Chapter 13
Chapter thirteen
JOE
It had been a few days since I saw Dusty.
DRACO was about to release another album, and he was there to help Montgomery—and by extension Arthur—keep on track.
From what I understood, keeping both of them and their dragons wrangled was a lot of effort.
I got text messages from him that had made me smile, but we hadn’t been able to get together.
I needed to let him know I wouldn’t be available tomorrow in case he got a free evening. It would probably be awkward if he came over during my date with Gentry. Was it a date? It felt like I had a connection with Gentry, and I looked forward to growing it. Yeah, it was a date.
After my conversation with Mont, I felt better about spending time—including sexy time—with both men.
I was a young man who was exploring my sexuality, and nobody had asked for a commitment.
He told me to enjoy myself, be honest, and get to know them.
The biggest thing he warned me against was getting too attached.
The truth was, I liked both men. Mont had a lot of partners; he had a few literally in bed at the same time. I didn’t think I would ever do that, but dating them both, then sleeping with them separately until something more happened between us, I could work with.
I got a notification on my phone.
JOE
Hey!
DUSTY
Hey.
What's up?
JOE
I know sometimes we get together on Fridays, but I won't be available.
It felt like I was cheating on him or something. I needed to tell him that I was dating Gentry to make sure he didn’t get hurt.
DUSTY
Oh? Do you have a date?
It felt like he was always really interested in me being with another man, which I hoped was a good sign.
JOE
Maybe?! We are getting together.
Could be a date.
DUSTY
I can’t wait to hear all about it.
Maybe some of the things you’ve learned will come in handy.
I looked at my phone, confused. He had told me the other night he was interested in more, but then seemed eager to hear about me being with another man. Now wasn’t the time to think through all that.
JOE
Brunch Sunday?
DUSTY
I’d like that. Let me know how the date goes. ?
JOE
You're so weird. But I'll tell you Sunday.
At least now he knew I would be out with someone.
Though I wasn’t sure why he was so eager for me to be with someone else, it felt opposite to what he had said the other night.
I’d run out and get some food for brunch tomorrow afternoon, and we could talk about it.
Now I was going to spend the rest of the afternoon enjoying Gentry’s company.
When I heard the truck on the gravel in my driveway, my heart rate picked up.
Gentry walked up the porch looking incredibly handsome.
The burgundy western shirt he had on was incredibly flattering—I drooled a little.
His jeans fit him perfectly, his boots buffed, and he wore a black felt cowboy hat, different from the straw one he normally wore.
“Fuck. You look hot.” I said without thinking, and I knew I turned red at my outburst.
He smiled at me and winked. “You look pretty good yourself. Ready to ride, then start our date?”
It was a date.
That flutter in my chest surprised me, and I tripped. Gentry reached out, and when his skin touched mine, there were sparks and chills at the same time. I repeated the words Mont had told me.
Don’t get attached until you know for sure who fits you best.
Right now, I liked both of these men and wanted to explore a little. I was an adult, and so were they.
Be honest with them.
I’d talk to Gentry tonight. Today, though, I was going to enjoy riding, then have a nice dinner, and get to know my new friend more. Since his hands were already around me and his mouth was right there, I helped myself.
His lips were warm, soft, and welcoming. There was no hesitation as he kissed me back, and a little moan escaped him. When he pulled me closer, I could feel how solid he was in his jeans—it was nice to be wanted.
“Hello.” I said quietly.
He smiled against my lips. “Hello. Are you ready to go riding? I thought we would skip the arena work and go on a longer trail ride.”
“That sounds nice.” I really enjoyed learning how to ride, but I looked forward to learning more about Gentry.
“Have you talked to Martin Wilson over the last few days?” Gentry asked, keeping his arm around me and leading me to his truck.
“No, haven’t heard from him.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Would you mind if I made a phone call really quick?”
“Sure.” Now I was worried. Had I done something to Martin that he was concerned about? I watched as Gentry paced back and forth by the horse trailer.
He slipped the phone in his back pocket and smiled at me. Then he jogged the last few steps and grabbed me around the waist.
“I had to ask permission before I told you some good news. Well, I hope you think it’s good news,” he looked at me. “Fuck. What if you don’t think it’s good news?”
I put my hand over his mouth, and his eyes got big. “Stop. Tell me.”
He nodded his head, and I removed my hand.
“When I was out of town with Martin, he asked if I would be willing to go with you for the dude ranch project. He said he would pay my way, but he thought it might be easier for you if you had someone with you.” He blushed and looked down, then he rubbed the back of his neck. “What do you think?”
There were so many emotions going on right now that I froze up. After a second he looked worried.
“Joe. I’m sorry—” I put my hand over his mouth again. The dear man was nervous about my response, and I was trying to sort through everything he said, which made me feel even more unhinged.
“I’m going to remove my hand. Let me talk?” I got the nod again. “First, you are adorable. That was a lot of information for me to process. I can’t believe Martin cares about me so much that he would do that for me.”
“He’s a good man. One of the best for sure.”
The color returned to his face, and he looked calmer. “I would love for you to come with me. It would make me feel so much better, and we could be tent mates.”
He grinned at me. “Yes, please. If you want to teach me more about your work, I’ll assist you as much as I can.”
“I feel like the luckiest man ever.” I took a few steps and kissed him gently. I was already excited about this job, but now it would be even more fun.
“Shall we head over and get Amber ready for our ride?” His smile amazed me.
“Yes.”
