Page 54 of The Maestro's Mates
“Cast list?” Justin wondered what exactly that meant. “Are the young artists doing a production ofDon Giovanni?”
“No, the opera house is doing it. They’ll be in the chorus and cover the principals. Well, except for Sebastian and Trent.”
Worry sprang up in Justin’s chest at the mention of his mate. “Why won’t Sebastian be in it?”
“Oh, he’ll be in it,” Yasmin said, eyeing Justin with a mix of affection and suspicion. “The two of them have lead roles. Trent will play Masetto, and Sebastian will play Leporello. Which is a decent-sized role. I can’t remember the last time one of the young artists was assigned to such a large part before they’d even finished the program. Some star must have pulled out last-minute.”
“Oh.” Justin didn’t entirely understand. He didn’t know the opera, but he knew it was a big deal for Sebastian. Pride sprang up unbidden in him, and a grin spread across his face.
“What is going on with you?” Yasmin said, blinking several times as she stared at him. “Wait. Do you have acrushon Sebastian?”
He looked down, shuffling around papers on his desk. It was quite a bit more than a crush, but this human didn’t need to know that.
“You do!” Yasmin was suddenly energized. Justinswallowed. He didn’t want to do this with her now. “Wait, have you gone on a date? Tell me everything!”
“It’s nothing like that,” Justin said, but he was a terrible liar. There was no way she’d believe him.
“Come on. Don’t be shy.” Yasmin licked her thumb and rubbed at a dirty spot on his cheek like he was an eleven-year-old. “Besides, you’re adorable. He’s probably already smitten.”
He was blushing. No matter what he did, he couldn’t get a second to deal with all this by himself before everyone else butted in. He wanted to hide under his desk for the rest of the day.
That, of course, was the moment Sebastian stopped to pick up his music.
He wore a wide smile, and his long black hair was a wild tangle. They’d both showered quickly that morning, rushing off to the opera house to avoid being late. Sebastian had been affectionate as they got ready, but Pavel’s departure had thrown Justin. There was definitely some guilt there, that Sebastian was the only one of the three of them who was one hundred percent certain of their mating. He deserved mates who were as enthusiastic as he was.
“You have a score for me?” Sebastian asked. “And a kiss?” he added with a wink.
Justin was suddenly self-conscious. No one would care if he kissed his mate here. The humans would think it was a normal relationship. But something about how public it was…
“Maybe later,” Justin said, holding out the thick stack of papers, held together by a hefty black binder clip. “Congratulations, by the way.”
There was a flash of hurt in Sebastian’s eyes, but it was immediately swept away by excitement.
“It’s pretty cool! I didn’t expect to play Leporello at Manhattan Lyric for years. I’d barely hoped I would cover the role. I don’t know what European divo dropped out of the production, but I should send them a thank you note.”
His bright eyes made Justin wish hehadkissed him. When Justin got his brain to calm down, when he could let go of the past, of the fear and self-doubt, all he wanted was to climb this man like a tree. The tall, handsome witch was an adorable bundle of havoc.
Justin’s eyes went to Sebastian’s empty hand, which was resting on the counter Justin’s desk sat behind. Maybe he wasn’t willing to kiss the witch in front of a hallway full of students and colleagues, but he would be stupid to keep his distance from his mate.
He reached out and wrapped his small hand around Sebastian’s larger one. It was strange. A few hours ago, he’d been sucking this man’s dick, with Pavel’s cock buried in his ass, but somehow this was more intimate, more exposed.
Sebastian’s fingers instantly surrounded his own, the witch’s skin warm and comforting. His mate’s smile grew even wider, if that was possible. “I hope you’ll come to opening night.”
“Of course I will!” Damn, the man was handsome when he smiled. Justin couldn’t deny him anything when he had that mix of hope and adoration written on his face.
“You’d better.” The low, gruff voice reached their ears as they saw Pavel walk up to them. No matter that he’d left even earlier than Sebastian and Justin, their gargoyle mate was perfectly coiffed, his muscles visible through a simple tight black t-shirt and black jeans.
Well, this was awkward.
The smile slowly faded from Sebastian’s face, and Justin let go of his hand. They stood there in silence for a moment. Justin didn’t know what to say, and he assumed his mates felt the same. Pavel had made his position clear this morning. There was nothing to be gained by arguing about it now.
Tucking his score under his arm, Sebastian stepped back.
“I have to get to practicing. Rehearsals start in a week, and I haven’t touched this role in six months. God knows, I have a lot of recitative to go over.”
The witch turned and strode back toward the rehearsal studios. Pavel sighed.
“He’ll see it’s for the best eventually.”
