Page 76 of Syncopation
Raytrembled, the night catching up with him. The adrenaline slipping away. “You won’t use it against me, will you?”
“Never.” Zavier stroked his hair.
“Because I know I’m not—I’m not—” He gave a helpless grunt.
Oh, Ray. You’re far more than you believe.“Do you trust me?” Zavier whispered the question against Ray’s neck, and he shivered in Zavier’s arms, his body still trembling from orgasm,pleasure, and exhaustion.
“Yes.” Same answer as before. “God, yes. After tonight, I’ll never not trust you, Zav.”
He kissed the back of Ray’s neck. “Good. Because I want to tell you something. It’s not speculation, it’s not belief or opinion, it’s goddamned fact. You’re an astounding musician. And you work fucking hard. You love the fans.”
There was a catch to Ray’s breathing.
“Twisted Wishes...this band you’ve allowed me to join, to be a part of...is something so brilliant, I don’t know why the whole world isn’t falling at your feet, where it belongs.”
Ray huffed a laugh. “Nowthat’san opinion.”
Zavier nipped the skin on his neck. “Hush. I’m not blowing smoke up your ass.”
“Just plowing your cock there.” Laughter and joy.
Yeah, he had, and he wouldagain. As often as Ray liked and their schedule allowed. “Listen, Ray.”
He settled down and melted against Zavier.
“Carl’s gonna come at you again. Bastard like that can’t help it. He’ll look for that opening and jam in the blade, and it’s gonna hurt. And when it does, I want you to remember this moment, right now, with me.”
“Okay...” A whisper of breath warmed Zavier’s arm.
“There’snowhere I’d rather be in this world, no job I’d rather have than in your band as your drummer. It’s a fuckinghonorto be here.”
Ray shook, then gulped a breath and something close to a sob burst out of him. “You...you...” Then he was crying. Silently, but unmistakably.
Good. If there was anyone who deserved to be cracked apart by truth and joy, it was Ray Van Zeller.
They stayed likethat for a while, until Ray murmured and turned. “We gotta be close to wherever they’re stopping by now.”
Probably. Zavier gave Ray’s neck one more kiss, then let him go. They both rose.
For the amount of pleasure they’d had, there was surprisingly little debris. A condom wrapper. The bottle of lube. The length of sports tape he’d used to tie Ray up. Clothes. There were a few drops oflube or maybe semen on the leather, but that would wipe up easily.
“Why don’t you crawl into your bunk? I’ll clean up.”
“You sure?” Ray’s voice was still full of weight, with a touch of slurring. Either exhaustion or subspace. Didn’t matter, really.
Zavier hooked his arm in Ray’s. “Yeah. Let’s get you to bed.” Didn’t take much coaxing to clean the spunk off Ray or get him in his sweats.Ray even drank a bottle of water for him.
“I like this.” Ray slipped into the upper bunk.
“Being fucked?” He pulled the privacy curtain closed until just Ray’s head and shoulders were visible.
A sleepy, happy chuckle. “That too. So good.”
If that wasn’t it... “What do you like, Ray?”
Those whiskey-gold eyes looked up at him. “You taking care of me.”
Words as warm as Ray’sgaze, and they cascaded through Zavier, heating him in a way sex never did. This was joy—taking care of Ray, easing his burdens.
