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

“How the hell did you do that?” Vin demanded, sticking his finger back in his mouth.


“Farm boy, remember?” Beau clipped a few more wires into place. “I’ve probably built more chicken coops and cages and Halloween costumes using chicken wire than you have cooked hot meals.”


“I don’t know that I’ve cooked anyhot meals,” Vin said.


“Well, there you go, then,” Beau said. “Really, will you stop bleeding all over the scenery?”


“I think it’s stopped,” Vin said. He pulled his now somewhat raisiny finger out of his mouth again to look. “Yeah, mostly.”


“It’s your hand,” Beau said. He wrapped the black plastic ruffle around the chicken wire frame and stapled it into place. “Don’t cry to me if it falls off.”


Vin wrapped his arms around Beau’s chest, whispering in his ear. “I think you’ll be the one to cry if my hand falls off,” he said, stroking down the side of Beau’s cheek with his unwounded fingers. “I’m really good at using it.”


Chapter 21