“No!” A sickening feeling made Chance’s stomach knot because he really didn’t know anything about Darren. But no, Darren wasn’t the type to do that. Chance was sure of it.
“Then why doesn’t he want to be seen with you?”
“It’s not that. It’s…” Chance had no idea how to explain their need to keep their relationship to themselves.
Joon narrowed his eyes. “It’s what?”
“He’s not unwilling to be seen with me. He’s going to tour the equine therapy center and see if he can help them with fundraising. And this secretiveness, it’s mutual, not something Darren’s forcing on me.”
Joon’s eyes widened. “Hold on. He’s taking on one of your causes? He must actually really like you.”
“Is that so hard to imagine?”
Joon snorted. “You know it’s not. I offered my ass when you first moved in. And you turned it down.”
Chance groaned. “Can you please be serious?”
“I am. Seriously contemplating how lucky you are.”
Chance hoped he was. Things with Darren had the potential to end very badly. “I’m going. Are you gonna be around tonight? We can watch Dance Crush.”
“Damn right we will. And they better get that bitch Luella off there tonight.”
“They won’t. It’ll be Morris.”
Joon glared. “Don’t jinx it.”
Chance laughed and closed the door behind him. As he walked to campus, he tried not to think too hard about Darren and exactly how much he liked him.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Chance watched Darren as he stroked Lester’s nose. The gelding was one of the equine therapy center’s newest horses. They’d had plans to come to the equine therapy center late in the afternoon, but Darren had called Chance just before lunch and asked if it would be possible to tour the center earlier. He’d claimed a meeting had been cancelled, freeing up his afternoon, but Chance had a feeling Darren had spent the morning as distracted as Chance was by thoughts of their evening plans. Chance had been thrilled when Ella, the center’s manager, told him she was free in the midafternoon. He was happy to have any excuse to see Darren earlier than they’d planned.
Lester nuzzled Darren’s jacket, obviously expecting there to be something in his pocket.
“Here.” Chance held out a carrot so Darren could feed him. “Put it in your palm and hold your hand out flat. That way he won’t nibble your fingers.”
Darren raised his brows, obviously skeptical about putting his fingers in danger. “Go on.” Chance cupped Darren’s hand in his own, urging him to stretch his arm out. “No need to be afraid. He’s gentle, or he wouldn’t be here.”
“I’m not scared,” Darren insisted.
“Horses aren’t on your list of fears?”
“No. It’s just that you don’t realize how big they are until you’re standing next to one.”
Chance grinned, enjoying Darren being off-balance more than he should. “I’ve been standing next to them my whole life, but you’re not the first person I’ve heard say that. So I guess it must be true for those poor souls who didn’t grow up on horseback.”
“You pity me, do you?” Darren arched his brow.
Lester stretched out his neck and gobbled up the carrot while Darren wasn’t looking.
Darren tensed and slowly pulled his hand back.
“See? He didn’t bite you,” Chance said.
“No, but it felt strange.”
“Yeah, their lips tickle, especially for someone with sensitive hands,” Chance said, hoping Darren was thinking about how he’d felt when Chance had licked his palms and sucked on his fingers. And from the way his eyes widened, he must have been.
“Have you ever ridden?” Chance asked.
“No. I had a friend in high school who loved horses, but she never convinced me to get on one.”
“I could teach you.” The thought of Darren in the saddle in a pair of tight jeans made his cock happier than it should be in the middle of the barn.
“I’m sure you could, but…”
“I’d make sure you felt safe, Dare.” He lowered his voice. “Just like I did in bed.”
Darren made a strangled sound. “Maybe. I’ll…think about it.”
“You do that.”
Darren’s cheeks were a beautiful shade of pink. “I—” He didn’t get to finish because they were interrupted by Ella.
“Are you getting acquainted with our latest additions?”
Chance turned away from Darren and waved at her. Instead of the dirty jeans and T-shirt he usually saw her in, she was wearing a button-up, a blazer, and the cleanest pair of jeans he’d ever seen in the barn. She must really want to impress Darren. It was probably good she’d turned up when she had. If she’d come in a few minutes later, he might’ve had Darren pushed up against one of the stall doors.
“I was just showing Darren around.”
She smiled and extended her hand for Darren to shake. “Thank you for coming, Mr. Walsh.”
“It’s my pleasure, and please call me Darren.”
“All right. Would you like to meet more of the horses, or are you ready to see the rest of our facility?”
“Chance has shown me most of the barn. Why don’t we walk around, and you can tell me about the therapy program and how it helps your clients.”
“That sounds perfect. Let’s head this way.” She gestured toward the open door at the end of the barn nearest them.
Chance walked a bit behind them as he tried to sort out the oddity of Ella’s attitude toward Darren. He’d never seen her so deferential. Not that she was normally rude or anything. He wouldn’t even describe her as brusque, but there was something very different in her demeanor today, even when he accounted for the fact that Darren was very wealthy and willing to share his expertise.
