Chapter Twenty-Two

Stefano

Seven years later…July 2010

Without saying a word, Stefano stared at the man he’d loved his whole life.

The small office in the downtown area of San Francisco suddenly seemed too small for the two of them.

“I’m sorry. I just need some space.” Rossi’s voice was scratchy and rough as if he’d been yelling. And maybe he had. Rossi had just left the military a month ago and that rasp had been there since.

Stefano had no idea what the man had gone through. After 9/11 when the world had burned, American soldiers had been to hell and back several times over. Consequently, Rossi had reenlisted again and again.

Every time Rossi came home—which wasn’t all that often—he’d grown more distant.

Stefano got it. He really did, and if he had still been in the Army when 9/11 had happened, there was no doubt that he himself would have reenlisted. But he hadn’t been and currently neither was Rossi. The offer of doing small jobs for the Secretary of Defense had been the only reason Rossi had finally hung up his Army carrier.

“This is what we planned… right?” Stefano said slowly, not quite understanding where this was going.

“We?” Rossi said with disbelief. “I think that was you.”

Stefano snapped his mouth open and then closed it. He couldn’t let on that his world was collapsing and his heart had been shattered.

He’d followed Rossi around America for over fifteen years—taking whatever shitty job he could to earn enough money to rent a nearby home for Rossi when he came home on leave. Not that Stefano had minded …but what the hell had it all been for? Had he wasted his love on a man who couldn’t love him back? No, he was sure that Rossi loved him.

Sure, the guy was so far in the closet that it was scary, but Rossi didn’t need to be. They didn’t need to hide any longer—especially there in the city of San Francisco. Hell, same-sex marriage was legal in a few States. They could actually put rings on each other’s fingers in New Hampshire and make a life together. Of course, they would need to move out of California, but so what?

And now, Rossi wanted what? Space? Fucking time out?

“Wait…Are you breaking up with me?” He hated the pathetic wobble in his voice, but he found it suddenly difficult to breathe.

“I think we need a break.”

“A what?”

“Look, you haven’t had any other boyfriends since you were nineteen.”

“None.”

“What?” Rossi’s frown was quick.

“I’ve only ever had one boyfriend, you.”

“Exactly my point. You’ve settled for me and you just need to spread your wings.”

“Fuck you!” Suddenly, he was pissed. “Don’t fucking lie to me. If you want out, just say so. If this…” Stefano waved a hand between them. “is too much for you, then just fucking man up and admit it. Don’t blame your shit on me.”

“That’s not the—”

“Shut up!” Stefano snapped. “You must think I’m stupid.”

“I don’t!”

“I said shut up,” Stefano growled and Rossi shut his mouth. “You’re fucking scared. It’s written all over your face.”

Rossi’s jaw clenched and Stefano could see the muscle tick in the man’s jaw.

“I’ll tell you what…and listen carefully.” Stefano took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’m going to give you time to get your head out of your ass.” He pointed a finger at Rossi. “But trust me, I won’t wait forever.”

Rossi’s throat moved in a hard swallow and after a long, tense moment, the suddenly quiet man gave a slow nod.

“Now, you need to figure out if you’re going to stick around for Dave’s proposal.” Yeah, his words startled Rossi, but so the fuck what? The SecDef might have met Rossi first, but Dave was just as much his friend now and when Dave had offered them both a job, Stefano was relieved to not have to do any more mercenary work. He would be damned if he’d let Rossi ruin that for him.

“What do you mean?” Rossi rasped.

“I mean, we may not be together, but I’m not leaving my job.”

“We can’t both fit in here.” Rossi gesture to the room.

“Don’t worry,” he sneered. “I’ll find an office nearby. Now you have to be the one to tell Dave you’re being a dick.”

Stefano left via the slam of the office door. He couldn’t have stayed one more minute. He sucked in air as if he’d been running and strode down the hallway to the access stairs and slammed out of them.

Frost was leaning against the building having a smoke. The former Marine frowned after giving him the once over. Both he and Rossi had reached out to Asher Grayson aka Frost when they’d been contacted by Dave to form a unit.

Stefano stalked closer and held out a hand. Frost slowly pulled the pack of smokes from his pocket and handed them over.

“You don’t smoke.”

“I do now,” he growled, leaning against the back of the gray building. He lit up with the lighter Frost handed him.

Stefano took a breath of the smoke, it burned and he wanted to cough, but didn’t. When the door to the building opened, he closed his eyes.

“Stef,” Rossi’s voice came from near the door.

He opened his eyes and rolled his head to glare at Rossi. “What?” His voice felt flat, as much as his heart did.

“Don’t leave mad.”

Fuck.

Fuck!

The vulnerable look on Rossi’s face gutted him. He’d promised to give the man time and here he was doing what he should not be doing. Losing his temper would only put a bigger wedge between them.

He didn’t want that.

He wanted Rossi, and if it took him a while to get that through the man’s thick skull, then so be it.

Stefano looked at the cigarette and couldn’t seem to take another drag of the nasty thing. Frost stood quietly nearby and Stefano figured the Marine probably wished to be anywhere else but there.

Stefano took a deep breath of fresh air and let it out slowly. “I’m not mad anymore.”

“Yeah?” Rossi’s golden eyes lit up and the man let the door shut before closing the distance between them.

“Yeah.”

“Good, then you won’t be mad when I do this,” Rossi said and plucked the smoke from his fingers. Rossi dropped the cigarette on the pavement and crushed it beneath his boot.

“Hey, you could have just given that back to me,” Frost groused.

Stefano’s heart warmed. Rossi cared for him. Rossi loved him. It was in everything the man did. It was in the way the man’s eyes moved over him.

“You need to quit smoking,” Rossi told Frost, but his eyes were on him.

Stefano held Rossi’s gaze for a long moment and then smirked. “It’s a good thing I like you.”

Rossi’s throat moved when he swallowed and he reached out and tugged at the open zipper on Stefano’s windbreaker.

“I like you too.”

It was enough for Stefano…

For now.