“Yeah? You play anything else, or just lure guys in with your voice?”
Coop laughed, but didn’t answer. “So what do you play, but not well?”
“Flute, trumpet, cello, a little on the French horn, and a few notes on the mellaphone.”
“Damn. When did you find time to go to school and sleep?”
Dark memories from high school tried slithering into the front of Dom’s mind from the far recesses to which they’d been banished. This was why he didn’t get friendly with hookups. His thoughts inevitably turned back to the worst seven months of his life. He hummed a few notes from k. d. lang’s “Calling All Angels” to chase away the blackness. That was his song.
Coop was giving him a funny look, but whatever.
“I love music,” Dom said, once everything was back on an even keel. His wood was gone, too, and that was okay. He had no doubt he’d get it back later. “I was lucky because my parents encouraged me to try different instruments and see what I loved most.”
“Youwerelucky. Mine were okay with music as a hobby, but not as a profession.”
“That sucks.”
“It is what it is. I’m doing what I love anyway, so fuck them.”
Dom winced at the bitter words. He adored his parents, and his siblings, and they’d only ever loved him back. A small part of him wanted to make this better for Coop, but he didn’t know how. Or understand why. After tonight, he’d most likely never see the guy again, so no sense in getting attached.
Except he kind of wanted to get attached, which was a problem since Dom lived two-plus hours away.
“So you play bass and keyboard, and you have an amazing voice,” Dom said. “Anything else I don’t know about?”
“I have a pretty cute ass, too.”
The flirty remark made Dom’s dick twitch with interest. “Is that your personal opinion, or is this coming from a secondary source?”
“Both.” Coop’s lazy smile, combined with his very open appraisal of Dom’s body, kind of made Dom want to skip the go-karts and find a private place so he could nail Coop’s cute ass. “You want to find out for yourself?”
“Oh, I am definitely finding out for myself.”
Coop’s gentle laughter sent excited shivers down Dom’s spine.
The go-kart track was on the west side of town, tucked in behind a bunch of chain stores. Bright lights all around the perimeter and in various places inside of the fenced-in area made it practically daylight. Half a dozen karts were racing around the far side of the track. The humid air had lost the scent of the ocean, replaced by burnt rubber and gasoline.
Coop took the lead, man-hugging a guy their age that he introduced as Gray. Gray set them both up with helmets and karts, then showed Dom how to run the thing. Seemed simple enough. He got it going and followed Coop out onto the main track. It seemed pretty crash-proof, with bumpers on both the kart and the edges of the track. Wide enough for three karts at a time.
“Ready, set, go!” Coop said, then hit the gas.
He shot off. Dom jammed his own gas. The kart surprised him with the power of the initial lurch, and he belted out a sound that was half fear and half laughter. Once he figured out how to apply pressure, he started to enjoy himself. Coop slowed down so Dom could catch up, and they began a high-speed dance around each other. Dom would lead, then Coop would takeover. Every time he caught a glimpse of Coop’s face, Coop was grinning like a fool.
Dom was having a blast, too. They were probably supposed to have a time limit, but they raced around the track for what felt like hours. Dom lost himself in the chase, until Coop signaled that they should pull over. Coop’s eyes were bright, his cheeks flushed, and Dom had never seen someone so completely alive from something as simple as go-kart racing.
Dom pulled off his helmet, grateful to get the heavy thing off and some air on his face.
“So what did you think?” Coop asked. He bounced on his feet like an excited puppy.
“It’s killer, man, I loved it.”
“Sad you waited so long to try it?”
“Nah. Then you wouldn’t have been able to pop my cherry.”
Coop’s eyes widened briefly, then he laughed. “Happy to help.”
On their way back to the car, Dom asked, “Anything else you want to do?”