When we pulled up to the barn, I was excited for our ride. Gentry went to the back of the trailer and got Dusty. “Let’s go, buddy.” He didn’t even wait for the horse. Gentry took my hand, and we headed towards the barn while Dusty backed out and trotted to catch up.
Once the horse was behind him, he pushed Gentry, making him stumble. “You little brat.”
The horse nudged him again, then started rubbing his lips along the back of Gentry’s neck. Gentry scrunched up his shoulders and laughed, "You are such a troublemaker."
We stopped in front of Amber’s stall, where Gentry pulled a handful of peppermints from his pocket.
He unwrapped one and put his hand out, offering the treat to his friend.
The horse munched it happily, then pushed him again.
“Fine, last one.” I let them have their moment while I went and got Amber’s halter.
He handed out candies to the other horses; all of them seemed happy for the treat.
“The peppermints are okay for them?” I was curious.
“Yeah, they are fine, and I asked Montgomery if it was okay to feed them to his horses.” He smiled. “We can give them more when we get back.”
I realized I had Amber mostly saddled by myself and felt really proud. “Oh. Look what I’ve done.” I blushed at Gentry.
“Let me help. We don’t want you falling off.” He tightened things up. “Be right back, I have to get something from my truck.” He jogged over and pulled a thick pad with a cinch out, then came back over.
“You aren’t going to saddle him?”
“Not today. I am going to use this pad only, since it’s going to be a nice, easy ride.”
I thought about getting a horse of my own. It was too easy to fantasize about Gentry and me going on long rides together. Maybe take a picnic or go with the drone to photograph the area.
I watched Gentry with Dusty—the horse—and felt the itch to put Gentry in front of my lens. Then something better came to mind. Would he let me take erotic photos of him?
Gentry swung his leg up and over the horse’s back without using a mounting block or stirrup—damn, that was sexy. He turned and grinned at me. “What?”
“That was—” I swallowed hard. “Really hot.”
“Oh? You like what you see?”
I chuckled. “Yes, very much.”
He cocked his head toward the front gate. “Let’s go for a ride, and I can show you some more sexy things when we get back.”
I liked that idea. Dusty was a few feet ahead of Amber, and I watched as Gentry spun around and sat backwards. Now he faced me while the horses continued to walk forward.
“We’re going to work on a few technical things today to make riding easier.”
“Am I doing it wrong?” All the confidence I had slipped away.
“No. No. Not wrong, but these things will help you be comfortable and have more control.” His smile went to his eyes, which made my heart trip a few steps.
“See how your feet are pushed all the way into the stirrup, pull them back a little so the ball of your foot is resting on the loop part, and push your heel down a little.”
I did as he instructed and immediately felt more centered. “Okay, yeah, that feels better.”
“Now slide your very fine ass back so you are sitting on your seat bones and you want to make a straight line from shoulder to heels.” Again, I adjusted myself as he suggested. “You can use your knees and calves for more control. Watch.”
Gentry turned around and put his hands in the air.
I admired his long, lean lines; even through his shirt, I could see the muscles flex.
Dusty stopped and backed up, then spun in a circle, walked forward, and then easily walked around Amber and me.
What was most impressive was that Gentry wasn’t speaking to the animal, but I could see his knees and thighs flexing.
He did more circles and spins, then came up next to me, where we walked side by side again.
“Damn. He is amazing. I don’t know much about horses, but I know he is exceptional.”
He leaned over and hugged the horse’s neck. “He is my best friend.” Gentry looked at me, and I could see his blush. “I’ve told him all my secrets.” The smile he gave me was almost bashful. “I even told him how much I liked you, Joe.”
Again, those funny feelings were in my stomach, which made it difficult to look at him. I managed to swallow the lump in my throat.
“I like you too.” It came out deep and rough, my emotion clear in my voice.
“There is something you need to know about me.” He said his voice turned serious.
Oh, god, what’s about to happen? I started to tremble. Was he about to tell me he couldn’t go any further with me after we’d been together a few times?
“There was a boy a long time ago that I loved so much that he will always have some of my heart.” I listened as we walked along the trail and he told me about Dusty.
He smiled when he talked about his friend, while he rode the horse with the same name.
I understood why he told me this story: it was up to me to decide whether I could live with it.
When he had finished, I smiled. “He sounds like a good person. You’ve had no relationships in the last twelve years?” He twisted his lips and looked down. When he looked back up, I saw a lot of pain.
“No. It wasn’t like I was opposed, but I hadn’t found someone who interested me enough. I think I always compare them to Dusty. The horse and the man.” He gave me a smile.
“Oh.”
“Joe, you are the first person I’ve genuinely felt anything about since him, but I needed you to know. A little bit of me may always be locked away. And it wouldn’t be fair to you if you didn’t know.”
I felt really good about what he said, and I thought I could share his heart with that boy, whom he lost so long ago.
We rode along quietly for a while, and he let me sit with my thoughts.
“Gentry. I like you a lot, and I would like to explore this thing between us more. If it goes somewhere, I understand that there is a piece of your heart that belongs to Dusty.” I realized that sounded weird to me since I was dating a guy named Dusty.
I needed to explain my situation once we got back to my house and had a glass of wine.
“Yeah?” I loved the smile I got, and a whole kaleidoscope of butterflies took off inside me.
“Yeah.”
The joy shone from his eyes, “Let’s do this then?”
“I’d like that.” We finished our ride, then headed over to my house.
I really hoped there would be more than just dinner.