Gio stood up from the recliner, put his iPad down, and stretched as Rafe walked into the office. He’d been sketching out some ideas for the upstairs bedroom renovations set to begin next week.
“Keeley’s in the kitchen, whipping up some hoagies,” Rafe said as he walked across the room to glance at a piece of paper on the desk. “You about finished with the designs? Everybody will be getting here soon.”
Gio nodded. “Yeah. Just put the finishing touches on. I’ll show you my ideas tomorrow. I’m ready to just kick back and relax for the rest of the night.”
Rafe nodded. “We’ve been going full-steam ahead for weeks, what with the renovations, the date-crashing—”
“The marathon sex every night,” Gio added to the list, grinning. It had been a week since Rafe stopped being a stubborn ass and came to his senses. The best week of Gio’s life. Every single night, the three of them had come together in a rush of almost desperate lovemaking. Gio wondered how long it would take before they all felt secure enough in the knowledge that this was for real, that it would last. Considering none of them had ever managed a long-term relationship in their lives, he figured their concerns were valid.
Rafe winked. “Tonight was a good idea.”
They were throwing an old-school hockey night party. Keeley had confessed a few days earlier that she missed the way they all used to get together to watch Elio play back when she was in high school.
Gio decided it was a good time to bring the weekly get-together back. He also figured this was the perfect way to come out to their friends about their change in status. Keeley had already told Liza, but tonight…they wanted to tell everyone else.
Starting with her brother.
“Nervous about talking to Kayden?” Gio asked.
Rafe started to shake his head, then changed his response to a shrug. “Yes and no. I mean, Kayden’s a reasonable guy about pretty much everything. Except—”
“Keeley,” the two of them said in unison.
“If it was just one of us,” Rafe continued, “I think he’d be cool with it. But the truth is…”
“Two of his closest friends are banging his sister,” Gio finished for him, grinning.
“Fuck. Think we should frisk him when he gets here? Make sure he’s not carrying his gun?”
Crossing his arms, Gio leaned against Rafe’s desk. “I don’t know. Maybe we should—”
Before he could finish his statement, the desk slid a good six inches across the floor.
“Jesus!” he cried out, wobbling.
Rafe reached out, grabbing Gio’s upper arm to steady his friend. “You okay?”
“What the fuck?” Gio scowled. “That desk weighs at least two hundred pounds.” They’d learned that fact the hard way when they’d had to move it out of the room so they could refinish the floors.
“Yeah. Apparently, the floor in here is made of ice on occasion. That, or Grandpa wants the desk somewhere else. It’s not the first time it’s slid that easily. Keeley nearly fell once, as well, when she leaned on it.” Rafe was still gripping Gio’s arm, their proximity close. Neither of them bothering to separate.
“We gonna talk about the touching thing?” Gio asked, before he could think better of it.
Rafe had become less restrained in the bedroom, in terms of he and Gio. After introducing Keeley to Gio’s taint, the “instruction” had continued as Rafe revealed every secret of the male anatomy, giving her hands-on demonstrations…using her hands and his.
Rafe should write a goddamn book because Gio had always considered himself to have some decent staying power, but this week, with Rafe tutoring Keeley, he’d been popping off like an untried schoolboy.
“Do you want me to stop?” Rafe asked.
“Fuck no. It’s just…” Now that he’d started the conversation, Gio realized he didn’t have a clue what he wanted to say.
“We’re both adventurous in the bedroom,” Rafe said, taking over for Gio. “Both open to trying new things. I’m not proposing we jump straight to fucking each other, but…forever is a long time. We’ve got time to do a little investigating. Why not explore a few things, see how we feel about it, figure out where our lines are?”
Gio smiled, relieved and pleased by Rafe’s suggestion. He hadn’t been able to make sense of his jumbled-up feelings regarding this new facet of their sexual relationship. He’d witnessed the closeness between Layla’s guys, Finn and Miguel, both of whom were bisexual. Gio had never felt that tug, never felt like that word applied to him. But lately…with Rafe…
Thankfully, Rafe’s suggestion resonated with him, managed to break it all down in a way that suited Gio just fine and made him comfortable. This was why it was smart to have a best friend who was a thinker.
“That sounds pretty damn good. Can’t wait to see what we discover.” Gio turned to look at the desk. “And I don’t give a shit if Albert wants the desk here. It doesn’t work this close to the wall.”
