Chapter Twenty
On the days Gina worked, or rather slept, the hours passed by slowly until he knew it was late enough to text her.
Afraid of disturbing her rest, Matt rarely sent a message before three.
He’d think of her curled up on her bed alone in the attic bedroom, shades drawn to block out the sun. Did she dream of him as he did of her?
You should be here with me, bunny.
If she were, he’d take care of her and make sure she got enough sleep.
She rarely did.
Of that, he was certain.
Just this past Wednesday, the morning dawned stormy, thunder cracking so loudly it woke him.
Not wanting Gina to get caught in the rain, he went to the hospital to give her a ride home.
Exhausted after her sixth twelve-hour shift in a row, she passed out beside him before he could make the right turn onto Halsted Street from Wellington.
There was something about this girl, and it fueled a desire within him to protect and provide for her.
So, instead of taking Gina to the townhouse on Willow Street, Matt brought her home to Park Place.
He wrapped her in a blanket, carried her in his arms, ran through the rain, and laid her on his bed.
And through all of it, she slept.
Gina didn’t wake until ten hours later, when she sat up in his bed, rubbing her eyes. “Where am I?”
“Home.” And he kissed her, sleepy breath and all.
Now that Tony and her parents were aware of their relationship, Gina spent most of her time off with him.
She even brought some clothes and personal items to keep there.
He couldn’t help but smile every time he stepped into the bathroom and saw her shampoo in the shower and her perfume by the sink.
They went grocery shopping together, weeded the flower beds, and picked out a tree to plant.
Japanese cherry, because according to the salesperson at the garden center, it represents the sweetness of love and new beginnings.
“I can’t wait to smell the blossoms in spring,” she said, her hands sliding down inside the seat of his jeans as she held him against her.
Matt didn’t have the heart to tell her it would be a year or two before she saw them, so he kissed her instead.
“Can we plant peonies in the fall?” Gina held onto his shoulders, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “They’re my favorite.”
“Whatever you want, bunny.”
She smiled. “Some hostas, too, I think.”
He’d do anything, buy her the moon if she asked for it, just to see that smile.
A gentle breeze blew onto the balcony where they’d spent the night watching the rain and making love on the outdoor bed.
It would heat up later, but for now, in this hour before sunrise, the July air was comfortably cool.
Matt watched her as she slept. Wisps of dark hair fluttering about her face. The even rise and fall of her chest.
He hated to wake her, but it was a long drive up to the lake house, and with the holiday traffic, they’d have to leave early if they wanted to get there before noon. His fingertips skimmed the curve of her hip while he leaned over to kiss the tender skin beneath her ear. “Time to wake up, baby.”
“Nooo.” Gina rolled over with a groan, her hand reaching for his dick. She held it against her belly, cuddling the stiffening organ like a security blanket. “I’m not ready to get up yet.”
“Is that why you’re getting me up?” He placed his hand over hers. “You wanna fuck, bunny?”
“You never have to ask.” And her sweet lips swept across his. “I always want you.”
“Oh, but I do.” Staring into those hazel eyes that changed color, Matt brushed the hair back from her face. “See, I need to hear you say it.”
“I want you.”
That’s my girl.
Her appetite was as insatiable as his own. Gina could keep up with him and still cry for more. Matt pushed two fingers into her hot, wet hole, the swollen, well-fucked tissue clamping down on them. “Does it hurt?”
“Ah,” she moaned, holding his wrist between her legs. “Please don’t stop.”
He gazed at the marks left behind on her skin. His fingerprints at her throat. On her hips. Had he taken things too far, too fast, last night? She was such a delicate flower, but it made him crazy to be inside her.
“And don’t hold back.”
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
I want to tear this pussy apart.
“I love you, and I love what you do to me.” Gina cupped his cheek, her thumb stroking the stubble on his jaw. “You promised, remember?”
He did.
But she wasn’t ready. At least, not yet.
“I always know what you need, don’t I?” Matt pushed another finger in, and with her thighs already shaking, she spread her legs apart to give him more room. “That’s the way, my darling. Relax.”
He loved watching her derive pleasure. How her teeth pressed into her bottom lip as she got closer to the edge. The sounds she made. How she screamed, then lost the ability to breathe, her mouth forming a silent O as she came.
Beyond the trees of his back garden, the sky was turning into a pale shade of pink as the sun made its presence known. Light flickered through the leaves to waltz upon her face. Matt held her still-trembling body, his lips pressed against her skin. “You okay?”
“Better than okay.” He could feel her smile on his chest, hear it in her voice. “I guess we should get up now.”
As loath to leave their love nest on the balcony as he was, Gina didn’t make a move.
Bailing out of a day at the lake house briefly crossed his mind.
Matt dismissed the thought just as quickly.
He’d be a shitty friend to do that. Selfish.
It was something they did together every year, and this was the first Fourth of July without Kyan.
Dillon and Linnea might need their support, and this would be the perfect opportunity for Gina to bond with the girls and take her place within his family of friends.
Matt sat up, taking Gina with him, and brushed the hair from her eyes. “I’ll make coffee and fix us some breakfast while you shower.”
“Or you could shower with me.”
God, I love you.
“As tempting as that sounds, if I did, we’d never leave the house.” Then he stood, extending his hand. “C’mon, Kit said they’d be by for us around eight.”
“Hello, Trouble.” Sloan smirked at Gina over his shoulder as Matt guided her inside the rear door of his sporty new M3.
“Hey, Sloan.” She returned the greeting with a roll of her eyes, scooching across the black leather seat. “What is it with you guys and purple cars?”
