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

So he dropped it on the bedspread with a packet of tissues, and began to warm the lube in his hands.


“One day,” he said, almost conversationally, “I am going to get it through to you that it’s not acceptable to get aggressive every time someone says something you don’t like. One day, you are going to grasp that there’s a time and a place to be an arsehole, and at family dinners in front of four-year-olds isn’t it.”


Rob twitched, knees shifting further apart, when Eli pressed the first finger inside. His head turned to the side, as though trying to look at Eli through the blindfold, but he said nothing.


“I can excuse why you lost your temper this time,” Eli continued blithely, working the second finger in before Rob was really ready for it. Let him feel the sting. “Coming to my defence, I can excuse that. I can even appreciate it. But I told you specifically to behave and not lose your temper.”


“That’s another five strikes,” Eli interrupted.


Chapter 40