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

After their plane had landed at LaGuardia and they’d picked up their bags, they took a cab to midtown Manhattan where they checked into, as was usual, a five-star hotel. Br’er noted with pleasure that Ray navigated the check-in process much more calmly than he had at the Radisson. He wasn’t sure what to attribute this to—the fact that they were hundreds of miles from home in a city of millions where the chance of running into a familiar face was nil, or that Ray was getting more comfortable being seen with Br’er. He hoped it was the latter.


They spent some time in their room welcoming each other to New York by engaging in some very satisfying sex before showering and going down to dinner. Since they had time before their reservation, they went to the bar and had a drink. Ray was relaxed, smiling, and apparently happy as they made their way to the hotel restaurant.


“Reservation for Cunningham,” Ray said to the ma?tre d’.


Chapter 22