Patrick Donovan has spent the last three anniversaries of his lover's suicide getting drunk at Josh Stevens' bar. It's at the bar he feels closest to his lover and to the man he has loved since high school, Josh, his dead lover's cousin. The summer after he graduated high school, Patrick spent one hot night with Josh. When it was over, Josh maintained it was a casual one night-stand, breaking Patrick's heart. Troubled by Patrick's annual visits to the bar, Josh encourages Patrick to move on from his grief. After a disastrous near-encounter, Patrick decides maybe he should move on and forget his love for Josh. But Josh changes his mind when Patrick decides to date other men. After nights of scorching sex, Patrick wonders where he stands once more, but Josh pulls back as he did the summer after high school. Josh doesn't want to be a substitute for the man he believes Patrick still loves.

Pieces

His mouth watering, Patrick nearly swallowed his tongue as he stared at Josh’s bulging biceps and rippling abs. He reached out to touch as Josh knelt on the bed, his hard cock jutting toward him, a drop of pre-cum pearled on the tip.


“Not so fast.” Josh moved away to snag his wash cloth.


“You’ll see. Or feel. Close your eyes.”


Patrick gazed at his lover suspiciously, but smiled and closed his eyes. He waited, feeling Josh moving behind him, toward his legs and ass. He waited to hear the rip of the condom packet or the slosh of lube.


Instead, a drop of ice cold water fell on the crease of his ass. He shivered. “What?”


“Shh.” Josh chuckled as another cold drop fell followed by two more.


“Oh, my God, that’s fucking cold.”


Chapter 22