From the farms of Tennessee, Beau Watkins had it all in high school: the cute girl, the popular jock lifestyle, a loving family. As a rising freshman at an out-of-state college, he's determined to find out who he really is behind the fake it 'til you make it attitude. He joins Rainbow Connection, the gay student alliance, hoping to find himself. Instead, he meets Vin Reyes. Raised by his grandparents and the heir to a prosperous company, Vin has been out of the closet since he figured out what that meant. He has it all: fashionable clothing, fancy cars, huge houses, and a real party lifestyle, even a bodyguard. Most of all, he has a secret. Uncomfortable with Vin's generosity, Beau fights his growing attraction for the president of Rainbow Connection, instead chasing a series of shallow affairs. Vin's never been denied anything he wants, though, and now he wants Beau. But it isn’t until an old rival puts Beau in the hospital that Vin realizes Beau means more to him than a simple affair. Can the two of them bridge the gap between their worlds and roll with the all the punches life throws at them?

On a Roll

Beau’s in good hands,Vin argued with himself. Hector was outspoken, free with his affections and desires, but generally not deliberately hurtful. Hector was more like a child in an ice cream store: he wanted to taste everything and so at the end of the trip, he didn’t want the cone anymore.


Vin closed his eyes, feeling the beat of the music thrum against his eyelids. When he opened them, Hec and Beau were gone. Bar, right. Tucking up against grain-smooth wood and peeling leather, Vin offered a single, crisp, hundred-dollar bill to the perky girl behind the bar with the huge eyes and too much lipstick. “Bourbon, please. Let me know when I’ve used it up.”5


Chapter 11