Conquering Love (The Santorno Stories) Read online

  Table of Contents

  CONQUERING LOVE

  Copyright

  in memoriam

  chapter one

  chapter two

  chapter three

  chapter four

  chapter five

  chapter six

  chapter seven

  chapter eight

  chapter nine

  chapter ten

  chapter eleven

  chapter twelve

  chapter thirteen

  chapter fourteen

  chapter fifteen

  chapter sixteen

  chapter seventeen

  afterword

  books in order

  CONQUERING LOVE

  THE SANTORNO STORIES

  BOOK FIFTEEN

  SANDRINE GASQ-DION

  Copyright ©2020 Skull Blaster Publishing

  The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  in memoriam

  SANDRINE GASQ-DION

  1969 ~ 2017

  HAPPY HEAVENLY BIRTHDAY, SANDY!

  WE LOVE AND MISS YOU.

  chapter one

  Tanner Youngblood was in the closet, literally.

  He was at his best friend Arielle’s birthday party and they had been thrown into the closet together – a high school throwback party game that involved kissing.

  Arielle leaned against a wall, eating a Cheeto and trying not to laugh.

  “Ohhhhh, Tanner! Did you learn that in Europe?”

  Tanner covered his mouth to muffle his laugh. Arielle knew he was in love Nico Youngblood, had been since he could walk – probably even before that.

  Tanner had known from an early age he liked boys. Well, one boy in particular. He hadn’t seen Nico Santorno in months, ever since Nico had taken a job with the Santornos’ international business in Europe. Nico was older. Their last encounter had ended with Tanner yelling at him in Ireland, and then refusing to speak to him at all. It was a fitting punishment, in Tanner’s opinion.

  “How do you do that with your tongue? Oh, my God! That feels so good!” Arielle was trying to stifle her laugh.

  “You are so sick.” Tanner pointed at her.

  “Damon’s not here yet?”

  “I’m sure he’s on his way,” Tanner said of his twin, rolling his eyes. “Tell me again – why we are sitting in a closet pretending to make out at our age?”

  “Because it’s my birthday and I want to go back to the good ol’ days, when I didn’t have a job and lived with my parents. Suck it up, Youngblood.”

  Damon Youngblood was an exact replica of Tanner. As identical twins, Damon and Tanner had always had a bond; he always knew when his brother was hurt or in trouble. They had always tried to switch places on people. It worked on almost everyone except their fathers, Damon and Tyler Youngblood.

  Damon was lying on the dock at their grandparents’ house, enjoying the summer sun. Every summer, all of the ‘grandchildren’ descended on the property to spend time with grandparents Stefan-Santorno Youngblood and Dr. Jordan Youngblood. They were a very close-knit family, made up of their four kids, their kids’ closest friends, their children and friends, and even the surrogates who had carried babies for the gay fathers.

  He heard a car pull into the driveway and watched young Stefan Youngblood and his adopted brother, Nico, get out. Damon closed his eyes and smiled.

  “Hey! Youngblood twin, I have no idea which one you are,” Stefan called, laughing his ass off.

  “Hi, Nico.” Damon called. Most people could never tell who was who, and he knew Tanner was in love with Nico and vice versa.

  “Yeah, nice try, Damon.” Nico smiled at him.

  “How did you know I wasn’t Tanner?” Damon demanded, sitting up.

  “Yeah, how did you know?” Stefan asked.

  “I would know Tanner anywhere.” Nico smiled and dropped beside Damon.

  “I’ll bet.” Damon waggled his eyebrows.

  “Fuck off, Damon.” Nico lay back and laughed.

  “You kiss your dad with that mouth?” Damon cocked an eyebrow.

  “Hey, boys!”

  Stefan watched his grandfather approach.

  “Hey, Gramps!” Stefan waved.

  “Stefan, you know I hate it when you call me that.” Stefan chuckled and mussed his hair. “I’m so glad you guys are home for the summer.”

  “Me, too.” Nico stood up and hugged Stefan. “I missed you.”

