Jake shifted, and Shea couldn’t help smelling him and feeling his very warm, hard body fit perfectly into his. And of course, something else was getting hard as well. Embarrassed, Shea sat up straighter, trying desperately to put some space between the two of them.
He cut through the fields to get back to the barn and figured he might as well try and draw out more information from Jake.
“Tell me more about New York. You said it was tough, but that don’t tell me nothin’ much.”
Jake sighed. “I’m probably not the right person to ask. I don’t really have much of a social life.”
“Because of your family?” Shea had to admit curiosity about Jake’s wife and child. “Do you live in New York City?”
“Yeah. My daughter is six, and everything I do is for her.”
The absolute sincerity in Jake’s voice warmed Shea’s heart. Nothing was sweeter than a man who loved his children, and Jake sure loved that little girl of his.
“Must be hard, workin’ long hours, then havin’ to come here for a trip.”
Jake stiffened. “Yes.”
“I’m sorry if I overstepped with all these questions. You can tell me to shut up.”
Jake glanced over his shoulder, his eyes unfathomable. “It’s fine. Just complicated. I’d rather not talk about it right now, if you don’t mind.”
“Of course not. I didn’t mean to pry.”
“You didn’t. And as for New York City, there’s tons to love. The food is incredible, and there’s Broadway, Lincoln Center, the Opera, not to mention all the museums and little neighborhoods to discover.” Shea watched his cheek crease in a smile. “Things I always mean to do but never find the time.”
Shea sighed. “Sounds amazing. I can’t wait to get the chance to discover it. One day…”
“You’ve never been? Even for a modeling job?”
“Nope.” If Jake could keep part of his life private, so could he. No need to get into his father’s illness and taking care of him. Every day Shea felt the vast emptiness of his loss, yet in his heart and in his head, his father still guided him. Every ride he took was with his father sitting next to him; every decision he made, Shea talked through with him in his mind.
The rest of the ride was spent in silence, and Shea was glad to see the ranch house appear. The horses not selected for the ride grazed in the pasture behind the barn and Rambo, perhaps sensing his blanket and oats, whinnied and increased his pace.
“He’s not angry, is he? He won’t throw me off, right?”
“Easy, boy. Settle down.” Shea slowed Rambo to a walk approaching the paddock. Shea dismounted first, and as Jake gazed at him, Shea could see him trying to figure out how to get off.
It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out a man like Jake didn’t rely on people. “I’m here to help. Just swing your leg over, hold on to me, and hop off.”
Jake grimaced. “I feel like an idiot. I’m not incapable, yet this makes me feel helpless as shit.”
“Don’t worry. It’s your first time. You’re doin’ great. C’mon.”
Jake raised a dubious brow but did as told. He put his hands on Shea’s shoulders and jumped off. With Jake’s back against Rambo, they were so close, Jake’s breath hit his cheek.
“See? You did it,” Shea murmured, unexpectedly weak at the knees from sharing the intimate space with Jake. “You rode your first horse.”
Jake’s eyes twinkled, and the brief wink of that dimple showed again beneath his cheekbone. “I’d say it’s more like the horse rode me, but I’ll take it.”
The unexpected humor from Jake was sexier than Shea could’ve predicted. He truly enjoyed talking to this man and wished he knew what ate him up inside, preventing him from letting go completely. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. You handled it all much better than I’m guessing some of the others in the group would’ve.”
“That’s not a very high bar. If you knew those people, you’d understand that isn’t really a compliment.”
“Well, as someone who’s been on a horse almost his whole life, I think you did great.”
Twin patches of pink flared on Jake’s cheeks. “Thanks. That means a lot.”
What meant a lot to Shea was putting a smile on Jake’s face. He wanted him to enjoy his stay at the ranch, since it seemed once he got home, he’d have little to no time to himself.