Bibi and Nash showed the world what it could do with its ignorance, and after successful law careers, both retired in their mid-forties and opened a café near the beach. The two had been married twenty-seven years and looked at each other like they’d just fallen in love. Except now. Now Bibi was glaring at her husband like she was plotting his demise.

  “What did you win?” Red asked, amused.

  “I get to pick our next vacation. Someone wanted to do hiking and a bunch of other exhausting ‘not my idea of a relaxing vacation’ stuff, and I wanted to do something chill. Bora-Bora, we are going to be on you!”

  “Enjoy your victory, because next time, I will crush you.”

  Nash let out a hearty laugh. “Baby, I do love your optimism. I shall now direct your attention to the board.” He swept an arm dramatically to the blackboard behind the counter that kept tabs on their monthly bets. Red winced.

  “I can still catch up,” Bibi muttered.

  Ace shook his head. “Nooo, you cannot.”

  With what sounded like a growl, Bib jabbed a finger toward the nearest chair. “Park it, pretty boy.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Ace quickly took a seat and grinned up at Nash. “Did you hear that? Your wife thinks I’m pretty.”

  Nash pursed his lips in thought, then shook his head. “Nope. Lucky’s prettier.”

  Red laughed at Ace’s scandalized expression and took a seat opposite Ace. It was always a battle of wits between these two, and a highly entertaining battle at that, especially since Nash usually ended up the winner. Red had to give it to Nash. Anyone who could beat Ace at his own game had major skills.

  “What? Are you kidding me? I am way prettier.” Ace motioned to his face. “This here is irresistible.”

  “And I’m sure when Colton says it, he means every word,” Nash said, laughing when Ace flipped him off.

  They put in their order, and with a kiss to his wife’s cheek, Nash disappeared into the kitchen, whistling happily. Bibi brought them their usual drinks—a latte for Ace and a protein smoothie for Red.

  Ace smiled brightly at her. “You are terrible at placing bets. You should really stay away from Vegas.”

  “Shut it, mister.” She went off to check on the other customers in the café, leaving Ace to focus his attention on Red. His sudden innocent expression was fooling no one, least of all Red.

  “What?” Red asked.

  “Have you spoken to Laz?”

  “Ace,” Red warned. “Why can’t you just drop it?”

  “Because there’s clearly something between you two, and you’re being an ass.”

  “I’m being an ass? How am I being an ass? He left without a word and hasn’t called me since, hasn’t even texted.” He’d spent all that time wondering if he’d done something to upset Laz, and like Ace, Red had thought there was something special between him and Laz, but apparently it had been one-sided. What else would explain Laz taking off the way he had? Red thought of the developments over the last few months.

  Paxton Connolly had finally retired as Chairman and CEO of Connolly Maritime after signing a contract with Four Kings Security to provide security for the company. They’d saved his son’s life. Colton falling in love with Ace—who had been tasked with his personal round-the-clock protection—had been unexpected to both Paxton and to the Kings. And the job had resulted in a relationship for Ace and two bullets to Red’s gut—along with Red meeting Lazarus Galanos, a close friend of Colton’s. The moment Red laid eyes on the beautiful fashion photographer, something inside him shifted. He’d never had such a strong reaction to someone he’d just met. His protective instincts had gone into overdrive, especially after Laz had been injured during a fight with his now ex-boyfriend. Laz had clung to Red who’d held on tight. No one had ever looked at him the way Laz did—like all he needed was Red.

  Laz had not only accompanied Red in the ambulance, holding his hand the whole ride over, but after surgery, Laz’s beautiful face and stunning blue eyes were the first things Red saw when he opened his eyes. Laz remained at Red’s bedside while he was in recovery, holding his hand, reading to him, and offering comfort. As soon as the Kings had been able, they’d rushed to the hospital, and Laz disappeared without a word. Red hadn’t heard from him since.

  “Here we go,” Bibi said, placing Red’s feta, spinach, and egg sandwich in front of him. His mouth watered. He didn’t usually indulge in the croissant sandwiches, but after being shot, he was entitled to spoil himself a little. Also they were so damned good, but then so was everything on Bibi’s menu. She placed a bowl of something in front of Ace, and Red almost choked on his smoothie. “Be right back with another latte for you.”