  “Your dads are in the house.” Stefan narrowed his eyes and looked hard at Damon. “What’s wrong?”

  “Something’s wrong with Tanner.” Damon stood up quickly. “I have to go.”

  “I’m going with you.” Nico grabbed his keys.

  Damon gave Stefan a sly smile as he walked by him and Stefan looked at his grandfather.

  “Maybe I’d better go, too.”

  “Phoebe will be here soon, Stefan. Maybe you can fix things.” Stefan took his grandson’s hand.

  “She hasn’t spoken to me in a long time, I don’t know why this summer would be different.”

  Stefan watched them leave and sighed as Jordan came up beside him. He wrapped his arms around his husband and kissed his neck.

  “Where are they off to?” Jordan jerked his head in the direction of the kids.

  “Pretty sure Damon’s being sneaky.”

  “Pffft. What’s new?”

  Tanner munched chips as Arielle looked through the keyhole at the rest of the partygoers.

  “Do they keep putting us in here to see if we’ll have sex?” Tanner laughed.

  “I think they enjoyed my performance. I must have been really convincing.” Arielle smiled. “Isn’t Nico coming home for the summer today?”

  Tanner sighed. “Yes, but nothing has ever happened between us. I’m too young remember?” He couldn’t keep the bitterness out of his voice. Nico was obsessed with their age difference.

  “Well, you’re older now. Maybe you should just kiss him.” Arielle laughed.

  “Arielle.” Tanner rolled his eyes.

  “You’re chicken shit.” Arielle pointed at him with her Cheeto.

  She looked through the keyhole again and saw more people coming through the door. And someone was shouting.

  “What’s going on?” Tanner sat up.

  “I don’t know, but they’re coming toward us! Quick, come here!” Arielle grabbed him and kissed him.

  The door opened and Nico got a full view of Tanner kissing someone. Kissing a girl.

  “What the fuck?” It had come out before he could stop it and Tanner’s eyes went wide.

  “Nico?” Tanner jumped up.

  Nico turned and glared at Damon. “Thanks a lot.” He trotted up the stairs and out of the house.

  “What the hell, Damon?” Tanner gaped at him.

  “Don’t just fucking stand there, Tanner!” Stefan hissed at him.

  “Shit!” Tanner ran up the stairs after Nico.

  “So, Arielle.” Damon waggled his eyebrows lasciviously.

  “Nope.” Arielle walked by him, laughing.

  “Serves you right.”
Stefan frowned at him. “What were you thinking?”

  “They’re going to talk, aren’t they?” Damon answered smugly.

  A smile started to spread across Stefan’s face. “Why, yes. Yes, they are.”

  Nico was hurt. The last thing he expected to see was Tanner kissing someone, especially a girl. He knew Tanner wouldn’t be interested in a girl. Tanner was in love with him. Or was he?

  “Nico, wait!” Tanner was almost out of breath as he ran to catch up to him.

  “Why, Tanner? Go back to the party.”

  “Oh my God, you are such an ass!” Tanner shouted.

  Nico turned around. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

  “You have no right to get mad at me about anything!” Tanner finally caught up. “I pretty much told you I was in love with you. And what did you say?”

  Nico sighed. God, but he was beautiful. He had always had a special place in his heart for Tanner and over the years he had become more and more attracted to him. The feelings had been constant from the moment their eyes had met.

  “You’re right. I don’t.” Nico looked at him. “Doesn’t mean I wasn’t shocked to see you in the closet kissing Arielle.”

  Tanner glared at him. Jesus, but Nico was even more gorgeous than the last time he’d seen him. His black hair was cut short and his blue eyes were bright.

  “She kissed me. What really bothered you, Nico? That it wasn’t you?”

  “What?” Nico looked startled.

  Tanner sighed. “Fine. At least I can admit I’m still in love with you. I always will be. Nothing ever changes, does it, Nico?”

