ROBBIE WOKE TO a warm set of lips moving down his spine, and as his eyes opened, he saw the sun was already up and streaming in through the window. He stretched his legs under the sheets, and as he burrowed his face deeper into the soft pillow, he could smell Priest’s soap, and Julien’s shampoo, on them—or was it the other way around? He didn’t know, but a stupid kind of smile hit his lips when the sheet was tugged free and a warm body came down over the top of his.

He wasn’t sure who it was, but right then he didn’t much care, as the pressure of having a solid body pressing him into the mattress became more insistent. Robbie arched up against the muscles holding him down, and when a hand planted itself by his face and he saw the tanned skin, he knew in an instant who was behind him—Julien.

“Bonjour, princesse,” Julien whispered over Robbie’s ear, and then kissed him under it. “It’s time to wake up. You said eight, oui?”

Robbie opened his eyes and nodded. “I did.” He was going to meet his ma at nine over at The Daily Grind.

“That’s what I thought.” Julien brushed his lips over Robbie’s. “Well, it’s seven thirty. So that means you have thirty minutes to spare.”

Robbie rolled over to his back, and once he was there, he parted his legs and Julien—

“Ahh, God,” Robbie said as Julien fitted himself perfectly between Robbie’s naked thighs, and the feel of his cotton yoga pants against Robbie’s sensitive skin made his morning erection come to full attention.

“Mmm, you feel so good, princesse. I like having you under me like this,” Julien said, and nipped at Robbie’s chin.

Robbie ran his hands down Julien’s sides and under his pants to cup his ass, and when he pulled him closer and bowed up to rub his cock against Julien’s, he said, “You feel good on top of me.”

Julien sucked on Robbie’s lower lip. “Put a leg around my waist, beautiful, and I’ll make you feel even better.”

Robbie eagerly wound a leg around Julien and brought his hands up to wrap them around his neck. Julien took his mouth in a delicious kiss that made Robbie’s toes curl and his cock leak all over Julien, and then Julien reached down and shoved his pants to his thighs, freeing his cock of all restrictions. Julien sucked two of his fingers into his mouth then reached down to rub them between Robbie’s ass cheeks.

“Ahh…” Robbie moaned, as he pushed his head back on the pillow and thrust his hips against Julien’s.

“Feel good?” Julien asked.

Robbie nodded and grinned. “Encore.”

Julien’s eyes flared. He liked that Robbie had caught onto that. Julien then did as requested and ran the pads of his fingers over Robbie’s hole again, and on the third go around, he added a thrilling pressure that had the tips penetrating Robbie.

“Fuck,” Robbie said, and then jammed his hips up, wanting those fingers all the way in him. Julien slammed their mouths together and slid his middle and index finger in as deep as he could get them.

“Oh God. Oh God,” Robbie chanted as he started to roll his hips. He held on to Julien as tight as he could with both his arms and legs, and as Julien began to finger-fuck him toward an epic orgasm, Robbie became aware of Priest entering the bedroom.

He was dressed for work in a grey three-piece suit that matched his stormy eyes, and as he stopped by the side of the bed, both Robbie and Julien turned their heads to look at him.

Priest took a sip of his coffee and then lowered his eyes over the two of them. Right as his gaze landed on the leg Robbie had hiked up, Julien massaged Robbie’s prostate once, twice, and then hell, it was all over.

Both of them shouted as they came all over one another, and then Julien let out a shaky “Putain” and pressed a kiss to Robbie’s cheek as he slowly removed his fingers.

“Having a good morning?” Priest asked.

Robbie’s leg slid off Julien’s hip, and he nodded. “Uh, yeah.”

Priest took another sip of his coffee, and Robbie’s eyes moved down over him, and when he saw he was hard in those fancy dress slacks of his, Robbie couldn’t stop himself from reaching down and playing with himself again.

Julien chuckled as he pulled his pants up, got off the bed, and walked to Priest. He kissed him on the cheek, which only served to make Robbie’s eager cock impossibly stiff all over again.

“This morning was a freebie, Robert. That,” Priest said, indicating the erection Robbie was now working, “you better keep until I tell you otherwise.”

“I have to go and take a shower,” Julien said, and then looked down at Robbie and winked. “You’re welcome to join me if you like, princesse. We can conserve water.”

As Julien walked into the bathroom, Robbie stretched his naked body under Priest’s lustful gaze and then shifted to the edge of the bed and stood.

