance company might want to send an agent out to look at it. That’s what Rafe’s talking to them about right now. And to answer your last question, no. We haven’t told Dad yet. Luckily he doesn’t get released until tomorrow, so hopefully we can get 56

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everything taken care of today. We’ll go see him tonight. That’s part of what Rafe and I wanted to talk to you about.” “Well, I should be there in about forty-five minutes. I just have to take the kids by Mark’s mom’s house. I’m sure she’d be happy to watch them again for me. She loves the company during the day. I’ll even stop and get some burgers on the way.” “You’re the best. See you in a few.” Gio hung up and went to find Rafe. He was sitting on the floor in front of his bookcase. “What’s wrong?” Rafe looked up with fire in his eyes. “The bastard’s gone too far with this.” Rafe held up the book he was holding. Only it wasn’t a book, but a photo album. Gio took the album from him and started flipping through it. All the pictures remained intact except the ones with Gio in them. Those pictures had been slashed and left in the book. “What the hell?” Before Rafe could answer him, the doorbell rang. Gio gestured to Rafe to stay where he was and went to answer the door. It was the detective. He shook Gio’s hand. “I’m Detective Cooper of the Kansas City Police Department. I’m here to talk to Rafe Gargano.” “Nice to meet you, Detective Cooper. I’m Giovanni Brunelli, Rafe’s partner.” He ushered the detective into the living room. “Rafe just found some more damage and this time it seems he’s pissed.” Rafe stood up and brought the album to the detective. “You’re damn right I’m pissed. This asshole destroyed my home and it shook me, but then I find this. He destroyed every picture of Gio in this album. No others, just Gio’s. What does that tell you, Detective Cooper?” The detective looked at the ruined pictures. “Well, Mr. Gargano, it tells me our perp is moving on to include Mr. Brunelli in his anger. It seems you both might be in danger.”

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The detective visibly measured his next words. “You also have another problem, I’m afraid. The only suspect we have in the case, Dennis Allen, was arrested two days ago in Kansas City, Kansas, for distribution of stolen property. We think the property in question came from the break-in at your store. We’ll want to see a list of your missing inventory. Although Dennis may be the culprit for the vandalism and break-in at the store, he definitely didn’t do this or mess with your car. So it seems you’ve got another enemy out there, Mr. Gargano.” “I can’t think of anyone else who’d hate me this much.” He looked at Gio and shrugged. “And call me Rafe. Please.” “Thanks, Rafe. You can call me Cooper.” Detective Cooper looked quickly from Gio to Rafe. “Are there any past lovers that could be holding a grudge?” Gio could tell the detective was clearly uncomfortable with this line of questioning. His upper lip was sweating and he couldn’t look either one of them in the eye. Regardless, Gio was waiting for Rafe’s answer with bated breath. Rafe cleared his throat and shuffled his feet. It seems the detective wasn’t the only one uncomfortable with this line of questioning. “No, sir. There are no past lovers that would be angry enough to do these things. I haven’t had any kind of steady relationship besides the one I’m in now for the past ten years.” Rafe looked at Gio and then back to the detective. “Okay. We’ll have to continue working the evidence we have then. The guy from the crime lab should be here anytime.” Five minutes later, the guy showed up at the same time as the insurance adjuster. Both men were ushered into the house. The lab guy went into the bathroom with the detective. The agent took some pictures and called the police station to have a copy of the crime report faxed to his office. He told Rafe how sorry he was and gave him a preliminary check for new clothes and promised the rest of the money, minus the deductible, would be forthcoming.

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Finally, everyone left and Rafe and Gio were alone. Gio held Rafe in a tight embrace, burying his face in Rafe’s neck. “I’m so sorry this is happening to you.” Rafe absently ran his fingers through Gio’s hair. “In case you haven’t noticed, it now seems to be happening to both of us. I just can’t figure out who it could be.” He bit Gio’s lip. “I’ve fallen in love with you, Gio.” The doorbell rang just as Rafe was moving in for a kiss. “I’ll take a rain check on that kiss.” Before Rafe could pull away from him, Gio pulled back into his embrace. He kissed him softly. “I love you too, Rafe.” They kissed a few more seconds as Sophie began to lean on the bell. Rafe went to the door and opened it to the whirlwind that was Sophie. “Sorry I’m late, guys. My mother-in-law was at a hair appointment.” She stepped through the door and embraced Rafe. “Oh, Uncle Rafe, I’m so sorry this happened.” Rafe rolled his eyes and looked at Gio, who started laughing at the “Uncle Rafe” comment. Rafe pulled out of the embrace and went over to Gio and playfully slugged him in the arm. “That’s enough from you, young man.” That made Gio laugh even harder. It seemed the long morning was finally catching up to him. Sophie just stood with her mouth open, watching the byplay between the two men. “You guys have finally gotten together, haven’t you?” She bounced over to Gio and threw her arms around the laughing man. “I’m so happy for you.” Sophie raised her eyebrow at her brother. “You can stop laughing now, butthead.” Gio hugged his sister and wiped the tears from his eyes. “I’m sorry. It’s just that you can’t keep calling me brother and Rafe ‘Uncle Rafe’. It will give people the wrong idea when they see his tongue down my throat.” That set Gio to laughing again. “God, I crack myself up.”

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Rafe pulled Sophie away from Gio. “Please excuse your brother, sweetheart. He’s a little tired and a whole lot stressed right now.” Sophie gasped at the mess. “I should have brought more supplies. Maybe even a big garbage bin.” Then Sophie set herself to laughing. Rafe shook his head. “I’m going into the kitchen. When you two hyenas are done, come join me.” Rafe went into the kitchen and sat on the countertop. A couple of minutes later, Gio came in, followed by Sophie. Gio went to Rafe and leaned in for a kiss. “Sorry. I don’t know what came over us.” Rafe pulled him a little closer so he was standing in between his legs and kissed him a little longer this time. “It’s okay. To be honest, I wish I could laugh. It might make me feel better. I just don’t like you being in the middle of this mess. It shouldn’t have to be your problem too.” Gio pulled back enough to look into Rafe’s eyes. “From now on, everything that concerns you, concerns me. Got it?” Gio kissed him again, which began to escalate until they heard Sophie clearing her throat. Shit. They’d forgotten she was even here. “Okay, you two lovebirds, break it up or I might be scarred for life.” She held up the bag of burgers. “Who’s hungry?”

***** It took most of the day just to clean the kitchen and living room. They did indeed have to call and order a large garbage bin, but by six o’clock most of the old furniture had been removed. There was still a lot of work to be done, but they needed to go to the hospital and Sophie needed to get home to her family. They held hands on the way to the hospital, both of them incredibly nervous. “I’m forty-nine years old. How can I be afraid of your dad?”

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Gio raised Rafe’s hand to his mouth for a kiss. “You’re afraid for the same reason I am. We both love and respect him and neither of us wants to lose that. I need to tell you, though. It doesn’t matter to me what he thinks. I’m still going to be with you.” Rafe sighed. “I’m so glad you feel that way. I was worried about losing you too. If I have to, I can live without Nino, but there’s no way I want to live without you. Especially now that I finally have you.” They walked into Nino’s room ten minutes later. Gio walked over to his dad and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Are you ready to get out of this place?” “You’ve no idea. I don’t care to even look at lime Jell-O for the rest of my life. Where have you two been all day? Mary called from the store, wondering where you were.” Nino looked over at Rafe. “Damn. I’m sorry. I forgot to call the store with everything else going on.” Nino’s eyebrows rose. “What do you mean with everything else going on? What else is going on, Rafe?” Rafe ran his fingers through his hair. “My loft was trashed. My guess is it’s the same person who trashed my Escalade a couple days ago. The police don’t have a clue who it is and neither do I. Gio and Sophie helped me clean the loft all day.” “You really have no idea who it is?” “Well, I thought it was our old day manager, Dennis Allen, but it seems he’s spent the last couple days in jail for distributing stolen goods.” Rafe winced and looked at Nino. “That’s another thing I’ve been keeping from you. The store was broken into the other night. From what we can tell, only some miscellaneous balls were taken, but they made quite a mess. I’ve got an appointment with Detective Cooper to look through the stolen goods that Dennis was trying to unload.” Rafe glanced at Gio and went to sit in the chair beside Nino’s bed.

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Gio came over and stood by him. “We’re sorry we didn’t tell you before, Pop. We just worried that you weren’t well enough. The doctor said we needed to help you lower your stress level, so we decided to deal with it on our own.” Nino nodded at the two men. “Don’t spare me anymore. Okay, partners?” “That’s not all I have to tell you, Nino.” Rafe closed his eyes and swallowed a couple of times. “I’m sorry to tell you like this, but I’ve fallen in love with your son.” The room was quiet for a couple of moments and Gio started to feel sick. Then his dad did the oddest thing. He started laughing. “Well, of course you are. You’ve been in love with Gio for years. I’ve just been waiting for you to finally admit it.” Rafe looked like he’d swallowed his tongue. “And you never even mentioned it? Nino, we’ve never even discussed my being gay. How could you possibly know I’ve been infatuated with Gio for years?” “I’ve never mentioned it because it wasn’t any of my business. Teresa and I knew all along you were gay. It was just something that perceptive wife of mine figured out, but once again, it was none of our business. For your third question, let me just say it took a long time to come to grips with the fact you were interested in Gio, but I’m perfectly fine with it now. I always knew you loved him, but I was there the day you fell ‘in love’ with him.” Nino stopped to wipe the moisture from his eyes. “It was the day of his college graduation party, wasn’t it? Teresa first pointed it out and then I saw it unfold right before my eyes.” Nino gripped Rafe’s hand. “So you see, old friend, you might’ve been denying it to yourself, but you’ve been in love with my son for quite a few years.” Nino looked up into Gio’s face. “Son? Your mother and I’ve known you were gay probably before you even knew. I’m just sorry it took so long for you to feel comfortable enough to tell me. And before you ask, yes. I’ve known about your feelings toward Rafe for many years. Why do you think I insisted that you help him out with the store? I cared more about the two of you finding each other than I cared about the business.” 62

