Blay stood up and reached into his pocket, but Saxton put his hand out and stopped him from getting his wallet. "No, allow me."
Another round of commentary from the Super Bowl-and-stripper set soured the air even further and left Blay grinding his molars. Fortunately, it didn't take long for Saxton to pay the waiter and then they were making their way to the door.
Outside, the night's chilly air was a balm to the senses and Blay took a deep breath.
"That place isn't always like that," Saxton murmured. "Otherwise, I would never have taken you there."
"It's all right." As Blay started walking, he felt Saxton fall in beside him.
When they got to the head of an alley, they paused to let a car hang a louie on Commerce.
"So how are you feeling about all this?"
Blay faced the other male and decided life was too short to pretend he didn't know precisely what the "this" was. "To be honest, I feel strange."
"And not about those charmers back there."
"I lied. I've never been on a date before." This got him a cocked brow and he had to laugh. "Yup, I'm a real player."
Saxton's suave air slipped and behind his eyes, true warmth glowed. "Well, I'm glad I was your first."
Blay met the guy's stare. "How did you know I was g*y?"
"I didn't. I merely hoped."
Blay laughed again. "Well, there you go." After a pause, he put out his palm. "Thank you for tonight."
As Saxton slipped his hand in, a frisson of pure heat flared between them. "You do realize that dates don't normally end this way. Assuming both parties are interested."
Blay found that he was unable to let go of the male's palm. "Oh... really?"
Saxton nodded. "A kiss is more customary."
Blay focused on the male's lips and abruptly wondered what they tasted like.
"Come here," Saxton murmured, pulling on their connection, drawing him into the shelter of the alley.
Blay followed into the darkness, swept up under an erotic spell he had no interest in breaking. When they were in the lee of the buildings, he felt the male's chest come up against his own and then their hips fused.
So he knew precisely how much Saxton was aroused.
And Saxton knew he was the same.
"Tell me something," Saxton whispered. "Have you ever kissed a male before?"
Blay didn't want to think of Qhuinn right now and he shook his head to clear the image. When that didn't work, and the guy's blue and green eyes lingered, he did the one thing guaranteed to get him to stop thinking of his pyrocant.
He closed the distance between Saxton's mouth and his own.
Qhuinn knew he should have gone right home. After he got summarily dismissed from Tohr's house, no doubt so that John and Xhex could do a little horizontal conversating, he should have gone back to the mansion and cozied up to some Herradura and minded his own goddamned business.
But nooooo. He'd taken form across the street from the only cigar bar in Caldwell and watched--in the rain like a loser--as Blay and Saxton took up res at a table right in the front window. He'd gotten a whole lot of bird's- eye as his cousin had looked at his best friend with an elegant lust, and then some knuckleheads gave them a hard time and they left their cigars barely smoked and their ports mostly unfinished.
Not wanting to get caught in the shadow game, Qhuinn had dematerialized into the alley beside the place... which quickly turned into a wrong place/wrong time kind of gig.
Saxton's voice drifted over on the chilly breeze. "You do realize that dates don't normally end this way. Assuming both parties are interested."
"Oh... really?"
"A kiss is more customary."
Qhuinn felt his fists tighten, and for a split second, he actually thought of stepping out from behind the Dumpster he was standing behind. But to do what? Ride on up into their space and be all red-light, break-it-up-boys?
Well, yeah. Exactly.
"Come here," Saxton murmured.
Shit, the bastard sounded like a sex-phone operator, all husky and mad sexed up. And... oh, man, Blay was going with it, following the guy into the darkness.
There were times when a vampire's incredible sense of hearing was a real ball-gnasher. And of course... it didn't help if you put your head around the corner of the trash heap you were next to so you could have a clear visual shot.
As the two of them came up against each other, Qhuinn's mouth dropped open. But not because he was shocked and not because he wanted in on the action.
He simply couldn't breathe. It was as if his ribs had frozen along with his heart.
No... no, goddamn it, no...
"Tell me something," Saxton whispered. "Have you ever kissed a male before?"
Yes, he has, Qhuinn wanted to scream--
Blay shook his head. He actually shook his head.
Qhuinn squeezed his eyes shut and forced himself to calm down enough to dematerialize. As he took form in front of the Brotherhood's mansion, he was shaking like a motherfucker... and briefly considered bending over and fertilizing the bushes with the dinner he'd eaten before leaving with Xhex and John.
A couple of inhales later, he decided it was more appealing to go with plan A and get good and shitfaced. With that in mind, he walked into the vestibule, got let in by Fritz, and headed for the kitchen.
Hell, maybe he'd take it a little further than just a buzz. God knew Saxton wasn't going to want to stop at a kiss or two in a cold, damp alley, and Blay had looked like he was prepared to finally get what he'd needed all along.
So there was plenty of time to hammer the hooch until he blacked the f**k out.
Jesus... Christ, Qhuinn thought as he rubbed his chest and heard his cousin's voice over and over again: Tell me something. Have you ever kissed a male before?
The image of Blay shaking his head was like a scar on Qhuinn's brain, and didn't that just carry him right out the far side of the kitchen to the storage room where the cases of alcohol were kept.
Such a cliche. Getting sauced because you didn't want to deal.
But he might as well do one thing in his life according to tradition.
Heading back through the kitchen, he realized there was at least one saving grace. When the pair of them did the deed, it had to be back at Saxton's house, because no casual visitors were allowed in the king's home, ever.
As he came out into the foyer, he stopped dead.
Blay was just ducking in through the vestibule.
"Back so soon," Qhuinn said gruffly. "Don't tell me my cousin is that fast."
Blay didn't even pause. Just kept on going up the stairs. "Your cousin is a gentleman."
Qhuinn fell in behind his best friend, getting right on the guy's heels. "You think? In my experience, he just looks like one."
That got Blay to turn around. "You always liked him before. He was your favorite. I can remember you talking about him like he was a god."
"I grew out of that."
"Well, I like him. A lot."
Qhuinn wanted to growl, but killed the impulse by cracking open the Herradura he'd snagged off the shelf and taking a swallow. "Good for you. I'm just thrilled for you both."
"Really. Then why aren't you even using a glass."
Qhuinn marched around his buddy and didn't stop as Blay said, "Where're John and Xhex?"
"Out. In the world. On their own."
"I thought you were supposed to stay with them?"
"I was momentarily dismissed." Qhuinn paused at the top of the stairs and tapped the tear that had been tattooed under his eye. "She's an assassin, for God's sake. She can take care of him just fine. Besides, they were hanging at Tohr's old place."
When he got to his room, Qhuinn kicked the door shut and stripped his clothes off. After swigging from the bottle, he closed his eyes and sent out a summons.
Layla would be good company right about now.
Right up his alley.
After all, she had been trained for sex, and all she wanted to do was use him as an erotic gymnasium. He didn't have to worry about hurting her or her getting attached to him. She was a professional, so to speak.
Or she would be when he was done with her.
As for Blay? He had no idea why the guy had come back instead of heading off into Saxton's bed, but one thing was clear. The pair of them were attracted to each other and Saxton wasn't the kind to wait when it came to somebody he wanted.
Qhuinn and his cousin were related, after all.
And that wasn't going to save the sonofabitch in the slightest if he broke Blay's heart.