Chapter 9
Nine
Elio’s sleep cycle was completely out of whack. Not that he was much of a sleeper or had a strict routine. But he couldn’t remember the last time he was awake and out of bed before noon on a Sunday on purpose. Leaving Muriel’s apartment at nine was obscene but Elio needed coffee and a brisk walk.
He’d woken up from an intensely sensual dream about Milo, aroused but deeply confused. How long had it been since his last wet dream? Elio had so few of them and had quickly dismissed them in the past, so it was disorienting to wake up sweating, with a racing heart and a raging hard-on.
God help Elio, but he closed his eyes and pictured Milo, bent over the desk in their office.
Mein Gott, his arse!
It was an incredible arse, so firm and round…
Elio’s mouth had watered as he imagined sliding Milo’s jeans and boxers down and tasting him.
He’d startled himself, coming fast and hard at the thought of taking Milo in the office.
Sex was usually the farthest thing from Elio’s mind when he was at work but he had been thinking about it more and more lately.
He spent a lot of time thinking about Milo’s arse and was thinking about it as he ordered an espresso con panna and a croissant. And Elio was still thinking about it when he almost crashed into Milo’s mother, Claire, after thanking the barista and turning to leave.
“Schei?e! Sorry!” Elio said as he shook the coffee off his hand and wiped it on his jeans. “Are you alright?” he asked, giving her a quick once over but she appeared unharmed.
Her brown hair was pulled into a loose bun and she was dressed in an oversized, chunky ivory sweater, black leggings, and combat boots. “Good morning, Elio! Where are you off to?”
“Nowhere. Just getting coffee and thought I’d take a walk.”
“You should come with me, then! Don’t move!
” she commanded and flailed excitedly as she quickly placed an order for three hot cocoas and half a dozen assorted pastries.
“These are for Riley,” she said as she held up the bag.
“I’m parked just around the corner,” she informed Elio before handing him the bag and fishing in her giant purse for her keys.
“Where are we going?” he asked as he followed her out and she gestured at a black Range Rover.
“To pick up my boys. It’s Sunday so they’re rowing and then we’re going to brunch at Briarwood Terrace.”
“Hmm. That sounds…crowded.”
He had quickly learned that most events at Briarwood Terrace were loud and crowded.
Gavin Selby owned the charming, converted townhouse and lived on the first floor with his husband, Dash Griffin.
Gavin’s best friend and business partner, Reid Marshall, lived upstairs with Elio’s cousin, Maximilian von Hessen.
Reid, Gavin, and Dash ran a successful nanny agency out of Briarwood Terrace and it was a popular hangout for their many friends and the large extended family that had grown around Reid and Gavin.
“No worries! The more the merrier!” Claire said as they got in the Range Rover and buckled their seatbelts.
“I’m not sure if I agree with that, but thank you,” Elio murmured, turning and inspecting the cabin around him.
He rarely traveled in private vehicles and there appeared to be a lot of “gear” in the back.
Duffle bags, sneakers, and sweatshirts of various sizes were scattered on the seat and the floor. “You do this every Sunday?”
“Just about!” She pulled away from the curb and disregarded the irritated honks as she maneuvered into traffic and they waited at the light. “Unless the weather is too gross for them to go out on the water. I have a feeling you’ll appreciate this.”
“Oh?” Elio raised a brow. “Why is that?”
Claire shrugged, smiling at the windshield. “Call it a hunch. Who doesn’t love a biology lesson?”
“Biology?” Elio cringed “It’s my least favorite of the sciences. It’s so variable and dependent upon…life. You can’t control living things like you can control numbers and lab conditions.”
“You sound just like Milo. If he can’t memorize it or predict it with a theorem, it makes him itchy,” she said and Elio nodded.
“All you can do is guess what an organism will do and record it to determine the probability of what it might do the next time.”
“Some people like that about nature,” Claire argued and Elio shook his head.
“I don’t.”
She laughed as she wagged a finger. “You’re afraid of a mess but you can’t have any fun if you don’t get your hands dirty now and then.”
Elio snorted at his window as more of the river came into view. “I’m not afraid of making a mess. You should see Muriel’s sitting room.”
“Not like that, silly. Life should be messy.”
“My brothers’ lives are messy enough. All I have to do is drop by Matteo and Truman’s if I’m in the mood for drama.”
Claire made a knowing sound. “I’ll bet the sex is phenomenal.”
“You’ll see plenty of that, too, if you drop by,” Elio grumbled with a petulant scowl. “They can’t even be bothered to put a sock on the door.”
“Good for them?” she attempted, then tipped her chin at the windshield. “We’re here!”
Elio had never been to a rowing club or a boathouse before and was immediately aware of all the exposed, muscular thighs and broad, sculpted shoulders.
Including the women. He was the last to notice a person’s physique but there were so many short shorts and tight tank tops, despite the breezy, autumn morning.
He spotted Riley on the bank, thanks to his brightly colored striped scarf and mittens but he was alone. “Where’s Luna?” Elio asked as they got out and went to join him.
