Three times burned, Br’er Harris swears off efforts to find love. He still has needs, though, which he satisfies by becoming a paid escort. Widower Ray Cunningham wants to explore the feelings of attraction to men he’s had most of his life but has kept hidden for fear of rejection from his ultra-conservative family. Ray doesn’t want a relationship with a man; he just wants to satisfy his urges with no-strings hook-ups. And the easiest way to achieve this is to hire an escort. Ray’s first encounter is with Br’er, and they’re instantly and powerfully drawn to each other. The attraction is so powerful and disturbing, each privately vows to never see the other again. However, their feelings will not be denied. Br’er accepts a second meeting, which leads to a third, then a fourth. Despite his previous history with relationships, Br’er knows Ray is the one for him. Unfortunately, Ray’s fear of being outed to his family keeps him from being able to offer more than clandestine meetings in out of town hotel rooms. Br’er says it’s enough, but Ray knows he deserves better. Ray is faced with a decision. Can he let Br’er go to find the love he deserves, or will he be able to throw open the closet door and live openly with the man he’s hardwired to love?

Hardwired for Love

When they finally hung up, Ray sat on the couch for a long time. He got up and went to the computer, logged off the Internet, and shut the computer down. Even though he’d been interrupted merely in the process of contacting the escort site, his conversation with his daughter had shaken him. What if Adrienne—or anyone for that matter, friends, family, work—discovered what he was up to? He had too much to lose. He decided to forget this whole stupid idea. He didn’t need to explore his sexual needs that badly. He’d lived this much of his life as a straight man; he could live out the rest of it that way as well. The alternative was too big a risk. 4


“Br’er, this is the craziest idea you’ve ever come up with, and you’ve had some real doozies,” Mazie said, leaning against the doorframe of Br’er’s bedroom, watching him brush his hair. She held Mickey in her arms and was lazily scratching his head.


Chapter 4