Bad Influence (26 page)

“That desperate, huh? Coming off a long dry spell?”

Zeb let go of Silver’s hand, cupping his face in both palms then pressing their foreheads together. The scent of sandalwood was stronger now, making Silver’s heart rate tick up.

“Why would I be desperate?” Zeb whispered against his mouth. “Side by side all those times and not able to touch you? You teasing me over those workbooks. Do you even need help for that test?”

Silver put his arms around Zeb’s neck. “Kind of. But I was starting to think you didn’t notice my other suggestions.”

“I noticed.”

“Why didn’t you do something?”

“I wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice.”

Silver slumped back in the seat. He dragged his arms with him, a sharp burn on skin that had become glued together with sweat and spray from the water.

Zeb rubbed his neck with a wince. “Not like that. Hey.” Zeb put a hand on Silver’s thigh to keep him on the cushion. As if there was someplace he could run to on the boat. “You’d asked for help. I didn’t want to take advantage of—”

“Me?”

“The situation.”

“You think something could happen if I didn’t want it? For the last time, I made my own choices. I was plenty old enough to know who I wanted to fuck.”

Rather than get pissed off and frustrated back, Zeb smiled. “Am I allowed to be glad it was me?”

Sometimes Zeb’s earnestness made Silver want to shake him. But right then, it was kind of adorable. “I’ll allow it.” Silver’s lips curled hard enough to hurt.

They faced into the rush of air as the boat sped farther south into the bay. Zeb’s hand found its way under both Silver’s shirts in the back and teased with a brush of rough-edged skin along his spine. They’d never had this before. Anywhere but in the sanctuary of Zeb’s apartment, they’d had to keep a frozen distance, their stiffness probably drawing more attention than an occasional touch would have.

Which was why it must have been alien to have Zeb keep up the tingling-but-soothing brush of skin on skin. No, it felt strange because Silver had never had any kind of casual touch like this. Specific sexual touches, yes, designed with a purpose. Even with Austin or Jason the post-fucking hugs or kisses had been nothing more than part of the process.

These endless circles and lines left Silver hypnotized as they bounced along the waves. Which was good, because if he wasn’t lulled into a zone, he might have been scared by how happy he felt.

When he opened his eyes, the sun was hitting his face from a different direction. Shit. At the rate he kept falling asleep on Zeb, Silver should be ready for a senior home.

“Sorry.” He straightened from the lean against Zeb.

Zeb pulled him back down. “I liked it.” His lips brushed Silver’s ear. “Remember how we used to wish we could spend the night together? I like finally getting to watch you sleep.”

Zeb’s words sent a jolt of heat low into Silver’s belly, but not to his dick and balls, even though it was definitely the sexiest thing anyone had said to him in forever.

He glanced around. Jamie was piloting them into a small cove lined with wind-flattened grass and trees. There was absolutely no one else in sight, but it wasn’t the farmland he’d grown up around. Only white-tipped waves on the other side. The water was a beautiful blue Silver never saw in the harbor. It was like having been taken to another planet.

Gavin came out of the hobbit hole. Behind him, Silver glimpsed more gleaming chrome and wood and a nice flat-panel TV screen set in the wall.

Gavin had to duck, but the way it opened meant he wasn’t exactly crawling. Eli followed him out, and the doorway was a perfect size for him. Eli had a tray with fruit and bread and cheese and meat. Gavin held dark wine bottles.

“For our celebration I have a lovely yeasty Krug Grand Cuvée Brut and what I am assured is an equally lovely nonalcoholic sparkling wine from California.” Gavin placed the bottles near a sink and pulled champagne glasses from the cabinet beneath.

Silver was appreciative Gavin had brought the N/A for him and pissed as fuck it was necessary because of some stupid rule only Jamie seemed to give a shit about. He bet Krug was a better champagne than Cristal or whatever people thought was swanky. His parents had probably never had anything so good. And Silver was missing his chance.

“Nonalcoholic for me,” Jamie called back from the cockpit. “I’m driving.”

