“Okay then.”

  Joker turned to Saint. “Would you mind stepping outside for a moment? I need to have a word in private with Gio.”

  Saint nodded and did as Joker instructed. As soon as the door was closed behind him, Joker rounded on Gio. “What the fuck is going on? And don’t give me that bullshit about not hydrating.”

  “Wasn’t it you who told me dehydration was very dangerous?”

  “Your heart rate and blood pressure dropped, and it wasn’t from dehydration. What’s going on with your health, Gio? Why aren’t you wearing a medical alert bracelet, and why won’t you tell your brother?”

  “There’s nothing wrong with me,” Gio snapped, surprising Joker.

  “Gio—”

  “I apologize. I didn’t mean to snap at you. I’m just a little tired, but I promise you, I’m fine. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have guests to attend to.”

  And Jack called him stubborn. Did Gio think Joker was oblivious? Was he simply hoping no one would figure out something was very wrong? Between the dizzy spells, the “dehydration” issues, and Gio’s nightmare the night of the barbecue, it was clear something had happened while Gio was out there traveling the globe. How long did he think he could keep this up? More importantly, how long did he think he could keep his secret from his brother?

  Following Gio outside, Joker murmured to Saint, who stood by the door. “Keep a close eye on him.”

  Saint nodded, and they escorted Gio back out to the party. Saint stayed close, as did Joker and Chip. When it looked like Gio was losing himself in conversation, Joker pulled him to one side and shoved a small plate of hors d’oeuvres at him.

  For a moment, Joker thought Gio would argue with him, but instead, he smiled warmly and thanked him. Joker grunted and got back to his rounds. He kept an eye on Gio the entire evening, reminding him every so often to hydrate. To his credit, Gio never got annoyed at Joker’s interruptions. He seemed thankful. It should have pissed Joker off, but for some reason that he couldn’t fathom, it didn’t.

  Once the exhibit was over, true to his word, Joker was there right beside Gio, waiting. Not that Gio seemed surprised by this, as if he’d trusted Joker to keep his word. He’d appeared so sure of it, Joker overheard him decline several dinner invitations. Why the hell he’d rather have dinner with Joker than his fancy friends was beyond Joker. The rest of the security team packed up and headed back to the hotel, except for Saint and Joker.

  “What would you like to eat?” Gio asked Joker.

  Joker blinked up at him. “Me?”

  “Saint informed me he’s already eaten.”

  Saint nodded his confirmation. “An hour ago, when Ace took over for me.”

  “And I’m certainly not going to have dinner while you sit there watching me. I know you haven’t eaten. You must be starving. Where’s Chip?”

  How did Gio know he hadn’t eaten? Had Gio been keeping an eye on him? “Chip is with Jack. I didn’t know what you’d be doing for dinner, and not all restaurants welcome dogs—service or otherwise.”

  Gio frowned at that. “Well, a restaurant that doesn’t welcome Chip is a restaurant I don’t want to eat at.”

  The guy was a nut. “What?”

  “You heard me.”

  “You’d give up eating at one of your fancy restaurants because Chip wouldn’t be allowed in?” No one had ever said anything like that to him. True, he’d never spent enough time with any of his one-night stands for them to make that kind of offer. Still, on the very few occasions where he’d met up with potential dates after work and had Chip with him, the cute-dog factor wore off as soon as they realized their choices were limited thanks to Joker’s furry companion. They were always so surprised when he picked his dog over them. As if there was any question.

  “Of course. Besides, I only go to fancy restaurants for business. I like good food, and you can find that without spending a fortune. So, what are you in the mood for? There are several options close by, or I can ask Saint to take us somewhere.”

  Since Gio didn’t drive and Saint provided round-the-clock executive protection, he’d been assigned one of Four Kings Security’s specialized SUVs to drive Gio around in. Typically, Gio had a chauffeur, but the guy had been given some time off until Gio decided what to do about his security on a more permanent basis.

  Gio removed his phone from his pocket and stifled a yawn. “Excuse me.” He looked exhausted. Sometime in the last couple of hours, the circles under his eyes had darkened.

