One Step Closer (Erotic Romance) Book 1 (The DeLuca Brothers) by DuBois Lucinda

Author:DuBois, Lucinda [DuBois, Lucinda]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Lucinda DuBois
Published: 2013-06-14T21:00:00+00:00

Chapter 5

Frank stood on the porch for several minutes even after the gate swung shut. He didn't feel the bite of the wind as it cut through the backyard. He didn't hear his mother calling after him, or his brothers talking in low voices even though, on some level, his brain registered what was happening. All he could think of was how close she'd been and that he'd missed her.

A car backfired down the road, the sound jarring Frank back to reality. He forced himself to push thoughts of Sofia from his mind and went back into the house. Whatever attempt he'd made to forget about her was lost as soon as he saw the man sitting on the couch next to Maria. Giovanni DeLuca hadn't aged as well as his cousins. His black hair was thinning and he had the look of a muscular man who'd let himself go. Part of Frank wondered if that had been a recent development or something that had happened after the divorce.

“Frank,” Gio jumped to his feet, his dark eyes darting every which way. “How're ya doing?”

Anxiety rippled off of him in waves, and, in Frank's opinion, for good reason. Gio had never disguised the fact that he'd always had a thing for Sofia, but he'd always acted as if he'd never do anything about it because she was with Frank. When he'd heard that Gio and Sofia were engaged, Frank had been just as mad at his cousin as he had been at Sofia. At least, at first. As time wore on, Frank had come to sympathize with Gio. After all, Gio'd had a crush on Sofia for years, one that she'd never requited. Could Frank really blame him when, after all that time, she had finally acknowledged him? It wasn't like Gio'd had someone that he'd supposedly loved that should've taken some time to get over. Sofia's betrayal was so much worse than Gio's weakness.

Frank smiled at Gio and held out a hand. “I'm doing great, Gio. How've you been?”

“Good, man, thanks,” Gio remained standing as Maria announced that dinner was ready.

Gio visibly relaxed as Frank motioned for Gio to join them in the dining room. Maria glanced at her son, raising an eyebrow in question, but he didn't answer her unspoken inquiry, instead focusing on Gio talking about his job at his father's auto-body shop. He nodded in all of the right places, asked polite questions about his cousin's life, all the while skirting around the very large elephant in the room. For once, Anthony even kept his mouth shut and no one mentioned Sofia. After several minutes of making banal small talk around a delicious meal, Frank excused himself, claiming to need a refill for his drink.

Once in the kitchen, he leaned against the counter and closed his eyes. He was trying, but even if he wasn't angry at Gio anymore, the sight of his cousin was just a reminder of all that had been lost. Even the food didn't taste as good as it should have.

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