Page 59 of Syncopation
“I didn’tknow you could play.” A hint of surprise in his words. It was echoed in his face—but it wasn’t an unpleasant expression. Read as happy, even.
“Not anything like Dom can.”
Speaking of which—Dom bounded back onto the bus with a guitar case in hand. “Here you go.”
Ray took the case and nodded to Dom. “He taught me to play.”
He rolled his eyes and flopped back down onto the couch.“Don’t let him fool you. He’s not bad, and he mostly taught himself. I just helped out here and there.” He picked up his book. “Plays piano, too. But he’ll never tell you that.”
Zavier chuckled. “You have to keep some secrets, Dominic.”
Dom...blushed. A lot, and glanced up at Zavier. Ray thought the bus might have started moving for the lurching in his stomach. He had no right to feeljealous, but Dom and Zav?
He turned away. “Guess someone did get lucky last night.” He ground the words out.
Zavier caught him by the shoulder. His grip wasn’t hard, but it was utterly firm and commanding. Ray found himself looking straight into his eyes. “Not with me.” He let go of Ray, then stepped away, heading for his berth. “Coffee’s almost done.”
Ray sank down onto the couch,because it was more graceful an option than teetering over. He hazarded a glance at Dom, who shook his head and smiled. “Not my type.”
Mish rolled her eyes. “Oh, lord. Zav, honey, I’m going to need a cup of that, too.”
Zavier laughed.
Ray stared at Dom. “But—” He’d known the way Dom had looked at Zavier back in high school.
A mug of coffee descended into Ray’s view. “Drink thisbefore you hurt yourself,” Zavier said. He passed between Ray and Dom and handed Mish a mug as well, then returned to get his own cup. “Dom?”
“Please. Ray’s gonna be the death of me.”
Ray wrapped his hands tighter around the mug, despite the heat. “But—”
Zavier handed Dom a mug, then sat down next to Ray on the couch. “I’m noteveryone’stype, Ray.”
No one was. Ray knew that. ButZavier was as close to perfection as they came. “Still.”
Mish snorted and Zavier toed his shoes off before stretching out his legs in that annoying way he had before, back when Ray wasn’t so pissed. Back before Ray’d flipped him off, and before he had kissed Ray’s neck and made him come.
The memory brought the heat of desire and the flush of shame. He sipped his coffee. It was, like Zavier,perfect—dark, strong, and hot.
The bus rumbled to life under them and shuddered forward, temporarily pausing everything as they all found their balance. On the road again.
Zavier’s foot brushed against Ray’s thigh when he shifted. “Dom likes tall antiquarian book dealers with broad shoulders and interesting accents,” he said. “I’m commonplace next to that.”
“I—uh—” Dom coughed. “Well.”
“Wait, you fucked a book dealer last night?”
Dom shrugged and smiled. “He was cute.”
So was Zavier. Ray shook his head.
“Dom’s the smart one,” Mish said. “He can slip off and get laid, and no one knows he’s Domino.”
His grin got a little wider and he shrugged again before sipping his coffee.
Ray couldn’t do that, though. Not in a million years. He was himself pretty muchall the time. Unfortunately, sometimes he was an asshole and he couldn’t strip that off and shove it into a drawer. “Hey, look.” Ray glanced around at all of them. “I’m sorry I’ve been such a jerk lately.” He focused on Zavier. “Especially to you.”
“I wasn’t entirely fair to you, either.” Zavier poked Ray’s thigh with his toes. “All is forgiven.”
