02-Let It Ride by L.C. Chase Read Free Book Online Page B

associate the smell of spice and oranges with Eric.
    His voice was deeper, a touch gravelly when he said, “Later, dude.”
    He loosened his hold, and Eric stepped back, putting a safe distance between them. There was unmistakable desire in his eyes, but something else lurked in the background that didn’t seem to fit. Fear? Pain? Definitely a sense of distance rising between them.
    Bridge opened his mouth, but Eric cut him off before he had a chance to form a single word. “Good night, Bridge.” Without waiting for a response, he turned and disappeared around the back of Marty’s trailer.
    What the hell was that?
    Off-center but amped up, Bridge turned to find Kent watching him intently and mentally groaned. He shoved his hands into his pockets.
    “What?”
    Kent leaned back against the trailer and hooked his thumbs in his belt loops. “You know those times me and Marty asked if you had something to tell us? You know we were always just joking around, right?”
    Bridge nodded when it was clear Kent was waiting for acknowledgment.
    “Well,” Kent continued. “Now I’m asking for real.”
    Bridge sighed, took his hat off, and ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah, I have something to tell you guys. But not yet. Okay?” He settled his hat back in place. “I’m going to take a walk along the river before turning in.”
    Kent nodded, flashed a warm smile, and then turned and climbed up into their RV.
    Bridge looked to the sky and sighed. Tomorrow. Tomorrow he would get Eric alone and see where things might stand.

Halfway through the second day of the clinic, Eric was finishing up lunch at the picnic table with Bridge. Marty and Tripp had left early to “take care of a couple of things” again before the afternoon sessions started, and Kent had eaten earlier and was off talking shop with some fellow steer wrestlers.
    Eric looked up and met Bridge’s stare across the table. The wheels were clearly turning in the man’s head, and there was a glint of humor in his expression. He reminded Eric of a big cat readying to pounce. He shifted slightly in his seat, wanting to be the mouse as much as he didn’t. “I’m afraid to ask.”
    “I want to teach you to ride,” Bridge said, lifting the soda cup to his lips.
    “Oh, believe me,” Eric said, pitching his voice low. “I know how to ride quite well.”
    Bridge choked on the sip he’d just taken, his eyes widening while a flush spread over the swells of his cheekbones. Endearing, Eric thought, how Bridge could manage embarrassed and turned on at the same time. But also telling how quick Bridge had picked up on his meaning.
    “A horse, stud,” Bridge said, his voice ragged from the reversed bubbles, and reached for a napkin to wipe the spilled cola from his chin, pooled right in that little cleft Eric kept wanting to slide his tongue into. “I can’t believe you’ve been hanging around the rodeo this long and haven’t ever ridden a horse.”
    Eric shrugged, eyes following Bridge’s hand as he wiped. “I’m here for the cowboys.”
    Bridge shook his head, furrowing his brow, and a disapproving frown pushed the corners of his mouth downward. “Seriously, dude. A cowboy without a horse is like a PB&J without the J.”
    “I’ll have you know, there are a lot of cowboys in New York who don’t have horses.”
    “Yeah, like that naked guy who plays guitar in Times Square? Please.” Bridge rolled his eyes and tossed the soiled napkin on the table beside his plate. “I saw him on YouTube. He’s no cowboy. Nice legs, though.”
    Eric raised his eyebrows. How many straight guys did he know who said things like that? Answer: none. “Seriously? You were checking him out?”
    “I can appreciate an attractive man,” Bridge said. There was a playful note in his voice, but there was no teasing in the heated, promising look he leveled at Eric. It was another one of those bells-and-whistles stares that didn’t need words to indicate what it meant, and his pulse