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

They were at the apartment again that weekend. It seemed that since New York, Ray wanted to be there rather than stay at a hotel after they went out for the evening. It made their relationship feel more normal to him and less like a tawdry affair.


“No. She insisted it would be better to do it in person.”


Ray had waited until they had gone to bed to tell Br’er about Adrienne’s phone call. Since he didn’t know what it was all about he didn’t want to say anything in front of Mazie. Ray had come to know her well enough to know that divining a mystery such as this was just what Mazie thrived on. It would trip her into wild speculation about what could be going on. He was reasonably sure it wasn’t anything to be concerned about. However, he didn’t need anyone to make any far-out suggestions that might trip him into worry.


“What is it about? Alex, do you think?”


Ray shrugged. “I don’t know. I can’t even guess.”


Chapter 37