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Gio was wide-eyed. That was probably the longest speech he’d ever heard his dad give. “So, it’s okay with you? Me and Rafe being and living together?” Nino reached out for Gio’s hand. “More than okay. Your mom wanted me to tell you when, or if, the two of you finally figured it out that she couldn’t have picked a better man for you.” Gio bent down and embraced his father. Tears were streaming down his face and his dad reached up and wiped them away. Gio pulled back and wiped his nose and eyes. “Thanks. I’m sorry I didn’t come to you sooner. I was afraid because you’re so old-fashioned about some things and I was afraid I’d lose you.” Nino smiled at his son. “You’ll never lose me, Giovanni. And I’m still oldfashioned. I happen to believe two people, even if they are in love, should not live together without the vows of marriage.” Nino turned toward Rafe. “Now I’ll ask you, Rafe. What exactly are your intentions toward my son?” Rafe smiled and slid his hand in Gio’s. “We know we want to be together as a couple. We want to share the same home. But I think it’s a little early to talk of a commitment ceremony. We finally admitted our love to each other only this afternoon.” “Take it from someone with experience. Don’t waste a second of your lives together. You never know when the person you love can be taken away. Make every day count. I say you two get married next week at the house. I know it won’t be legal, but in my eyes it’ll be permanent. Perhaps a small gathering of close friends and family would be the perfect size. I even know someone who’d be happy to perform the ceremony. Madeline Seals was a friend of Teresa. She’s also a minister with an open mind.” Gio hugged Rafe a little closer. “I think that sounds great as long as Rafe doesn’t feel pressured.” He turned toward Rafe. “What do you think? I don’t want a shotgun wedding, but if you’ll join with me, I’d be honored.”

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Rafe leaned his forehead against Gio’s. He really wanted to kiss him, but he didn’t think Nino was quite ready for that yet. “If you’re sure it’s what you want, I’d love to.” He cleared his throat and turned toward Nino. “Um… We have one more thing to ask. Can we stay with you until the store’s renovated enough to live in? I just can’t bring myself to sleep another night in my loft.” “As long as I don’t walk in on anything embarrassing, you two are welcome to stay with me as long as you need.” Rafe shook hands with Nino again and Gio gave his dad another kiss on the cheek. “We’ll be back tomorrow afternoon to take you home. Get a good night’s sleep.” Rafe and Gio got into Gio’s Audi and drove toward Nino’s house. Gio reached out and took Rafe’s hand and held it between his thigh and his hand. “I can’t believe that just happened. Never in a million years could I have predicted he’d react that way.” Rafe squeezed Gio’s thigh. “Evidently, the only two people who’ve been blind to our mutual feelings were us.” They rode in silence for a few minutes and then Rafe started massaging Gio’s thigh a little higher and to the left. Gio spread his legs a little more and looked over at Rafe. “Feels good. Just don’t make me wreck. I’m carrying very precious cargo in the car.” Rafe managed to undo Gio’s buttons and slipped his hand inside his jeans. Stroking him slowly, Rafe undid his own pants and pulled out his cock. He began pleasing them both in a slow, tight-gripped rhythm. Gio looked down at Rafe’s cock. “Damn, that’s sexy. But I’m getting really close to losing control and you know I always close my eyes when I come. Give me ten more minutes and we’ll be home.” Rafe pushed out his lips in a mock pout. “Okay.” Less than ten minutes later, they pulled into the drive and parked the car at the back of the house. Rafe wasted no time. He unbuckled his seat belt and devoured Gio’s cock. Gio reclined his seat to give Rafe a little more room between the steering wheel

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and his lap. Rafe was squeezing him with his throat muscles and Gio couldn’t help but thrust up into his mouth. He reached down and took Rafe’s cock into his hand. “You make me feel so good. Tonight, when we get inside, I’m going to make you feel fantastic.” Gio continued to pump Rafe’s cock faster and faster. Rafe started humming around Gio’s shaft and the vibrations set him off. He came with a yell that threatened to wake the neighborhood. Rafe followed him and shot in his hand. Gio raised his hand to his mouth and licked at the cum while staring Rafe in the eyes. Rafe groaned. “Let’s get inside before we get arrested.” They got out of the car and headed toward the house just as Gio’s phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and answered the phone as Rafe unlocked the house. “Hi, Jill, what can I do for you?” He listened to Jill as he made his way into the kitchen. “Okay, that sounds fine. I’ve got to pick up my dad from the hospital in the afternoon, but we can meet you in the morning around ten.” Gio motioned for Rafe to find him a piece of paper and a pen. Rafe found what he’d asked for and handed them over. “Okay, I’m ready.” Gio wrote the address down. “We’ll see you tomorrow at ten, Jill. Bye.” “Who’s Jill?” “That, my dear, was the realtor I called to find us a new location for the store. She wants to meet us tomorrow to look at a couple possibilities.” Rafe was making a couple of sandwiches for them. “Sounds good, but I need to go into the store before we meet her and talk to the employees about relocating. I don’t want them to feel we aren’t including them in the move. I also want to get a better idea of what kind of warehouse space we’re going to need.” He passed a sandwich over to Gio. They ate standing at the kitchen counter, both wanting to get their hunger taken care of so they could go up to bed. They were both more interested in sating the hunger that always seemed to be present between them.

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***** Climbing in bed, Rafe yawned. “God. I’m so tired I can hardly move. What do you say we just snuggle tonight and get up early enough to get in a couple rounds of the old bump and grind?” Gio pulled Rafe into a spoon position. “Sounds good. It’s been a long couple of days for us. I love you. Now get some sleep.” Rafe snuggled in and was asleep in seconds. His poor baby really was tired. Gio closed his eyes and drifted off.

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Chapter Six Rafe caught his breath and smiled at the panting man on his chest. “Your balls are going to be so sore later today, but damn. That was the best fucking of my life. If I had a medal, I’d pin it on you.” Rafe stroked Gio’s back and kissed the top of his head. Gio felt totally drained. He’d never come so hard in his life. Hell, he was still feeling the aftershocks. The sex with Rafe just kept getting better all the time. He felt a kiss land on the top of his head and scooted up the length of Rafe’s body. Gio traced the angles of Rafe’s face. He ran his fingers back and forth over the coarse, stubbled jaw. “You’re so beautiful that I can’t believe you’re real.” He licked Rafe’s lips and pushed inside. Gio traced every ridge, every tooth, with his tongue. “I love you. I can’t let anything happen to you, so you’ll have to bear with my overprotective tendencies until this asshole’s been caught.” Rafe kissed him again. “I love you too. That’s why it scares me to put you in harm’s way. If anything happened to you because of me, I might as well put a gun to my head. I won’t live without you again.” Gio ran his hands through Rafe’s hair. “I wonder how Dad managed after Mom died. I still worry about him sometimes. Maybe we need to buy him a dog or something. I wish he’d open himself up to love again, but I think Mom was pretty much it for him.” “Teresa was a hell of a woman, all right. I was thinking about maybe building an apartment on the fourth floor of our new home. That way, if he needed to, Nino could come and live with us. This house is too big for him alone.” “Yeah. We could always offer but unless it’s absolutely necessary for health reasons, he won’t leave this house. He still sees Mom in here, you know. Even though she’s gone, my dad’s memories of her all take place within these walls. He can sit in his 67

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big easy chair and still feel like she’s in the kitchen working a crossword puzzle. I think that comforts him the most.” Rafe gave Gio another kiss and then another a little deeper. “I could stay right here all day with you, but we’ve got a lot to get done. Why don’t you hop in the shower first while I make a few phone calls?” Gio reluctantly untangled himself and went to take a shower. His thoughts were all over the place, and he knew he needed to focus on one thing at a time in order of importance. Gio smiled to himself. The ceremony binding him to Rafe was the most important thing on his “to do” list. He would need to call Sophie and share his news. Maybe he should have her stand up with him? Gio was sure his dad would stand up with Rafe. They could hold the ceremony in the evening in his dad’s backyard. The white gazebo his mom made his dad build would be perfect for the reciting of the vows. Maybe he’d have some time to plant some more flowers around the yard? Oh God. He was beginning to think like a damn bride. Forget it, he needed manly stuff. Maybe throw a few greasy car parts out on the lawn. He started laughing at himself. “What’s so funny?” Rafe opened the shower door and stepped inside. Gio’s hand went to his chest. “God damn, Rafe, you scared the crap out of me.” Rafe smiled and ran his hand down the crease of Gio’s ass. “No, I didn’t.” Gio kissed him. “Very funny. And to answer your question, I was cracking myself up thinking about the ceremony.” A solemn look filtered across Rafe’s face. “What’s so funny about marrying me?” Gio pulled him into an embrace. “Not you. I started thinking about the details. You know, stuff like where it should be and if I’d have time to plant some more flowers around the gazebo. I started thinking I sounded like a giddy girl, which made me laugh because, let’s face it, I’m all man.” He gave Rafe a wink and smiled. “So then, after I realized I was starting to think like a bride, I decided to start thinking like a man. I’ve decided to decorate the yard