He hadn’t thought too much about how others saw Darren. Sure, he had an amazing presence. Chance could imagine most people being keen to do whatever Darren said, but he’d assumed Joon’s awe at Chance having gone home with him was just Joon’s typical exaggeration. Darren was just a guy to Chance, a guy who’d helped him on the plane, who pretended to be gruff but was so gentle, so…just right.
Chance wasn’t going to start feeling intimidated. So he was rich; big deal. So rich, most people knew who he was. That did make Chance wonder. Why would people know a lawyer so well, even a wealthy one? Was there something Darren hadn’t told him?
Don’t think about that now. Focus on the center. Darren might be able to help, and that’s all that matters right now. Besides, they were supposed to be pretending the real world didn’t exist, right? So what difference did it make who Darren was?
They exited the barn and headed to the riding ring. Two young girls were walking their horses out, while Dee, one of the instructors, held the gate open. Chance recognized one of the girls. Her name was Abby. She was nine, and she’d lost both her parents a year ago. Abby loved her time at the stables and had asked if she could help clean stalls and do other work so she could spend more time there.
Chance, Ella, and a few of the other instructors had been talking about a work program for their clients. It would be mutually beneficial, but they had some hurdles to overcome. Many of the boys and girls would have to have any work they did there approved by a group home, a counselor, or someone else, and they needed transportation. Also, the kids had to be supervised during the hours they could be there. If the center had the money to hire more staff, they could expand their services. Chance and most of the other volunteers qualified to supervise the underage clients were already working as many hours as they could.
Ella explained about the lessons the clients received, the importance of having them care for their horses, both before and after lessons, about how they focused on working with the animals, guiding them to do what they wanted with patience and confidence, the benefits the riders received.
As they stood at the fence, both girls dismounted and began to lead their horses out of the
ring.
“Abby, Hannah, would you girls mind talking to Mr. Walsh for a few minutes?” Ella asked.
Abby looked uncertain. “About what?”
“He’s come to take a look at our stables and find out what we do here. I thought maybe you’d like to tell him what you think of your lessons.”
Abby lit up, obviously eager now. “I love it here. I wish I could live here. I wouldn’t even mind if I have to sleep in a stall.”
Darren smiled at her enthusiasm. “What is your favorite thing about riding?”
“I can’t pick one thing. I like making the horses’ coats all clean and shiny, and I like giving them treats, and I like how I feel in the saddle, up so high, able to make my horse do what I want it to, but because I love him, not because I yell at him.”
Chance’s chest tightened as Darren crouched down in the dust to be eye to eye with the young girl, seemingly unconcerned about his pants, which must have cost several hundred dollars, or his fancy dress shoes. “That all sounds great.”
“It is.”
“Thanks for sharing with me,” Darren said. “Hannah, what about you?”
Hannah’s eyes darted away.
Darren rose and took a step back, giving her space. “Do you like riding horses too?”
She nodded frantically.
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“Thank you, girls,” Ella said. “Go on to the barn. Dee’s waiting there for you.”
Once the girls were heading through the barn doors, Ella said, “Hannah hasn’t spoken much since her mom died. I’m amazed she responded at all.” Then she asked, “Do you work with kids with the other charities you’re involved in?”
“Not much. I talk to high-school kids sometimes at the LGBT center, but I’ve had very little experience working with younger kids.”
She looked as surprised as Chance was. “You did great with them.”
“You should come out when I’m giving a lesson sometime,” Chance suggested. Then he looked at Ella. “If that would be okay with you.”
“That would be fine as long as he’s not in the ring and isn’t distracting you.”
Darren was always distracting, but Chance took riding instruction very seriously, so he could manage to summon self-control for the length of a lesson.
Darren, Ella, and Chance walked along the road past the paddocks, then returned to Ella’s office. Ella explained the fundraising efforts the center had attempted recently and described their needs as well as a few dream projects. Then she printed out some information for Darren.
“I wish I could talk with you more, but I have to meet a new client and her guardian. Please feel free to come back for another visit anytime.”
“I will do that, and I should have some ideas written up for you in the next week.”
“Mr. Walsh—Darren—I can’t thank you enough for stopping by. Your foundation has done such incredible work, and I… Well, I’ll be honest—I’m surprised you would personally take the time to come out here as busy as you must be.”
“I like to personally meet anyone the foundation will be working with.”
Darren’s eyes darted toward Chance and then away, but Chance could see the tension in his back. What did Ella mean about running an organization? He knew Darren was on the board of the LGBT center, and he said he was involved with some other charities, but… What was he not telling Chance?
“You’re much easier to talk to than one would expect.” Ella nervously tucked her hair behind her ears. “Can I confess something?”
Darren smiled at her. “Thank you. Confess away.”
Was she flirting with him? Chance bristled, though he had no right to be jealous. He and Darren hadn’t said anything about exclusivity. He hated when people acted all possessive like that, but he couldn’t deny he hated seeing Darren respond to Ella.
Ella cleared her throat before saying, “I always assume people like you—”
“Rich people?”