  Ace picked up his spoon, then started searching through his food.

  “What are you looking for?” Red asked.

  “Bacon.”

  “In oatmeal?” Was he really surprised? This was Ace, after all.

  “No. In what’s supposed to be Bibi’s Breakfast Bacon Egg-stravaganza.”

  Bibi returned, and Ace peered up at her. “What’s this?”

  She squinted at him. “Oatmeal.”

  “Thank you for clarifying, but that’s not what I ordered.”

  “It’s what his majesty ordered for you.”

  Ace’s eyes went wide, and Red stifled a laugh. “He didn’t.”

  Bibi grinned wickedly. “Oh, but he did. Would you like the granola topping? Or the berries?”

  “I’m going to kill him.” Ace pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, and Red took a big bite out of his breakfast sandwich while Ace growled into the phone. “What the hell, King?”

  Red didn’t need to hear King’s side of the conversation to know he was being all calm and collected, and secretly enjoying every moment of torture he was inflicting on Ace.

  “Haven’t I been punished enough?”

  Bibi laughed all the way to the kitchen.

  “Fine.” Ace hung up, then glared at his oatmeal like he was telepathically trying to set it on fire. “Stupid King. How long is he going to make me pay?”

  “This is King we’re talking about,” Red reminded him, smiling when Ace let his head fall back with a loud groan.

  The four Kings built a company based on trust. Without trust, they had nothing, so becoming involved with a client was a line they never crossed. When Ace became romantically involved with Colton, he hadn’t simply crossed the line—he’d annihilated it. He should have pulled himself off the case, but he didn’t. Had Colton not smoothed things over with his father when Paxton discovered what was going on between his son and the man he’d hired to protect him, the Kings, and everything they’d built over ten years, would have been in ruins.

  As co-owner of the company, Ace’s contract wouldn’t be terminated, as it would have been for someone else, but it didn’t mean he was excused from facing the consequences of his actions. The four of them spent hours going over Colton’s case, with Ace accounting for every minute spent in Colton’s company. Learning about the many times Ace and Colton had engaged in sex was not Red’s idea of a good time, but it had been necessary to determine the appropriate disciplinary measures.

  Ace was suspended for two weeks without pay, and in addition to that, every case he was assigned to, until further notice, came with personal supervision from King, which translated to babysitting, something Ace hated far more than anything. More than the suspension without pay. More than having to be at the beck and call of the pop divas he was continuously assigned to protect. More than having King call Bibi to change his meal order, driving him batshit crazy. No one wanted to disappoint King, especially Ace.

  Nash appeared at their table and placed a plate piled high with bacon in front of Ace.

  Ace blinked up at Nash. “Oh my God, leave your wife for me.”

  “Yeah, I love you too, bro, but this right here requires a favor in return.”

  Ace peered at him, and when Nash waggled his eyebrows, Ace gasped and shook his head before leaning in to whisper conspiratorially, “Are you insane? Do you know what your wife will do to me if she finds out I’ve been letting you take Lucky’s motorcycle out for joyrides? She will murder me dead, and if by some miracle I survive, she’ll tell King, who’ll force me to eat oatmeal for the rest of my life!” He pushed away the plate of bacon. “Take your delicious, iniquitous bacon with you.”

  Nash arched an eyebrow. “Iniquitous, huh?” He moved his questioning gaze to Red.

  “He installed a ‘word of the day’ app on his phone to impress Colton.”

  “Ah.” Nash let out a sigh. “Well, that’s a shame. Looks like I’ll have to eat this crisp, crunchy, mouthwatering bacon all on my own.” He bit into a strip and moaned. “Mm, this is damned good. I think I outdid myself.” He held the plate out to Red, who took one, knowing it would be cooked to perfection.

  “Oh God, Nash,” Red said with a moan. “This is incredible. There’s a hint of something sweet.”

  “Canadian maple syrup.”

  “I hate you both,” Ace said with a growl.

