Eli Bell is the only son of a police chief inspector and a forensic scientist. He's grown up wonky in a world that only deals with the straight and narrow -- and his new boyfriend isn't helping. Rob Hawkes is six feet of muscle, tattoos, and arrest warrants. A career criminal and a former guest of Her Majesty's Prison Service, he'd rather hit Eli's parents than sit down to dinner with them. One wrong move, and Rob could destroy Eli -- and his family -- without a second thought. But this isn't what it looks like. Rob's not in control here -- and Eli's the one to blame.

What It Looks Like

Without another choice, Eli mentally steeled himself and opened Rob’s bedroom door again, only to find the man himself obliviously asleep.


Eli’s anger died down to a smouldering ember rather than the fire it had been at the sight of him. Rob had curled into the warm spot Eli had left behind, lying on his front with his arms under his chest, head twisted to the side so the bruises faced the ceiling, safe from squashing. The duvet had been wound around him to create a man-burrito, and he was clearly deeply asleep.


Rob rarely looked…well, anything other than a wall of bad attitude and scowls, but at that moment, he looked just a little bit vulnerable. His skin was a greyish colour under the bruising, and he usually didn’t sleep through people shouting right outside his door. He must have been knackered. Eli felt himself softening in spite of the fury that still lurked under the surface, like a shark in still waters.


Chapter 28