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

Another kiss, this one lingering. Jacob tastes it even after Avery pulls back. “Every time you say it,” he murmurs, his lips feathery against Jacob’s own, “I’m going to say it, too. So neither of us forgets.”


One more kiss. Avery’s lips are sweet and soft and damp. His hands lie across Jacob’s back, the fingers entangled in the ends of Jacob ‘s hair. When Avery rolls Jacob against the mattress, he whispers Jacob’s name as if he’s in rapture. It’s a prayer to save them both. He’s so heavy above Jacob, a delicious weight in the darkness. Between them Jacob feels Avery harden again, hungry for more. “I love you.” 7


Chapter 51