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

“God,” Jacob sighs. The word is a rush of hope. “Avery—”


“I like you, Jacob.” Avery says it low so no one will overhear him. “A lot. More than I’ve liked anyone in a long time.”


“I like you, too,” Jacob whispers. “I’m glad we haven’t done much more yet, though.”


Avery frowns. He wantsto do more. They’re together, aren’t they? He believes that in relationships, affection is shown through sex. They’ve been playing around for a while now, testing each other, but it’s leading up to more. He knows it is. He wants it to. And he thought Jacob did, too. “Why not?”


Jacob shrugs. “I’ve fooled around,” he says, trying to sound nonchalant. Instead, he sounds scared, like Avery will run away because he won’t like what he has to say. “Just rushed into things, I guess. Never really had a boy of my own. Not like…”


Chapter 22