“It’s Daytona Violet Metallic, thank you very much.” Of course, he had to correct her as if violet and purple weren’t the same thing. “Special order. Cost me an extra five grand, I’ll have you know.”
“For paint?” With a toss of her thick chocolate waves, Gina glanced at him in disbelief as he slid into the seat beside her. “That’s insane.”
“Call me crazy, then,” Sloan said.
Matt shrugged. “Custom paint for the Audi was eight.”
Worth every damn penny, too.
“Jesus, you’re both nuts.” Then, she directed her attention to their bassist, who sat idly staring out the passenger side window. “What color is your car, Kit? And please don’t tell me purple.”
“Okay, I won’t,” Kit muttered, still staring. After a moment, he turned away from the window. “It’s a yellow AMG GT 63.”
Yeah, yellow like a canary or a neon highlighter.
Trading glances, he and Sloan shared a chuckle.
“What?” Those puppy-dog eyes of his flicked back and forth between them. “Yellow’s a happy color, and I think if you’re spending a hundred grand on a car, you should get whatever the fuck color you want.”
If yellow meant happiness to him, and his blinding ray of sunshine on wheels gave him one iota of joy, that’s what mattered. Kit earned it, after all. And hell, if he didn’t deserve it.
Matt leaned forward and squeezed his shoulder. “Damn right, brother.”
Sloan took Diversey to the expressway, driving past the neglected building that was once Mickey’s Place, its “For Rent” sign barely visible through the dirt-streaked glass.
He glanced at it and the corner of his mouth quirked up, no doubt remembering how they’d shown up in that beat-up old Chevy they’d worked on all summer to convert it into something resembling a touring van.
Brand-new cars, big houses, and the luxury of an air-conditioned tour bus were nothing but dreams back then.
Swallowing back a chuckle, Sloan merged onto the Kennedy. “Tony coming around yet?”
“Don’t know.” Gina flashed him a smile. He could feel her muscles grow taut beneath his fingertips. “And I don’t care.”
“I, uh, haven’t seen him since…” Matt shrugged a shoulder, his hand running up and down Gina’s arm to comfort her. “He just needs some more time.”
“I saw him,” Kit said, looking back at them.
The hell?
“I ran into him grabbing a coffee at Beanie’s the other day.”
Odd that he hadn’t thought to mention it until now. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I would’ve, asshole, but I haven’t seen you.” Kit’s eyebrows drew together, and he made a face, his right nostril lifting along with his upper lip. “You’ve been… uh… occupied.”
“What did he say?” Gina wanted to know.
He did too.
“Nothing much,” Kit said in a tone that almost sounded evasive. “He didn’t mention you or Matt at all.”
“He’s still mad then.” She leaned back, her gaze wandering to her phone, and opened up TikTok. “Not that he has any right to be.”
“Doesn’t he?” Sloan glanced at her in the rearview mirror. “C’mon now, Trouble, try to look at this from Tony’s perspective. I bet you’d throw a hissy fit if he started dating one of your little friends seemingly out of the blue—especially someone he’s known since she was in pigtails.”
“He’s married, Sloan.” Taking their bandmate’s case in point literally, Kit waved his hand through the air and dismissed it. “So that would never happen.”
“No shit.”
“You must not know him as well as you think you do.” Gina smirked and put her phone back in her purse. “Tony’s done a lot worse.”
The last thing Matt wanted was to come between Gina and her brother, but something else was going on here.
Something personal and private she hadn’t shared with him yet.
What the fuck could Tony have done to turn her so adamantly against him when once she worshipped the ground he walked on?
Matt pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head.
Whatever it was, he hoped it wouldn’t fuck up a decades-long friendship.
Of course, not realizing this, and in defense of their friend, Sloan went Team Tony on her.
“I remember the guy who hurried home after school for a ridiculous tea party with you and your stupid dolls instead of hanging out with his friends. You know, the same guy who taught you how to ride a bike after you begged him to take off the training wheels and patched up your bloody knee when you fell?” Sloan relaxed his grip on the steering wheel, and with a subtle shake of his head, a broken laugh rose from his throat. “Yeah, I know that guy.”
Gina blanched for a moment, but quickly recovered because she was far from done.
“Jesus Christ, I was what? Five?” She leaned in through the space between the two front seats, her finger wagging at Sloan a mile a minute. “My parents were always working, Nick had football after school, and Nonna’s hands were already full with Luca, so who else was I supposed to go to?”
“Right.” He tipped his chin up at her. “You know, I used to think it was weird. How he practically raised you. Tony always put you and your brothers first, but I’m an only child, so what the fuck do I know?
But I know this, his world revolved around his precious baby sister, so yeah, I think he has a right to care. ”
“Maybe when I was little, but…” With a sad shake of her head, she moved back into her seat. “… when Tony got married, everything changed.”
“He has a wife and kids of his own to take care of. That’s to be expected, no?” Kit asked.
“Sure, but that’s not what I’m talking about.” Gina crossed her arms, her gaze meeting Sloan’s in the mirror. “Did you know Tony’s wife was Teo’s girlfriend first?”
Shit.
“I wasn’t aware of that, no.”
“That’s right, you weren’t around then, touring the world, and becoming a rock star.
” It was Gina’s turn to shake her head and laugh.
“Teo and Lina were together for four years—practically engaged, for chrissakes. Long story short? Tony got Lina pregnant, so he married her instead, while Teo was told to just deal with it. Tell me, how are you supposed to get over something like that?”
No one answered.
Then, Kit softly murmured, “You don’t.”
Gina squeezed Kit’s hand, and he let her.
“I don’t think I can ever forgive Tony for what he’s done to our family. So, no, Sloan, he doesn’t get to play the caring brother anymore when he’s already proven that he isn’t.”