Daniel Greene is an artist with an exhibition coming up which he should be excited about, except he isn’t. He can’t sleep, he has no enthusiasm for social activities, and his constant tears and dark thoughts alarm him. When he’s finally diagnosed with depression, he starts the slow process of resisting the dark lure.<br><br>One day Oliver Campbell arrives at Daniel’s gate to deliver art supplies. He’s tall and muscular, and for the first time in a long while, Daniel feels there might be light at the end of the tunnel.<br><br>Yet Oliver has a secret. He has a son, five-year-old Cameron. When he reveals this to Daniel the morning after their first date, Daniel has the courage to reveal his own secret battle with depression. Will these two men be able to accept each other’s secrets and go forward together?

The Darkest Hour

“Now where’s that tiramisu?” he asked, patting me playfully on the bottom.


“I’m surprised you have any room left after that,” I said.


I bent down to pull my pants up, but Oliver grabbed my arm.


“Leave them,” he said. “Take them off. And your shirt.”


“You like being naked. Be naked for me. Let me admire your body.”


I was entranced. And something about being naked in front of him while he was still fully clothed turned me on. I removed all my clothing, including my shoes and socks, and stood before him completely bare.


“Turn around,” he said. “Show me.”


I did as he asked, turning slowly on the spot so he could admire my body.


“You’re beautiful,” he said. “Where’s that tiramisu?”


Chapter 16