The Great North, Quebec, 1934. Joe Vega, the Beast, has been locked up in Linhart Prison for three years. The brutish guards harass him because of his size, but Joe remains cool. Until Christophe Dubois, the disowned son of an affluent politician, is led into Joe's cell. From the moment Joe sees him, he suspects the ginger-head is trouble. Christophe is bold, curious, and feisty, and Joe can't resist the temptation of climbing into the man's bunk for long. However, the beautiful spoiled Christophe is a furnace to which both guards and convicts want to warm their hands, and Joe must fight to keep Christophe safe. Linhart Prison may be a cruel place, but when the two men are released from its walls, they find an even tougher world out there. Is the flame burning between Joe and Chris enough to keep them together?

Linhart's Beautiful Beast

“Would you?” Dubois’s voice was barely a whisper. “Would you kill me if I slipped into your bed one night?”


What was it about Dubois that made him feel so incapable, so meek, like a man lost at sea with no point of reference, no map, no sun, no stars, only this black sky of possibilities, each one more terrifying than the next?


Yet, as lost as he was, Joe had never felt so free.


“You don’t have to answer me.” Dubois sighed and stretched out, lying on his back. “If I come to you, and you do hurt me, I won’t mind it so much.”


In the middle of the night, the bomb went off in Joe’s head again and he opened his eyes, looking into the dark cell.


If he didn’t touch Dubois tonight, he’d go mad.


Joe sat up, and then rubbed his face, trying to restrain himself. He didn’t want to hurt Dubois, but he was afraid of his own urgent need. He’d go to him. Yes, he’d climb in next to him.


Chapter 35