RR-CDA (6 page)

This was stupid. Cole didn’t really know him. Yes, there’d been some mutual attraction between them, but then again Cole had just had his heart stomped into a thousand pieces. He didn’t want a rebound romance any more than Owen wanted to be the reboundee.

Dumb.

He picked up his cell phone and stared at the blank screen.

Stupid idea.

He thumbed through his contacts until he came to Cole’s name.

Thinking with your dick again.

He hit the text message icon and sent the information about the beer tour—tomorrow afternoon at three—before tossing it back onto his desk. There, he’d done what he’d promised and the ball was now in Cole’s court. Chances were he’d get a polite rejection and that would be the end of—

His phone buzzed, and he picked it up before his brain registered what he was doing. It was Cole, and his response made Owen grin.

Tomorrow sounds good. I’ve always wanted to go on one of those tours. I’ll meet you there.

He had a date. No, not a date. He couldn’t think of his outings with Cole as dates. That way only led to heartache and binge-eating pizza.

He had an adventure. One of many with his new friend. Friend? More like buddy. Yes, that was better. Two buddies hanging out and having a good time, and nothing more.

Yup.

He drummed his fingers, momentarily mesmerized by the rhythmic thudding. When Cole’s face flashed through his head—a small smile and a sparkle in his eyes—Owen pushed himself to his feet and marched out to the bar. He couldn’t afford to distract himself with thoughts of the other man. Not when he had a bar to run. Tomorrow . . . he’d work out the details for their get-together then.

Just friends.

That’s all this was.

Cole didn’t quite know how to dress for a brewery tour. He’d stood staring at his closet for a good ten minutes before he finally slipped on his jeans and a long-sleeved crew top. This wasn’t a date, so there was no reason for him to put a lot of effort into his appearance.

So what if he spent a few extra minutes on his hair and took care to shave nice and close? It wasn’t as though he and Owen would be making out or anything; he simply had the extra time to put some effort in. There was nothing wrong with taking pride in his appearance.

That’s all it was.

The storefront of the Steel Anvil Brewery was bursting with holiday decorations. He stepped through the door and was greeted with the sight of a large anvil wearing a Santa hat and wrapped in garland. The smiling Grinch doll must have been an afterthought, set haphazardly on the anvil’s edge. A group of guys who looked to be in their early twenties were taking pictures in front of the anvil. They stopped and stared at him as he came in.

He nodded and quickly moved past in search of Owen.

The room was already full of people, small groups milling around looking at the brewery’s merchandise and laughing. They were all smiling and carrying on as though they didn’t have a care in the world. The lump that had taken up residence in his stomach rolled, making him as annoyed as he was nauseous. There was no reason for him to be nervous for his not-really-a-date.

“Cole!”

At the sound of Owen’s voice, he stood a bit straighter. It took him a second to find the other man, but saw him as a group of twenty-something girls moved away from the bar.

Today might have been nothing more than two friends getting together for some fun, but his cock still took interest at the first sight of him. Owen was also wearing jeans, the same ones that Cole had been ogling his ass in the night he’d gotten punched. But rather than the tight T-shirt he normally had on behind the bar, today Owen had put on a navy-blue button-down. He’d left the collar open, giving Cole a glorious view of his neck.

Shit.

Ignoring his libido, Cole slipped off his jacket and hung it up on the coatrack before making his way to Owen. “Hey.”

Owen was leaning against a long counter that held a cash register at the end. He’d been talking to a bear of a man with a large hipster beard and forearms covered in tattoos. Hipster man was hot. His eyes were a crystal blue that felt as though it could pierce Cole’s soul when directed at him. He was the type of man Cole normally fell for instantly. It was weird, but he didn’t feel the same sense of ease looking at him as he did with Owen.

“Cole, this is Xander. He’s one of the brewmasters here at the Anvil. Xander, this is my knight in shining armor, Cole.”

Xander held out his hand, and Cole did his best not to hold his grasp for too long. Xander’s hands were big and strong, though not as long as Owen’s. “Nice to meet you. I see you’re still sporting a bit of a shiner there.”

Cole touched the sore spot on his cheek. The bruise thankfully hadn’t darkened much more and would no doubt fade quickly. “Yeah. Who knew a drunk could hit that hard.”

“Owen here does. Bastard should have warned you.” Xander chuckled. “I’m just teasing. Every tour participant gets a free half-pint just for showing up. What can I get for you?”

The most Cole knew about beer was that he preferred it cold. Looking to Owen, he cocked an eyebrow. “You’re the expert. What do you suggest?”

Cole shouldn’t have enjoyed seeing the sparkle in Owen’s eyes.

He did.

“You don’t seem to like the dark stuff. They have an IPA here that’s outstanding. That’s what I’m drinking.” To punctuate his point, Owen lifted his glass to his lips and swallowed.

Cole watched the ripple of his throat as the beer went down. Owen’s neck was thick and muscular. Not ripped like someone who spent too much time at the gym, but with just enough muscles that Cole had to fight the urge to lean in and steal a taste. “Uh. Yeah. Sure.”
Brilliant conversationalist you are.

Xander’s gaze drifted between them before his smile widened. “Coming up. You can drink it while you’re on the tour, so no need to rush.”

“Thanks.” Cole looked around after accepting his glass. “This place is cool.”

Owen nodded toward one of the display units. “Let me show you around.”

Cole couldn’t shake his nerves as Owen walked beside him. God, a week ago he’d been happily involved with Steven and looking forward to spending time at a resort. The thought that another man—especially one he barely knew—could so completely capture his attention was a bit terrifying.

It had to be the rebound effect. Nothing more. Because, really, who fell in love with someone else that quickly?

He cleared his throat and looked back at where Xander was now chatting with an older couple. “So I take it the two of you are friends?”