“We’ll catch up with her at brunch. She spent the night at the Mosbys’ with her cousin, Cadence. Luna’s not much of a morning person and doesn’t have the patience for this when it’s cold out,” Claire explained and Elio nodded.
“Mornings are overrated, especially Sunday mornings.”
“We’ll see!” Claire said, then opened her arms when Riley greeted her with a hug. “These are for you, my love,” she told him as she handed him the pastries and his cocoa.
“You are the best,” he said and offered Elio a cheerful wave. “Morning! Are you coming to brunch with us too?”
“Probably no—”
“Of course, he is!” Claire said, cutting Elio off with a wide grin. “How did our boys do?” she asked as she shielded her eyes and searched the water.
“Great! They’re already done!” Riley said and pointed at the boathouse.
Elio turned and it was odd, the way time slowed and everyone but Milo and Giles disappeared.
He really hadn’t been paying attention to how handsome they were before or noticed that Giles had pressed the copy and paste buttons when he made Milo.
They were truly clones, but Giles had aged well and was the kind of handsome that was hard to look at.
Like staring directly at the sun. They laughed as they teased each other and Giles ruffled Milo’s hair before throwing an arm around his neck.
Both were dressed in tight t-shirts and sleek shorts, but Elio was suddenly warm as he noticed how nice Milo’s thighs were and the way his shirt clung to his chest and abs.
“Biology!” Claire whispered in Elio’s ear. “I don’t love Giles like that and I’m not attracted to him anymore, but I still like to look because my best friend is ridiculously hot and fit,” she said and Riley sighed dreamily.
“It isn’t fair, is it? I’m so lucky!” He was beaming as he took a bite out of a Danish.
“Look who I ran into when I was getting our cocoa!” Claire said and gave Elio a nudge to wake him up.
“It’s good to see you again,” Giles said as he offered Elio his hand.
“Good to see you too,” he said as he shook it then nodded at Milo. “Good morning. I trust you had a good…row,” Elio said with a wince. He didn’t know a thing about the sport. Or most sports for that matter.
“It was great!” Milo said, his eyes bright, his cheeks pink, and his hair wind-blown. “But I’m starving. Can we get going? I already know Riley won’t share.”
Riley shook his head as he held out Milo’s hoodie and track pants. “I love you very much but I need all of them. It’s a long ride to Briarwood Terrace.”
“No it’s not,” Milo, Claire, and Giles said in unison.
“Hurry and put on your clothes before you catch a cold,” Riley told Milo, changing the subject.
Elio was able to think clearer and time behaved as it was supposed to once Milo put the rest of his clothes on.
They all piled into the Range Rover for the short drive to Briarwood Terrace and it was as crowded as Elio had expected.
Both of Max’s daughters were there, along with Sophia’s husband and their twins.
Morris’s parents were also there and Luna and Cadence were in the living room, working on a craft at the coffee table with Dash.
“When was the last time you had a decent meal, young man?” Reid asked accusatively.
“I had a salad on the train last night,” Elio replied but that resulted in a stern look.
“We can do better than that. Come over whenever you need a meal. There’s plenty of food and we always have room for one more,” he said, then handed Elio a loaded plate. “Sit wherever you can.” Reid waved absently and headed for his seat at the overcrowded table.
Elio could see why so many of their new friends and family gravitated towards Briarwood Terrace and it was mentioned so frequently.
The atmosphere was warm and inviting and everyone was treated like family.
But the mood was particularly boisterous as mimosas were topped off with fresh champagne and the French press was passed around.
It was a bit too much for Elio so he took his plate outside onto the back terrace. Milo was sitting on the bench at the end of the narrow, paved yard, where Elio had spotted him with June a few days earlier.
“Mind if I join you? It’s a full house in there,” Elio said with a snort. “I haven’t met a more pleasant collection of humans, but they’re a lot all at once.”
“Must be your first brunch at Briarwood Terrace.” Milo scooted over and gave the spot next to him a pat.
Elio nodded as he sat with his plate. “Thanks,” he said and Milo canted toward him.
“I don’t always feel up to it so I’ll skip brunch and go home with a pizza and eat it in peace. But it was a good week.” He smiled and his satisfied sigh made something in Elio’s chest and his lips tickle.
“I had a good week too.”
“Did you? You’ve been really quiet the last few days.” Milo used his fork to pick out a piece of melon from the fruit salad on his plate, hypnotizing Elio as he chewed and licked his lips. “I wasn’t expecting to see you this morning.”
“I…” Elio missed his old brain and the way it had worked before he noticed how perfect Milo’s lips were. “Sorry, I’ve had a hard time sleeping lately. I ran into your mother while I was getting coffee and didn’t have a choice in the matter.”
“Sounds like Mom. What’s keeping you up at night? Anything I can help with?” Milo asked but Elio shook his head.
“I have a lot on my mind and it’s a new place.” That seemed believable.
“I’m sorry. I have a hard time sleeping in strange places too. Are you going to eat that? The fruit salad is really good this weekend.”
“No, go ahead,” Elio said as he handed Milo his plate. “I haven’t had much of an appetite lately.”