“God, doesn’t he always?” Eli plopped the big tray on the table in front of Zeb and Silver. “Seriously, can we say overcompensation?”

“Now you know that’s not so, hon,” Jamie drawled back.

Eli raised his hands as if surrendering to Gavin. “All innocent, I swear. And I meant for your height, Officer Donovan.”

Gavin looked bemused.

“So, Gavin, come on. I gotta know. Does he always…drive?” Eli smirked.

A hint of a smile twitched the corner of Gavin’s lips. “I would never kiss and tell.”

“Which means he doesn’t. Yes.” Eli made a fist pump of triumph. “Nobody’s that much of a toppy bastard unless he’s secretly dying for a dick up his ass.” Eli bounced into the cockpit to better torment Jamie.

Served the arrogant prick right.

“I’ll take the N/A too,” Quinn said, stepping forward to the main part of the deck. “Feeling a little dehydrated.”

If you didn’t pop a load in your boyfriend every two hours, maybe your mouth wouldn’t be so dry.
Silver kept his lips pressed together to keep the words from spilling out. What had Austin said? The definition of promiscuous is anyone having more sex than you.

Eli coughed in an attention-seeking way as he skipped back toward the table and flashed his grin along with plenty of skin above his waistband.

Silver knew they’d been up to something back there.

“Filthy bastards.” Jamie joined them. He swung a hand toward Eli’s ass, but changed direction at the last second so it landed on his upper back, hard enough to send him stumbling against the tray. It had a railing around the edges to keep things from sliding.

“We’re at anchor,” Jamie told Gavin.

“I am so having champagne.” Eli picked up a glass.

“I’ll stick with the nonalcoholic,” Zeb said, all noble. And stupid.

Silver pushed his sneaker into Zeb’s instep. “Go ahead. Have a glass.”

Zeb did a little tilt of his head to go with the look he gave Silver. Like he would believe Zeb would be all rebellious and hand off his glass. There were other ways of getting a taste. Silver stared back at Zeb’s lips until he gave an almost imperceptible nod.

To everyone who wasn’t Eli.

“Oh my God, he’s going to drink it off his lips. You guys are so fucking cute.”

Silver lov—liked Eli. A lot. But sometimes he could see why Quinn kept his dick stuffed in him as often as possible.

Gavin handed off the fake stuff to Jamie and worked on the darker, bigger bottle with the gold on the label.

Eli leaned over the table to mutter in Silver’s ear. “When I saw him take it out of the fridge down there, I tried to look up the price online, but I couldn’t get a signal. If you want some later, take mine. No one will give a shit.”

There was no big pop and spray from either bottle, only a hiss and something like smoke. But as Gavin took Eli’s glass and tipped it to meet the bottle, the gold bubbles rushed out with barely any effort.

He took the glass full of paler stuff from Jamie, who nodded at him like it was some serious moment.

When they all had a glass, Gavin said, “I would like to propose a toast to Charm City’s most sought-after new artist. May your success be the first of many.” He raised his glass. Eli clinked his with Quinn, and they all drank. Silver’s tasted like fuzzy grape juice, but Eli’s and Zeb’s eyes both widened at their first sip.

“I need to sell enough to be able to buy more of this.” Eli laughed. “Thank you.”

“To Eli’s new career.” Quinn raised his glass. Swinging his arm around Eli’s neck, he rubbed their cheeks together. “I’m so proud of you.”

“Eli’s new career,” everyone echoed. Including Silver.

He sipped, but he didn’t taste anything. His ears got hot. And it was as if his clothes had disappeared and he was standing there naked. Not naked in the fun way, or even in the businesslike way of shooting a vid and standing around naked while people moved lights and brought the camera an inch from your asshole. But like those dreams in middle school and high school where he was naked and everyone was laughing because they all knew.

His friends had careers. Silver waited tables while waiting to find out if he was going to jail. He hadn’t graduated from high school. Shit, he half-hoped the judge locked him up before everyone found out just how much nothing he really was.

