Mark Dauphin loves his nephews, Sam and Logan, and he'll do anything his brother-in-law Cole asks, but when Cole wants Mark to play nice with Stefano Magnussi, Mark isn't sure he can comply. Stefano is hotter than fire, but Mark can't see past the fact that Stefano is one of those guys, the type of men who date guys half their age, the type of guys who made Mark give up on dating.<br><br>Of course, a little wine and several cocktails later, Mark finds himself dropping more than his defenses with Stefano. But when Logan and the rest of Mark's family surprise them in the morning, Mark and Stefano are suddenly at odds.<br><br>When Logan's ego is wounded, not only does Mark find himself desperate to fix his relationship with his nephew, but he also questions whether his night with this beautiful man meant anything to either of them. Mark isn't given much time to reflect though, as the war that's been brewing between the shivers comes to a violent head, and he soon learns that sometimes you just have to trust in those around you.

Mark's Midlife

After dinner, Stefano and I took our usual walk on the beach. We walked for about an hour, hand in hand, talking through our plan. When we reached the part of the beach near the house, we sat down in a comfortable spot that we had made ours over the last few evenings. We sat there quietly, watching the waves hit the water. We’d only been there a few minutes when we heard the Jamiesons and Margaux.


“She likes to keep her windows open in the evenings,” I reminded him.


We smiled at each other and just watched the water. The noises kept continuing, and I had the feeling they would for a while. After ten minutes or so, I looked over at him. He was covered in moonlit shadows, and I couldn’t imagine anyone more beautiful. I nodded to the house, where the lovemaking of the Jamiesons and Margaux continued to echo through the night air.


“They probably have several,” Stefano said. “I think most lovers do.”


Chapter 61