When they were at eye level, Robbie reached for Priest’s coffee mug, which was almost empty, and finished it off before licking his lips. “I always wake up happy here. Thank you for that.”

Priest took Robbie’s chin between his fingers and lowered his lips to his. “Go and get in the shower, Robert. Before I get in you.”

Robbie grinned and then stepped around Priest, and as he walked toward the bathroom, he added an extra swing to his hips as he called over his shoulder, “Promises, promises.”

* * *

LATER THAT MORNING, Julien stood in the kitchen of his restaurant and brought a spoon to his mouth to taste the bordelaise sauce with mushrooms that his sous chef, Andre, had just prepared. They were going over the menu to reach the level of excellence Julien expected from his right-hand man, and when the bordelaise hit his taste buds, he had to admit, it was superbe.

“This is fantastic, Andre.”

“Merci,” Andre said, and stirred the sauce around the skillet. “Are you excited for the opening next month?”

“Oui,” Julien said, as he put the spoon down and wiped his hands on his apron. “It’s going to be a busy couple of weeks leading up to it, though. I have some guys coming out next Monday to update the website, then Wednesday we have a meeting with the entire staff for the first time, and then we have Fine Dining coming Thursday to take photos of the staff and restaurant for the feature spread. After that goes live, the secret is out. It’s all starting to feel very real.” And slightly stressful.

There was already buzz online about the possibility of a new location—there had been ever since he’d left his L.A. location in the hands of his brand-new executive chef and told the press he was moving on to new projects. And the second this was announced, Julien knew they’d be booked for months within seconds—including at least a dozen of the top food critics.

In a world-class culinary city like Chicago, the first months were crucial. Restaurants opened daily, and you either succeeded or went down in flames, and considering the press coverage he knew would surround this opening, Julien did not fancy the idea of anything other than succeeding.

“We won’t let you down,” Andre said. “You know everyone is excited to be involved and working here with you. JULIEN is going to cause a frenzy amongst the Chicago foodies.”

“We can only hope.” Julien’s phone began to vibrate in his pocket, and when he pulled it out and saw it was Priest, he said, “I’ll be right back,” and headed out of the kitchen.

When he was in the hallway, Julien hit accept and brought the phone up to his ear. “Miss me already, do you?”

“I do, actually,” Priest said and then chuckled, and Julien smiled. “But that’s not why I’m calling.”

“Non?” Julien said as he walked out into the main dining room and took a seat in one of the booths.

“No. I’m calling about next week, Friday? Do you want me to get the tickets?”

Julien frowned. He really didn’t want—

“Julien? The tickets?”

“Oui, you should get them.” Because I most certainly won’t. But then he had a thought. “Do you think…” He paused.

“Julien?”

“Sorry, I was just thinking.”

“About?”

“Do you think Robbie would want to come with us?” And the more the idea settled in and took root, the more it felt…right. Robbie was a burst of sunshine on the coldest of days, and that was exactly what Julien would need next week. A burst of sunshine and a steady hand to hold him upright.

“I’m not sure any of us would want to go. But I’m sure Robert would like to be there for you, if you asked him.” Priest went quiet for a moment and then said, “Speaking of Robert, how was he this morning when you dropped him off? He seemed to be in high spirits when he left the condo, all things considered.”

“He was,” Julien agreed. “He said his ma left him a text saying she visited his nonna early this morning and she’s doing well. But he has a feeling his ma is going to tell him his nonna is going to be moving into a retirement community when she leaves rehab, which would mean—”

“He will need a new place to live,” Priest finished, and Julien realized he was right. He’d been so focused on other things that that thought hadn’t even occurred to him.

“Oui. He will.”

“Are you thinking what I am?” Priest asked, and the smile was evident in his voice.

“I believe I am, mon amour. We just need to see how he feels about it all. It’s moving very fast. He’s still thinking about us in general.”

“No, he’s not,” Priest said, arrogant as ever. “He’s been thinking about us since December, and he made the final decision in the hospital waiting room yesterday when he asked to come home with us.”

Priest was right, because one thing Julien knew to be true was that when he was in trouble or needed someone to lean on, the person he always went to was Priest—and last night, Robbie had come to them.

“Leave it with me. Since he’s down here by the office, I’ll see if he can stop by and we’ll call you.”

