Home > Sleight of Hand(8)

Sleight of Hand(8)
Author: Charlie Cochet

Once Gio hugged Laz and promised him for the hundredth time that he’d rest and call if he needed anything, Laz went off with the guys, and Gio climbed into the back seat of Ace’s car. The two lovebirds murmured from the front seats, holding hands. Gio was so happy for Colton. Never in a million years would he have predicted his best friend would end up married to a man like Ace, but after spending only a few minutes in their presence, Gio understood.

Colton laughed softly at something his husband said, and Gio smiled. Once upon a time, Colton had been so serious, devoting himself to nothing but work, afraid to risk his heart after the utter betrayal from his previous relationship. He’d been cold and detached. He laughed and smiled easily these days, his eyes filled with life and love, even when Ace drove him mad. All Ace had to do was pull Colton into his arms and murmur a few soft words and Colton dissolved; his anger evaporated much like the rain on a hot and humid Florida day.

An image of bright blue-gray eyes came to mind, and Gio found himself smiling again. Sacha put on a formidable front of dislike for Gio, but the truth was Sacha did care. Why he seemed so against showing it had Gio stumped. He recalled the night of the auction, replaying the memory for what had to be the thousandth time.

After the kiss to Sacha’s cheek, Sacha had stormed off backstage, and Gio had quickly followed him to a darkened corner away from the busyness of the stage area. Sacha whirled on Gio, hissing at him like a bristled wild cat with sharp fangs and sharper claws.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

The way his eyes shone, even in the dim lighting… Good God, he was beautiful. “You’re stunning.”

Sacha stared at him before seeming to shake himself out of it. “What the fuck, Gio? You’re supposed to be halfway around the world.”

“And miss taking you out on a date?” Gio shook his head. “Never. Besides…” He shoved his hands into his pockets and shrugged. “I’m home. For good.”

That seemed to shock Sacha more than Gio’s sudden presence. “You… You’re staying?”

Gio stepped closer to Sacha, and with a warm smile, tentatively reached out to move a lock of Sacha’s hair away from his brow. “Yes, I am. Consider this my homecoming.” A host of emotions crossed Sacha’s face, none of them decipherable.

“Holy fuck! You just paid a hundred thousand dollars for a date.”

“With you.”

Sacha didn’t appear impressed. Not that it had been Gio’s intention. Quite the opposite. Sacha’s reaction had him even more captivated, but then Gio shouldn’t be surprised. A man like Sacha had little interest in pompous gestures. He’d been aware of Gio’s wealth from the beginning and couldn’t have cared less. He seemed more suspicious of it than anything.

“The truth is, I spent a hundred thousand dollars on a very worthy cause.”

Sacha regarded him with narrowed eyes. So suspicious. “Why?”

“You and your family saved my little brother’s life. More than once, in fact. The more I’ve gotten to know Red, and through him your family, the more I want to help where I can. Tonight provided me with the perfect opportunity. A date with you is simply a lovely bonus.”

Sacha glared at him and thrust a finger at him. “Whatever your game is, I’m not playing; you got that?”

Gio moved closer, and Sacha quickly retreated a step, unaware he had nowhere to go until his back hit the wall behind him. His eyes widened.

“I never play games,” Gio whispered, cupping Sacha’s face. He ran a thumb over Sacha’s bottom lip, his pulse racing when those gorgeous eyes fluttered shut and Sacha leaned into Gio’s touch. His lips parted ever so softly, and Gio lowered his head to brush his lips along the side of Sacha’s mouth. Heat flared through him at the sound of Sacha’s sharp intake of breath. A barely-there moan escaped from between those sweet lips. “Let me give you what you need.”

Sacha shivered beneath his touch. Then his eyes popped open, and he glared at Gio. “I don’t need anything from anyone, especially you. Get the hell out of my way.”

Gio held up his hands in front of him and stepped aside. After that, Gio had canceled the date. Of course, he’d still donated the money, but he wasn’t going to force Sacha into doing something he didn’t want to do. To his absolute bewilderment, Sacha texted him several days later, informing him the date was back on. Gio had no idea what had prompted the change of heart, but he’d been thrilled. The heat and tension between them had almost killed him, but spending that time alone with Sacha had been worth every second.

“Home sweet home.”

Ace’s voice interrupted Gio’s thoughts, and he climbed out of the parked car. He followed the two into the house from the garage, thanking Ace for everything. Colton led Gio to one of the many guest rooms and went to find him some clothes he could change into, along with something to wrap his arm in so he could shower.

“Thanks, Colt.”

“You let me know if you need anything, okay? And don’t worry if your bandage needs changing. Ace can do that for you.” He smiled brightly. “Having a former Green Beret for a husband is pretty handy.” His eyes widened. “Just don’t ask him to fix anything.”

Gio frowned. “I would have thought he’d be good at fixing things.”

“Oh, he is. The problem is that when he goes to fix something, like oh, let’s say the bottom board on the steps of the walkway leading from the deck to the beach, upon further inspection, he discovers how uneven the rest of it is and ends up tearing the whole thing up.” Colton looked slightly traumatized. “Our house might get swept away by a hurricane, but the military-grade walkway will survive. Also, he fixed the Roomba, so unless you want to get sucked into another dimension, stay away from it.”

Laughter bubbled out of Gio so hard, he had tears in his eyes, and Colton was right there with him. They were so loud, Ace appeared, a bemused smile on his handsome face.

“You two are adorable. By the way,” Ace told Colton, “the showerhead broke in our bathroom, but don’t worry, I fixed it.”

Colton and Gio exchanged glances before they started laughing again. Gio could barely breathe.

“What?” Ace said. “What’s so funny?”

Colton wiped a tear from his eye and wrapped his arms around Ace’s waist. “Nothing, baby. Let’s go to bed. Goodnight, Gio.”

“Goodnight, you two.” Gio shook his head and closed the door behind his friends. It was so good to be home.

As much as Gio would have loved to take a long hot shower, it wasn’t a good idea after the night he’d had, so he made it quick, mindful of the bandage on his arm, and then changed into the pajamas Colton had brought him. He was a little lightheaded but okay. Knowing he wouldn’t be getting much sleep despite his exhaustion, he stepped outside onto the balcony that ran along the back of the house facing the beach.

The March weather was perfect. Still early enough in the year for a cool evening breeze, but late enough for the winter chill to have gone. He’d forgotten how peaceful it was to be on the beach.

When he’d returned home, he’d stayed with Colton and Ace while his broker found him the perfect house. Laz had been hurt at first that Gio hadn’t stayed with him, but Gio gently reminded his brother that moving back to the States meant his life was going to be chaotic before it settled, and the last thing he wanted was to interrupt Red’s routine.

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