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

Erm. How to answer that and not be a liar? “Um.”


“Beau, just tell me what’s going on.” She dropped listlessly back into the chair, staring at the floor.


“Look, Dee, I didn’t want it to be like this,” he said. “We had fun together, didn’t we? And I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…I never wanted to make you unhappy, but I didn’t know what to do. I’m not, I mean it isn’t what you think, but I don’t know how to make it okay for you. It’s, well, it’s kinda bad.”


She didn’t say anything, just looked at him with those wet forget-me-not eyes, her lip trembling.


“I’m not seeing another girl,” he said. Beau chewed his bottom lip ragged. “Look, I didn’t, I’m not even really seeing…Truth of the matter is, I’ve always known, I just didn’t know how to deal with it, back home. I never meant things to get this crazy. It’s not you. It’s not anything you did. I just don’t feel that way.”


Chapter 19