  “You stopped talking to me, Tanner. Didn’t answer my calls, basically cut off all contact with me on Valentine’s Day. What did you want me to do?”

  “Gee, I don’t know. Fight for me, maybe? How did that feel, Nico? Did it hurt when I wouldn’t talk to you? Did it hurt when I left? I hope it did, because then you would know what it was like for me every time you picked up and took off because you couldn’t deal with your feelings for me. Well, it seems that I’m the more mature one now. You still can’t say the words.”

  Tanner returned to the house, grabbing Damon’s hand as he passed him.

  “What’s up?” Damon looked worried.

  “I want to go home.”

  Damon glanced back at Nico and shot him a look.

  Stefan walked out to the car and found Nico sitting on the hood, staring at the ground.

  “What did you do now?”

  “Why can’t I just tell him?” Nico mumbled. “Why can’t I just be with him?”

  Stefan sat joined him on the hood of the car. “I don’t know. You’ve been asking me that for years and I have no idea. Maybe you should go talk to Uncle Tyler?”

  “Maybe.” Nico looked at Stefan. “I could say the same to you.”

  “About what?” Stefan ran his hand through his hair.

  “Phoebe.”

  “Whatever. I don’t even care anymore.” Stefan sighed.

  “Oh, really? And that’s why you still wear the ring she gave you as a teenager, and why her necklace hangs from your rearview mirror? Wake up and smell the denial, Stefan.”

  “Sounds like you’re talking about yourself,” Stefan laughed. “Come on.”

  Tanner went straight into the house when they got back and Damon was on his way to the pond. He noticed Lily on the dock and his heart started banging in his chest.

  “Damon?”

  Damon turned and found Phoebe Greystone smiling at him.

  “Phoebelicious!” Damon picked her up and hugged her hard.

  “Holy crap, Damon!” Phoebe took a good look at him. He was at least six feet tall now and his muscles looked like they were going to explode.

  “Yeah? You diggin’ me?”

  “Perv.” Phoebe smiled at him. “I missed you. Where’s Tanner?”

  “In the house.”

  “All right. Tell me,” Phoebe pushed.

  Damon told her about Nico and Stefan coming home, and how he had thought he was doing a good thing by bringing Nico and Tanner together at Arielle’s party. It had backfired and Tanner had gotten hurt.

  “I feel like shit, Phoebs.”

  “Hey, we can fix this, okay?” Phoebe smiled encouragingly at him.

  “Yeah? Can we fix you and Stefan, too?”

  Phoebe glanced at Lily on the dock. “Maybe you should fix that one.”

  Damon admired Lily in her bikini. She was stunning. With her black hair and gray eyes, she had no shortage of male admirers. Damon was a big flirt but Lily was the only girl he wanted and she showed no interest in him whatsoever.

  “I’m her friend, remember?”

  “Go. Try.” Phoebe pushed him in the direction of the dock and smiled. Lily had watched Damon over the last year and was finally convinced he would and could be with her. Phoebe knew all it took was a little push.

  Phoebe turned to see Stefan’s car coming down the driveway. She sighed as he pulled up. He was movie star handsome. His blond hair was longer in the front now but short on the sides and back; his brown eyes were positively soulful. And those lips.

  She sighed again.

  They hadn’t spoken in a very long time. Phoebe wanted to kiss him one more time but that was unlikely to happen. They had been kids when they first locked lips. Then they were finally lovers. Now? As far as she was concerned, Stefan had betrayed her and she’d never get past it.

  Stefan’s heart stopped when he saw her. If he thought he was over her, he was wrong by a long shot. She was even more beautiful now, with her long blonde hair cascading over her shoulders and her blue-green eyes meeting his. She was wearing a bikini with a towel wrapped around her hips. He already wanted to hold her and kiss her.

  “Well, if it isn’t dumb and dumber.” Phoebe drawled as he and Nico approached.

  “Phoebs!” Nico ran and picked her up. “Look at you, you’re a hottie!”

  “Oh, sweetie. You’re gay.”