After Eli’s third glass of champagne, Quinn broke out his daddy voice to urge Eli to eat something, and while everyone was stuffing their faces, Silver slipped around the cabin to lie on the cushions covering the long bow. The late-afternoon sun baked the open space, but Silver stretched out on his stomach and let the heat sink into his back and ass muscles, while his belly relaxed on the giant heating pad of waterproof cushion.

His head faced the tip of the bow, but he sensed someone moving behind him. Despite knowing it couldn’t be a threat, his muscles tensed, though he didn’t roll over. It couldn’t be Zeb—as much as Silver wished it was. Zeb had been trapped listening to Eli tell some story. Eli buzzed on expensive champagne wasn’t much different from Eli sober, except that he had an even bigger disregard for personal space. No way was Zeb escaping unless he dumped Eli on his ass.

From the slit of his eyes he noticed leather deck shoes. They were almost like the ones Zeb had on, except they weren’t. Not with the tiny green-and-red tag that meant they cost twenty-five times more.

“According to the catalog the Sunseeker company dutifully sends me each year, we should only be lounging here if we are blond and in bikinis,” Gavin said.

Silver rolled onto his side. “I can manage half that requirement.”

“And far more attractively than anyone in a bikini I’ve ever seen.” Gavin held out a glass and recrossed his legs as he lounged. “I tasted the nonalcoholic and it’s a disgrace. I apologize.”

Silver took it and sipped. He didn’t know what to expect other than fizz, so the creaminess startled him. He couldn’t describe all the different flavors, but right then he decided he definitely had expensive tastes. Too bad he couldn’t even afford a bottle of store-brand water most of the time. No point getting used to that.

He passed it back. “Aren’t you afraid your boyfriend will go all pissed-off cop?”

“No. Though Jamie’s bristling can be fun to encourage at times. I believe you enjoy yanking his chain as well.”

Silver peered down at the cushions and stuck his finger onto one of the sunken buttons as Gavin kept talking.

“It’s a passion and intensity I admire. Like Eli’s. It’s hard not to want to see it brought to the surface.”

Silver had barely gotten around to believing Gavin liked him. Now it seemed like he was pointing out exactly what Silver lacked. As if he didn’t already know.

“It’s not the same for people like us.”

Whoa. Did Gavin just compare himself to Silver?

Gavin held up the champagne and took a sip. “It’s harder for us to find something that stirs our passions.”

Silver couldn’t help the glance at Gavin’s crotch.

“Not that one, necessarily.” Gavin’s laugh was short but sweet.

Satisfying to know Silver could amuse a guy like Gavin.

“But when we do find something important to us, it burns just as brightly. Even though we may not show it like they do.” Gavin paused.

This was the place where Silver was supposed to say something equally profound. Or at least agree. But he didn’t want to agree. The only thing he’d ever wanted with the kind of passion he saw Jamie and Eli fling at everything was Zeb. And that was a hell of a thing to stick a guy with. Like the way Marco expected Silver to have all the answers.

Maybe that was what Gavin was trying to warn him about. That until Silver had a thing of his own, it wouldn’t work with Zeb.

Gavin had gone silent, and there was only so much poking Silver could do to the button.

“I guess.” He wasn’t trying to be a sullen brat about it.

“Is Zeb one of the ones with that intensity?”

Silver shook his head. Zeb could get all wound up about teaching or anything else he knew a lot about. But it wasn’t like the way Eli and Jamie were. And not all snotty know-it-all like Nate. Zeb was committed. If he went into something, he went all the way. Which was why that door slammed in Silver’s face was something he’d never seen coming. Funny that as razor sharp as the memory was, it didn’t cut as deeply as it used to.

“He’s more steady. Like Quinn.”

Gavin nodded. He’d been leaning back on his hands with his Gucci-clad feet toward the bow, but now he sat forward, cross-legged. The stem of the glass was still between his fingers. When he noticed it, he swung it over the rail, an arc of pale gold catching the sun splashing into the water. There had to have been thirty or forty dollars left of champagne, now mixed in with fish pee.