He was supposed to be decompressing, not chasing a golden idiot through frozen mud. Midnight Mysteries droned in his left earbud, something about a haunted lighthouse and a phantom foghorn. He usually found the host’s stories relaxing. Instead, Ritz dragged him into chaos instead. “Ritz. Get back here!” he called.
The dog wasn’t listening. Ritz bolted across the grass like a probie trying to impress the chief, but Ryder wasn’t his chief, and the dog impressed him by being good, not causing mayhem. Ears flapping, the golden retriever kicked up patches of frost and mud as he zoomed away. He headed for the circle of light by the picnic tables.
Ryder lunged after him, already knowing it was a lost cause. Ritz was fast on a normal day, but in full zoomie mode, he was unstoppable. But maybe… Ryder lunged, but Ritz veered away at the last second, obviously thinking the whole thing was a great game.
Instead of stopping his wayward dog before he plowed into the person Ryder just noticed standing near the picnic table, he tripped on a tuft of dead grass and barreled into them instead. He only just managed to catch his footing to keep them from both going down.
A shocked silence descended as Ryder looked down to meet the big, dark brown eyes staring at him. Then the sweet scent of chocolate invaded his nose, and he came back to his senses. He stepped back, looked down, and saw a splash of what must’ve been a mocha or hot cocoa splashed all over the guy’s coat. A travel mug lay on the grass at their feet.
“Oh, shit. Oh, no. I’m so sorry.” Ryder winced and looked around as if the dog park had a paper towel dispenser on hand. “Can I…?” His voice trailed off.
The man carefully set a camera case he held in one hand down on the picnic table before looking down at his soaked coat. His dark eyes crinkled at the corner before his look of surprise turned to amusement. “You didn’t even give me a chance to say watch where you’re going.”
Ryder groaned, already shrugging out of his heavy winter coat. Beneath it, we wore a thick flannel shirt over a long-sleeved thermal. He didn’t hesitate as he whipped off the flannel andhanded it to the soaked man. “Here,” he said and pulled his coat back on. “Dry yourself off with this. I’m so sorry. Ritz is a menace, really.”
As if to deny any and all charges, his dog trotted over, tongue lolling, and smiled up at them. He was entirely unbothered by the chaos he’d caused. His tail wagged, his face as bright and stupidly happy as ever. The desire for high-speed mayhem forgotten, he circled them both and begged for attention.
“I’m Lucas, by the way,” the man said as he leaned over to scratch Ritz around the ears. He dabbed half-heartedly at the cocoa before shrugging and handing the shirt back to Ryder.
Their eyes met once more, and Ryder tried not to react. Those pretty brown eyes and high cheekbones probably belonged to a straight man, statistics and Ryder’s luck being what they were. This wasn’t a meet cute in some romance novel, after all. “Ryder,” he offered with a quick shake of his head to rattle his brains back into position.
Lucas didn’t look ticked off, more amused. “Very graceful,” he said and flashed a devastatingly bright smile. “I guess you don’t work as a ballet instructor.”
Ryder snorted and brushed his hand over his thick, blond beard. “Not exactly. I’m an EMT, so if you’re injured or anything…” What was he going to do, offer to examine the man there in the cold at the dog park? A quick scan up and down the man’s lean frame tried to convince his brain – or something lower down – that it wasn’t a bad idea. He was about the same height but angular where Ryder had bulk. His legs looked impossibly long in the slim, worn jeans.
He shook his head again. “You sure you’re okay?” Ritz wandered off to sniff around the picnic tables and light pole, but he knew the dog wouldn’t go far.
Lucas bent to retrieve his mug and frowned down into its empty depths. “I’m okay, but this was a tragic loss. That was my last packet of the good stuff. Belgian blend cocoa.”
“Shit, now I actually feel bad,” Ryder said, and he did, which was ridiculous.
“You should. It’s an unforgivable offense.” Lucas sighed dramatically, then shot Ryder a sideways glance, the corner of his pink lips twisting up. “I might be open to indemnification.”
Ryder’s thick brows gathered, and he stroked his mustache. Was the guy flirting with him or just joking around? He didn’t have much hope of recognizing signals when he hadn’t slept properly in three days. Also, how much of a big dumb oaf would he look like if he had to admit he didn’t know that word. “Indemnification?”
“You know, compensation,” Lucas said, his smile widening. “To atone for your crimes. A replacement cup of cocoa, perhaps.”
He opened his mouth, but nothing came out, which was weird. Ryder wasn’t exactly the flustered type. Something about this guy’s teasing confidence, the way he threw that out there with zero hesitation, took him off guard. Add in the quick down-up glance that lingered on his thick chest for a breath, and things began to get interesting.
Not that he had time for interesting. His schedule was a mess, and his group of long-time buddies and hookups at a club the next town over were all he could manage. Dates never went anywhere. There were too many missed calls and last-minute cancelations. He wasn’t an asshole. He was an EMT, and responding to emergencies always ranked higher than men. He didn’t blame them.
Ryder let his gaze roam over the man in front of him again. He could handle this one, but not at the dog park at midnight. Even though it grew colder by the minute, Ryder tugged the sleeves of his thermal up. Plenty of guys had complimented hisforearms in the past, thick with prominent veins and a dusting of light hair.
What the hell was he doing right after deciding there was no way this random meeting would go anywhere? He could buy Lucas the best cocoa on Earth, and it would still go nowhere.
Lucas noticed, though, dropping his gaze again and pressing his lips together, and Ryder noticed him noticing. For a split second, he considered saying yes, let’s go get you that cocoa. Why not? He had the night off and wasn’t on call for a change unless something huge went down. Ritz had enough exercise, and Lucas was definitely intriguing.
Before he could make up his mind, Ritz bounded up and launched himself at Lucas’s legs again. The man staggered back a step and let out a startled laugh. “Okay, wow. Not a fan of personal space, huh?”
Would saying something like, ‘I’m a fan of your personal space’ be totally cheesy? Yes. Ryder gritted his teeth to prevent the night from getting any worse. “He’s a disaster of a dog,” he said instead, but with a chuckle to make sure Lucas didn’t think he was a bad pet owner.
“He’s perfect.” He crouched to give out some belly rubs to the wiggling retriever.
Something in Ryder’s chest clenched. Most people wouldn’t be so nice when getting doused in their own cocoa. “So,” he said after watching them for a moment. “You want me to track down some fancy imported cocoa for you?”
He stood up and tilted his head much like Ritz did when Ryder spoke nonsense to him. “Hmm. That could work, or you know, you could buy me a replacement cup at the café sometime.” Before Ryder could answer, Lucas’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and tapped the screen. “I’m sorry, rain check on the cocoa.” His smile disappeared.
Ryder hesitated. He didn’t know this guy at all. This wasn’t his business. Still, he opened his mouth anyway. “Everything okay?”
