“What kind of plan?” he asked as Tio wound his arms around his waist, pulling him tight against the heat of his body. “What exactly do you have in mind?”
“Lots of things,” Tio growled before kissing him hard enough to roll Chase’s eyes to the back of his head.
“Daddy,” Ricky said from behind him, and Chase cleared his throat and backed away, feeling like a naughty teenager. “Is it time to get up?” He held Sheepy McSheeperson in one hand, rubbing his eyes with the other.
“No.” He backed away from Tio. “Come on. It’s still really early.” He took Ricky by the hand and led him back to bed, then tucked him under the covers. “Just go back to sleep.”
Ricky rolled over, hugging his stuffed sheep to him. “It’s okay if you kiss Mr. Nello. I don’t mind. Boys can kiss boys if they want to. Grammy says so.”
“Okay. You go to sleep.” He rubbed Ricky’s back for a few minutes, and he settled down. Chase then left the room and quietly closed the door.
“See?” Tio was right there to pull him into a tight embrace. “Boys can kiss boys if they want to.” He kissed him again. “Come on. We have a few hours before we have to be at the office, and we can make the most of it.”
“We’d have to be quiet,” Chase said, his willpower fading fast. Hell, Tio was right there and sexy as all hell. The truth was he didn’t want to back away. What he really wanted was for these doubts and worries to go away.
“What is it?” Tio asked as Chase stood unmoving.
“I keep wondering what Elaine would think about this and if I’m doing the right thing.”
Tio stroked his cheek. “Only you can answer that. Not your sister or anyone else. You’re the one who is always telling me that I should follow my heart to what would make me happy. And here you are, worried about everyone else.”
“Yeah…,” Chase said as he tugged Tio down to his room and closed the door. “But you still have to be quiet.” He chuckled as they tumbled down onto the bed, Tio slipping off Chase’s shirt before sliding down his boxers, and Chase had to bite his lower lip to stay quiet as Tio did magical things to him with his lips and tongue.
“YOU LOOKtired,” a deep voice said from Tio’s office. Chase probably shouldn’t, but he let his curiosity get the better of him.
Chase cleared his throat when he saw Paolo perched on the edge of Tio’s desk. “I thought I heard you.”
“I was going to see if Antonello wanted to go out, but it seems he’s been keeping himself busy. Do I know her?” Paolo asked.
Tio rolled his eyes, and Chase took a step back. Tio’s dealings with his friends were none of his business. It was up to Tio to decide what he wanted to tell them.
“You’re the one who hasn’t been around,” Tio said with a smile. “Have you been busy?” Paolo nodded, and Tio smacked him on the shoulder. “Who is she?”
Paolo lowered his gaze, and Chase crossed his arms over his chest. There was a real story here. “Gemma,” he finally said.
“Gianetti?” Tio asked and grinned when Paolo nodded. “My mother was trying to fix me up with her, but we never went out.”
“Yeah… well. My mother invited her to dinner,” he mumbled. “And we’ve been going out for three weeks.” He seemed disconcerted.
“What’s the problem?” Chase asked.
Paolo sighed like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. “I like her, and she’s feisty….”
Chase grinned, and Tio actually laughed. “You got hooked, and now you’re wondering if she’s the right one.”
“It’s worse than that. Mamma swears she is, and if I actually marry her, then she will know she was right and I will never hear the end of it.” He held his head in his hands. “What do I do?” He shook his head for a few seconds. “Give me some good news. Who is it that you have been seeing… and don’t tell me your mamma fixed you up. My heart cannot take it.”
“No, my mother most definitely did not introduce us,” Tio said, looking right over at Chase. Their gazes met for a second, and Paolo followed Tio’s eyes to him.
“What?” he asked. “Where’s the girl?”
“There is no girl,” Chase said flatly and figured he’d make it easy on Tio. “What Tio is trying to tell you is that he and I have been seeing each other.”
Paolo turned back to Tio in what could only be described as an imitation of a large-mouth bass in disbelief. “No.” He broke into Italian, and Tio nodded slowly. Paolo immediately went silent, and Chase held his breath, hoping like hell that Paolo wouldn’t turn his back. He knew that would hurt Tio more than just about anything else. He could have taken his parents’ not accepting him, but Chase saw in Tio’s eyes the very beginning ofheartache that grew more real and deeper the longer Paolo just sat there. “This is a joke?”
“It isn’t,” Tio finally said. “I’ve had feelings for women, but I also have them for men, and Chase most of all.” He stood up, wobbling a little.
“So I guess neither of us is going to be going out to pick up women,” Paolo said with a shrug. “We could go out cruising for guys, though, if that’s your thing.”
