When unlikely attraction blossoms between a twentysomething genderqueer tattoo artist and an older, small-town veterinarian, both are forced to face their pasts for a chance at a loving future. Four years ago Padraig Donovan lost his husband, the only man he’d ever been with. Now his life consists of the work he loves, a big empty house, and the possibility of a lonely future. Kaos’s experiments with makeup landed him in the hospital at the hands of his disapproving ex. With nowhere else to turn, he flees to Acker, Wisconsin ... and runs into a sexy widower and the kindest man he’s ever met. Padraig and Kaos know there’s something worth exploring between them, and as they raise a puppy and deal with the ups and downs of their respective jobs, they fit into each other’s lives in ways they never expected. Being with Kaos -- who is so different than the guys he’s always been attracted to -- opens up an exciting new world for Padraig. But can he convince Kaos to trust another man with his body ... let alone his heart?

Four

Not that he thought for a second that Padraig would become violent, but then again, he’d never thought that about Trev either, and look at where that got him. In any case, Padraig hadn’t left Kaos’s mind since they’d met earlier that day, and now it was nearly morning again.


Kaos had woken up to a vague nightmare. Makai and Emil’s couch wasn’t exactly super comfortable to sleep on, but he’d slept on worse, so it was fine for now. Mouse had padded to him within minutes of him waking and was now sprawled on top of his chest, purring quietly as if to comfort him. He couldn’t sleep, though, despite her efforts. He looked out of the window into the ever-so-slowly lightening morning and made plans for the day.


Chapter 17