by Bethany-Kris
Music blasting from the surround sound system. Something that sounded like a game being played accompanied the tunes. Laughter—masculine—followed the noise from two distinct people, both of which she recognized. They made her smile grow larger as she kicked off her shoes and discarded her coat to a waiting hook before heading farther into the place.
She swore every light between the entrance and down to the living room had been turned on, when she was positive she had turned them off before leaving that morning. It had become a habit. She had to do her own part to save the environment and whatnot.
On another day, this much noise in her house wouldn’t be unusual. When Renzo was home, he always had to be doing something. Rarely did he sit back and relax. Typically, he liked to have everything on while he did it, too—music, the TV or whatever. Sometimes, he had a person or two over just because he enjoyed the company. More often than not, it was his little brother.
The only time she could quiet that man and his mind was at night. When it was just the two of them together in bed, or the bath … alone. That’s when he settled, and she loved being one of the few things that could bring him back down to earth. She gave him peace, and he reminded her of exactly why she loved her life.
Because he was in it.
She passed by a familiar bookbag in the hallway, the contents, which included a textbook and a tablet, slightly spilling to the floor where its owner left it to stay. She didn’t even care that it made a mess because that bookbag meant one thing and one thing only.
Diego was here.
Which meant so was Renzo.
She was right, too.
Lucia leaned in the entryway to the living room, smiling at the sight that waited for her there. Renzo threw his hands wide, his back turned to her as his character on the screen from the game he currently played with his fourteen-year-old brother, Diego, was blown sky-high from whatever weapon the teenager used on him.
Diego took his moment to shine, doing a little victory dance on the spot while at the same time, mocking his brother. Renzo, on the other hand, wasn’t a sore loser, and she swore he only kept the damn game system around just because Diego loved it so much. Because while he was good at it, he also didn’t get nearly enough time to play and enjoy it the way he wanted.
“Ha! Told you, Ren. You suck.”
“I do not. It’s just … been a fucking while, yeah? Don’t get cocky. We’re going another round.”
The two brothers continued their teasing, and Lucia stayed back to watch them, happy in her spot. They wouldn’t mind a bit if she joined them, but she figured they needed at least a couple of more minutes without her in the middle, not that either of them ever complained about her presence.
Yeah, she would definitely have liked to have the night alone with Renzo, seeing as how she figured that he wouldn’t be getting back until at least tomorrow, but at the same time … well, she never minded having to share his time and attention.
At least, not with Diego.
Ren had priorities.
They became hers, too.
That was love.
And life.
Their life, anyway.
Besides, she loved Diego more than she could explain. It had been a privilege for her to watch the boy grow into a young man these past few years. Not to mention, being able to see Renzo help Diego become who he was just starting to be.
She couldn’t ask for more.
They were so lucky.
After everything, they still had this.
All this love.
Just as Diego started clicking buttons on his remote to bring the game back to a restart, Renzo turned to grab something on the couch. That’s how he noticed Lucia standing in the doorway. For a brief moment, the rest of the world ceased to exist when their gazes met. Or it just stopped turning, but hey, she liked that fine.
It was him and her again.
He was safe.
Home.
Here with her.
“Hey, you,” he murmured.
She smiled. “Hey, yourself. Were you trying to surprise me?”
“Maybe. Did it work?”
“Absolutely, Ren. I thought you wouldn’t be home until tomorrow.”
“Yeah, well … pulled some strings. Diego wanted to come over, too, so—”
“I don’t mind.”
He gave her another one of those blinding smiles. The kind that still made her stomach twist with butterflies and had her chest growing tight. And when he winked at her, while his brother’s back was turned so the kid couldn’t see it, she swore the heat he caused shot right down to the spot between her thighs that had gone without this man for far too long.
Yeah.
She missed Ren like nobody knew.
Always did.
“Hey, Lucia,” Diego called.
“Hey, buddy.”
“Wanna game?”
“Yes, another person to kick my ass,” Renzo grumbled. “Stupid, that I do this shit in real life but can’t manage to beat it on the game. This shit is rigged.”
Lucia laughed, but didn’t hesitate to cross the room and pick up the third controller on the coffee table. “You just need to get in your groove, that’s all.”
“When do I ever get the time anymore?”
That wasn’t a lie.
As Diego began the process of restarting and adding a third player to the game, Renzo leaned in to grab Lucia, as she was close enough for him to do it. He pulled her in to his side, and the moment his lips touched down to hers, her world finally tilted back to its proper axis. Soft at first, the sweep of his lips against her own stayed gentle for just long enough to get her to open for him. And then he was really kissing her, taking away her breath all over again and driving her crazy at the same damn time.
How long had it been?
Too long.
“Missed you,” she whispered against his lips.
“Too much, babe. Love you, huh?”
She smiled when he kissed her again. “Forever, Ren.”
