Jude knows he isn’t relationship material. The entire population of Mars made it abundantly clear he’s damaged goods, and he agrees. His issues are why he works a remote job flying around the galaxy prospecting for metals, and why he ruthlessly quashes any feelings for Cal, his surveying partner.<br><br>Cal has been looking for an opening to suggest he and Jude could be more than friendly coworkers. When they crash on a tundra planet, the men have a lot of free time, and they put it to good use having sex. It’s fun, but Cal wants Jude as a boyfriend, not a friend with benefits.<br><br>Marooned on a hostile world, with Jude’s demons rearing their heads, Cal’s first task is to keep the two of them alive. His second is to convince Jude that, no matter how much he’s suffered, romance can still be in the cards.

Snowed In: Jude and Cal

No point in putting both of them through all the drama, so he decided it was best to nip this in the bud. “I thought we were just having sex.”


Cal attempted to shrug away his obvious disappointment. “I guess we were.”


Jude sighed. Since those stupid emotions seemed to be returning, he decided to man up and give an explanation. “I’m not relationship material.”


Cal’s eyebrows went up. “Ever consider letting someone else be the judge of that?”


He had, and the consensus seemed to be that no sane person wanted to get involved with him. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”


“So what? Did you kill a person or something?” At Jude’s pause, Cal grew nervous. “Please tell me you didn’t murder someone.”


“No! God no. It’s just…if it weren’t for me, other people would still be alive.”


If Cal had pushed, Jude’s defenses would’ve gone up. It seemed like he knew that, because he said nothing at all and watched Jude quietly.


Chapter 13