He and Rafe started to push it back into place, but something peeking from the bottom corner of the heavy piece of furniture caught Gio’s eye.
“What’s this?” He reached down and pulled a thin piece of paper from beneath the desk. His eyes widened. “Holy shit, man. It’s the combination to the safe!”
“How the hell did that get there? We’ve moved this desk at least half a dozen times while we were renovating the room.” Rafe took the paper from him.
“Maybe it was stuck to the bottom,” Gio suggested. “Or maybe Albert was finally ready for you to find it. Either way, open the damn safe! I’m dying to see what’s inside.”
Rafe took the combination over to where the safe was hidden behind a portrait of Marta. Pulling the frame, which was on hinges, away from the wall, Rafe spun the dial to the appropriate numbers, then turned the latch.
“Well…” Rafe said, blocking Gio’s view. “That’s anticlimactic.”
Gio pushed Rafe over so he could get a glimpse inside. The safe, in direct opposition to the boxes, which had been stuffed to the gills, was pretty much empty, containing nothing more than an envelope and a small box.
Rafe reached for the box at the same time Gio grabbed the envelope.
“It has your name on it,” Gio said, handing it to his friend.
“That’s Grandpa’s handwriting.” Rafe took the envelope and box to his desk. Setting the box down, he opened the letter.
Gio shifted so he could read it over Rafe’s shoulder. Rafe glanced back and chuckled at his nosy crowding. “Here.” He put the letter down on the desk between them so that they could both read it easily.
Rafe,
The cancer came too soon, stealing away so much of the time I thought I would have with you. As I sit here, writing this, I am overwhelmed by all the things I wish I’d told you. But upon consideration, I can see that only one of those missed conversations truly matters.
You told me a few weeks ago at dinner that you didn’t plan to marry, that you couldn’t see yourself ever falling in love. To close yourself off to that emotion, my dear grandson, would be the biggest mistake of your life.
If there is only one last thing I can teach you, let it be this.
Don’t be afraid to give your heart to someone else.
Find a girl like my Marta. Fall in love. Give her a ring. Buy her a home. Make babies. And never—never—let work and money mean more than the people you care about.
Do those things, and you will be the richest man on the planet.
Enclosed in this safe is the best thing I ever bought. The thing that made my life worth living. It’s yours now. Use it!
Grandpa
“Your grandpa was a wise man,” Gio said.
Rafe grinned. “Yeah. He was.”
“What’s in the box?”
Rafe opened the small box, revealing a beautiful engagement ring. Gio glanced at the portrait of Marta. The same ring sparkled on her finger. “Your grandma’s ring.”
Rafe followed his gaze. “Think Keeley will like it?”
Gio gripped his shoulder. “I guess we’ll find out one day when we give it to her. How long should we wait? A year? A month? Tomorrow?”
Rafe laughed and closed the box, putting the letter and the ring back in the safe. “What do you say we leap the first hurdle before we start renting the reception hall and booking the band.”
“The first hurdle?” Gio asked.
“Kayden.”
Gio sighed. “Shit. Yeah. Kayden.”
“Rafe? Gio? Can you guys give me a hand in the kitchen?” Keeley called out.
“You move the desk, I’ll help our girl,” Rafe said, leaving the room.
Gio shifted the desk back into position, then looked around the office and smiled. “Thanks, Albert,” he whispered to the silence.
Walking toward the kitchen, he detoured when he saw headlights. Glancing out the front window, he spotted Kayden’s car.
“He’s here,” Gio yelled out.
Rafe and Keeley walked out of the kitchen, each with a platter in their hands. Keeley carried a tray of hoagies, while Rafe’s was laden with wings.
“He just pulled in.” Gio took the platter from Keeley, carrying it to the living room and putting it on the coffee table. Rafe placed his next to it.
Keeley went to open the door when they heard the knock. He and Rafe exchanged a glance, Rafe giving him an encouraging grin.
Kayden strolled in with a twelve-pack of beer. “Am I early? You guys said six, right?”
They’d given Kayden an earlier time than the rest of their buddies so they could break the news to him alone.
“Yeah, everyone else will be along in a half hour or so. We invited you early because we wanted to talk to you about something,” Rafe began.