  “Or,” Joker prompted, “we can order room service.”

  Gio clearly hadn’t expected the suggestion. “Room service?”

  “It’s been a long-ass, eventful day. How about you treat me to some expensive hotel food and a beer since…” He checked his watch. “I’m officially off the clock.”

  The smile that split Gio’s face could have lit up the entire Florida power grid, as if Joker had given him some fantastic gift and not the suggestion of room service. Not a big deal.

  “That sounds perfect.” Gio turned to Saint. “Do you mind driving us back to the hotel?”

  Saint shook his head in amusement. “You don’t need to ask me. It’s my job, remember?”

  “I know, I know,” Gio said, waving a hand. “But you’re my bodyguard, not my chauffeur. I’m still getting used to it.”

  “Okay. Come on. Let’s get the car from valet.”

  In less than twenty minutes, the three of them were back at the hotel. The place was expensive, with all marble floors and pillars, sparkling chandeliers, and gold accents. They took the elevator up to the top floor, where Gio had booked the penthouse suite.

  Two of their security agents stood at attention outside the double doors, and they nodded a greeting as they approached. Since Gio’s suite was the only room on the top floor, along with a hospitality suite and conference room—both of which they’d made sure weren’t booked during Gio’s stay—Gio agreed to let Saint stay in the second bedroom attached to his huge suite. The agents outside the door would rotate throughout the night, so there were always two agents posted outside Gio’s room, while Saint remained close to Gio.

  When they stepped into the suite, Joker whistled. His entire apartment would fit inside the living room area. The spacious suite included a kitchen and what looked like two bedrooms, everything decorated tastefully in neutral colors. “Nice.”

  “Thank you.” Gio removed his suit jacket and draped it over the back of one of the pristine cream-colored couches. “The menu’s just there on the coffee table. Order whatever you like.”

  Joker snatched up the menu and plopped himself down onto the couch with a flourish, making Gio laugh. “Don’t mind if I do.”

  Saint headed for his room. “Let me know if you need anything,” he told Gio, who nodded his thanks.

  As Joker scanned the menu, he sneaked glances in Gio’s direction, noticing how he closed his eyes and rubbed at the back of his neck. If these events took this much out of him, why did he do them? Then again, Gio didn’t strike him as the kind of guy to let a little thing like his health get in the way of his do-goodery.

  Gio removed his shoes and took a seat on the couch opposite Joker. “Anything look particularly good?”

  “There’s a couple of steaks with potential.”

  “Wonderful. I’ll have whatever you’re having. Medium, please.”

  Joker snickered. “You’re gonna want to rethink that. I might not look it, but I eat a lot.”

  “I’m not surprised.”

  “Hm. And why’s that?” Joker braced himself for some flirting.

  “You need a lot of energy to keep up with Chip.”

  Well, that was unexpected. “Um, yeah. Malinois are high-energy dogs. They like to be challenged.” He stood and walked over to the phone to put in their order. “What do you want to drink? They’ve got all kinds of fancy wine and cocktails.”

  “I don’t drink alcohol.”

  Joker had suspected as much. Since Gio’s return, anytime they were in the same place, he’d never seen Gio drink alcohol, raising another red flag. There were many reasons why Gio might not consume alcohol, but with everything he’d seen so far, his gut told him it was connected to whatever the hell was going on with Gio’s health.

  Once he’d put the order in, Joker returned to the couch. Only then did it occur to him that he and Gio were alone. Together. He hadn’t considered that when inviting himself to dinner. They were rarely alone, and when they were, it was usually a few minutes. He rested his right ankle on his left knee and tapped his fingers on his boot.

  “You didn’t have to punch that guy, you know. I’m used to guys like that underestimating me.”

  Gio’s expression darkened. “No one disrespects you in my presence.” Joker opened his mouth, and Gio shook his head. “No one.”

  Joker nodded but didn’t respond to that, which was probably for the best. Although he wouldn’t have allowed William to continue his verbal attack, he’d restrained himself for Gio’s sake. Of course, had Joker not been in the middle of a job, things would have turned out a little differently. He recalled William’s words about Gio being frigid and selfish.

