Onstage, AJ Mobley is smart, clever, and commands attention. Offstage, he's shy and lost to everything but his music. The reason for the difference? Tyrone Dahl. For the past two years, AJ and Tyrone have been the star attraction at the Reno bar, Heat Wave. Their dueling pianos act is fast and funny, but their camaraderie isn't just under the spotlight. They're best friends away from the show, too. An opportunity to take their act to Las Vegas seems like the perfect next step in their careers. There's only one problem -- AJ's been in love with Tyrone almost from the moment they met. He's hidden it well; after all, Tyrone might be bisexual, but he's also never lacked for company. AJ would rather be his friend than another notch on his bedpost. But Vegas beckons. And Tyrone wants to take the leap. The last thing AJ can ever do is deny his best friend ...

Interlude

With a slight chuckle, Tyrone shook his head. “You just don’t see it. You never have. It kills me to think how long we would have stayed in autopilot if I hadn’t said something at the restaurant.”


Slowly, he reached out to cup the back of AJ’s head again, though this time he did it with the care someone took when they were trying to calm a skittish animal. AJ couldn’t look away. He drowned in liquid eyes as Tyrone caressed him again, finishing the massage that had nearly destroyed him only moments earlier.


“This isn’t about sex,” Tyrone said. “This is about being in love with you almost as long as I’ve known you.”


The notion was so out there, he couldn’t even say it. His ears vibrated from the force of his heartbeat, and his throat had closed off, refusing him any air. He couldn’t deny that it could be a line. Tyrone could be saying all this to get him into bed. A last resort when the other seduction hadn’t worked.


Chapter 16