“Okay,” Julien said, feeling much better having something to look forward to other than next Friday.

“Je t’aime,” Priest said, and Julien smiled.

“Je t’aime aussi. Talk to you soon.”

“Yes, you will.”

* * *

“MY BEAUTIFUL BOY,” Robbie’s ma greeted him with that thick Italian accent he loved, as she slid out of a booth at The Daily Grind and got to her feet. “Come give your mother a hug.”

A couple of inches shorter than himself, Robbie’s ma moved up to her tiptoes to wrap her arms around him. Her hair was styled into short, thick layers that kicked up at the nape of her neck, and was highlighted in shades of browns and blonds to offset the silver streaked throughout.

Robbie kissed her, and when he pulled away, she beamed up at him with a wide smile and twinkling blue eyes that matched his own. She patted one of his cheeks and gestured to the booth. As they both took a seat, she reached across the table and took Robbie’s hands in hers.

“How are you? I feel like I haven’t seen you for months.”

Robbie chuckled. He’d seen his mother for Thanksgiving and Christmas—hardly months. But she had complained both times because he’d only been able to stay up at the house in Oshkosh for the day.

“I saw you a couple of weeks ago,” he said.

“Yes, but that was hardly long enough,” she said. “It’s never long enough with you.”

Robbie rolled his eyes. “You say that to all your children.”

“But I only mean it with you,” she said with a wink, and Robbie grinned.

“Well, that’s true. They all know you love me best, so…” Robbie glanced at the lines at the register. “Did you already order?”

“No, I was waiting for you.”

“Oh, okay, let me go get it. Do you want anything to eat?”

“No thanks, baby. Just a coffee would be lovely.”

Robbie put their order in, waved at his old manager, and then moved to the side to wait for the drinks. As he stood there, his phone buzzed and he looked down to see the group thread.

Priest: Since you’re in my neighborhood, and owe me a coffee, would you like to come and visit me after you speak to your mother?

Robbie couldn’t explain why, but that polite request had the dopiest grin imaginable on his face.

Robbie: I would like that. Would you?

Robbie wondered if Priest would make him wait for some kind of response but two seconds later…

Priest: I would. Very much. There’s something we need to talk about.

Robbie’s heart raced.

Robbie: Then I’ll visit. But I won’t COME unless you tell me to.

Priest: Aren’t you with your mother right now? I don’t think that’s very appropriate language, Robert.

Robbie laughed, and then the barista called his name. Robbie quickly typed back: Then maybe you should punish me when I visit. Got to go. TTYL.

And he couldn’t help the thrill he got out of knowing Priest was likely sitting in his office with a scowl on his face now, thinking about spanking Robbie’s ass. Robbie picked up the coffees, and when he got back to the table and sat down, his mother grinned.

“You look happy.”

“You know, I am,” Robbie said, and took a sip of his coffee, savoring the sweet flavor. He’d become slightly addicted to the Dreamweavers that The Daily Grind was serving this month as its specialty drink. “But I’m worried about Nonna. I still feel awful about what happened.”

His mother reached out to take one of his hands. “I know you do, baby. But it’s not your fault.”

“I know that, but—”

“No,” she said, and shook her head. “I won’t have you blaming yourself for this, and neither will your nonna. She already told me how upset you were when you got to the hospital, and I won’t have you making yourself worried with guilt or stress or any other kind of nonsense. Do you hear me?”

Robbie nodded, but still wasn’t totally convinced he couldn’t have prevented what had happened.

“Now, I know Nonna told you yesterday about the ET she had been diagnosed with a little while back.”

“Yes, but she didn’t say much about it. She was too tired and I didn’t want to push.”

“I know,” she said, and patted his hand as she took a sip of coffee. “Basically, ET means your nonna’s arms and legs shake. The messages from her brain to her limbs kind of…malfunction.”

Robbie frowned. “Why didn’t you tell me that? Why didn’t she? I never would’ve left her by herself if I knew.”

“That’s exactly why,” his mother said. “The tremors weren’t bad to start with, just a few here and there, and she was able to cope with it and there was no point worrying you. But recently they started getting more serious, and she told me she was looking into different retirement communities. This has been on her mind for a while now, baby boy. But the fall, it’s sped things up a little.”

Robbie had a sudden sick feeling in his stomach. “She didn’t think she had to look after me, did she? Or Vanessa? She didn’t put this off because of us, did she? Because I would’ve worked something out.”

