There was a silence, a pregnant pause, before Ethan replied. “Oh. Cool.”
“Yeah,” said Steve, as Ruby pulled on her regrettably rumpled pajamas in the bedroom. “There was too much snow for her to go home.”
“Hmm.” Even from the bedroom, she could hear the humor in Jonathan’s voice. “So you decided to keep each other warm?”
“Well…” She heard Steve clear his throat. “We decided something like that.”
Poor Steve, trying not to come right out and admit to her other two lovers that he’d fucked her most of the afternoon. She pulled on Steve’s huge heather-gray sweatshirt and made an appearance at his bedroom door.
“Hi, guys. I couldn’t stay away from the pajama party either.”
Ethan and Jonathan studied her, their gazes light with amusement. Steve blushed a deep red.
“So, how long has this been going on?” asked Jonathan.
She and Steve exchanged glances.
“About six hours,” he said.
“Yeah, if we’re being honest,” Ruby agreed.
Ethan gave a low whistle. “I guess that was long overdue.”
After a moment, Jonathan crossed his arms over his chest. “I want to know, but I don’t want to know. You know? So, should we leave you two alone? I mean, we rode spotty trains and traipsed through huge snow piles to get here, but—”
“Don’t leave us alone,” said Steve, as Ruby burst into laughter.
“Yes, please stay. Six hours is long enough. Too long. Plus the games we played last night were no fun with two people. The card games,” she clarified when Ethan’s brows shot up. “The card games need more people to be fun.”
She’d said it. Now they were all thinking it. There were plenty of games that were fun with more people, and some of them could be played in the bedroom. Or was she the only one thinking it? Why was she such a wanton?
Because these were her wonderful, musical friends and they all turned her on like wildfire.
“Let’s set up a game and crack open the beer,” Steve said. “I’ve got food for the party in the kitchen. Put those down,” he told Ethan when he reached for the cheese balls. “Those are all mine.”
“You know the way to Steve’s heart,” he said to Ruby, ignoring him to chomp down a handful.
“And the way to other places,” Jonathan cracked. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that.”
“Nothing wrong with it at all,” Steve said, catching her gaze. His secret smile said it all. He might be blushing and bashful in front of the others, but he had no regrets—and neither did she.
They all raided Steve’s kitchen for sandwiches, chips, and cookies he’d bought for the party, then Steve and Ruby set up the Trivial Pursuit: Music Edition game board, which was always good for creating lengthy, heated competition between them. It was also the least risqué game Steve owned, but Lord, they’d had enough sex for one day.
“Let’s play,” she said, smiling at her three most favorite guys in the world. She settled in with a bottle of cider at the coffee table, comfy in Steve’s big, thick sweatshirt. Her toes curled in her fuzzy socks and everything felt perfect.
As perfect as Steve’s Quartet in F, even, and that was a magnificent thing.
The Full Concerto
Where Ruby Gets a Birthday Present
1.
Ruby got to rehearsal just in time, weaving between Jonathan and Ethan’s chairs and waving at Steve in a silent “hello.” She took off her hat and wet coat and shivered, chattering her teeth for effect.
“I hate February.”
“You might like it more if you got a decent coat,” said Jonathan, as Ethan offered her his sweater, still warm from his body heat. “Something that’s actually weatherproof. Your violin is more protected than you are.”
“Because my violin is more valuable than I am.”
Jonathan tsked and thumped her on the head. “That’s not true.”
“Anyway, my violin always has a weatherproof case. I have to remember to pick up the right coat on my way out the door. I knew it was cold, but I didn’t realize it was rainy.”
“You’re a mess,” said Steve.
She stuck out her tongue at him and collapsed in her chair, and pulled Ethan’s sweater over her head before taking out her violin. She tightened her bow while the other guys settled into their seats and readied their instruments. Soon the sound of bowing and tuning filled their rehearsal space.
“What are we playing today?” asked Ethan, once the din settled down.
Steve passed around some bound portfolios, marked with their various parts—violin 1, violin 2, viola, and his own part, cello. “I’ve got this new—old—music, in case you don’t still have it in your folders.”
“How old?” Ethan groaned.
“It’s the Schoenberg Concerto,” said Ruby, flipping it open. She leafed through the first few pages, then hugged it to her chest. “Oh, Schoeny, I’ve missed you. We haven’t done this in forever.”
“We haven’t done this since the Banff Competition three years ago,” said Ethan. “Why are we revisiting it now?”