“Oh?” Kayden was clearly curious. “Okay.”
“Here.” Keeley took the beer from her brother. She opened it, handing each of them a bottle. “You guys sit down, and I’ll put the rest of these in the fridge. Be right back.”
Kayden grabbed one of the recliners, while Gio and Rafe dropped down on opposite ends of the couch, leaving room for Keeley in the middle. She returned with her own beer as well as four koozies. She tossed each of them one, then sat down.
“So,” Keeley began. “I guess you’ve noticed from your Find My Friends stalking that I’ve been over here a lot.”
Kayden rubbed his jaw…and Gio realized they weren’t going to have to explain as much as they’d thought. “I knew it. Told Aldo something was going on while we were on the trail one night, when neither one of us could sleep. You were over here at two a.m., and when we started walking the next morning at seven, I checked the app and you were still here. So, which one of you is it?”
“Kayden,” Rafe started. “Listen—”
Kayden frowned. “Seriously? Wow. My money was on Gio.”
“Gio?” Rafe asked. “Why him? Why not me?”
Keeley elbowed Rafe. “That’s not really the point, is it? I’m sure he thought it was Gio because you never date anyone. Walk away, remember?”
“I’m just saying, I don’t think I’m that long of a shot.” Rafe wasn’t finished arguing his case.
Keeley rolled her eyes. “You’ve gotta be kidding me. Were you not paying attention last week?”
Rafe scowled. “Keeley, all I’m say—” he started.
Gio snorted. “Jesus. Can we start this over because you two are doing a shitty job. Kayden, Rafe and I are dating your sister. Both of us.”
“Both of you?” Kayden repeated, dumbfounded.
Rafe quickly added, “We don’t want you to think this is a casual affair. Because it’s not. We’ve asked her to move in with us while we work on the inn, and once that’s finished, the three of us are going to buy a house together.”
“Right,” Gio continued. “And at some point, we’re going to figure out the marriage thing, and then we’re gonna make a pile of kids.”
“By the way, you need to redefine pile,” Keeley said. “Because five ain’t happening.”
Gio considered that. “Three?”
She tapped her chin. “I think I could go three.”
“Wait!” Kayden said, raising his hand. “The niece and nephew conversation is one I’ll be happy to revisit with you at some point, but first…the three of you? Like Tony, Jess, and Rhys?”
“And Layla, Finn, and Miguel,” Keeley added. “And Erin, Oliver, and Gavin.”
Kayden took a second to let that soak in. “What the fuck is up with Baltimore?”
Keeley burst out laughing, while Gio and Rafe looked confused. “Liza said the exact same thing. Kayden,” she said, standing up, placing her beer on the coffee table before crossing over to her brother and kneeling in front of him. “I love them.”
He put his beer on the side table and took her hands in his. “I can see that.”
“And they love me.”
Kayden rolled his eyes. “I’m not blind, Kee. I see that too. I think I’ve always seen that. You know there was never a bro-code, right?” he reassured her. “They’re my friends because they’re good guys. Why would I make the best men I know promise to stay away from you?”
“Kayden,” Keeley said, tears in her eyes.
“My biggest fear was you’d end up with one of those yahoos from the dating websites.”
“Does this mean no more stalking me on Find My Friends?”
Kayden laughed. “Don’t get carried away.”
Keeley and her brother stood up and hugged. Then Kayden looked at them. “Were you worried about telling me?”
Gio shrugged. “My family notwithstanding, this isn’t exactly a normal thing. We weren’t sure how you’d feel about it being both of us rather than just one of us.”
“I told you guys the day we moved you in here, Gio. All I wanted for my sister was a man who would love her, take care of her, treat her the way she deserved. I know you guys, know you’re exactly those kinds of men. For God’s sake, I asked you to look after her when I was gone. If that wasn’t me giving my blessing, then I don’t know what is.”
Rafe smiled and rose. Gio followed suit. The three of them shook hands, which morphed into guy hugs with some firm back-slapping.
“Couldn’t ask for better men for my sister. And, well, I’ve always considered you guys brothers. Now it’ll be for real. So…about those nieces and nephews…when’s that starting? Because I’m going to be the world’s greatest uncle.”
Keeley swatted her brother on the arm. “This relationship is five minutes old. Give us a year.”
“Or, you know, six months,” Gio added, winking at Keeley.