“No, don’t be silly.” His ma got out of her seat, came around to his side, and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “Are you kidding me, Robbie Bianchi? That old lady loves living with you. She feels terrible about what happened and that you feel so bad about it.”

Robbie leaned into his ma’s side and rested his head on her shoulder. “I was on a date when it happened.”

“That’s wonderful. I always say you need someone to look after you. Someone to fatten you up,” she said, and poked at his side. Robbie chuckled, and she pulled away a little to look at his face. “What?”

“It’s nothing. You two… You’re just like your ma, that’s all. She said the exact same thing to me the other day.”

“Then we must be right,” she said, and smiled warmly. “Are you going to go on another date? Or is it more than that now? Do you have a new boyfriend? You can tell me.”

Robbie thought of Priest, and then Julien, and decided something. “It is more than dating. But we’re still working out all the other stuff.” We’re being the operative word. When her eyes lit up, Robbie started laughing.

“Do I at least get a name?”

“Nope,” Robbie said, and made a show of zipping his lips. “That’ll jinx it.”

“Fine.” She sighed. “But can I at least tell you how pleased I am to see you so happy?”

“You can tell me that.”

She squeezed Robbie in close and kissed his cheek. “You crazy boy. I love you, you know that?”

“I know.”

“And all your father and I want is for you to be happy.”

“I know, Ma,” Robbie said as she kissed him again, and he did. Ever since he could remember, she had been her children’s biggest cheerleader, while their father was the backbone of the Bianchi clan. Neither of them had batted an eyelash when he came out, and had supported him every step of the way since. They weren’t immune to his…charm—in fact, they’d been the ones to nurture it and let him feel safe enough to be himself.

He had an amazing family, and he thanked his lucky stars every day that he had such a wonderful support system—even if most of them were a bunch of gossipy women.

“So,” Robbie said, “I guess I need to start looking for an apartment, then, huh?”

“There’s no rush,” she said. “And you could always come and stay with me for a little while.”

“In Oshkosh?” Robbie said, and then laughed. “That’s a bit of a commute to work, Ma.”

“Well, a mother can dream. I miss having your coats and scarves to go through when I need something happy to wear.”

“Yeah, that’s why I left in the first place. Damn females, stealing all my clothes.” Robbie laughed, remembering how his mother and sisters would rifle through his clothes and makeup. Used to drive him insane. “What about Vanessa? Have you heard from her? Does she know about this?”

“Yes. She stopped by the hospital this morning before she went home to get some sleep. She has a friend with a spare room she’s going to stay with.”

“Okay,” Robbie said, and then thought over what he was going to do next. “So how long are you here for? What can I do?”

“Nothing right now. I’m going to go and stay with Nonna tonight at the hospital, and then head back to her place in the morning and start to go through things at the house to get them in order for her.”

“Can I help at all?”

His mother smiled and shook her head. “No. All you have to do is look for a place and work on that love life of yours. Okay?”

Robbie rolled his eyes. “Do you really think that’s all I’m going to do? I want to help.”

“After you get your stuff in order. Then we can talk. But until then…”

Robbie knew his ma wouldn’t budge about this. She was as stubborn as a mule when she wanted to be. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to be there helping where he could.

“Then I guess I better get going so I can start looking for an apartment before I head to work tonight. Can you let Nonna know I’m thinking of her and I’ll come and see her tomorrow?”

“Of course. I need to head back to the hospital myself. Don’t work too hard and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“I won’t, I won’t,” Robbie said, as she moved out from the booth.

When they were both standing, she said by his ear, “I know these aren’t the best of circumstances, but it’s so nice to be able to sit down and have a coffee with you, baby.”

Robbie wrapped her in a hug and kissed her cheek. “It really is. You call me if you need me. The hospital isn’t that far from The Popped Cherry.”

“Oh yes, okay. I might have to come and see you there one night.”

Robbie grinned. “You should. I think you’d like it.”

“I will before I leave. I promise. See you tomorrow.”

She slipped her purse strap over her shoulder and then gave him a final wave as she headed for the front door, then Robbie placed a coffee order for Priest—three sugars and cream—and started to think about everything that had happened over the past twenty-four hours.

He had a lot of decisions to make, ones he had a feeling would somehow set the course of his future. He just wondered what exactly that future was going to look like.