  “Who was that asshole anyway?”

  “William and I were together for three years.”

  The words hit Joker harder than he’d expected, and he shifted in his seat. What the fuck? Why did he care if Gio had dated that asshole? Gio had probably dated plenty of people. Hell, Joker had fucked his way through most of St. Augustine, so who was he to judge?

  “It ended almost two years ago. We met in Paris during a charity summit. He was everything I thought I wanted in a life partner. It turns out I was very wrong.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “It took me three years to discover he was nothing but a sycophant. The only reason he was with me was for my money and connections. He’s a real estate financial broker, and when we met, he’d just opened his own business and started operating internationally. In the beginning, he refused to let me help him, stating he wanted to get ahead on his own and didn’t want to take advantage, but as time went on, he started throwing hints.” Gio loosened his tie, then slid it out from around his shirt collar. Joker shifted in his seat again, his pants suddenly feeling a little constricting.

  “I wanted to help him, so I connected him to several wealthy acquaintances who were looking for someone with William’s skills. For over a year, everything was lovely. We traveled together, even had fun. Then one day he asked me to meet new clients of his. A couple of brothers he strongly believed my charity should help.”

  “Uh-oh.”

  Gio hummed. He absently unbuttoned the top two buttons of his white dress shirt, and Joker’s mouth went dry. The guy needed to stop undressing, or Joker could not pay attention. That would be better. He really shouldn’t find the divot of Gio’s collar enticing, or the expanse of tanned skin he’d exposed below it.

  “The brothers had a business proposal to breathe life back into their little coastal village in France. On paper, everything looked great. They were buying up abandoned properties and had plans to revive tourism.” Gio unfastened his left cufflink, then started to roll up his sleeve. Oh, for fuck’s sake. This was not happening. He wasn’t attracted to Gio.

  “However, William should have known better. My charity never blindly agrees to anything,” Gio continued, unaware of Joker shifting in his seat again. “That’s not how it works, especially when something feels off. I’ve always been good at trusting my instincts. So I traveled to the village, and sure enough, there were several abandoned homes and businesses, but as I spent more time there and earned the trust of the villagers, I discovered something alarming.”

  Gio rolled up his other sleeve, and Joker also discovered something alarming.

  He was attracted to Gio.

  Fuck.

  Not only that, he’d been attracted to Gio for months.

  Double fuck. Fuckity fuck fuck. This was not happening.

  “The brothers weren’t buying abandoned properties. They were forcing villagers out of their homes, terrorizing them, and forcing them to sign over their homes.”

  That had Joker sitting up. “Wait, what? Did they not go to the authorities?”

  “The brothers had the local authorities in their pockets. If that wasn’t bad enough, William was brokering the deals between the brothers and the foreign investors they’d acquired to buy these properties at obscene amounts with the promise of turning the village into the latest must-visit tourist destination.”

  “So they were stealing these properties and selling them at a fortune. But then why did they need you and your charity?”

  “Because the purchase of the properties was based on the shiny ‘new’ vacation villas, shops, and restaurants. Meaning someone needed to pay for the restorations and renovations.”

  Joker shook his head in disbelief. “And William believed that would be your charity?”

  Gio pursed his lips and nodded. “When he found out I’d flown out there, he showed up at my hotel, furious. Accused me of betraying him, lying to him about our relationship, and not trusting him.”

  “What a fucking asshole.”

  “Yes, well, I ended it. He pleaded with me. I refused. And then…” Gio sighed. “He broke my arm.”

  Joker jumped to his feet, his fists at his sides. “He what?” The no-good son of a bitch! Granted, Joker had pretty much hated the guy the moment he’d laid a hand on Gio, but now he wished William was in front of him. He’d show the guy what a real soldier could do.

  “It was so unexpected I was dumbstruck. I hadn’t anticipated him to come at me, much less when my back was turned. Fighting isn’t exactly my area of expertise, so I managed to fracture my wrist when I punched him, which led to him breaking my arm. I was able to fend him off long enough to call the authorities. Not that it helped. By the time I was out of the hospital, the charges I’d pressed had disappeared, and so had William.”