FOUR
“Okay,” Lucia said, huffing as she pushed up from the couch and rested the controller on the coffee table. She didn’t know how the two of them could continue to stand to play their game because after a couple of minutes, she was ready to sit her ass down. Which she had done, but now she really needed a break. The two of them could play for hours, if they were really into it, but she wasn’t like them. “That’s enough of getting my butt beat, thank you very much.”
Diego’s laughter colored the room.
Renzo smirked her way—the ass. And she only called him that because he looked damn good, even when he was gloating. Because yeah, it was just like she’d said earlier. He needed to get back into the groove of his game. He was always crap when he first picked up the controller again after leaving it for too long, and then he went right back to beating all of them at the game.
Although, Diego gave Renzo a good run for his money.
“Anybody want drinks?” she asked.
“Water, thanks,” Diego mumbled, already restarting the game and trying to take a cheap shot at his brother when Renzo didn’t turn his attention right back to the screen. Not that his attempt worked. “Dammit, Ren!”
Renzo had pressed the pause button just as Diego’s character came up behind his brother on the screen. “Watch your mouth.” Then, to her, he added, “And I’m good, babe, thanks.”
Sure.
She bet he wanted a beer. Maybe a blunt. Or a good shot of whiskey, but he was always careful whenever Diego was near. Given their family history of addiction, not to mention the fact that Diego had been born addicted to whatever his mother’s vice had been at the time to use, the kid had a higher statistic for things like drug use or worse, full-on addiction. It’d taken an incident the year before—with Diego getting mixed up in a crowd of boys who had the police bringing him home one night—for Ren to put a stop to it all.
Ren took a lot of steps to make sure his brother didn’t see him drin
king. Or smoking a joint before he went to bed. The kid didn’t even see Ren carrying around a pack of cigarettes. Was it all a little much?
Maybe.
All that shit Renzo made sure his brother didn’t see him doing was still out there in the world. There was no way for them to control and protect Diego from seeing it all whenever he left his house, went to school, or hung out with his friends. So, they basically hoped that the example they all set forth for Diego was enough to allow him to make the right choices when he was faced with those things.
Truth was, Diego looked up to his brother like nobody else would ever understand. He’d always been the kid’s hero, even after it wasn’t cool for Ren to be that anymore. That didn’t make a difference to the fact Diego regularly looked to his brother first as a role model. So, if Ren did something, it must be good enough for him to do, too.
If Ren didn’t stop doing something altogether that wasn’t the best influence, then he made sure his brother didn’t see him doing it at all.
Was it easy?
No.
Fun?
Certainly not sometimes.
Ren still stuck to it, though.
She respected that.
It was her turn, then, to wink at him before she turned and headed for the kitchen. She was just pulling Diego’s bottle of water from the fridge, the condensation slicking her fingertips, when Renzo came up behind her.
God.
He could be silent when he wanted to be.
Sometimes, it freaked her out.
And at the same time, she still always knew when he was there. That was why it unsettled her; she could know he was there, but not hear him. Through his scent; his presence; the way he affected her, just by being close.
She hoped that never changed for them.
Ever.
“I’ve got like thirty seconds,” he murmured in her ear.
That was all she heard before his lips grazed the side of her throat and he yanked her away from the fridge. Just as quickly as her feet had been on the ground, he lifted her to sit on the counter facing him. The bottle of water was forgotten to the counter while she focused on her husband. He didn’t even have to ask, she just widened her thighs to let him step in between her legs—she was grateful for her choice in pants that morning. A black material that looked classy but had just enough stretch to move.
And it was just thin enough to let her feel the hard length of him pressing against her pussy in the best way. It made her want to grind on him and get what she wanted the very most. Not that now was the best time for that, but it didn’t seem to matter to her because she pushed back against him to get more.
His fingers found her thighs, curving over the muscles before flexing tightly as he closed the distance between them for a hard kiss that had her aching inside. It was nothing like the sweet, but still hot, kiss from earlier. Because there was nothing sweet about the way he kissed her like he was two seconds away from dragging her upstairs to bed.
And damn, she wanted that.
Except …
“Ten seconds,” he muttered against her lips, pulling away just slightly.
“Before?”
“Diego figures out we’re in here doing this.”
Ah, right.
Diego was at a funny age. He noticed girls, likely had less than innocent thoughts, and was like every fourteen-year-old boy who needed to quickly learn how to do his own laundry, lest his older sister kick him out for not doing so.
At the same time, he wasn’t very fond of seeing any grossly public displays between his older brother and Lucia. At least, not moments like these.
Renzo stepped back quickly from Lucia, giving her far too much room to breathe as he cleared his throat right before Diego called out, “You better not be—”
“We’re not,” Renzo called back dryly.
It wasn’t a lie.
Technically.
Lucia shook her head, laughing softly under her breath. “How long do you think this stage is going to last, huh?”
“You want an honest answer?”
She kind of did.
“Yeah.”
