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illumination, Jared saw that it was spotless. A bar blocked off a large section of a corner, with conventional 34
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    wooden tables lining the wall. It looked like any bar, in any city, all the way down to the blue collar workers dotting the stools.
    The burly man behind the bar turned around at their entrance and promptly smiled at them. “Someone’s all gussied up tonight.” A couple heads turned in their direction, but their glances were brief and detached, an acknowledgement rather than a judgment. The bartender picked up a pint glass and immediately started pulling something from one of the taps.
    “Good to see you taking a night off for a change.”
    Rick led Jared to the far side of the bar, settling into the corner stool and gesturing for Jared to sit next to him. “You know what they say about all work and no play.”
    “Yeah, I actually stand a chance at getting some attention because you’re too busy to notice getting checked out.” With a grin that looked eerily familiar, the bartender slid the beer in front of Rick. “Not that tits are your style anyway.”
    Their shared chuckle added another layer to Jared’s déjà vu. “This is Jared.” Rick rested one hand on Jared’s shoulder, gesturing to the bartender with the other. “And this is my cousin Alex.”
    Now it all made sense. Paulie’s, Paulson. A family business of some sort. Alex didn’t physically resemble Rick, but the size and smile were enough to draw a line from one to the other.
    “It’s good to meet you.” He offered his hand, holding his smile as they shook. “Nice place.”
    “It’s home,” Alex agreed. “What can I get you?”
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    He didn’t think asking for wine would probably go over well. “Whatever you poured for Rick is fine.”
    With their beers in hand, Rick led the way to the far corner and the most private place in the room. It gave them an excellent view of the rest of the bar, but shielded them from most of the other patrons, the lighting dim enough to make Jared’s fair skin look golden.
    “I guess that means your family is all here in New York.”
    Rick nodded. “Isn’t yours?”
    “My mom lived here while I was modeling, but as soon as I quit, she moved back to Toledo.”
    “So it’s only you?” With a shake of his head, Rick reached across the table and took Jared’s hand, lacing their fingers together and letting them rest next to their beers. It was such a casual motion, Jared didn’t think anything of it until he remembered where they were. But a quick glance around the room said nobody was paying them any attention, not even Alex behind the bar. “I couldn’t do it. Sounds kind of lonely.”
    “I’m too busy to be lonely. And having Theresa around is better than a little sis. At least I can threaten to fire Theresa every time she starts mouthing off too much.”
    Though they had their drinks between them, Rick ignored his, his dark eyes warm and liquid as they regarded Jared. It was hard not to stare, harder not to get lost in imagining whatever it was that was going through Rick’s head. And all the while, Rick’s thumb kept caressing the side of Jared’s hand, as if it had an agenda all its own. Jared’s stomach was on permanent lurch mode, just like he’d been in a constant 36
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    state of arousal all night. He didn’t foresee that changing any time soon.
    “I’d like for you to come back to my place tonight.”
    Okay, he’d been wrong.
    Jared blinked more than once at Rick’s soft declaration. He was used to guys being upfront about their desires.
    Sometimes, all Jared needed was a “Can I blow you?” from a cutie in a club to get what he wanted. But he hadn’t anticipated Rick being quite as direct. He didn’t know why.
    Maybe because this was an actual date, and they’d had real conversations about things that were more than sex. It could have something to do with the fact that Rick had chosen to take him someplace where his