Luke shot him an amused look. “You don’t know? You’re pretty well known online. The fans call you Richter’s hot friend.” His full lips twitched. “Well, those who don’t call you his WAG.”
Scott’s brain stalled on the word. “I’m sorry, what?” he spluttered with a laugh. But before he could question Luke further, a tall dark-haired man approached them. He was handsome, with a touch of silver at his temples that gave him a distinguished air. He rested a possessive hand on Luke’s shoulder and said something in what sounded like Russian. Taking his hand, Luke smiled at him with a fond eye-roll before looking back at Scott. “This is my husband, Roman. Roma, this is Scott, and he isn’t interested in me at all.”
Scott met Roman’s cold gaze and nodded with a wry smile.
“His dating history suggests otherwise,” Roman said dryly.
Scott blinked, because what?
Luke elbowed his husband. “Can you be normal for two minutes, Roma?” he said, his lips twitching. “I’m trying to make friends here.”
Roman murmured something in Russian before kissing his husband on the temple. Luke leaned into him with asmile.
Scott felt a twist of envy. There was casual intimacy to the couple, the way their bodies responded to each other seamlessly and communicated without a word. He’d always wondered what it would feel like. But he’d never achieved anything like that in any of his romantic relationships, no matter how much he tried.
“How long have you been together?” he asked.
“A decade now,” Luke said and grinned at Scott’s surprised look. “I’m not as young as I look.”
“Wow, a decade,” Scott said wistfully. He’d had so many relationships, had fallen in love so many times, but his longest relationship had lasted maybe a month. His feelings tended to fizzle out quickly. A decade seemed like an eternity to him, but the couple in front of him seemed very much in love and happy, although Luke’s husband was harder to read.
Before Scott could ask them what their secret was, he heard familiar footsteps behind him. Goosebumps prickled along his spine, and his heartbeat quickened. “You’re done already?” he said, flashing Cam a smile that hopefully looked normal. He still felt more than a little off-balance after yesterday. They’d exchanged a few texts since then, and Cam sounded normal enough, but they hadn’t seen each other since Cam had sucked on his tits and told him to wait for him.
Cam stopped at his side, his shoulder knocking against Scott’s. “The debrief didn’t last as long as usual.” His gaze flickered to the couple, his expression becoming inscrutable as he noticed Luke holding Roman’s bicep.
“Cam, this is Luke and Roman.”
“Hey,” Luke said with a crooked little smile, stretching his hand out to Cam. “So nice to meet you!”
Thankfully, Cam was much nicer to Luke than he’d been to Andy and shook his hand.
“Are you a fan?” Scott said with a grin, noticing how flustered Luke suddenly looked.
“He is,” Roman said with a long-suffering eye-roll. “I’m almost jealous sometimes.”
Flushing, Luke elbowed his husband. “You know it’s not like that!” he hissed, looking mortified.
Snorting, Roman pecked him on the flushed cheek. “I know,” he said, meeting Cam’s gaze steadily, slipping an arm around Luke’s waist. “I’d have him killed if I really thought you wanted him.”
“Roma!” Luke said before muttering something exasperatedly in Russian, but his expression was soft. When he turned back to Scott and Cam, he looked much more composed. “Sorry about that, obviously he’s joking.”
What a weird joke.
“Anyway!” Luke said, looking at Cam. “We’re actually hosting a little party after the race at our villa on Lake Como. We’d love it if both of you could attend.”
“I don’t think—”
“Please consider it.” Luke’s expression turned serious, suddenly making it clear that he wasn’t the twink in his early twenties Scott had initially assumed him to be, but a grown man in his thirties. “The party is to support the LGBT cause in sports. There will be many athletes and sports personalities there fromtennis, football, motorsports, hockey, and more.” Luke looked Cam in the eye. “I think it’s a disgrace that so many athletes are forced to hide who they are in this day and age. I want to create a safe place for LGBT people in sports.”
Cam’s shoulders stiffened, his face turning stony. “I’m not—”
Scott quickly placed a hand on his shoulder.
Cam’s dark eyes flickered to him, and some of the tension eased from his body before he turned back to Luke. “I don’t think I’m a good fit for that,” he said.
Luke’s eyes moved from Cam to Scott and then back again. “I’m not implying anything,” he said slowly, his voice quiet. “Straight allies are welcome too. I just assumed that if you’re friends with an openly gay man, you must be an ally.”
Cam’s eyes flicked to Scott again. His expression was still guarded, but he no longer looked quite as hostile as he had before. “I am. We’re good friends. But that doesn’t mean I’m comfortable being a poster boy for a cause. I want to be known for my achievements, not for anything else.”