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with greasy car parts and…well, that’s why I was laughing.” Gio kissed Rafe again. “I’m just kind of excited about it, that’s all.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Good. Because I am too, and if you’d like more flowers planted, I’d love to help. There’s nothing girly about wanting your wedding to be special.” Rafe soaped both cocks and pulled Gio against him. Rubbing his cock against Gio’s in a brisk manner, Rafe continued. “Do you think next Saturday would give us enough time to get the yard in order? Oh and have a cake made and call everyone and… I don’t know if that will give us enough time.” Pushing against Rafe’s cock, Gio kissed him. “We’ll make it be enough time. The important thing is we get married. If we don’t have time to have a cake made, I’ll go to grocery store and buy a sheet cake. As for the guests, all we really need is the immediate family, the rest is just gravy.” Gio’s head started to fall back at Rafe’s touch until something occurred to him. “Rafe? Are we moving too fast?” Shaking his head, Rafe ran his finger around Gio’s hole. “Not for us. I know some people have long engagements, but others get married right away. I think the divorce rate is probably the same either way. Not that I ever plan to let you get away from me. When the feelings are there, they’re there. Time won’t change my mind.” “Okay,” Gio grinned. “I just needed to be sure you really wanted this.” “If my words didn’t put your mind at ease, maybe this will.” Rafe turned Gio around and spread his ass cheeks. He stretched Gio’s hole using some liquid soap and three fingers. Gio moaned and braced himself against the wall of the shower. When Rafe thought he was ready, he pressed his erection against Gio’s opening and pushed right in. He set a slow rhythm with long, deep thrusts. Rafe reached around in front of his lover and started stroking Gio’s cock. His balls slapped against Gio’s ass on every hard thrust. “Feels so good. Gonna be mine forever.” Rafe bit down on Gio’s shoulder as he came. As soon as he could pull out, he spun Gio around and swallowed his cock. Two strokes with his throat and Gio came before sagging to his knees in front of Rafe. 69

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Cuddling back up to Gio, Rafe kissed him slow and easy. “We’re going to be really late if we don’t hurry. I’ll get out and grab us some fruit and a bottle of water for breakfast. You finish your shower and I’ll meet you downstairs in ten minutes.”

***** Rafe and Gio pulled into the store’s parking lot at eight thirty-five. “I’m going to call a short meeting before the store opens and then I’ll check on the square footage requirements I talked about.” “Okay. I’ll sit in on the meeting, but we’ll need to leave by nine thirty to meet Jill.” Rafe walked into the store and picked up the nearest phone. Getting on the in-store intercom, he made his announcement. “I’d like to have a meeting in the fishing and camping department in five minutes, please.” Walking the few feet to the meeting location, Rafe and Gio found chairs and waited. The other employees made their way over, each of them grabbing a chair. There were only four employees working the store today, Travis, Keith, Lenny and, of course, Mary. Rafe waited for everyone to find a seat before beginning. “I wanted to keep you all up to date on what’s going on. As you’re all aware, the store’s been having some financial difficulties lately, even before the break-in. Nino and I were afraid we would be forced to close the doors, but with Gio’s input, we’ve decided to relocate instead. The downtown area just isn’t bringing in enough foot traffic. It seems the suburbs is the place to be, so that’s where we’re going.” Rafe gestured to Gio. “Gio and I are meeting with a realtor in about an hour to look at some new locations. Nino and I would like each of you to follow us to our new location. There will be an extra fifty cents per hour added to your hourly wage to help make up the mileage difference.”

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Rafe looked at Gio and patted him on the back. “I’d also like to introduce you all to our newest partner. Gio will be joining the management team effective immediately. If you have any questions, feel free to ask either of us.” Rafe looked around at his employees and nodded. “Well, that’s all from me. Oh, one more thing. With everything that’s going on right now, you might not see much of me for the next month or so. I’ll still come in from time to time, but I’ll be busy finding a new location.” Rafe hesitated and looked at Gio again. Gio nodded his head and Rafe continued. “Um…I’m not really sure how to say this, but Gio and I will be exchanging commitment vows next weekend at Nino’s house. I’m sure this announcement comes as quite a shock to some of you, but we hope all of you will be able to attend. We plan to take over this building and renovate it as our new home. There may be architects and builders in and out before the store is actually relocated. However, don’t let anyone roam the building without either Gio or me present. Well, that’s all. Let’s get back to work and have a great day.” The employees stood and came over to shake their hands in congratulations. A few seemed quite surprised at Rafe’s sexual orientation, but they seemed supportive and sincere. Rafe left to get the figures he needed from his office so Gio wandered the store, helping out where he could. He noticed Mary heading for Rafe’s office as soon as the meeting was over and she didn’t look happy. Gio spoke to Keith for a few minutes before deciding to head upstairs to look for the pallet of balls he and Rafe had talked about.

***** Rafe was at the computer trying to pull up the exact square footage of the building currently being used by the store. He was interrupted by a knock. “Come in.”

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Mary walked into the office with her hands on her hips. Rafe turned his chair to face her. “Hi, Mary. What can I do for you?” “Well, for a start, you can apologize for not coming in or calling yesterday. You didn’t even answer your phone when I tried to reach you. I had several questions I needed answered, so I had to call poor Nino at the hospital.” Rafe couldn’t believe Mary was mad at him. She never got mad at anyone. “I’m sorry. I’ve had a lot going on in my personal life lately and I turned my phone off yesterday. I’ll make a point from now on to leave it on during business hours.” That seemed to pacify her a little. “Okay. But who’s going to be in charge while you’re away for the next month? I’ve been here longer than anyone. I was thinking maybe you could make me your assistant manager. That way, I would have the authority to make some of the decisions on a daily basis. As it is now, the guys don’t listen to anything I say.” Rafe ran his fingers through his hair. “You’re right about your seniority around the store, but I don’t think we need an assistant manager per se. I’ll talk to the guys and remind them of your seniority. That should indicate my trust in your abilities to make minor decisions. Okay?” Mary shrugged her shoulders, clearly she still wasn’t happy. “Whatever you say, Rafe.” Rafe nodded and Mary left the office. He gathered the figures he needed and went to find his man. He asked Keith if he’d seen him lately and was told Gio hadn’t come back downstairs yet. Rafe knew Gio was going to look around for the missing stock, but was surprised he was still at it. He took the stairs to the third floor. Calling Gio’s name, he finally found him in the back corner of the fourth floor. “What are you doing on the fourth floor? All the sports equipment is kept on the third floor.” Gio looked up from the dusty back corner. “Oh yeah? Well, you might tell that to whoever put this up here.” Gio pointed toward the miscellaneous sports balls.

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Rafe walked over and looked at the pallet. “Well, I’ll be damned. I just ordered another shipment of those. I wonder if it’s too late to cancel it.” “Who usually unloads the supply trucks? Because from the looks of it, this stock was purposely put back in this corner,” Gio inquired, cleaning his hands with a handkerchief from his pocket. “Well, I think Keith’s been doing it lately, but before that…Dennis Allen would have done it.” Rafe looked at the pallet. “I’d have to check my purchase orders to see when exactly this shipment came in, but I’m pretty sure Dennis was still here at the time. Maybe I should call Cooper and tell him about it.” Gio walked over and put his arm around Rafe. “It couldn’t hurt to give him a call, or better yet, maybe we should just talk to him tomorrow when we look at the merchandise Dennis was trying to unload.” Rafe nodded, “All right. In that case, I’m ready to get out of here.” They took the freight elevator down. When they stepped off, Gio noticed Mary over by the cash register in a snit. He shook his head and they walked out to the car. Gio climbed into the driver’s seat. “So what’s up with Mary? She looked scary.” He looked at Rafe to see if he caught his funny rhyme and smiled. Rafe just rolled his eyes. “She was a little miffed that I didn’t call in yesterday and I had my phone off when she was trying to get in touch with me. She asked me to make her assistant manager.” “What did you say?” Gio steered the car onto the onramp. “I told her I didn’t need an assistant manager, but I would once again remind the other employees that she had seniority.” Rafe took a roll of antacids from his pocket and chewed two. “What were you talking to Keith about?” “Oh. He’s not happy we’re relocating. It seems he just rented an apartment down the street so he could walk to work because his drivers’ license has been suspended. He’s not sure he can keep working for us when we move. It depends on where we find a building and if he can take a bus to get there.” 73

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Rafe looked puzzled. “I thought he was a nice guy. Why did he lose his license?” Gio shrugged, “I don’t know, he didn’t say.” They met the realtor and toured several available facilities. The second building they looked at was the only one with possibilities. They told Jill they’d think about it and get back to her.

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Chapter Seven It was after five by the time they got Nino home and settled. Gio brought his dad a blanket and a cup of decaffeinated tea. “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather I help you up to your bed, Dad?” Nino reached for the remote control on the coffee table. “No. The couch is great. I’ve spent too much time in bed lately.” Gio shrugged his shoulders and headed for the kitchen. “Okay. I’m gonna go help Rafe with dinner. Yell if you need anything.” He stood in the doorway and watched Rafe prepare a salad. It was like a scene from ten years ago. Nothing had changed in here. The old white wallpaper with yellow sunflowers was starting to show its age, and the linoleum needed to be replaced, but other than that, the room looked exactly the same. No, that was wrong. What was missing was his mom. Rafe glanced up and smiled. “Hey. Come to help me?” Rafe stuck a cherry tomato in his mouth. “Actually, yes, I did. I was just thinking this room is exactly the same as it has been for years. Even with you standing in the middle of it. You’ve always been happy here in this home, haven’t you?” Rafe held out his hand to Gio. “C’mere.” Gio walked over and embraced Rafe. “Yeah, I guess I’ve always felt like part of a family in this home. Being an only child to elderly parents was a lonely existence until I met your dad.” Rafe kissed Gio’s neck. “My mom died when I was still in high school and my dad died just after my college graduation. I really lucked out getting Nino for a roommate. After Dad died, Nino just brought me into the fold of his family.” Rafe got a mischievous grin on his face. “I probably know most of Nino’s dirty little secrets. Having an older roommate did have its advantages.” 75

