During the days, they were fierce nineteen-year-old rivals in a collegiate golf competition, but at night, their passion sizzled under the sheets. After Team USA won, Rio "River" Vargas returned to his native Spain and Greg Thorenson headed back to his home in the United States. But when Rio didn't respond to a letter he sent, Greg wasn't sure if Rio's silence was because Greg had beaten him for the win or because their affair had been only a four-night-fling.<br><br>Now, professionals at the height of their game, they meet again as competitors in a major tournament in the California desert, where the prize of thousands of dollars is at stake. It's been six silent years since those wild, hot nights as young men. Maybe for Rio that earlier passion had been an experiment, an aberration of who he really is and of whatever Greg may have meant to him. But to Greg, that earlier passion had been something deeper ... he had fallen in love.<br><br>Upon seeing Rio again, Greg is torn between ignoring the past or re-igniting the banked embers of emotion to see where they'll lead. But can he risk it? If Greg opens himself to love, and also wins this tournament, Rio may very well walk out of his life a second time ...

Hole in One

Switching on ESPN2, he watched coverage of the day’s play. Watched River’s perfect stance at the tee—feet wider than his shoulders for added strength in hitting, the coordinated pull back and powerful swing that accelerated at the moment of impact with the ball. Greg sighed. River was still a beautiful athlete to watch, no matter what his sexual preference might be these days.


As of today, he and River were four over par and tied for the top of the leader board. River was a long-baller. Strong arms and a near-perfect swing shot were his strengths. Greg couldn’t usually quite match him in that, but echoes of his coaches over the years rang in his mind—It all comes down to the short game. That’s the game that wins, and that’s your strength.Wanna talk about perfection? You’re close to it on the putting green.


He sighed. Time would tell which strength would win out. Enough of ratcheting up my nerves.He switched off the TV.


Chapter 3