He wasn’t sure if he should mention the guitarist he’d let take up residence in front of Finnegan’s or how just the sight of the man strolling down the pier made his stomach clench up and his dick thicken. There just wasn’t a way to talk about Dee without bringing up his playing a guitar or reminding Rafe of his own failed career.
“Here.” Rafe handed Sionn his half-full water bottle. “Now, how about if you tell me the whole truth? Whatcha hiding from your mostly best friend?”
He was grateful for the water, but he growled at Rafe as he drank. “What makes you think I’m lying to you about summat?”
“If I told you that, you’d stop it.” He smirked back at Sionn. “Then you’d win at poker. I like having you pay my electrical bill. Come on, let’s walk over and get some coffee. I’m freezing my sac off here in the wind.”
“Oh no, can’t have that, can we?” Sionn muttered at his friend’s back.
“Nope, there are too many asses out there I’ve yet to plunder,” Rafe replied dryly. “Especially since it looks like you’re not holding up your end of the deal. Think of it as me taking one for the team.”
“You’re a piece of shite, Rafe. I seem to recall a time when I told you I’d liked a bloke standing over at a bar, and then next thing I knew, you were right up there against him.” He poked Rafe’s shoulder with the water bottle.
“I don’t remember him, so he probably was a shitty fuck.” The blond shrugged. “See? I’m all about sacrifices. I did him so you didn’t have to.”
“You’re all about your dick getting off.” They’d spent a lot of time together as kids, less as adults, and Sionn realized he’d missed the man walking beside him.
“Well, yeah.” Rafe took the bottle from Sionn’s hand before it could be used on him again. “But at least I admit it. Come on. I’ll buy the coffee. You talk.”
Chapter 3
Little boy, smile oh so sweet
Swinging your ass on C-town’s dirty street
Pick up your heels, move that sweet ass along
Stay here much longer
Someone’s gonna do you wrong
—Virgin Kiss Blues
RAFE listened as he always did, his soulful brown eyes intent on Sionn’s face, and silent, taking in everything his friend said. Sprawled out over one of the chairs in front of the coffee shop, the man’s fingers played with the handle of his cup, tapping at the ceramic surface. Sionn talked until he was nearly blue in the face, describing how he’d been about to move the musician along until he’d gotten up close.
Then everything changed.
It was a stupid thing. Something from songs or bad mushrooms, but there he’d been, staring out the window at a man he knew nothing about, and his heart… skipped. For the first time in his entire life, he felt something in a place of his soul he never knew existed.
And Sionn was man enough to say it scared the living shit out of him.
“So yeah, there you go.” Sionn stared back at his friend. “I’ve now got a guitarist playing in front of Finnegan’s, and it’s driving me nuts.”
“And you’re… interested?” Rafe picked at the kernel of attraction Sionn refused to look at. “More than a kiss interested, chickenshit.”
“You sound like you’re reading one of those women’s magazines there, Rafe.” He made a face at his friend. “How do you know if you like him? Seven ways to make him notice you? We’re guys. We don’t do shit like roses and chocolates.”
“Murphy, if you don’t have roses and chocolates in your life, that’s a sad, sad thing. You’ve not fucked anyone in a long time.” The blond snorted when Sionn opened his mouth to protest. “Come on, when? Before you went to Europe this last time?”
“Yeah, before everything went to shit.” It was hard to admit and even more difficult to stare down the rut he’d worn himself into. “He’s not the kind of guy who’s going to stick around. Hell, I’m not sure I’d want him to. It’s not like I need sex.”
He’d never been good at lying to himself, and the whopper he’d just told Rafe was so large, Sionn was surprised he wasn’t choking on malted milk and chocolate. Rafe’s laughter was loud enough to turn heads, and their server popped out to the patio, nodding when Sionn waved her off.
“Everyone needs sex.” Rafe took in a shuddering breath, calming himself. “Sionn, out of all us guys, you’re the one who needs that white picket fence and two kids thing. Me, not so much, but you… shit, I’m waiting for you to stand on a porch someplace, stomp your feet, and scream about your biological clock ticking.”
“Shit’s just been… crazy in my head since I’ve been back,” Sionn ground out when the blond wiped his eyes. “I don’t know if I’m even solid enough to think about another guy. I even went to go talk to someone a bit. How nuts is that, now?”