Jason Townsend has issues with the older men in his life. His current boyfriend Jared is also his boss and, while the two get along wonderfully in the bedroom, their relationship at the office is tense and uncomfortable. Jason’s relationship with his father is also strained -- they grew apart when Jason came out shortly after his parents divorced. The only person Jason has ever been able to rely on is his mother. So when she announces she’s met Mr. Right, Jason is skeptical. When he meets her new boyfriend, handsome professor Paul Everett, he quickly realizes he and Paul have more in common than their connection to his mother. The two men had slept together the previous summer. Paul refuses to break things off with Jill, claiming he enjoys being with women and telling Jason their hook-up was a one-time thing that didn’t mean much to him. Unwilling to tell his mother about his past with Paul, Jason stews in silence as he watches his mother and Paul grow closer. At the same time, he finds himself becoming more and more attracted to Paul. When he can’t stand it any longer, Jason makes a pass at his mother’s boyfriend and is surprised his affections aren’t spurned. Even though Jason finds himself falling in love with Paul, he knows he’s betraying his mother and he hates himself for it. She’s always been his staunchest ally, and sleeping with her boyfriend abuses the trust between them. Can Jason love a man who’s also deceiving his mother? When he’s forced to choose between Paul and his mother, the decision isn’t as easy as it seems.

Daddy Issues

I shook my head. I didn’t want anything except to get the hell out of there.


When my father pulled his car to a stop beside my own in front of the garage, I thanked him again for dinner. I’d thanked him at the restaurant, but felt the need to thank him again.


He cut the engine and looked at me. “Do you need anything?”


“No,” I told him. I was anxious to get out of his car and into my own, but felt I hadn’t been formally dismissed yet.


He reached for his wallet and pulled a check from it. “Here,” he said, shoving the folded piece of paper into my hand.


I didn’t even bother looking to see how much the check was written for; I just stuffed it into my jacket pocket. “Thanks, Dad. I appreciate it.”


He nodded and unlocked the car doors, signaling I was free to go. He watched me back my car out of the driveway and disappeared into the house before I’d even driven away.  6


Chapter 22