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Gio embraced him tighter. “I guess you already are part of this family. Now, if we can just get Sophie to stop calling you ‘uncle’, I’ll feel much better about the past.” Gio leaned in for a deep kiss. Rafe’s tongue thrust into Gio’s mouth like he wanted to share his soul. He ran his hands up and down Gio’s chest, tweaking his nipples as he passed them. Gio groaned and rubbed his cock against the front of Rafe’s new jeans. Rafe slid his hand down to first cup Gio’s cock and then unbutton his jeans. Working his way down the front of Gio’s pants, he broke the kiss. “You are gonna have to stop wearing underwear. It makes it a lot harder for me to get to that beautiful cock.” Rafe ran his hand up and down Gio’s length, paying particular attention to the slit already spilling pre-cum. Gio looked deep into Rafe’s eyes and thrust against him. He worked his hand into the back of Rafe’s jeans. Sliding his fingers down the crack of his ass, Gio groaned again. “Let’s step into the laundry room for a minute. I need in here.” Rafe started to lead him that way and stopped and shook his head. “Damn. The lube’s in the bedroom.” Gio went straight to the panty and pulled out a bottle of vegetable oil. He held the bottle up in triumph. “Tada. Instant lube. Now come on before Dad starts yelling for dinner.” He took Rafe’s hand and quickly led him to the adjacent room. He sat in the old chair in the corner and motioned for Rafe. “C’mere, sexy, and turn around.” Rafe smiled and presented his butt to Gio. Leaning forward, Gio nipped at Rafe’s ass through the denim. “Off,” he grunted. The jeans were peeled off and Rafe kicked them to the center of room. Looking over his shoulder, Rafe grinned and bent at the waist. Moaning, Gio buried his face in the crack of Rafe’s ass and tongued his puckered hole. Gio pulled back and dipped his fingers into the oil and rimmed Rafe’s hole, dipping inside to lubricate the entire passage. He spread the remaining slick on his cock and pulled Rafe around. “Ride me. Ride me fast and hard.” 76

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Rafe straddled his legs and lined himself up with Gio’s awaiting cock. Holding his cock by the root, Gio struggled not to come as Rafe lowered himself onto the full length. “Holy shit.” Rafe waited a few seconds before starting his ride. He reached behind Gio and took his long hair and wrapped it around his hands, pulling Gio’s head back and kissing his neck. Rafe looked into Gio’s eyes and chuckled. “A cowboy’s got to have reins to hold on to.” He went back to kissing and licking Gio’s neck and face. Gio thrust upward on every one of Rafe’s downstrokes. He reached between them and squeezed Rafe’s huge cock. “God. I love this cock.” Rafe began a quicker pace, moving up and down faster and harder with each thrust of Gio’s hips. The chair began to squeak and moan with Rafe’s rhythm. “I can’t last. You feel too good. Uhhhhh…” Rafe cried at the top of his lungs. Gio quickly covered Rafe’s mouth with his hand while his man twitched and groaned. He wasn’t used to having anyone else around that he had to worry about. What would Nino think if he knew what they were doing in his laundry room? As Rafe’s body still shook with aftershocks, he sucked the large exposed veins of Gio’s throat. When Gio felt a bruise blossoming, he buried his face against Rafe’s chest and erupted. Gio’s mouth opened and moved but no words came out. “You are so sexy when you come,” Rafe whispered against his skin. “Mmm…” Gio felt totally wiped out. He rubbed his face across Rafe’s chest and suckled his nipples. “Let’s get Dad’s dinner done so we can play some more.” Rafe stood and grabbed a washcloth from the shelf above the dryer. He went to the laundry sink and cleaned his abdomen and ass. He then rinsed the cloth and cleaned Gio’s cock. “Dinner’s ready. I just need to set the table,” Rafe said, picking his jeans up off the floor. “I’ll do it.” Gio said standing and pulling his jeans back on. “You go get Pop.”

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Rafe went into the living room to get Nino for dinner. “Hey, buddy, dinner’s ready. Can you make it to the kitchen on your own or do you need a shoulder to lean on?” Rafe helped Nino up from the couch. Nino looked at him, embarrassed. “I hate to admit it, but I could probably use the shoulder. I’m feeling much better, but I’m not used to walking. I tend to get a little shaky on my feet.” “No problem.” He gave Nino one of his killer smiles. “That’s what sons-in-law are for.” Nino laughed and squeezed his shoulder. “You are not allowed to call me Dad. Ever.” They were laughing when they entered the kitchen. Gio looked up from putting the baked chicken on the table. “What’s so funny?” Rafe helped Nino to his chair and went around the table to kiss Gio. “Nino says I’m not allowed to call him Dad.” “Good. That would be kind of creepy.”

***** After dinner, Gio cleaned the kitchen while Rafe and Nino argued over what movie to watch. By the time Gio joined the two men in the living room, Nino was stretched out on the couch. Gio shrugged his shoulders and joined Rafe in the big comfy chair. After the two of them snuggled in with a blanket thrown over their lap, they turned the movie on. Halfway through the film, Nino was sound asleep and snoring up a storm. Rafe looked over at Nino and laughed. “Hey, Dad? Would you like some help upstairs?”

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Nino snorted and sputtered for a few seconds, getting his bearings. “Sorry, didn’t mean to fall asleep on you.” Nino rose, and Gio steadied him with an arm around his waist. “I’ll be right back,” Gio said with a wink. Within moments he was back and cuddled against Rafe. Rafe bent and licked Gio’s ear and whispered to him. “He’s asleep. Let’s fool around like teenagers.” Gio nodded his head and unzipped Rafe’s fly, while he took care of Gio’s jeans. “Look. No underwear,” Gio with pride. Rafe grinned and pinched his nipple. “Look, hell, I want to feel.” He ran his hand down the six-pack of Gio’s stomach to his proud and waiting cock. Palming the erection, he stroked a few times before settling into a soft slow rhythm. Despite the small confines of the chair, Gio managed to open his legs a little wider and reached for Rafe’s cock. He barely suppressed a moan as Gio traced the veins running up the side of his erection. He caught a drop of pre-cum and smeared it over the bulbous head of Rafe’s shaft. They continued at a slow pace, just touching and kissing while watching the movie. It was nice to touch and tease his love, but he knew Gio was needing. Someday we’ll be able to spend lazy Sundays just like this. All-day touching and petting each other as we watch football or movies. “Rafe.” Gio interrupted his daydream. Rafe nodded and started using both hands, one on Gio’s cock and one to finger his asshole. It didn’t take long for warmth to blossom between them in a spray of seed. They looked at each at and grinned, using the blanket to clean themselves. Rafe gave Gio one last kiss and took the soiled quilt to the washing machine. He could see a lot of laundry in his future.

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Rafe and Gio undressed and got into bed. Rafe tossed and turned, doing his best to get comfortable on the small saggy mattress. “Gio, when is your furniture coming? I’m not saying I don’t love sleeping with you. But we’ve got to do something about the size of this bed.” Gio settled behind Rafe and kissed his neck. “I canceled the bed I bought when I first came back, but my stuff should be here in about two days. Do you think you can stand spooning with me until then?” Gio ground his semi-hard cock against Rafe’s butt. Rafe pushed back against him. “Don’t get me wrong. I love spooning with you. It’s about four a.m. when you start snoring in my ear that I need a little space.” Gio laughed and kissed him again. “Goodnight.”

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Chapter Eight The next several days were spent looking at locations for the store and talking to the architect about the renovations on their new home. In between, they worked on the wedding and talked to Detective Cooper. The city’s planning commission said they could live in the upper floors of the old store, but in keeping with current zoning they would need to have a legitimate business located at street level. Gio decided to get around this by using a small section of the ground floor to set up an office. He still planned to have an office at the new store, but he could meet clients and take care of his advertising business downtown. He had the architect draw up an office and conference room on the ground floor. There was enough extra space left on the first floor for them to design a weight room, garage and sauna area. Rafe also expressed a desire for a small lap pool for his morning workouts. When Rafe and Gio went to look over the stolen merchandise seized when Dennis was arrested, they were surprised to find nothing but athletic balls. After telling Cooper about the pallet of balls they’d found hidden on the fourth floor, he promised to follow up with them later that day. Everything was falling into place beautifully. On Monday morning, the week of the wedding, Gio decided to go to the nursery and buy some flowers to plant around the gazebo and in the front of the house. He chose pink begonias for the front walk, just like his mom had always planted. For the gazebo he chose a mix of annuals, following a pastel color scheme. He arrived home to find Nino napping on the couch. Gio put on his old clothes and headed back outside, deciding to do the back first. After he was done with the gazebo, he stood back to admire his work. Gio could 81

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envision Rafe and him standing in the gazebo on their wedding day. He snorted, “God, I’m starting to feel like a damn bride again.” He shook his head and gathered his tools. Gio went in to see if Nino needed anything before he began on the front walk. Nino was up getting a glass of orange juice. “Hey, Pop. I’m gonna be in the front yard planting flowers along the walk if you need anything.” Nino nodded. “I watched you plant the ones around the gazebo. I don’t mind telling you, it reminded me of your mom. She loved flowers so much. I just haven’t had it in me to plant any since she died, hurts too much.” Gio hugged his dad. “I miss her too, but she’ll be with us at the wedding.” Nino nodded and went back to the living room. Gio shook his head at his dad’s downcast head. It must be hell to outlive your soul mate. With a sigh, Gio shook off the depressing thought and went back out to the yard. He was on his third flat of flowers when he was thrown face first into the newly planted flowerbed. He immediately turned his head toward the sound of screeching tires and saw an older blue sedan pull away from the curb and tear down the street. Gio heard commotion on the sidewalk and Nino’s voice. “Oh my God, Gio? What happened?” Before he could talk, Nino went back into the house and returned with a blanket and the phone. After spreading the blanket over Gio, Nino dialed nine-one-one and asked for an ambulance. He told the dispatcher his son had been shot and to please hurry. Nino knelt beside Gio and unclipped the cell phone from Gio’s belt. Gio knew he was holding the police line open until the cops showed up. He watched his dad frantically punching in numbers. “Rafe. Oh God, Rafe. Gio’s been shot. I don’t know how bad it is, but there’s blood everywhere.” With the side of his face still resting in the dirt, Gio could hear Rafe yelling on the other end of the phone.

