“Yeah, let’s go.” I shift my eyes to Luca. “You in?”
He nods, his eyes slowly roaming over me and Gen. “I didn't bring a suit.”
“Perfect,” Gen purrs, his gaze shifting to the space between Luca’s legs. “I didn't either.”
“We’re skinny dipping?” Luca asks, standing. “That’s what I’m talking about.”
Nerves move through me, but I stand, getting my bearings and assessing our sobriety levels to make sure we’ll be able to swim safely. When the hell did I turn into a mother hen?
After I grab towels from the linen closet, the three of us shuffle outside to the pool area. I find myself watching the interaction between Gen and Luca, but right now, they’re acting like friends and nothing more, which helps me lower my defenses. All night, Luca has been equally shifting his attention between us. Maybe I’m not really the odd man out after all.
I twist around to the sound of splashing water. Gen has already stripped and jumped in, and Luca quickly follows, flashing his tight butt before he joins Gen. I pull off my clothes and jump in too, not wanting to be the only one out of the water. Luca splashes Gen, who doesn’t even complain, before climbing onto my back and pulling me under water. We laugh, breaking the surface, the three of us splashing and roughhousing like kids.
“This is so awesome,” Luca says, dragging his arms through the warm water. “I can’t remember the last time I’ve been skinny dipping.”
“Same,” I agree.
“This is fun,“ Gen says. “But I do remember the last time. I was in the ocean. It was a little cold that night, and let’s just say my date was less than impressed when I got out of the water. Shrinkage is a thing.”
“You look like you’re holding up alright tonight,” Luca drawls.
I refuse to look down. The water distorts things anyway. I don’t want to see a dick unless it’s mine to play with, and neither of their dicks fall into that category. Pretty sure. Probably.
Luca swims up to me, bobbing in the water, inches from my face. His eyes are soft, his smile sexy as fuck. “Are you having fun, Cairo? You’re quiet.”
“I’m having fun. Lots of it.”
“Good. Want to go inside and have some more? I think we need drinks.”
“Yeah.”
“But first…” Luca scoops me up, lifts me out of the water, and tosses me like I weigh nothing. It takes me back to being a kid, and I can’t stop laughing.
Luca laughs too. “There you go. I love your smile, Cairo.”
A warm feeling spreads through my belly. Maybe lower. “Thanks.”
As we climb out, Gen smacks my butt, but I quickly grab the towel, avoiding a peek at him. The last thing I need to manage with these two around is a chubby.
Back inside, we sit on the floor wrapped in our towels. I wasn’t sure Luca could get any hotter, but seeing him soaking wet, his chest covered in water droplets and tattoos, the water darkening his hair and making his eyes pop, I was wrong. Dead wrong.
“You’re so hot,” Gen says, not looking at either of us.
Luca chuckles, fishing a piece of ice from his glass. ”I know he is,” he says, his eyes shifting to me. “Sexy too.”
“Me?”
“Yep. In fact, I think both of you are pretty fine. I thought y’all were brothers when I first met you.”
“You’re not the only one,” Gen says, sipping his cocktail. “But if we were, obviously Cairo got the height gene, and no one in my family is tall.”
“I’m still short compared to Luca.”
“You’re both perfect,” Luca murmurs as he lifts his glass to those goddamn lips of his.
“Says the blond Adonis in the room,” I say, giving him a smile.
“Clearly, we are the three prettiest men in Miami,” Gen says, his tone stern as though it’s fact. “I mean, we slay.”
“We do slay,” I agree.
Luca’s eyes linger on me and Gen as he sucks a rectangular piece of ice, pushing it out just enough so that it coats his lips before sucking it back in again. Okay, you sexy motherfucker.
Many cocktails later, the three of us are spread out on the plush living room throw rug, staring up at the mural on the ceiling. Some cherub and cupid nonsense my aunt loved. My head is swirling, but with that good buzz you have right before shit gets crazy.
“I think dating in Miami is hard,” Luca says pointedly as the conversation topic shifts again. “I mean, where do you find good people?”
Genesis shrugs. “Beats me.”
I laugh. “I guess it depends on what you want, Luca.”
“Never been into hookup culture.” He twists his head to look at both of us as he speaks. “I grew up in a small town, you know? Religious family. It wasn’t cool to be gay, so I had to keep it to myself.”
Gen looks sad for him. “That sucks. Do your parents know?”
Luca nods. “I told them. I think it was sad for them, ‘cause like, I’m adopted. They picked out this perfect little blond hair, blue-eyed boy. Then I turned out gay.”
I immediately put my hand on his thigh in some kind of need to comfort him. “How is it with them?”
“It’s okay. They accepted it over time, I guess. It’s not like ‘oh tell us about your boyfriend’ kind of acceptance, but it’s not bad either. I feel like if I told them I was in love or something they’d be happy for me.” He takes another drink. “But I left there because I needed to be out. I needed to be free and surrounded by other people like me. I always wanted to come to Miami. It looked so sexy and exciting on TV, you know?”
Gen and I nod as we listen.
“So, I did. I packed my shit and drove here. One day, I was walking down the sidewalk where Black Heart is. I had gone in a few places, but they were full, or the vibe wasn’t right. I stepped into Black Heart and I just felt like, yeah, this is it.” He flashes that sexy grin of his. “Luckily for me, Jude was looking for people.”
“Luckily for all of us,” Gen says sweetly, without a hint of his usual innuendo. “You’re an awesome guy. Glad you came to Miami.”
“Me too.” Luca smiles, his eyes shifting between me and Gen. “Meeting the two of you was exactly what I was hoping for when I moved down here.”
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“You’re both unapologetically yourselves. The guys at the shop are cool too, but I feel like we click. The three of us. I hope y’all feel it too.”
“I feel it too,” Gen says.
Do I? Up to this point, I felt unsure, but tonight has been amazing. Smiling, I nod. “Yeah, we click.”
Luca lies down between me and Gen, our shoulders touching. I’m not sure if it’s his proximity or the alcohol, but I swear there’s a current of electricity flowing between the three of us, connecting us like strings of light. I want to touch him. Him. Hell, both of them.
After several seconds of silence, Luca rolls to his side facing Gen, and I watch in horror as he leans in to kiss my best friend. Oh, fuck no. I’m not watching this. Fuck. Gen is the romance option. I’m the friend.
I want to leave, I do, but I’m paralyzed by the confusing mix of emotions hitting me all at once. My stomach twists in a knot of pure jealousy, over which one I’m not sure, but watching Luca own Genesis like that, his tongue visible whenever he takes a small breath, fingers gently gripping his neck, is... Fucking. Fire. My cock fills and twitches under the towel as my whole body warms. I can’t take my eyes off them...and, oh my god, now I’m a voyeur.