  “There’s still plenty left.” Nash waved the plate of bacon under Ace’s nose. “King doesn’t have to know. I can keep Bibi busy long enough for you to enjoy every crunchy, salty-sweet, satisfying strip.”

  Ace held a hand out for the plate. “I hate you so much right now. Evil bastard.”

  “It’s only fair when you got this much game going on.” Nash grinned wickedly as he handed Ace the plate. “Bibi’s got her book club next week. I’ll call you with a date and time.”

  Red shook his head in shame at his friends. “I love how you two are still under the illusion that she won’t find out. She was born a Kingston. If she ever decided to go into private security, she’d put us all out of business.”

  “Hey, don’t you be throwing those bad juju vibes my way,” Nash said, giving him a pointed look. “She has a sixth sense for shenanigans. Do you realize how hard it is to get away with anything around her?”

  Ace was unimpressed. “Yes, we do. Her brother’s our boss, remember?”

  Nash winced. “Damn. You need to get that man laid. Release some of the tension.”

  “Try telling him that,” Ace said with a laugh. “No, please do, but make sure I’m around to hear it. If the vein on the side of his neck starts to pulse, that’s your signal to haul ass.”

  Nash laughed before patting Ace on the shoulder, then heading off toward the kitchen.

  “How long has it been now?”

  Ace’s question threw Red off guard, and it took his brain a moment to catch up. He should have known Ace wouldn’t let the matter of Laz drop. “Almost three months.” He let out a heavy sigh. “It’s better this way.”

  Ace peered at him. “That makes no sense. Explain.”

  “Well, for one, I’m ten years older than him. He travels more than I do, and all over the world. His lifestyle couldn’t be any more different from mine. His ex-boyfriend was a gorgeous model—”

  “Who cheated on him, treated him like shit, and scarred him for life.” Ace leaned in, his eyes never leaving Red’s. “The fact that you’re the complete opposite of that asshole Bryan is a good thing. Stop putting yourself down, Red. Anyone would be lucky to have you. You’re the sweetest guy I know, loyal to a fault, and you make Laz feel safe. He needs that.”

  Red couldn’t bring himself to respond. Relationships were never easy, especially when his sexuality came into play. Was it really that difficult to understand? He was attracted to people, to their personalities, their hearts, their sense of humor, their smile—not their gender or what was between their legs. That never mattered to Red. Unfortunately, it mattered to others, even to members of his own community.

  Just because he was attracted to all kinds of people, didn’t mean he was attracted to everyone he met. It had been one of the many reasons his last relationship imploded. His girlfriend, Naaz, became jealous of everyone Red so much as smiled at, and despite being adamant she didn’t care about his sexuality, she’d continuously tell him how hard it was for her to not only have to compete with other women, but with the whole world. It made no sense to him. She didn’t have to compete with anyone. He was with her, and only her, wanted her, loved her, but in the end, none of that had been enough. He’d tried to salvage their relationship, he really had, but then she’d presented an ultimatum. Her, or the one man she knew Red could never give up, the one man she was most jealous of.

  King.

  Naaz had been convinced something was going on between him and King, and the fact he sometimes called for King in his sleep didn’t help. When he’d explained why, that it was nothing sexual, she said she believed him, but she didn’t, because after he had a particularly bad nightmare, she’d made up her mind. It was her or King.

  For years Red fought against the feeling something was wrong with him, and when he’d finally accepted himself, he ended up fighting a different battle. Now it was easier to not get involved. Less chance of getting his heart broken, of being made to choose.

  Bibi appeared beside their table, snapping him out of his thoughts. She placed a brown takeout bag in front of Ace. “Here you go.”

  Red arched an eyebrow at Ace. “Didn’t you just eat?”

  “It’s for Mason. He’s stuck at the beach covering an event.” Ace stood and kissed Bibi’s cheek. “Thanks. See you later.”

  “Say hi to Mason for me,” Bibi replied before bringing Red in for a hug. “You take it easy. Let us know if you need anything.”

  “I will. Thanks, Bibi.” Red kissed her cheek, then headed for the door after Ace, who handed him Mason’s food to hold. They got into the car, and Red lowered his sunglasses. “Your new boyfriend doesn’t mind you taking your old boyfriend breakfast?”