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He could tell his dad was losing patience when he started shaking his head. “Damn it, Rafe. Ask your questions later. Just get your ass back here, now.” Nino hung up the phone. “Gio? Son? Are you all right? Talk to me.” Nino rubbed Gio’s head, trying his best to comfort his bleeding son. “The ambulance is on the way. Did you see who did this?” Gio opened his eyes and tried to get his knees under him. Nino pushed him back down. “Don’t move. You’ve lost a lot of blood. Just talk to me until the ambulance or the police get here.” Gio licked his lips and tried to breathe through the pain. “B-Blue sedan. Older…couldn’t see driver…” That was all Gio got out before the darkness swallowed him.

Gio’s cell phone rang and Nino answered it on the second ring. “Nino? It’s Rafe. How’s he doing?” Nino wiped the tears from his cheeks, smearing blood onto his own face. “I don’t know. He just passed out.” Nino relayed the information Gio had given him. “That’s all I got out of him before…” “Okay, I’m still about ten minutes away. If they take him before I get there, call me back. I’m gonna hang up and call Detective Cooper.” Rafe started to hang up, but asked instead. “Nino? What was Gio doing when he was shot?” Nino wiped his eyes again. “He was planting flowers along the front walk.” A police car pulled up in front of the house. “Cops are here, Rafe. I gotta go. Just get here as quickly as you can.” As soon as he hung up, an ambulance screeched to a stop in the driveway. Two uniformed EMTs jumped out and ran to Gio. “What have we got, sir?” Nino looked at the two men and stepped back. “Someone just shot him while he was planting flowers for his wedding.” He looked at the men. “Why would someone do that?” 83

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One of the ambulance technicians pulled Nino to the side. “I don’t know, sir. Why don’t you talk to the officer while we help him?” The officer took out his pad and pen and started getting Nino’s statement. Another officer arrived to rope off the scene. Nino was starting to feel dizzy and sat down on the ground. He watched the technicians working on Gio before loading him onto a gurney. The policeman that had been talking to them came over and helped Nino up. “Mr. Brunelli, they’re taking your son to Memorial Hospital.” The officer looked Nino up and down. “You don’t look very good. Do you need a ride to the hospital?” Nino looked toward the street. There was still no sign of Rafe. “Yes. Please. I…uh…need to make a call on the way.” The policeman escorted a dazed Nino to his cruiser and drove him to the hospital behind the ambulance.

***** “Are you going to be all right, sir?” The policeman helped Nino through the doors of the emergency room. “Yes, I’m fine. Just a little shocked, I guess. There should be someone coming to meet me any minute.” The policeman sat him down in the waiting room and explained to him that Detective Cooper had been notified and was on his way to the hospital. After the officer asked him once more if he was okay, he left to go back to the scene of the shooting. Nino called Sophie from the hospital’s phone. After hanging up, Nino went outside to wait for Rafe.

***** Rafe met him at the emergency room door. “How is he? What have you found out?” Rafe looked at Nino and saw all the blood on his hands and face. “God, Nino. Talk to me.”

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Nino shook his head. “I don’t know how he is. We just got here. I’m not even sure who to ask.” Rafe didn’t like the looks of his friend’s pallor. “Nino? Are you okay?” He led him to a chair and went to get a nurse. Finding one just behind the front desk, Rafe explained Nino’s recent surgery. With a short nod, the nurse rounded the counter and knelt in front of Nino. She checked his vital signs and looked back up at Rafe. “I think it would be best if we found him a bed.” She stood and went to retrieve a wheelchair. “Please come with me, Mr. Brunelli.” As the nurse pushed Nino back into the emergency room, Sophie ran through the door. Sophie spotted Nino and ran to Rafe. After embracing him, Sophie started asking questions. “How’s Gio? What happened and where’s Dad going?” Rafe looked into her eyes and saw the pain and confusion there. Rafe shook his head. “I just walked in myself. I noticed Nino didn’t look right, so I went and got a nurse. She just took him back to an exam room. Why don’t you go see how he’s doing, and I’ll find someone who’ll tell me about Gio.” Sophie nodded and went through the ER doors to find her father while Rafe went to the information desk to ask about Gio. The older woman at the desk told him they’d taken Gio up to surgery already, but he’d been stabilized in the ER first. She pointed the way to the operating room waiting area. Rafe left a message with her for Detective Cooper. After registering with the volunteer at the desk inside the room, Rafe got a cup of coffee and sat down to wait. He took a few sips and threw it away. It wasn’t that it was bad. He just had too many things running through his mind to sit idle. Rafe stood and started pacing back and forth in front of the windows. What would he do if he never again got the chance to tell Gio he loved him? He looked up just as Detective Cooper came through the door. He came up to Rafe and shook his hand. “How’s he doing?” 85

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Rafe shook his head. “I don’t know anything at all. Not even where he was shot. The only thing they told me was he had been stabilized before they took him to surgery.” Rafe ran his fingers through his hair. He felt totally helpless. “Nino talked to the officer on the scene, but he’s in the exam room himself right now. He just had a triple bypass ten days ago and I think the shock got to him.” Rafe sat back down and looked up at the detective. “Could you find someone and get some information on how bad Gio’s wound is?” Cooper nodded. “I can sure try. I’ll be right back.” He left the room, and Rafe stood up and resumed pacing. Sophie came in and ushered him over to a chair. “Come on and sit with me. Dad’s going to be fine. The shock and stress raised his blood pressure, but they’re getting it under control. Dad told me to find you. He’s worried you’ll end up in the bed next to him.” Rafe stood back up. “Yeah? Well, I’m worried about that poor woman at the volunteer desk if I don’t hear something soon. I’m about to climb out of my skin. I asked Cooper to see if he could find out anything. He’s the detective Gio told you about.” Sophie pulled him back down. “I remember. Rafe, you’ve got to calm down or you’re going to end up just where Dad said you would.” Rafe reached his arms out to Sophie and embraced her. He put his head on top of hers and broke down. Everything hit him at once. He hugged Sophie tighter and let his tears flow. His body shook and his nose ran, but Rafe couldn’t do a thing to stop it. “I-I can’t…I can’t live without him.” Sophie held him until Detective Cooper came back into the room. She pulled away from Rafe and looked into his eyes. With a sympathetic smile, she dug a tissue out of her purse and wiped Rafe’s face. “The detective’s back.” Rafe looked over her shoulder and stood. “What did you find out?”

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Cooper dug out his notepad and looked over the facts he’d learned. “He was shot in the right shoulder blade. I haven’t been able to find out much more about his injuries than that. According to the policeman on the scene, he was planting flowers when an older-model blue sedan pulled up to the curb.” Cooper quickly relayed the facts as they knew them so far. When he was finished, Cooper put his notebook back into his pocket. “I put a call into headquarters to get a rush on the evidence taken from your apartment. I’m sorry it’s taking so long, but the lab is always backed up. I do think I found something interesting regarding your stolen merchandise, though. It appears the balls were filled with packets of cocaine. Already cut and waiting for street sales. My guess is the pallet still in the warehouse may shed even more light on our mystery.” Rafe blew his nose on another tissue Sophie handed him. “So I guess we just sit and wait.” He fingered his hair and walked over to try another cup of coffee. When he sat back down, Rafe looked at the detective. “When I get Gio out of here, I’m going to take him away until you guys find this lunatic. I won’t take any more chances with his life.” He sat back and tried his best to drink his coffee and make plans. Rafe looked over at Sophie. “I guess we could always go to New York. Gio’s apartment still hasn’t sold, so we could stay there for a while. You’d have to let Nino come and stay with you. Gio won’t leave him alone at the house.” Sophie patted Rafe’s hand. “Sure, Dad can come and stay with us. You just worry about Gio. But you know he won’t want to run away from this. You’ll have a hell of a fight on your hands trying to get him back to New York.” Sophie looked at the detective. “What, if anything, do you know about the person responsible for this?” Detective Cooper looked a little embarrassed. “Well, to be honest, not much.” Cooper opened his notebook and began reading down a list like he was checking off facts. “We know that Dennis Allen had control of stolen merchandise and that merchandise happened to be stuffed full of street drugs. We also know that Dennis 87

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hasn’t been the one doing this latest rash of crimes against Rafe and Gio, because he’s been in lockup the entire time.” The detective closed his notebook and shook his head. “Whoever it is seems to know exactly where Rafe and Gio are most of the time. It can’t be a coincidence that he broke into Rafe’s apartment at a time he wasn’t home or knew that Gio would be outside today. Nino told the officer at the scene that Gio couldn’t identify the driver. We’re waiting on lab results from a brown hair found in the bathroom at Rafe’s loft. The toilet seat was up, which leads me to believe the perp was a man.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I’m sorry that’s all we have so far. I know it’s not much, but we’ll keep digging.” They sat down to wait. Not talking. Each of them seemed to be trying to figure out the puzzle of who was responsible for this. Finally, a doctor in scrubs came in and talked to the volunteer at the desk. The volunteer pointed in their direction. He approached Rafe. “I’m Dr. Edward Charles. I performed the surgery on Mr. Brunelli.” Rafe shook his hand. “I’m Rafe Gargano, Mr. Brunelli’s partner. How is he?” “He came through the surgery fine. The bullet entered through his back and traveled through his shoulder, coming out the front. Mr. Brunelli’s scapula was chipped in the process. It’ll be quite painful for a while and he won’t have mobility for a few weeks, but he should get by with just a sling for his right arm. The main problems we encountered were torn muscles and blood loss. We gave him blood and repaired the muscles as much as possible. He’ll need physical therapy in a couple of weeks to help get his mobility back.” Rafe shook his hand again. “Thank you, Dr. Charles. When can we see him?” “Not for another hour or so. Get some lunch in the cafeteria and then check in with the nurses’ desk on the fourth floor.” Rafe thanked him again. The doctor left and Rafe turned toward Sophie. “Why don’t you go find Nino and give him the good news? I’m going to walk around until I 88

