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

When she sighs, he knows she’s thinking all those things and more. He suspects that now she’s going to lecture him on being discreet. He’ll apologize for staying the weekend in Jacob’s room, even though he loved every minute of it. He’s not even sure if she knows about that, but he thinks she might. She’s his mother—she knows everything. He’ll swear it won’t happen again and he’ll promise to keep things quiet between them but it’s so hard when Jacob’s all he can think about. And Jacob’s not exactly the silent type. But if she starts in on him, he’ll tell her they will try to keep their relationship a secret. As if the whole school doesn’t already know.


But she surprises him when she asks, “Do you know where he is?”


Avery wipes his eyes with his sleeve. “I think I might have an idea.” He speaks slowly, still waiting for the lecture.


It never comes. When she speaks, her voice is soft, motherly. Her hand squeezes his in a comforting gesture. “Then go find him.”


Chapter 62