Heavy metal backbeat vs. the classics. Bassist Kit Barlow doesn't have time for romance. He's holding down two jobs and playing in a heavy metal band -- while raising his seven-year-old son by himself. But when Ebon joins the Cub Scouts, Kit can't help but notice his group leader, Max Hill. Max is everything Kit likes in a man: tall, dark, and determined. The two men come up with a way to keep their nosy families from trying to set them up with every available man in the city: they'll pretend to be dating each other. In between the afternoon pool games and the Sunday mac 'n cheese, Kit and Max find their pretend romance is developing some real heat. There's only one problem now -- Kit finds out Max despises rock and roll music. How's a heavy metal rocker supposed to woo a man who only likes classical music? Can they make their relationship work, or will they find their differences hit a sour note?

Backbeat Rhythm

And that was how he found himself standing in the crowd on the evening of the concert. Not even his sisters or mother could convince him to arrive early and compare Kit’s band to some of the earlier performers. It was going to be bad enough having to listen to that so-called vocalist screaming at him for however long Kit’s band would be performing. He could only hope the industrial-strength earplugs he’d bought would be enough to protect him from permanent hearing loss.


They’d taken the stage right around sunset, which worked in Max’s favor, as he didn’t imagine the performers could see much of the audience in the gathering darkness. After all, he didn’t want a big confrontation—he simply wanted to see what it was that his boyfriend loved doing so much.


Chapter 29