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can head up to the fourth floor.” Rafe looked at Detective Cooper. “Do you need to question him today?” “No. I don’t think we’ll get any more out of him than we already have. I was just sticking around to see that he was all right. I’d like your permission to search the store’s warehouse, though.” Rafe nodded, “Do whatever you have to do. I’ll call Keith and tell him you’ll be coming by. The pallet Gio found is on the fourth floor in the left-hand corner when you come off the elevator.” Rafe waved Sophie and the detective off and went to the gift shop to pick up a couple of magazines. Next he went outside to call a florist, ordering three dozen red roses to be delivered that afternoon. He felt like he should be doing something more, but his mind just wouldn’t cooperate. Finally, he went up to the fourth floor and waited. The phone rang at the nurses’ desk and she looked at Rafe while she talked to the other person on the line. She hung up and came around to the front of the desk. “Excuse me, is your name Rafe?” Rafe felt suddenly worried. “Yes, ma’am.” The nurse smiled. “That was recovery. They’ll be bringing Mr. Brunelli up in about fifteen minutes, but they would like for you to go down there.” Her smile widened. “It seems Mr. Brunelli isn’t cooperating with the nurses. He won’t let anyone touch him and he keeps yelling for you.” Rafe smiled at the pretty nurse. “Yeah, that sounds like my Gio. He must be feeling better. Thank you. I’ll see you in a bit.” “My name’s Karen if you need anything.”

*****

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As soon as he stepped foot in the recovery room, he heard Gio’s raspy voice coming from behind a curtained-off area. “Damn it, I told you to leave me the hell alone. Get Rafe in here and then maybe I’ll let you take my damn temperature.” Rafe laughed as he came around the curtained partition. “Gio, stop giving these lovely ladies a hard time. They’re just trying to do their jobs.” He bent over and kissed Gio despite the presence of several harried-looking nurses. “How do you feel?” Gio exhaled audibly. “Better with you here.” Gio puckered his lips. Taking the hint, Rafe leaned down and kissed him again. With a satisfied grunt, Gio looked up at the nurses and nodded. “Okay, now you can poke and prod.” Rafe covered his mouth as he laughed. He felt so much better now. He knew if Gio had the strength to take on a roomful of nurses, he’d be fine. They took his vital signs and hurriedly shipped him to the fourth floor with relief on their faces. Rafe walked alongside the bed as they headed for the elevator. “You’re lucky you’re so damn good-looking. Otherwise, those ladies wouldn’t have put up with your shit. They would’ve just put something in your IV to knock your ass out again.” Gio put on his pouty face. “I just wanted you.” “Good, because you’ve got me.” Gio got settled in his room and Sophie and Nino came up to visit. “Sophie, when you leave, would you mind taking Nino home with you? I’m not planning to leave this hospital tonight and Nino shouldn’t be alone.” Sophie smiled. “We’ve already discussed it, and Dad is going to pack a bag and come see the grandkids for a couple of days. Do you need me to call people about postponing the wedding?” “Hell no!” Gio yelled. “We’re getting married Saturday, no matter what.” For a guy who had lost a lot of blood, Gio sure hadn’t lost his deep, commanding voice.

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Sophie and Nino stayed another hour and then left with promises to return the next day. They even promised to bring both of them an overnight bag. After they left, Karen brought in Gio’s dinner tray. She checked his vitals and looked at him with teasing eyes. “I can see why you wanted to see this man so badly when you woke up. What person wouldn’t, right?” Karen giggled and patted Gio’s hand. “You know what they say. All the best-looking men are either married or gay. I guess I missed out two times on this one, but please don’t tell me that other gorgeous man that just left is gay?” Rafe looked at Gio and laughed. “Sorry, darlin’. He’s not gay, but he’s a widower who’s still very much in love with his late wife.” Karen giggled and started out the door. She stopped and looked over her shoulder. “A girl can still dream, can’t she?” Rafe shook his head and squeezed Gio’s hand. “I am so glad you’re gay. Otherwise you’d never leave this hospital single.” Gio pulled Rafe down on the bed beside him. Rafe leaned down and kissed him. “I’ve got news for you. As far as I’m concerned, I’m not leaving this hospital single.” That earned him another kiss. Rafe moaned at the feel of Gio’s tongue sliding against his. He drew back and shook his head. “We can’t do this. You know how carried away we get.” “Then help me move over and hold me at least,” Gio pleaded. Rafe chuckled. “The bed at home hardly fits us. This is a twin bed, if you haven’t noticed.” He ran his fingers through Gio’s hair. “Would you like me to scrounge up a rubber band?” Gio cringed, “No. Rubber is brutal on the hair. I’d rather have it in my face than broken off. Now come here and snuggle me.” Rafe rolled his eyes and helped slide Gio over and lay down beside him. He spooned as close as he could without touching his IV or right side. “Better now?”

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Gio kissed his neck. “Much better.” Gio held him tighter. “The only thing I could think about when I knew I’d been shot was you. I remember you told me that you’d kill yourself if anything ever happened to me. That was the only thing on my mind until I passed out.” Gio looked at Rafe. “I love you.” Rafe kissed Gio and sighed. “If you want to know how I reacted, you’ll have to ask Sophie. She did her best to hold me together, but I’m afraid Cooper might have been a bit embarrassed on my behalf.” Gio sighed and yawned. “No more talk for now. Let’s just take a little nap.” “Okay, sweetheart.”

***** Karen came in two hours later to check on Gio and saw the two men sleeping in each other’s arms. She put her hand to her chest. “God, that’s beautiful,” she whispered to herself. She checked Gio’s IV bag and left the room quietly. When her shift was over, she pulled Nancy, the nurse who was taking over Gio’s care, aside. “Gio Brunelli in room 421 has a guest in his room with him. I know it’s against visiting hours policy, but they seem to need each other. According to the nurses in recovery, it’s best to give that man what makes him happy. And apparently what makes him happy is sleeping in his partner’s arms right now.” When Nancy started to shake her head no, Karen grabbed her arm in an almost pleading way. “Believe me, it’s the most beautiful thing you’ll ever witness in your life. I’ve never seen two people so much in love. The fact that they’re two absolutely gorgeous men doesn’t hurt either.” Karen gave Nancy a wink. “They’re still sleeping. I’ve just been going in every couple hours to check and change the IV bags. So far I’ve only had to give Mr. Brunelli one syringe of painkiller. I happen to believe the best painkiller for him is the embrace of his partner. You do what you feel you need to, but look at them together first and then decide, okay?”

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Nancy looked a little shocked. “You always go by the book. So if you’re willing to let them break the rules, who am I to argue? I promise not to disturb them unless I see that Mr. Brunelli’s in pain.” Karen hugged her and left. Two hours later, when Nancy went to check on Gio, she also caught her breath. “Karen was right,” she whispered to herself before changing the IV bags. Rafe opened his eyes and saw the nurse. “Wh-What time is it?” Nancy smiled and hung up the new bag of fluid. “It’s a little after four in the morning.” She went ahead and stuck a thermometer in Gio’s open mouth. Gio immediately tried to spit it out. Rafe stroked his chest and calmed him down. “It’s okay. The nurse just needs to take your temperature so we can make sure you’re not getting an infection.” Gio snuggled back up to him. “Okay,” Gio said, still not really awake. Nancy giggled, “You really can tame the beast.” She finished what she was doing and winked at Rafe. “Temperature’s good. Go back to sleep.” She quietly left the room. Gio woke the next morning with what felt like cotton balls in his mouth. “Water,” he mumbled to Rafe. Rafe got up and gave him a glass. He tried to stretch the kinks out of his back. “I love you, but I’m not spending another night in that bed with you. Maybe the nurse can find me a cot for tonight or I can just sleep in the chair.” Gio handed the glass back to Rafe. “Thanks for staying with me last night, but you should go home tonight and get a good night’s sleep.” Rafe shook his head. “I can’t do that. As long as you’re still in here, this is where I’ll spend my days and my nights.”

*****

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Rafe sat beside Gio the rest of the day, holding his hand. Sophie and Nino came in for a couple hours and their favorite nurse Karen came back on duty at two o’clock. At five fifteen, the hospital phone rang. Rafe reached over to answer it. “Hello.” “Hi, Rafe. It’s Mary. I’m sorry to bother you at the hospital, but I can’t get the back door to the store locked. I’d ask Keith or one of the other guys to help, but it took me longer than normal to cash out the register and they’re already gone.” Rafe looked at Gio and rolled his eyes. “It’ll take me about twenty minutes to get there, can you wait?” “Sure, I’ve got to meet some friends later, but I have time.” “I’ll be there in twenty.” Rafe hung up and looked at Gio. “Our number one employee can’t seem to get the back door locked. I’m going to have to run over and help her, but I shouldn’t be gone longer than an hour. Do you want me to stop and get you some real food for dinner?” Gio licked his lips. “Yeah. Would you bring me some barbeque and onion rings?” Rafe laughed and kissed him. “I guess that means I’ll be eating onion rings too. Otherwise I wouldn’t be able to stand your breath while I do this.” Rafe kissed him again. “And we both know how much I like doing that.”

