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“It doesn’t matter, because I’m not telling you. You won’t let it go and I already handled it on the ice. As hockey players do.”

“Bennett.”

“Nico.”

They stared at each other in the mirror in a battle of wills. Nico knew whatever had been said was about him, about Bennett’s sexuality and involvement with another man. And it had been bad enough to cause his normally level-headed, upstanding ragazzo to drop his gloves and start punching. “Noah will tell me,” he said, referring to Bennett’s closest friend and teammate.

“Leave him out of it.” Bennett eased around Nico and strode into the bedroom. But Nico was unable to stay away from the love of his life when this much bare skin was involved, so he quickly followed. Bennett was digging into a dresser drawer. “I never should have encouraged the two of you to become friendly,” Bennett said.

A pair of briefs in his hand, Bennett dropped the towel—and was completely fucking naked. Nico was on him before the cloth even hit the floor, crashing his mouth into Bennett’s, their lips sliding and plucking, hands grabbing everywhere they could reach. His tongue licked at the seam of Bennett’s mouth until he met warm and wet, and it made him want to crawl inside this man, live inside Bennett’s body for the rest of his life.

Nico ground their hips together and Bennett groaned. Victory surged through him as he swallowed this sweet sound of surrender and wrapped his hand around Bennett’s very hard dick. “Get on the bed,” he ordered.

“No, no.” Bennett pulled back, his chest heaving as he sucked in air. “We can’t. I’m serious. Later, amore mio.”

Nico smoothed his hair back into place, hoping to regain some of his brain cells as well as his composure. Bennett always managed to undo him. Make Nico cock-dumb. “If you do not want to get fucked in here right now, stop speaking Italian to me.”

Bennett bit his lip, but said nothing more as he dressed. Nico went to splash water on his face, and when he returned his man was fully covered, sadly, and ready to go downstairs. “Let’s go,” Nico said crossly, giving the bed one last longing look. Soon.

“Her feelings will be hurt if we don’t hurry back down,” Bennett said. “And she’s already nervous you won’t like him.”

“Why?”

“Because he’s so much older.”

“She’s too young to marry,” Nico said.

“That isn’t your decision to make.”

Nico hated when Bennett was reasonable. “I am the head of the family. Every decision is mine to make.”

“Oh?” Bennett stopped on the last step and turned to look up at him. “Does this include interfering with my contract negotiations?”

Ah, so Filippo told Bennett. “You deserve more money and I happen to know the owners can afford it.”

Bennett’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “There is a salary cap, Nico. Teams can only spend so much. And if I take it all, there’s nothing left for anyone else . . . and plus, we don’t need it.” He gestured his arm out to indicate the house around them.

“Ridiculous,” Nico sneered. “You deserve more than everyone else. You carry that team.”

“No, I don’t—and it doesn’t work that way. Stop interfering.”

“Filippo is a snitch.”

“No, my agent is a snitch.” Bennett placed a warm hand on Nico’s stomach. “I love you, but stop interfering.”

Nico bent and kissed Bennett’s mouth softly. “No.”

Bennett gave him a small shove before turning around. “You’re impossible.”

They continued into the kitchen, where the three guests were laughing about something. “What’s so funny?” Bennett asked, going over to pour two glasses of wine.

“We had a bet,” Sofia said.

“Oh?” Nico leaned against the counter near the stove. “A bet about what?”

“How long you two would be upstairs,” Filippo answered. “I won. I said longer than ten minutes but under twenty.”

Bennett handed Nico a glass of wine, then relaxed next to him at the counter. “I’m almost afraid to ask what everyone else said.”