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

One more year,Avery had thought while up on the altar. His gaze slid over the blank faces of the students and that’s when he saw Jacob, leaning out into the aisle to get a good look at him. At him.So frank, so audacious. That was when Avery knew he would get with that boy. He hadto.


And then he did get with him, at Parker Reid’s party. This promises to be a good year.


It’s not long before they’re inseparable. Every morning after mass, Avery walks Jacob to his first class. He wants to hold Jacob’s hand or kiss him and he hates the fact that he can’t. They have to be careful. After his lunch, Jacob waits for Avery outside, and they talk for a minute before he races off to class. If it’s raining, he waits just inside the cafeteria doors, peering out the small window with a slight frown on his face until he sees Avery. Then he smiles, brightening the whole day. Avery loves that smile more than anything else. He hates to see it disappear.


Chapter 20