“Long enough for him to have sex for the first time. Then, he’ll really get it. What all this fuss is about. Why he’s got raging hormones. Why he wakes up with a morning—”
“That’s enough, thanks.”
Renzo shrugged. “All part of being a teenage boy. Maybe it’s easier on him because he’s got lots of guys around him to answer questions when he gains up enough courage to ask, but for me? Man, that part of growing up fucking sucked. Part of him still thinks some shit is gross, while other parts figure … it might be kind of awesome. He’s gotta figure it out.”
“I guess one good thing is he isn’t having sex yet, right?”
“I mean, we’ll see how long that lasts. He knows what to do, either way.”
Right.
Because he had Ren for that.
Even if it was awkward.
Renzo stepped forward again, but still somehow managed to keep a slightly respectable distance between them. At least now she couldn’t feel his erection driving between her thighs while his tongue slashed against hers. She liked both, honestly, but this was easier for talking.
“So, you had a rough week, huh?” he asked.
Her brow furrowed. “Pardon?”
“Your week. Probably a bit longer than you expected it to be.”
All at once, Lucia finally understood what he was getting at. All those texts of hers, which she’d sent to him while he was away on his assignment. Keeping him updated with everything, from the fact that the coffee shop she went to every morning ran out of her favorite donuts before she could get one, to the difficult client toward the end of the week.
Instead of replying to his statement about her week—hell, it didn’t even matter anymore with him here—she said, “I love you, Ren.”
And she did.
More than he would ever know.
She didn’t know how to explain a love like this. Something this consuming and perfect … because nothing else about life was perfect. Except them.
And this.
Renzo smiled. “Love you, too.”
“But yes, I do think I might need a vacation.”
“I could do that for you.”
Lucia rolled her eyes. “It was a joke. I don’t have time for—”
“What if time was made for you instead?”
She gave him a look.
He looked right back at her.
“Don’t tempt me.”
“Okay,” he said, leaning in to press a soft kiss to her lips before he continued on with, “then no temptations. But we’ll see what I can do.”
“Mmhmm.”
“Come on, Ren!”
“The prince calls,” he muttered, kissing her once more.
“Keep pretending that you don’t like it, then.”
A shrug fell from his shoulders as he stepped away from her with that sexy, playful grin of his right back in place. “Listen, I gotta do what I gotta do for this pride of mine.”
“Right, right.”
God.
She loved that man.
FIVE
“So, did the fourteen-year-old cramp your style last night or …?”
Lucia laughed at Renzo’s sister’s suggestion as she moved from the smaller illuminated table to the bigger one with an art print in her hand. She needed more space to do what she needed to do. Setting the print to the table and grabbing her magnifying glasses, she answered Rose back with, “You know I don’t mind Diego staying the night.”
“Yeah, but Ren just got home, right? How long was he gone?”
“Three weeks this time.”
“Right, so again …”
“I promise I don’t mind. We had fun. He passed out on the couch after I filled him full of soda—”
“You did not give him soda.”
Lucia barked out a laugh. “No, I didn’t.”
“Good. Swear t
he kid’s fucking addicted to the shit.”
“And he asked when Ren was going to take him to see that show … the uh, the car one he’s talked about for the last year.”
“Are you asking me? Because as long as the car works and takes me from point A to point B, I am a happy girl.”
Lucia shook her head and pulled the glasses from her eyes to blink over at the phone resting on the table where she had it set on speaker for this conversation. “Anyway, that’s coming up, so you might want to get all the details hammered out with Ren.”
“Will do. Thanks again, huh?”
“You know I love that kid.”
“Yeah, I do. Let me get back to this painting.”
“Mmhmm. Are you ever going to let me have a showing for you or what?”
“Someday,” Rose joked.
She didn’t know if she believed it or not, but she wasn’t going to push. Some artists just had their own way of doing things. To be honest, Rose had carved out her own path and name in the art world without much help from anyone else. Plus, there was that whole don’t mix family and business thing.
It might be better if they didn’t work together.
Either way, she was proud of Rose.
Absolutely.
“Later, Lucia.”
“You, too.”
With the phone call ended, Lucia went back to her work of surveying an art print that she was supposed to find a buyer for, after a client decided it was no longer needed for his personal collection. Which didn’t make that much sense to her, considering the piece originally sold for over twenty thousand American dollars.
And now, it was worth more.
But whatever.
He wanted to sell it; she’d sell it.
That was part of her job.
Lucia was so lost in her work that she didn’t even hear the buzz of her intercom, which signaled her assistant at the front of her gallery was calling through for whatever reason. In fact, she stayed so focused on the print in front of her that the only thing to drag her attention away from it was the sound of a familiar voice echoing down the hall.
“Nah, it’s fine, I’ll just go back and get her.”
She looked up from the print, pulling the glasses from her eyes, in just enough time to watch a gorgeous sight walk through the doorway of one of her back offices. Of course, Renzo looked good. He always did.