“Yes. So many of them support charities just as a tax break.” She held up a hand before Darren could interrupt. “I know that’s not fair; plenty of people of all income levels are truly passionate about causes they support. I shouldn’t have made assumptions. Seeing you in the dust, talking to a little girl or feeding a horse, not afraid to get your suit dirty, was both humbling and gratifying.”
“Like you said, plenty of people do support causes primarily for the tax break. They usually pick popular charities that make them look good, with little concern for how they actually spend their money. When I took over from my grandmother, I decided that was not how things would go. I believe in everything I support. With some causes I’m more active than others, but I personally research all our causes.”
No wonder Darren seemed overworked. But if fundraising was his job, why had he told Chance he was a lawyer? He’d been completely honest about everything else, or at least Chance thought he had. Surely no one like him would lie about having a fear of rejection.
“Thank you again, Mr. Walsh,” Ella said.
“You’re very welcome. I like what I see here and what Chance has told me. I will get back to you as soon as I can. Summer is an excellent time to do something big like an auction for fundraising. If we move quickly, we could organize something for July.”
“Wow. That’s excellent. Let me know if you have any questions.”
CHAPTER NINE
Chance didn’t say anything as he settled into the passenger seat of Darren’s car, and Darren wasn’t sure how to start the conversation they needed to have. He put the car in gear and silently drove back down the long driveway to the main road.
“You told me you were a lawyer.” The words seemed to tumble out of Chance.
Darren laid a hand on Chance’s thigh. “I am. All those jobs I said I hated, they were at law firms. Now I use my law degree to help others through the Walsh Foundation.”
“The Walsh Foundation? Oh my God. How did I not put that together? That’s your family. You manage all that?”
“Not by myself. I primarily focus my time on finding new charities to support and coaching them toward better fundraising. We give money but also help organizations learn how to receive more donations than just our own.”
“That’s why Ella was so amazed you would come out to the center just because I asked. I couldn’t understand why she made such a big deal out of it when I called.”
Darren felt heat run to his face. He hadn’t meant to embarrass Chance. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I wanted you to be comfortable just talking to me. Once people find out who I am, they treat me differently. I didn’t want that to happen with you, but I should have told you before we talked to Ella.”
“I’m not angry, not really. I get why you didn’t tell me, but I didn’t like Ella knowing more about you than I do. This is part of the problem with trying to hide from reality. We miss out on knowing certain things about each other.”
“I wanted to hide for a little longer, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to know you,” Darren said.” I’m not good at talking about myself or anything really personal, though.”
“You got fairly personal on the plane.”
“I… Yeah, I did, and I shocked myself.”
“Because of the whole this-isn’t-real-and-I-won’t-see-him-again thing?”
Darren nodded.
“I like hiding from reality with you, but if there are any more big secrets you’re keeping, like if you’re married or…”
“Of course I’m not married. Chance, did you really think—”
“No, but my roommate made an offhand comment, and it made me realize how little I knew about you. I didn’t think you would cheat, but—”
“No, I wouldn’t. And I’m not keeping any more big secrets, okay? If you ask me something, I’ll tell you. I know it’s unfair to want to keep you to myself.”
“No, I want that too. It’s like the best secret I’ve ever had. It feels wicked and just right at the same time.”
Thank God Chance felt the same way. “That’s how I feel too.”
Chance laid his hand on top of Darren’s. “Let’s just keep things like they are for as long as we can.”
“Are you sure?”
“I am.”
Darren was so relieved. He kept telling himself his obsession with Chance would fade, that he was crazy to already want him so much, but he absolutely did not want this to be the last time they saw each other. “Where would you like to go for dinner?”
“Honestly?”
“I’ll take you anywhere you want to go.”
“What I really want is you.”
Darren swerved, rattling over the warning strip on the side of the road.
“Wow. I didn’t expect that serious of a reaction. Do you need me to take the wheel?”
Darren cleared his throat. “I’m fine now, but are you saying—”
“I want to do something wild.”
Darren wasn’t sure if he was more wary or turned on. “Um…”
“Have you ever been out to the Mount Laguna Observatory?”
“I have, actually. I’ve been there for a fundraising event for San Diego State’s astronomy program.”
“There’s a parking lot about halfway up the mountain. It’s usually deserted. I want to go out there, have you lay back on the hood of the car, and blow you while you gaze at the stars.”
Darren had to swallow before he could speak. “I don’t know if—”
Chance reached between Darren’s legs and rubbed Darren’s cock. It had taken serious interest in the conversation already, but a few strokes of Chance’s hand had him fully hard.
“Chance, I… I won’t be able to drive all the way out there if you keep that up.”
“I thought you weren’t sure you wanted to go.”
“I’m not.” It was insane, but he didn’t want to say no.
“If you’re hungry, we could get a snack on the way. There’s an In-N-Out at the next exit. Let’s get some fries.”
“Chance, this is crazy.”
“It’s chilly that far up in the mountains. I don’t think there’ll be anyone up there tonight.”
A Chance at Love Page 8
