Sixteen year old Jacob Smithson has quite a temper. He’s picked on by other kids because he likes boys, and recent fighting has kicked him out of public school. As a last resort, his parents have placed him in the St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Boarding School for Boys.<br><br>It’s at his first mass at St. Thomas where he sees Avery Dendritch, a senior who serves as altar boy during the service. When they meet, the attraction between them is hard to deny. The two become fast friends, and as the school year progresses, their friendship deepens into something more. For the first time, Jacob has found a place where he belongs ... and someone with whom he’s falling in love.<br><br>But the other students gossip about their growing relationship, and while Avery can ignore them, Jacob cannot. As the rumors and slurs start up again, can he curb his temper, or will his penchant for fighting get him expelled from St. Thomas, as well?

Without Sin

His book is right where he left it, half shoved beneath the seat so no one will see it. He snatches it up and sticks it with the others in his arms, which he hugs to his chest as he hurries from the church. At the doors to the vestibule he stops and dips his hand into the holy water, which is colder than he thought it would be. He feels it bead on his forehead as he makes the sign of the cross before leaving.


In the vestibule only a few students remain, mostly upperclassmen who don’t have morning classes or who work in the church before lunch. Jacob stares straight ahead to keep from looking at anyone, and he’s almost made it outside when someone steps up beside him. “Hey, there.”


Jacob whirls around and finds himself face to face with Avery, that wicked half-smile on the boy’s lips again. Avery is only a few inches shorter than Jacob. When he looks up at Jacob, light shines deep in those crystalline eyes, making Jacob catch his breath. He’s never seen eyes that pretty, ever.


Chapter 5