Fourteen years ago, on the banks of Craving’s Creek, Ryde swore to his best friend Alistair he’d never be alone in the world. Though Alistair was destined for the priesthood, there was something beyond holy about the first kiss they shared. But a fun camping trip went horribly wrong when Alistair was involved in a horrific incident. Now, at age thirty-one, Ryde’s life is a mess of alcohol and the painful imprint of his last look into Alistair’s desperate eyes. Since the evil they encountered on that shore, his first love has been lost to him ... until he learns a friend’s wedding is to be officiated by a priest named Father Alistair Genet. Amid the rush of emotions, one thought crystallizes: Ryde’s love for Alistair has never died. It’s stronger than ever. But can it win over the repressed memories slowly tearing Alistair’s mind apart?

Craving's Creek

“Wow, I got it exactly right.” Alistair walks around me. “I wasn’t sure about the shoulders.”


“You got the measurements right,” I say, keeping the shirt on. I like it. I like the way it feels on me.


“I know your body by heart,” he says, and then steps back as if he’s been struck. “I mean, you know, because I see you every day.”


It doesn’t matter what he will or won’t admit because I know it all already.


“So, you like it?” he asks gently and touches the shirt’s collar.


“I really do.” I put my hands on his neck and bend my face to his. His lips are warm and soft, and he opens his mouth again, pushing his tongue against mine. We kiss harder and deeper than the last time, and he feels so fantastic in my arms. He’s holding my waist, and I want to put my hand on his butt. I slide my hand down his lower back, waiting for a sign, my body tuned to his, and when I touch him there, he groans a little, pressing himself harder against me. I feel his hard-on on my thigh. My head is swimming.


Chapter 20