***** Gio was flipping channels when Cooper knocked and came through the door. “Hi, Cooper. Come on in.” Gio turned off the television and tried to sit up. “What can I do for you?” “You can tell me how you’re feeling.” Detective Cooper sat in the chair beside the bed. “I’m doing pretty good considering.” “Good. I’m glad to hear it. I came by to talk to Rafe about the lab results on that hair we found and the pallet of balls we confiscated. Is he around?” 94

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“No. He had to go back to the store. It seems after almost five years of employment, Mary can’t get the back door locked. He should be here in about forty-five minutes though. Can you tell me what you found and I can pass it on?” “Sure, that’s no problem. First of all, some of the balls we confiscated came back with drugs in them. The boxes on those balls had a small X near the bar code. If you look closely, you can see where a small slit was cut into the leather before stuffing them and gluing them back up.” Cooper shook his head. “I think Dennis was using the store and the warehouse for a base of operation. He’ll be brought up on numerous charges as a result. That all seems fairly cut and dried at this point. “Secondly, the lab results on the hair came back and I think we have been led astray in the investigation.” Gio’s brows drew together. “How’s that?” “Well, either Rafe’s been seeing someone behind your back, which after what I saw yesterday, I truly doubt, or his stalker is a woman. We got the DNA results back and the hair definitely belongs to a female. I know your sister has been in the loft, but hers is the wrong color.” Gio looked totally confused. “Really? A woman? Why would a woman stalk a gay man?” Cooper rubbed his forehead. “That’s what I’ve been trying to figure out. It doesn’t make sense unless the woman didn’t know Rafe was gay?” Gio closed his eyes. “Actually, it wasn’t common knowledge until I came back to town. Which just happens to be when the last rash of problems started up.”

***** Rafe walked through the store to the back entrance and tried the knob. “Mary? This door’s already locked. Why’d you call me all the way down here?” He turned around to face Mary and saw the gun in her hand. “What’s going?” 95

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Mary shifted from foot to foot. She was clearly nervous and a bit wild-eyed. “I’ll tell you what’s going on. I have worked in this store for almost five years, and for almost that entire five years, you acted like you were interested in me.” She leveled her gaze to stare at Rafe. “I kept hoping you’d ask me out, but you never did. Then I figured you were just shy and needed to get to know me better. So when I found out about Dennis and his little side business, I told you. But I didn’t tell you everything. Dennis has been running drugs out of this store for the past two years. I told him if he’d let me tell you about taking the merchandise, I wouldn’t rat on him about the drugs.” Mary seemed to puff up with pride at what she’d done. “I knew you’d fire him, but I thought you’d hire me to take his place. I have the seniority to be a dayshift manager. Instead you decided to do the job yourself. Which was okay, really, because then I got to spend every day with you.” She stopped talking and stared off into space, shaking her head occasionally. Rafe looked discreetly around him, hoping to find something he could use as a weapon. He spotted an open box of surplus tennis rackets about ten feet away. He would have to try to distract Mary enough to get to the box. Rafe looked at Mary again. She was still warring with her inner demons. He slowly inched his feet toward the box of rackets. He didn’t make any sudden moves and tried to look like he was just getting antsy standing in the same spot for too long.

***** Detective Cooper looked over his notes again. “How many women does Rafe come into contact with on a daily basis?” Gio thought about it. “I honestly don’t know. I mean, other than the store, he’s always been pretty much a loner.” Gio’s eyes snapped toward the detective. “The only woman he’s with almost on a daily basis is Mary. And she just happened to need his

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help at the store after hours. Mary has brown hair, but I don’t know what kind of car she drives.” Detective Cooper picked up the phone and called nine-one-one. “Send a unit to N.R. Element sporting goods store downtown. Tell the officers we have a possible hostage situation inside the building. I’m on my way now.” As the detective was talking, Gio unhooked his IV and got out of bed. When Cooper hung up, Gio reached out to him. “I’m going. Don’t try to stop me. I’ll sit in the car if I have to.” The detective looked at Gio. “Don’t act stupid. You can barely walk and you don’t have any clothes on. Hell, I can see your ass.” Gio pushed his way in front of the detective. “Look at my ass all you want, but I’m walking out of this hospital right now.” Gio stalked out the door. He saw Karen running toward him, and held up a hand to stop her. “I’m going out for a few minutes with the detective, but I’ll be back. Rafe needs me, so don’t even try to keep me here.” Gio left Karen openmouthed. He was sure she got a pretty good view too when he walked away from her.

***** Mary seemed to snap out of whatever trance she’d been in and swung the gun toward Rafe. “I thought you were starting to have feelings for me. Then that bastard Gio showed up and you forgot all about me. I followed you that second night after Nino’s surgery. I almost walked into the restaurant to see you, but then I saw Gio. I waited in my car for you to leave. I thought I could just go to your loft and talk to you about my feelings. But while I was trying to get up my nerve to ring the buzzer, he walked into the building. I waited for hours for him to come out and go home, but he never did. I saw your lights turn out and I knew you were a faggot. “I was so mad, I destroyed your beloved Escalade, but you still didn’t learn your lesson. No, you had to bring him into the store and throw him in my face. I decided if

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destroying your car didn’t work, I’d destroy your precious loft.” She began to giggle like a crazy schoolgirl. “That toilet thing was a good trick, huh? I figured it would throw the police off my trail. I saw it on a police drama a long time ago.” Rafe continued to listen to Mary’s rantings, while steadily moving inch by inch toward the open box of rackets. “Then you had the absolute nerve to announce you two were getting married. Married! Come on, give me a break. You can’t marry a man in this state, Rafe! You could have had me, but you threw that away for a pretend marriage to another guy. So I did the only thing left and shot your lover. He seems to be the only thing you care about anymore anyway. This store doesn’t even mean as much to you as it used to.” Rafe slowly reached behind him and took hold of one of the tennis rackets. He was waiting for the right time to strike out when he heard the police sirens. “That’s the police, Mary.” Mary whipped her head to the front of the store. Rafe took his opportunity and swung the racket with all the strength he had. It hit Mary on the side of the head. As she fell to the ground, her gun discharged. Gio and Cooper arrived about five minutes after the patrol cars. The policemen were surrounding the building when they heard the gunshot. Gio screamed at the detective. “Break the fucking door down. Now. Shoot the window. Do whatever you have to do, but get in there.” One of the policemen looked at Detective Cooper, who nodded. They both shot the lock at the same time and Cooper kicked the door in. The police filed in to secure the area. Cooper found Rafe dazed and bleeding in the backroom. He called for an ambulance and went to get Gio, who, amazingly, had kept his word and stayed outside. “It’s okay to come in, Gio. Rafe’s been shot, but it looks like a flesh wound. Don’t freak out about the amount of blood. Head wounds usually look worse than they really are.”

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Gio moved as quickly as he could through the store. When he got to Rafe and saw the blood, he collapsed by his side. “Rafe?” He grabbed him by the shoulder with his left hand and looked at his head. “That bitch shot you.” Gio looked over at Mary, who was still unconscious but handcuffed anyway. Rafe looked into Gio’s eyes and smiled. “It’s over. She can’t hurt us anymore.” Rafe kissed Gio despite the blood running down the side of his face. Gio pulled back and looked at the wound on Rafe’s head. Rafe took Gio’s hands in his. “It’s just a flesh wound. I’m fine, just fine.” “That’s good, because I’m not feeling too hot at the moment. I think maybe we’re going to have to ride double in the ambulance.” That was all Gio said before he crumpled in Rafe’s arms. Rafe looked at the detective. “When is that ambulance getting here?” “Relax. It’s pulling up now. I don’t see any blood coming from Gio’s wound. I think it was too much excitement, too soon.” Rafe looked over at Mary. “You’ll have to call a different ambulance for her. I whacked her pretty hard upside the head with that tennis racket there on the ground. I’ve always like to play tennis. I’ll give my statement as soon as I know Gio’s all right. She confessed everything.” The ambulance came and loaded an awake, but still-groggy, Gio. They stopped most of the bleeding on the side of Rafe’s head and took them all the way back to Memorial Hospital, where the doctors checked them both out and put them in a room together for the night.

***** Cooper came to their hospital room early the next morning. Nancy stopped him in the hall. “Can I help you, Detective?” Cooper continued on toward Gio and Rafe’s room. “I just need to get a statement from Rafe.” He opened the door and found them both sleeping in the same bed, 99

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snuggled so close it looked like one body with two heads. He turned and looked at Nancy. She shrugged her shoulders. “We’ve found it’s the best pain-management system for the two of them. Otherwise, they become big, growling bears.” Nancy smiled at the detective and walked off. Cooper entered the room and cleared his throat. “Excuse me, gentlemen, but I need to get a statement from Rafe so I can turn in my final report.” He saw the two men rub noses and finally start to wake up. Gio smiled at Cooper. “Good morning.” Gio looked at Rafe and kissed him on the forehead. “Hey, sleepyhead, wake up. We’ve got a visitor and he’s looking a little uncomfortable at the moment.” Rafe opened his eyes and smiled. “Morning, Cooper. What can we do for you?” Cooper’s entire face was red as he shuffled his feet. “I…um…need to get your statement so I can file my final report.” Rafe sat up and got out of bed. “Give me a second. I need to use the restroom.” Rafe walked toward the restroom and Cooper looked at him just in time to get flashed through the back opening of Rafe’s hospital gown.

***** After Rafe finished giving Cooper his statement, he looked at Gio and invited the detective to their wedding. “It’s Saturday at six o’clock at Nino’s house. Bring a date if you want or better yet—you’re a good-looking unmarried straight guy, why don’t you ask Karen, the dayshift nurse, to come with you?” Cooper laughed and said he’d be there, with or without a date. He shook Rafe’s and Gio’s hands and started to walk out, but stopped and turned around. “By the way, Rafe. Nice ass. Not as nice as the one Gio showed everyone in the building yesterday, but nice.” He laughed and walked out. He could hear Rafe and Gio arguing all the way down the hall. 100

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“I can’t believe you flashed Cooper your ass, Rafe.” “Why? At least I only flashed Cooper. Not the whole hospital and about six policemen.” “I was in a hurry to get to you. At least he said my ass was nicer than yours.” “At least he got something right. Your ass is nicer than mine.” “Yeah, well, I think you have a nicer ass…” Cooper shook his head as he entered the elevator. Nancy smiled at him and cleared her throat. “Actually, I bet they both have really nice asses,” she whispered and winked.

