Deputy Mark Forrest and Nurse Francis Archer can’t deny the chemistry that arises between them. A chance meeting awakens the idea of something greater than either had ever imagined.<br><br>Mark craves being able to let go, and Francis loves to take him out of his head. But Mark’s past bears a truckload of personal demons that have kept him in the closet and made him lash out at the LGBTQ community in the town he’s come to regard as home.<br><br>Despite finding love and a new purpose in Acker, Francis’s new job might end up being temporary, and he doesn't want to lose the life he's settled into. Can the two of them build a future together despite a bitter past, and diverging paths?

Thirteen

For a moment, Francis let Mark take control of the kiss, as if sensing that it was exactly what he needed. He’d kissed before, girls in his youth and a couple of women in his adulthood, because that was expected. None of those kisses had felt like this.


If he hadn’t been certain of his sexuality before, just the press of his lips to Francis’s made it crystal clear. His heart was beating a mile a minute and he could feel his cock starting to plump up in his jeans. Holy fuck.


Then Francis tightened his hold on Mark’s skull, gently probed his lips open with his tongue, and Mark’s brain short-circuited. All he could feel were the points of contact between him and Francis. He was pretty sure he was making a noise, but the blood rushing through him whooshed in his ears and he was maybe, probably, going to die.


When Francis pulled away, Mark chased his lips, blinking in confusion.


Francis chuckled. “Okay, so kissing is good, I take it?”


Chapter 41