  Nico raised an eyebrow. “Who told you?”

  Phoebe cracked up. “I missed you, but now I’m mad at you.”

  “Tanner.” Nico guessed.

  “Yup. Fix it, moron.” Phoebe smacked him upside the head.

  “Yeah? You fix yours.” Nico nodded behind him, winked at her, and walked inside.

  “Phoebe.” Stefan approached carefully.

  “Stefan.” God, but he was so beautiful.

  “How have you been?” Stefan wanted to hold her hand, anything just to touch her.

  “Fine. It’s good to see you.” Phoebe started walking away.

  “Phoebe.” Stefan grabbed her hand and his pulse raced. “Can we please talk?”

  “Maybe when I get back tonight.”

  “Where are you going?”

  Phoebe looked at his hand and realized he was still wearing the ring she had given him.

  “I have a date with Travis.” Phoebe took her hand back.

  “Not Travis Miles, from high school?”

  “One and the same.” Phoebe smiled.

  “He’s a moronic jock!” Stefan looked stunned.

  “Yeah? Well, at least he would never cheat on me.” Phoebe walked into the house.

  “Fuck, fuck, FUCK!” Stefan slammed his fist into the house.

  “Well, shit.”

  Stefan turned to find Phoebe’s brother, Colin, smiling at him.

  “I’m sorry, Colin.”

  “Go talk to my dads, dorkus.”

  “Yeah?” Stefan smiled at him. Colin had always been a cutie and he was still adorable. His dark brown hair and sparkling eyes had girls following him everywhere.

  “Go onnnn!” Colin physically pushed him.

  “It’s good to see you, little dude.” Stefan hugged him.

  Stefan was getting into his car when Nico caught up to him.

  “Can you drop me off at the uncles’ house?”

  “Which ones?” Stefan cracked up, as there were many ‘uncles’.

  “Da
mon and Tyler. How did it go?”

  Stefan shook his head. “It didn’t. But she did say she would talk to me when she got back from her date.”

  “She has a date? She just got home.”

  “Nico, it’s Phoebe.” Stefan sounded exasperated.

  “True. I’m sorry, man.”

  “It was one kiss at a party when we were teenagers. I didn’t even initiate it.” Stefan banged his head on the steering wheel.

  “You didn’t stop it, either.”

  “Thanks for the reminder.” Stefan raised an eyebrow. “The point is, I said I was sorry over and over and she wouldn’t even talk to me.”

  “Come on, let’s go.” Nico smiled.

  Stefan dropped Nico off and Damon at Tyler’s and made the short drive to his Uncle Paul and Mark’s house. It hadn’t changed much. He rang the bell and his Uncle Paul opened the door and gave him a big smile.

  “Holy shit, Mark! Come and see Heath! I think he got a face lift and some plastic surgery on his abs.”

  “Very funny, Uncle Paul.” Stefan, the spitting image of his father Heath, smiled.

  “Get in here!” Paul grabbed him and hugged him hard. “Did you see Phoebe?”

  “Yeah, she said she would talk to me tonight.” Stefan smiled sadly. “After her date.”

  “She’ll come around, Stefan,” Mark encouraged, joining the two. “Look at you, Mr. Quarterback!”

  “I missed you guys.” Stefan hugged Mark hard.

  “Come, sit down.” Mark motioned to the table. “I know what you want to talk about.”

  “I’ll bet you do.” Stefan smiled.

  Nico was standing on the front steps of Damon and Tyler’s house, trying to get up the nerve to ring the bell, when the door opened.

  “You going to stand there all day?”

  “Hi, Uncle Tyler.” Nico hugged him.

  “Nico!” Damon came out and hugged him hard. “Wow, look at you.”

  “Hi, Uncle Damon.”

  “I think you’re here about Tanner, aren’t you?” Tyler inquired.

  “How did you know?”

  Tyler smiled. “When my son calls me and he’s upset, I know.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t know what to say to him. I’m a lot older than he is.” Nico looked at them.