  Joker dropped back onto the couch. “And he had the fucking balls to show up tonight?” This guy was officially on Joker’s shit list.

  “He was trying to convince me to have dinner with him and discuss the proposal. My guess is things with his business partners aren’t going well.” Gio’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “What a surprise, he hasn’t been able to find any more investors.”

  “Talk about a piece of work.” Joker shook his head at the nerve on the guy. Then again, he knew little about the investment world. Just enough to know where money was concerned, it could get ugly.

  “Knowing William, he’s spent money that’s not his and doesn’t know what he’s going to do to get it back. I don’t doubt he’ll find a way, though. He’s resourceful like that.”

  If William knew what was good for him, he’d get resourceful somewhere else. The guy had already assaulted Gio once. No way was Joker letting William anywhere near Gio again.

  “What are you thinking?” Gio asked.

  “I think we need to teach you some self-defense.”

  “Are you going to teach me how to throw someone over my shoulder?”

  “You want me to teach you?”

  Gio looked confused. “Why not? You may not be my bodyguard, but you were a Green Beret, same as the others. You’re a big part of Four Kings Security, same as the others. I trust you.”

  Joker refused to acknowledge how those words made him feel. “Yeah, okay,” he replied, his voice rough. He was often overlooked when in the company of his brothers-in-arms. When faced with the Kings, all of whom were muscled and over six feet tall, no one ever questioned them being Green Berets, and for the most part Jack, but most looked skeptical when Joker was included. Gio had never treated him as anything but equal to his brothers. A lump formed in his throat, and he quickly pushed it down.

  “I’m sorry,” Joker muttered.

  “For what?”

  Joker shrugged. “That you had to go through all that shit with William. You didn’t deserve that.”

  “Thank you.”

  A knock sounded on the front door, and Joker stood to answer it. “Yeah?”

  “Mr. Wilder,” one of their security agents called in. “Room service is here.”

  Joker motioned for Gio to stay seated. He went over to the doors and greeted the waiter as he wheeled in a cart carrying several dishes covered with big silver domes. Everything was set up on the dining table, and Gio thanked the man as he signed the receipt.

  Once the waiter was gone and the doors were closed, Joker dropped down into his chair. “Thanks for dinner.”

  “It’s my pleasure.”

  Gio’s smile did something weird to Joker’s stomach, but he chose to ignore it. He was still trying to wrap his brain around his earlier revelation of finding Gio attractive. Not just attractive, but hot. Really fucking hot. Not that he planned to do anything about that. It was only an observation. He’d found plenty of people attractive or hot as fuck over the years. It didn’t mean he pursued them.

  Even if Joker was wrong about Gio, which wasn’t outside the realm of possibility—he could be wrong on occasion—nothing would come of it. Outside of his brothers-in-arms and now the Boyfriend Collective, Joker didn’t do attachments. Romantic relationships were nothing but a pain in the ass, and in the end, they always turned ugly. They always wanted to change him, turn him into someone he wasn’t. When their expectations didn’t match up with reality, they bailed.

  Joker lifted his gaze to Gio, who sat with him in comfortable silence as he ate, his mind seeming to be preoccupied. Would Gio try to change him, like so many of the others? Of course he would. How else would Joker fit into Gio’s world? Maybe not at first when things were new and the heat was all they could think about, but eventually he would, and unlike the others, who Joker had dropped and left without so much as a phone call, leaving Gio would be… complicated, and that was without considering their family circle.

  Nope. The best thing for both of them would be to ignore the attraction and carry on as they were. They were finally getting along, so why rock the boat? Should be simple enough.

  Gio sat back and ran a hand through his tidy hair, loosening the curls so they fell roguishly over his brow. His evening stubble had grown in, and he smiled at Joker, the corners of his eyes creasing, making him look so fucking happy. Like just being here with Joker made him happy. No. Nope. This couldn’t—can’t…