Page 34 of Danger

“Yeah, your old man liked to diversify his holdings. He said that putting all his eggs in one basket would limit his company’s potential. How about I send over Leo, and he can help you out? My son is sick of me, and he’ll enjoy a change of scenery,” Tony said. The last thing Ross needed was Leo Capo snooping around his office. The last time he saw Leo ended with the both of them nearly in a fistfight over a misunderstanding. Well, Leo claimed that Ross had misunderstood the kiss that they both shared, but he hadn’t. Leo wasn’t out yet and admitting that he felt anything for Ross wasn’t something that he could do. Hell, Ross hadn’t told anyone except his mom and sister that he was gay, but kissing Leo felt right, and being rejected hurt like a son of a bitch.

“I’m sure that Leo has better things to do with his time other than come over here to help me decipher my father’s handwriting,” Ross quickly covered. Turning his uncle’s offer down flat would only end up with him in more hot water than he needed right now.

“Nonsense,” Tony shouted, “as I’ve already said, he’s sick of hanging around me and he’d love to see you, I’m sure.” Ross was certain that his uncle was incorrect. There would be no way that Leo would be happy to see him. Not now after so much time had passed.

“I still don’t know if Leo coming here is a good idea, Tony,” Ross said.

“I’m not sure what happened between you two boys, but you need to fix it. Once your Uncle Bobby and I are gone, you, Leo, and Zane will run the family business that we’re leaving to you. You three boys will need to learn to work together. So, whatever you and Leo have brewing between you two, you need to fix it.” Ross wasn’t sure if that was even a possibility. How could he fix the feelings that he had for Leo? How could he take back the hottest kiss he had ever shared with another human being? He couldn’t, but he wasn’t about to tell his uncle that. No, he’d keep Tony in the dark and find a way to work with Leo, even if it meant taking a ton of cold showers to get his libido back in check.

Leo

It had been almost a year since Leo saw Ross. He had done everything in his power to avoid his so-called cousin, not that they were actually related by blood. No, his father had a crazy sense of loyalty and when they were just kids, his dad insisted that they were all family, even if Leo didn’t feel any familiar ties to Ross. In fact, he felt the opposite about him and the kiss that they shared a year ago proved that to him.

Leo had spent his entire life hiding who he was. At twenty-seven, he should have his life figured out—right? Leo had thought that he could hide away from the world, but one kiss with Ross had proven him wrong. He was gay, and telling his friends and family wasn’t something that he thought possible. Telling his father is truth might just kill his old man and that wasn’t something he could risk because the last thing he wanted was to have to take over the responsibility of the family business like Ross had to. Hoping that his dad would live forever might be childish of him, but that was exactly what he was doing. Leo was fine with working for his father. Hell, he was good with taking orders from his old man but running things—no thank you.

His father stood in front of him, pacing—a telltale sign that he wasn’t happy with anything Leo was saying. “I really don’t understand what’s going on with you and Ross, but I don’t care. I need you to extend an olive branch and make things right with your cousin.”

Leo couldn’t help his scoff. The idea of Ross being his cousin always made him a little green. “He’s not my cousin, Dad,” Leo reminded. “Just because you made me call his father my uncle, doesn’t mean that Ross and I are actually related.”

“He’s the closest thing you have to family. With no siblings and no blood cousins, you should be happy to include Ross as family.” There was no way that he and his father would ever agree on this point.

“I’d like to change the subject please,” Leo said. “I really don’t want to fight with you, Dad.”

“Then don’t,” his father simply said. “Go see Ross and help him sort out his father’s affairs. He just lost his dad and that should make you want to help him. Have some compassion,” his father hissed.

“I have compassion,” Leo insisted. “I just don’t think that Ross and I should work together. The last time I saw him, things didn’t end well between us. We had a—” He wasn’t sure how to finish that sentence. “We had a disagreement.” That was partially true. Ross and he were hanging out, as they usually did every weekend, and things got out of hand. He knew that Ross was gay. He might not have fully come out, but Leo always knew the truth about Ross. The problem was—Leo wasn’t out yet. Hell, he never planned on coming out, and when Ross made his move, kissing him the way that he had, only forced Leo’s hand. He told Ross that he wasn’t interested in him in that way, but that was a bald-faced lie. Leo had wanted Ross for as long as he could remember and denying it wouldn’t change that.

“I don’t care what the disagreement was about. You go to him and fix it, Leo. He needs our help and you’re going to give it,” his father insisted. Arguing with his old man never ended in his favor, and Leo knew better than to waste his time.

“Fine, I’ll go over to help Ross, but I’m not extending the olive branch that you want me to. He’ll have my help, but that’s all he’ll get from me,” Leo said. He sounded like a petulant child, but he didn’t really care. He wasn’t going to fall for Ross’s charms again. He’d made that mistake before, and Leo promised himself that it wouldn’t happen again. He’d forget all about Ross and the kiss that they shared if it was the last thing that he’d do.

Leo parked in front of the Ballerini office building that he’d always found pretentious. It was fifteen stories high, which in their small town, made it one of the tallest buildings for a thirty-mile radius. The windows were reflective, something that Leo always thought trashy, and he knew that at the top of the gawdy building, he’d find Ross. He had probably moved into his father’s office before his body was in the ground.

Ross seemed to be the perfect, dutiful son—willing to take over the family business at the drop of a hat. Leo never understood anyone who wanted to go into the kind of business that their families were involved in. Leo dreaded the day that he’d have to take over for his father, but Ross seemed to jump right into his responsibilities and never looked back.

“Shit,” he shouted into the air. He cut the engine of his car and took a deep breath before getting out to head into the building. The sooner he got in there, the sooner he’d be able to come up with an excuse and leave. He wasn’t sure how he was supposed to be able to decipher Ross’s father’s handwriting when his own son couldn’t. And he really didn’t know much about the Ballerini family’s holdings. Well, except for two of the businesses that they shared. One was a local gym that most of the town used, and another was a kink club on the outskirts of town. God, telling Ross about that one wasn’t something that he wanted to do face to face. With any luck, Ross already knew about that business and wouldn’t ask him a million questions about that place.

Leo rode the elevator to the top of the building and got off in the reception area of Ross’s new office. “Can I help you?” a woman asked from behind her desk.

“Ross is expecting me,” Leo insisted. “I can show myself in.”

“May I tell him your name?” the woman asked, effectively ignoring him.

“Leo Capo, but I can tell him my own name, thanks,” Leo said, walking past her desk and straight into a hard wall of a very angry-looking man.

“It’s fine, Helen,” Ross said as he took a step back from Leo. God, he smelled just as good as Leo remembered. “I’ll handle Mr. Capo.” The thought of Ross’s hands on his body made Leo hot and that was the last thing he needed right now.

Ross moved to the side of the doorway and motioned for Leo to go into his office. Leo cleared his throat and walked past Ross, trying not to look him in the eyes. If he did, he’d cave and do all the things that he had promised himself on the ride over that he wouldn’t do.

He sat down in the chair in front of Ross’s desk, waiting for him to join him. “So, your father sent you over to help me with this mess.”

“What makes you think that he sent me?” Leo asked.

“Because I couldn’t imagine you volunteering to come over to help me, Leo. You haven’t talked to me in over a year now,” Ross said.

“I’ve been busy,” Leo lied. He knew how stupid his excuse sounded, but it was all he could come up with on short notice. Sparring verbally with Ross was never his strong suit and from the smirk on his handsome face, he knew it. Leo rolled his eyes, crossing one leg over the other. It was his go-to move when he felt completely out of his league.

“You’ve been busy for a year?” Ross asked, calling him on his lie.

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