Change of Course (Change of Hearts #3) - Sierra Hill Page 0,1

if he finally realized why I’d ask. “Oh, yes. It was perfect. I probably shouldn’t have another one. I’ve got work to do.”

I lean over the edge, my belly and hip scraping over the marbled counter, and push my mouth next to his ear. Oh man, he smells incredible. A crisp soapy scent mixed with expensive cologne. Probably French. Definitely not the cheap over-the-counter shit I get lungfuls of in this place on any given night. Nah, this man is high class and far too above the fray in here.

Which means I can’t help but find a way to fluster the shit out of him.

“You know, if you want it even dirtier, I can do that for you. I’m really good at making it dirty.”

I slink back off the counter, tucking the edge of my shirt back down where it had risen over my belly, showing off my sleek abs and skin. I lick my lips enticingly and step back. Apparently, Mr. Put-Together got a nice view of my stomach before I covered it back up because I notice the twitch of his fingers and the tightening of his jaw.

Without meaning to, I burst out laughing, waving my hand in the air at him. “Oh my God, dude. You should see yourself right now. Did I just insult your tender sensibilities with my innuendo?”

In a flash, he jerks his shoulders back with righteous indignation.

“No,” he scoffs, rolling his eyes. “I was just trying to figure out if you meant the drink or something else.”

Once again, I bend over the counter, my elbows pinched tight to my ribs, hands clasped in front of me, and give him an innocent lift of my eyebrow.

“I guess if you don’t know, then you don’t want what I have to offer.”

I spin on my heels, ready to walk away when I feel his large hand curl firmly around my forearm, jerking me back toward him.

Now that’s what I’m talking about. I like a firm grasp on a man. I like the sting of pain and the heat from his grip. I whip my head up and stare him down, holding his gaze.

“No, I do know what I want.” His eyes travel the length of my body, his piercing eyes blazing with desire. “And the drink is only a start.”

1

Lucas

I think my first love has always been art.

My Aunt Meredith would take me into New York when I was a kid from my home in Connecticut to attend art gallery shows and museum exhibits. I was fascinated and thrilled with the way artists could shape, mold, and paint such vivid, glorious works, creating life through their art.

That love grew and developed until I majored in Art History in college – much to my family’s chagrin – which led me into a role as a college professor after graduation. I never seemed to fit within anyone’s mold. I played basketball and majored in art. A truly odd combination but they were my two passions.

My second love hit me out of nowhere like a 100-mile per hour fastball into the solar plexus when I was twenty. And caused me more sleepless nights than anything else ever would.

It happened during my sophomore year in college while I was playing basketball on the men’s team with Garrett Parker. He was and is still my best friend. And during that year as roommates, I fell in love with him.

The problem with this love story?

Garrett is straight and he believes I am too. As does my family. No one knows I’m gay because I’ve never come out. And I certainly never expressed my unrequited love to my best friend. I’m not stupid and didn’t want to lose my friendship.

Which left me with pitiful options. I learned to manage my thirst for Garrett when he went off to play in the NBA and got married, and I quietly created a life in Tempe, Arizona, dating women who never did anything for me but left me pining for the one I really wanted.

But I have had secretive hookups on the down low with men. Like I did this past summer with the pretty bartender from Cactus Pete’s.

So here I am, on the first day of a new school year when I should be excited and exhilarated over the chaotic rush of the fall semester. Where I have the opportunity to influence young minds, educating them on the beauty of art, and introducing them to a plethora of cultures and diversity within the world –