Rafe put his arm around Keeley’s shoulders, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “Or three.”
Keeley shook her head. “If you propose that soon, you’re going to have to apologize to Penny for accusing her of going too fast.”
“So noted,” Rafe replied.
Kayden glanced around the house. “Since we’ve got a little while before everyone else shows up, how about you show me the work you’ve finished?”
The three of them took Kayden to the office, then to the rest of the rooms on the first-floor level, telling him their plans for the inn. The tour ended once the rest of the gang began to arrive.
Liza and Gianna showed up with a huge bag of tater tots that Keeley immediately threw in the oven.
Aldo and Luca, like Kayden, showed up with beer.
When Keeley returned to the living room, Gio reached out and grabbed her, giving her a big kiss.
Luca honed in on it fast, gaze flying to Kayden. Either ready to break up a fight, or pull up a chair to watch the fireworks.
“The fuck?” Aldo said, when Rafe stole Keeley from Gio, wrapping his arms around her from behind, nuzzling the side of her head.
“We wanted to let you guys know,” Gio announced, “that me, Rafe, and Keeley are dating now.”
Liza grinned. “It’s about time you told everyone. That was not an easy secret to keep.”
“You knew about this?” Aldo asked.
She nodded.
“And you didn’t tell me?” Gianna was obviously annoyed at missing out on first dibs of the gossip.
“Hey,” Liza said, with no remorse. “You were invited to dinner with us the night Keeley told me. You were too busy—as always—cleaning your bedroom.”
Gianna grimaced. “Oh. Yeah. Shit.”
“When did you find out?” Aldo asked Kayden.
Kayden glanced at his phone. “About forty-five minutes ago.”
Aldo gave Gio and Rafe a quick once-over. “Well, considering there’s no blood or bruises on either one of them, I’m going to go out on a limb and say you’re okay with it,” he directed to Kayden.
Kayden gripped Rafe’s shoulder. “Of course I am. They’re great guys. And they know if they ever do anything to hurt my sister, I’ll plant evidence on them, arrest them, and throw them in jail with the biggest bruiser I can find, for the rest of their lives.”
Keeley brightened up. “Hey, points for creativity, Kay. Usually you just intimidate my boyfriends by cleaning your gun in front of them. I like the extra effort this time.”
“Figured something this big called for a fresh threat.”
They all settled in around the TV to watch the game. Elio’s team was taking on the Bruins, which ensured a lot of trash-talking.
Fucking Boston.
The living room, like everything else in the mansion, was oversized, so there was room for two couches, a love seat, and a recliner, perfect for entertaining. Plus, Rafe’s grandpa had spared no expense on his big-screen TV.
During a commercial break, Gio overheard Keeley ask Gianna how she was doing. Gianna Duncan had been dating Sam Mannarino for as long as Gio could remember, and he’d always figured they’d be the first in their group of friends to get married. Their break-up had surprised the hell out of everyone.
“Oh, I’m fine,” Gianna said, as if she didn’t have a care in the world…hadn’t just lost the only man she’d ever loved. “My apartment is spotless right now. I had no idea how much of a mess Sam made until I didn’t have to clean up after him anymore.”
Keeley had confessed that she and Liza were worried about Gianna’s lack of emotion about the break-up. Both women feared their friend was in for a fall at some point.
“That’s great,” Liza said, giving Keeley a look behind Gianna’s back that seemed to indicate the opposite.
“Is it just me, or is it chilly in here?” Keeley asked the room at large.
Liza, Luca, and Gianna were sharing the other couch, and all three agreed they felt fine.
Gio agreed with Keeley. He grabbed a blanket from the back of the couch, shaking it open to drape over the two of them. “There’s definitely a draft over here.”
Rafe slid his feet under the blanket, trying to steal his own bit of heat. “Grandpa Albert and Marta seem determined to make this stick.”
At everyone’s curious glances, Rafe, Keeley, and Gio filled them in on all the ways they thought Rafe’s grandparents had been playing matchmaker. Gianna and Liza, like Keeley, were convinced the ghosts were real, while Aldo and Luca seemed more skeptical.
“Second quarter is starting,” Aldo announced, grabbing a handful of napkins, his hands covered with barbeque sauce from the wings. “Tonight is awesome, by the way. I’ve missed the weekly hockey nights.”