  “Nope. Colton knows about Mason. We don’t keep anything from each other.”

  “Colton doesn’t mind that you and Mason are still friends?”

  “Colton trusts me. I also know that if I suddenly turned into a cheating asshole, he’d rip my balls off and feed them to his neighbor’s golden retriever.”

  Red cringed. “Yeah, your boyfriend’s a little scary sometimes.”

  “Isn’t he?” Ace’s smile stretched from ear to ear. “God, I love him. He’s so fucking adorable, but piss him off, and bam you’ve been eviscerated. We were meant to be.”

  “I worry about you sometimes.”

  “I appreciate the love.”

  “That wasn’t a compliment.”

  “Really? Because all I heard was how much you love me.”

  “You’re exhausting.”

  Ace laughed. “Now you sound like King.”

  Despite the circumstances of how Ace and Colton got together, Red was happy for Ace. He wasn’t kidding when he said the two were meant for each other. Ace might drive his boyfriend nuts, but Colton was one of the few people who could handle him, and Ace was so in love with the man, he’d do anything to make him happy. They also had Colton to thank for Ace’s newfound ability to question his actions before carrying through with them. Not always, but some of the time was better than never.

  “What part of the beach?” Red asked.

  “Pope Road. Next to that new hotel they’re building. Fewer beachgoers.”

  They were only on A1A Beach Boulevard for about two minutes before they were making a right onto Pope Road. Ace drove to the end of the sandy path, where Mason’s patrol car was parked. A medium-sized group of people were scattered on the beach near the water’s edge, some sitting on colorful folding beach chairs, others standing beneath large black umbrellas. Several stands were stuck into the sand, some with screens attached, others with huge lights. A lone, half-naked man knelt on the shore as waves crashed against his toned body from behind. It wasn’t the sensual figure that caused Red’s pulse to speed up, though, but the slender man kneeling in the sand with the camera. Heat flared through Red, anger quickly following. He unbuckled his belt, then turned in his seat to growl at Ace.

  “Explain.”

  “Explain what? I told you. I’m bringing Mason breakfast.”

  Red thrust a finger toward the beach. “Explain that.”

  Ace peered ahead. “Well, Russell, it would appear some sort of fashion shoot is taking place.”

  “Unless you want to eat nothing but oatmeal for the rest of your life, you’ll tell me what you did.”

  “Me?” Ace asked with a dramatic gasp. “You think I arranged this?”

  “Ace,” Red warned.

  “Okay, I possibly, maybe, might have asked Colton if he knew of any local fashion shoots coming up, and Colton may or may not have mentioned this particular one, and I may or may not have asked Mason to get himself assigned to it.” Ace cleared his throat and met Red’s gaze. “I meddled. I’m a meddling meddler. It’s Laz.”

  “No shit.”

  “I had Colton ask him for his schedule, told Mason he needed to be here so he could keep me informed; then I tricked you. I should apologize.”

  Red narrowed his eyes.

  “I’m not going to. I’m not sorry. Go talk to him.”

  “I’d rather strangle you,” Red said with a growl.

  Ace held up a finger. “You could, and I’d deserve it, but just hear me out. How about instead of strangling me, you go say hi to the cute guy who wouldn’t leave your side in your moment of need.”

  “Really? You’re going to guilt-trip me?”

  “Absolutely. Is it working?”

  With a frustrated growl, Red shoved the car door open and got out. He leaned in to glare at Ace. “This isn’t over.”

  “Whatever you say. Go get ’em, tiger.”

  Red grunted and turned to leave, but Ace called out to him.

  “Wait.”

  God, what now? He spun on his heels, his jaw clenched tight at Ace’s stupid smile and the roll of mints he held up.

  Ace shrugged. “You never know.”

  “You’re an ass.” Red marched off and got halfway to Mason’s car before he turned and marched back to Ace, who was still sitting in his car and grinning like an idiot. He snatched the roll of mints, popped one into his mouth, then tossed the roll back at Ace and left before the urge to push Ace off the pier became too great to ignore.