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Epilogue

Six months later Rafe opened the garage door on their new home. It had taken forever, but it was finally finished. They’d moved in two weeks ago, to the dismay of Nino, who was sorry to see them go. Rafe got out of the car and walked toward Gio’s office. The room was empty, so he headed to the elevator. The wedding had been beautiful. Everyone they cared about had shown up, even on such short notice. Cooper did in fact bring a nurse, but it was Nancy, not Karen. Karen came anyway and spent the night dancing and flirting with Nino. She seemed bound and determined to get that man to love again. Rafe didn’t know about Nino ever loving again, but he’d caught Karen coming out of Nino’s room a time or two since the wedding. Rafe and Gio decided to hold off on a honeymoon until everything at the new store was settled. Business had picked up tremendously and they’d promoted Keith to manager. Gio had all the business he wanted, which seemed to be not much. Mary was still awaiting trial, but that could drag on for another year or more. Rafe didn’t care as long as she was in jail. Dennis had been convicted and sentenced on three separate drug charges. He’d be in jail for some time. Rafe rode the elevator to the second-floor living area. He still couldn’t get over how such a big building could already feel like a home. He looked around at the refinished floors, new tinted windows and homey kitchen and smiled. Gio had refused to have a kitchen that looked like it belonged in a restaurant. Instead he’d found a cabinetmaker that made kitchen cabinets and islands from old salvaged wood. The result was breathtaking. The kitchen looked like it had always been here.

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The deep leather furniture had been a must. With two big men in the house who liked to snuggle and fuck on the sofa, it had to be large and it had to be easily cleaned. Rafe chuckled to himself and got back on the elevator. He stopped on the third floor, which held their bedroom and bathroom and a large family room for them to wrestle around in. They called it the naked room because no clothes were allowed in it. Rafe shook his head, still no Gio. He got back on the elevator and went to the fourth floor. He knew he wasn’t on the fourth floor. That still wasn’t completely done. It would soon have an apartment for Nino and a movie room. Rafe took the stairs to the rooftop garden. They’d installed a privacy fence around one quarter of the roof so Gio could have his hot tub. They’d also installed a black iron fence around the rest of the roof to contain Gio’s wedding present from Rafe. Rafe stepped out into the bright sunshine and looked around for Gio, finally spotting him in the privacy-fenced section. He rounded the corner and stopped. Gio was sunbathing in the nude again. Man, he loved it when he did that. Booger, Gio’s cocker spaniel puppy, was sprawled out beside him in the lounge chair. Rafe crept up slowly and bent over and took Gio’s cock into his mouth all the way to the root. Gio jerked a little and opened his eyes. “Hey. I hoped that was you. Take off your clothes and join me.” Rafe shook his head and kept sliding his lips up and down on Gio’s cock. He swirled the tip with his tongue before plunging the cock down his throat. Rafe’s throat muscles squeezed Gio’s cock over and over. “I can’t not move,” Gio gasped as he started thrusting in and out of Rafe’s throat. “You’re a cock-sucking god.” Rafe pumped his mouth up and down as Gio moved. He pulled off just as Gio’s balls were drawing up. Rafe stood and ripped his clothes off. “Gotta fuck you. Where’s the lube?”

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Gio opened his eyes and pointed toward the table beside the hot tub. Rafe grabbed the lube and repositioned the lounge chair. He took Gio’s legs, put them over his shoulders and put the tip of the lube bottle just inside Gio’s hole and squeezed. Tossing the lube aside, Rafe lined up. “Sorry, I gotta have it now.” He positioned his cock and drove into Gio’s ass. He didn’t stop until his balls smacked Gio’s ass. “Love you,” he panted as he set a punishing pace. The poor lounge chair began scooting across the roof deck until it hit the fence. Booger was barking at the chair like it was alive. None of that mattered to Rafe. He just needed to be inside Gio. He continued to hammer away at Gio’s ass as Gio thrust upward and jerked himself off. Rafe captured Gio’s mouth in a kiss as he buried himself to the hilt and came. Gio jerked himself a couple more times and sprayed both their chests with seed. Still reeling from his climax, Rafe collapsed, fully sated. “Thank you, I needed that.” Gio kissed the scar on the side of Rafe’s head. “Why? Did you have a bad day?” Rafe shook his head. “Not a bad day. Just a day without you. What have you been up to?” Gio kissed him and sighed. “Well, I worked on the Thompson’s ad campaign this morning and then Booger and I went to pick out new theatre seats for the movie room. Then we went to the park so she could run around and then we came home to do some nude sunbathing.” Rafe laughed and shook his head. “I still can’t understand why you named that crazy dog Booger.” Gio looked at him like he hadn’t explained it to him already about a hundred times. “Because Revenge of the Nerds is only, like, the best movie ever. It’s pretty simple stuff, Rafe.” Rafe rolled them to the side and kissed him. “Let’s jump into the hot tub and I can tell you all about my exciting day.” “Mmm. Sounds good to me. I bought you something today. Well, it’s actually for me, but I think you’ll enjoy it too.” Gio stood and bent down to give Booger a kiss. 104

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Rafe walked over to the hot tub as Gio rummaged through the canvas bag he always brought to the roof. Stepping into the water, Rafe looked over his shoulder. “Coming?” At Gio’s laugh, Rafe stroked his still semi-hard cock. He stood with one foot in the tub and one foot on the side so Gio could get a good look at his hardening cock. God, would he ever get enough of this man? Gio found what he was looking for and stood. In his hand had to be one of the biggest dildos Rafe had ever seen. His eyes must have given away his shock because Gio started chuckling as he walked over to the hot tub. Holding the large, flesh-colored dildo to his mouth, Gio ran his tongue up the side. “I thought it would be nice if we both became filled at the same time. Interested?” Running his hand down the length of his quickly filling cock, Rafe smiled. “Hell, sweetheart. You know I’m always up for whatever you have in mind.” Gio looked down at Rafe’s impressive erection. “Good, because I want you to put this in me and then I’m going to put me in you. Sound fair?” Gio opened a bottle of lube and squirted some into his hand. He ran his lubed fingers up and down the length of the dildo and handed it to Rafe. Keeping his eyes on Rafe, Gio squirted more lube into this hand and stroked his cock. It was amazing what the power of lust could accomplish in only a few minutes. Gio’s cock was every bit as hard as Rafe’s. He stepped into the tub and bent over with his hands braced on the side. “Fuck me with that, will ya? I wanna feel it nice and deep before I get you ready.” Rafe stepped up behind Gio and kissed his neck. “I live to please you, master.” That earned him a smack on the leg from Gio. He positioned the dildo at Gio’s already stretched hole and delved inside. Rafe realized that even though the dildo looked huge, it wasn’t any bigger than his own cock. Gio took it easily and Rafe gave him a couple of hard strokes to get him primed.

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Carol Lynne

When goose bumps broke out on Gio’s skin, he stood and reached for the lube again. “Trade me places. I need to get you ready.” Rafe planted his feet securely on the bottom of the hot tub and held on to the side as he bent over and presented himself to Gio. “Do it.” Gio lubed his fingers once again, trying like hell to concentrate with the dildo still inside him. He rimmed Rafe’s pucker and slipped two fingers inside. With a quick scissor action, Gio stretched him just enough to give him that small bite of pain he enjoyed. Positioning his cock at Rafe’s hole, Gio leaned over and whispered in his ear. “I’ve dreamed of this for years. Having you. Loving you.” He thrust his cock inside Rafe’s welcoming heat. “Fucking you.” Howling to the sky, Rafe took Gio’s punishing rhythm, who, it seemed, was in a state of unbridled ecstasy. “God, it feels so good. Dildo pushing inside me as I fuck you. Not gonna last.” Gio reached around and squeezed Rafe’s sac. “Come for me.” Gio pistoned his hips against Rafe’s ass a few more times before both men erupted. Gio bucked as his seed shot from the head of his cock in never-ending spurts. “Oh fuck. Draining me dry, sexy.” When his muscles finally stopped convulsing, Gio pulled Rafe down into the hot, bubbly water. Rafe turned in Gio’s arms and kissed him. He reached back and removed the dildo from Gio’s body. “You know we’re gonna have to drain the tub now and clean it, don’t you?” “Mmm.” Gio had his head on Rafe’s chest, still unable to move. Kissing the top of his head, Rafe ran his hands down Gio’s back. “So tell me, love. Was the reality as good as the dream?” “Better,” Gio mumbled.

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About the Author I’ve been a reading fanatic for years and finally at the age of 40 decided to try my hand at writing. I’ve always loved romance novels that are just a little bit naughty so naturally my books tend to go just a little further. It’s my fantasy world after all. When I’m not being a mother to a five-year-old and a six-year-old, you can usually find me in my deep leather chair with either a book in my hand or my laptop.

Carol welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.

Tell Us What You Think We appreciate hearing reader opinions about our books. You can email us at [email protected].

Also by Carol Lynne Feels So Right Finnegan’s Promise Men in Love 1: Branded by Gold Men in Love 2: Ben’s Wildflower Men in Love 3: Open to Possibilities Men in Love 4: Completing the Circle Men in Love 5: Going Against Orders Men in Love 6: Tortured Souls Riding the Wolf Sex With Lex

Discover for yourself why readers can’t get enough of the multiple award-winning publisher Ellora’s Cave. Whether you prefer e-books or paperbacks, be sure to visit EC on the web at www.ellorascave.com for an erotic reading experience that will leave you breathless.

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