Everyone agreed.
“Should we take turns hosting?” Kayden asked. “Or keep having it here so Albert and Marta can fuck with us?”
Luca laughed. “The ghosts do add an extra element of excitement to the game. Plus, there’s plenty of room for all of us.”
Five minutes before the end of the second quarter, Elio took a bad hit. Liza jumped up from her spot on the couch and raced to the TV as if she could step through it and onto the ice, worried about her brother.
“That dirty motherfucker!” she cursed, pointing to the Boston player. “There’s no need to check someone that hard into the boards. And from behind too.”
Liza paced, despite her brother Aldo trying to calm her down. “He’s going to be okay, sis,” he reassured her. “Elio’s taken harder hits than that and gone right back out on the ice.”
Liza wasn’t appeased. Especially when Elio was helped off the ice, clearly in pain.
They were a bit more subdued as they watched the rest of the game, and even more so when the announcer gave an update toward the end of the game, reporting that doctors suspected Elio had suffered a broken collarbone.
Gio whistled low. “That could put him on the bench for a while. Weeks. Poor Elio. That’s really gonna fuck up his season.”
Liza stood up and pulled out her phone. She walked into the kitchen, but not before they heard her asking Elio how he was doing.
Aldo sighed. “She worries about him a lot. He’s taken some nasty hits the last few seasons. Two concussions, a broken finger, now this.”
“She told me she wished he’d just quit for good and come home,” Gianna added, petting Cricket, who had curled up on her lap.
“He’s played professionally for ten years. That’s a hell of a career for someone in the NHL,” Luca said.
“Yeah, but what will he do if he retires?” Gianna asked.
Aldo shook his head. “I have no idea. That boy has lived and breathed hockey from the second he was old enough to strap on a pair of skates.”
Liza returned and informed them that while Elio was still awaiting X-rays, the doctor was certain it was a broken collarbone, which meant—best case—six weeks in a sling. “He’s not happy, but like he said, it’s the nature of the game,” she added, pointing out what they all figured was pretty obvious. “Then he said, on the bright side, he might be able to come home for a longer visit while he’s healing.”
The game, despite the drama, ended with a Baltimore win, which cheered them up a little bit. Losing to Boston would have added too much salt to the wound.
They all tidied up, then headed out, confirming that they wanted to do hockey night again.
Once everyone was gone, Gio wrapped his arm around Keeley’s waist.
“We have great friends,” she said.
“Your brother’s pretty awesome too,” Gio said, giving her a quick kiss. “Not gonna lie. I had some concerns about how tonight might go down.”
Keeley waved his apprehension away. “Oh, I knew that was going to be okay. My horoscope today told me so.”
Rafe chuckled. “What did it say?”
“That I’m ready to embrace a challenge of a personal nature and my support network will come through for me.”
“And you took that to mean Kayden would approve of our relationship?” Gio asked.
Keeley gave him a look like he was six eggs short of a dozen. “Of course.”
Rafe reached for her hand and pulled it to his mouth, kissing her knuckles before drawing his tongue along them suggestively. “What else did your horoscope say?” he asked, before sucking her pointer finger into his mouth.
Her eyes darkened with arousal, but her mischievous grin never wavered. “It said I was going to encounter two tall, dark, and handsome men who would seduce me, lure me to their lair, and give me a very, very happy ending.”
Gio ran his hand along her spine, loving the way she shivered in response. “Is that right? Well, we wouldn’t want to thumb our noses at fate, would we?”
Rafe released Keeley’s finger. “Or piss off Grandpa Albert.”
Keeley laughed, wiggling her way out from between them as they’d begun to close ranks. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she looked over her shoulder and laughed when she yelled, “Race ya!”
Ready for more Italian Stallions? Book four (Elio and Gianna’s story) releases February 2023! It’s one-night stand, surprise pregnancy, hockey romance. What more could you want? And you can preorder it now!
Be sure to be on the lookout for the rest of the Italian Stallions series.
Hot and Heavy
Steady and Strong
Tempted and Taken
Kiss and Tell
Want to see how Layla Moretti met her guys, Finn and Miguel? Want to see how the Moretti brothers got their Italian Stallions nickname? What to find out what’s up with Baltimore?! Check out these books, standalone within the Wilder Irish series!
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