A Change of Pace Read Free Page B

ahead.”
    Tearing his eyes away from that pierced nipple, Drew focused. “Uh, does your family own this place?”
    Ridge cleared his throat. “My sister and I own the business. She runs the place, though.” He gestured toward the door he’d left open. “I run a custom cabinet and trim carpentry shop out of here.” He turned back to face Drew. “Did you want me to show you where the creek is?”
    Ridge’s voice sounded a little tight, and Drew’s gaze honed in, spotting a faint blush appearing on the golden skin across the younger man’s cheeks.
    Whoa. Was he just scoping out my junk?
    Caught, Ridge sucked in a breath, and Drew’s eyes followed the movement of his bare chest.
    Now it was Drew’s turn to flush when he saw that Ridge was watching him. “Yeah, that would be great.” He looked down at the dogs, hoping to appear intelligent. “Looks like Henry’s going to join us no matter what.” The two shepherds were glued together, jumping and playing.
    Taking another deep breath, Ridge moved away. “Just let me get my shoes on.” He stepped inside for a moment, leaving the door ajar. Drew watched as he slid into a pair of deck shoes. Coming back out, he pulled the door shut and waved a hand to Drew to follow as he started down the path.
    Drew’s eyes were fixed on the sleekly muscled ass of the man in front of him. He shook his head briefly to clear it. Better knock it off.
    That mental admonishment couldn’t budge his attention away from the fine, fine ass, though. He watched it move as his eyes traveled up the muscles of that smooth, bare back. He wanted to reach out and touch. That was a bad thought to have running through his head. He was supposed to be here to get out of trouble, not get into it.
    His body didn’t seem to care, though. It saw what it wanted directly in front of him. He followed Ridge, instincts humming. Gimme some of that.
    After about a quarter mile, the trail wound down through the woods to the creek. Drew headed around a huge old tree, and suddenly the water was in front of him.
    The dogs had run ahead and were contentedly splashing in the shallows when the two men caught up with them. Drew breathed in deeply, taking in the scents of summer all around him. The July morning was bright and beautiful, with the sun’s rays sifting through the forest canopy. The creek was fairly narrow, but just below them it widened into a pool that looked good for swimming. And once again, he’d never seen so many trees.
    He shrugged a little moodily to himself, forced to admit it perhaps wasn’t so bad after all. Hey, maybe I can learn to fish.
    He thought about that for a moment, then snorted softly to himself.
    Nuh-uh. Not in this lifetime.
    ***
    Ridge was watching Drew. He noted the slight easing of tension in the broad shoulders as the big Yankee breathed slowly in and out.
    He was fascinated with the newcomer. Ridge didn’t normally interact that much with the guests, since he was usually working at either the cabinetry business or his occasional jobs as a trim carpenter. His time at the inn was normally spent on the occasional room repair or upkeep on the mechanical systems. This guest, however, was demanding his full attention. His eyes went up and down the brawny body as Drew walked to the water’s edge and crouched low to pick up a flat rock. The muscles in those fine legs and ass bulged and contracted as Drew bent, then stood again to spin the rock down the creek.
    Ridge stepped up slightly behind Drew, discreetly sniffing the man’s scent, breathing it into his lungs. It was a little heady, being this close to such a stud. He hadn’t met anybody this exciting in quite a while. Certainly none of the guys he worked with turned his crank. When he and his friends went out, he sometimes kept his eyes open for opportunities, but, truthfully, he hadn’t been that interested. His best friend, Shelby, kept telling him he was too picky. Huh. If being picky meant waiting for somebody like