Owen grinned but didn’t meet his gaze. “You could say that. We dated about eight years ago.”

“Oh.” Cole drank the rest of his beer in one gulp. “I didn’t know.”

“How would you?” Owen leaned over a display case that held a series of tubes and glass thermometers. “This isn’t some weird meet-my-ex thing. Xander and I have been nothing more than friends for ages. When somebody told me his microbrewery was on the list participating in the holiday-tour-bonanza thing, I figured this was the best place.”

It shouldn’t have crossed his mind, but the moment Owen said
ex
, the word conjured Steven’s face. “It’s good that the two of you are still friends. Not everyone can say that.”

“Shit, I’m sorry.” Owen placed a hand on his shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze. “I’m an ass. I didn’t think.”

“No, this is good. It’s good to have the reminder that a breakup isn’t the end of the world.” Even if it felt that way. “I’m sure I’ll have to see Steven again at some point. I’d like to think that I’d be able to be his friend.”

Probably not.

Owen’s hand lingered on his shoulder, and Cole wasn’t about to encourage him to move. It was a completely different sensation being touched by him than it had been when Steven was close. For whatever reason, Cole had felt the need to be the dominant one when he was with Steven. Steven would look to him to make the plans, arrange the transportation, book the restaurant reservations. He’d assumed at the time that Steven enjoyed having someone look after him, but now he realized there’d been more to it than that.

Steven still had been in the throes of his breakup throughout the duration of their time together. When the pain of heartache weighed down on you, it was difficult to make decisions. He had done for Steven what Owen was now doing for him: taking the lead and making sure there was nothing to worry about.

The difference was, he knew what Owen was doing for him was temporary. With Steven, he’d never been given the option to be anything other than provider. Not once did Steven take Cole’s needs into account. It was weird he hadn’t realized that before.

“Hey, you okay?” Owen let his hand fall away, and Cole immediately missed the contact.

“I’m good.” He wasn’t going to let anything ruin today. He reached out and cupped Owen’s elbow. “I needed this. Thank you.”

The spark that ignited in Owen’s eyes held more than simple pride. There was a heat behind it that caused Cole’s skin to prickle with awareness.

“If I can have everyone’s attention.” Xander clapped his hands loudly. “We’re going to start the tour. Please follow me into the tank room. Please keep together and be careful not to touch anything. There isn’t a lot of room once we all crowd in. It’s also quite loud with the cooling equipment, so I’d ask if you could keep the chatting down until we get to the bottling room. Thanks so much and here we go.”

Cole moved forward with Owen just behind him. It was strange how quickly he was becoming aware of Owen’s presence; the scent of him, the feel of his body heat against him, the inexplicable craving for physical contact. It shouldn’t be this difficult to keep from leaning back so that they were pressed together.

This wasn’t a date.

He didn’t want a boyfriend.

Shit, he was still dealing with a broken heart.

The crowd was herded into a large, cold room that housed gigantic metal silos. A shiver passed through him and goose bumps rose on his skin despite being covered. Xander stepped up on something so that he was visible to the entire crowd. Good, he needed a distraction, something that would take his mind off of Steven, Owen, and the budding hard-on that was threatening to make his pants far too tight.

“Welcome, everyone, to the heart and soul of the Steel Anvil Brewery. This is where we make our beer.” Xander’s voice cut through the hiss and hum of the machines. “Think of what you’re seeing here as a giant six-pack. Each one of these silos contains a different batch of one of our brews.”

A small woman behind them pushed forward and tried to move through the crowd. The rejigging of the group forced Owen closer so that he was now pressed chest to shoulder, groin to ass against Cole.

“Sorry.” Owen’s breath heated his ear and the side of his neck. “Not a lot of room here.”

Fuck
.

His cock was now fully hard. The sea of bodies in front of him and the press of Owen’s hip against his ass from behind gave him nowhere to retreat. He cleared his throat and tried to focus on Xander’s presentation. Yup, the man’s mouth was moving, which should indicate that words were coming out, but Cole’s hearing had abandoned him.

“You’re tense.” Owen had moved his mouth close to his ear so only Cole would hear his whisper.

“I’m listening.” Well, pretending to listen.

Owen placed a hand on Cole’s hip. “That’s good. Xander’s an interesting speaker.”

Xander clapped again. “Okay, if you look up, you’ll see the large glass window. That’s actually a retractable window. It’s how we bring the barley into the building so we can load it directly into the hopper.”

With his head tilted up, the side of Cole’s face came in line with Owen’s mouth. The scent of cologne hit him hard, as did the light brushing of their faces.

He swallowed hard. “You’re not looking.”

“I’m looking.” Owen tightened his grip on Cole’s hip. “I like what I see.”

Jesus.

“Everyone keep together. We’re now going to go up these stairs and I’ll show you the kettle.”

The last thing he wanted was to get any hotter than he was already. He moved quickly forward, bumping into the woman who’d forced him and Owen together earlier. “Sorry.”

She ignored him.

The tour continued on that way. The crowd would shuffle along, Xander would stop and talk, Owen would come up behind Cole and lightly touch him. The cool air did nothing to douse his arousal, nor did the heated looks Owen sent his way. When they finally went into the basement where the capping machine was housed, Cole was ready to push Owen against the wall and rub off against him right then and there.

Xander stood on a small box and crossed his arms. “This machine is our lifesaver. It washes, fills, labels, and caps every bottle of beer that comes out of Steel Anvil. Believe it or not, we used to do this by hand. The tall, handsome man standing in the back there used to help. He would partake of too many samples, so I had no choice but to buy this beauty and fire his ass. I had to save some money.”

The crowd laughed and most turned to Owen.

“Hey, I wasn’t being paid. I had to get something for my efforts. It was a fair wage.”