Serge Zumpano is obsessed with René Glass, owner of Crumbs Together, the local bakery and patisserie. Not only is the man gorgeous, but his pastries are so good, they make Serge weak in the knees. Put both together, and he's a gonner. Serge knows he has it bad when just tasting a cinnamon roll has him sporting, er ... well. But, as addicted as he is to the man's decadent creations, Serge doesn't see himself as good enough for someone like René, famous the world over and completely out of his league.<br><br>René won't let that stop him, however, because he has his eye on Serge, too. Step one: get Serge to build him a second shop. Step two: get the man to come over to his house. Step three: seduce him with pastry. Naturally, it's not that simple. But Serge is René's obsession, and he won’t let him get away.

Crumbs Together

I pulled up a chair and sat next to his bed. “I know you wanted me to come over to your place again, but there are better ways, you know?” I said, trying out a smile as I looked him over. He appeared weak and washed out.


“Yeah,” he rasped, “but hey, now you’re here!” Then he launched into a coughing fit.


I rubbed his back as he practically hacked up a lung.


When he was done, he collapsed against the pillows and closed his eyes. “Sorry.”


“Nothing to be sorry for. You just need to take it easy for a while. You’ve got some good friends out there, you know? They seem to be willing to do anything for you, even run your shop for a while.”


René smiled. “They’re the best. We’ve been there for each other through some interesting times. It creates a strong bond.” He coughed a little, then wiped his nose on a tissue. “So did you like Bryce’s pastries better than mine?”


Chapter 6