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

“I’m not sure. Maybe a month ago.”


Yes, when I first returned to his life. I’ve woken something inside him. I’m stirring the sediments at the bottom of his mind.


“Did you read this filth?” he asks.


I fix my eyes to the page again and read. I went there. He didn’t want to fuck me, but his cock was hard.


He watches me. “Why would I write such a thing?”


“Come here.” I cup his face in my hands. “I love you,” I say, because there’s nothing else I can or want to say in this moment. I don’t care if it’s too much too soon. I can’t waste one more lousy minute pretending anymore. “I love you,” I say again, leaning my forehead to his. “I never stopped.”


“No.” He shoots back into his seat, pushing my hands off him. “No, no.”


“Alistair, stop.” I grab his face again. “Stop,” I say more softly. “Just stop.” I kiss his mouth very gently. “It’s me. It’s me, Alistair.”


He looks at me, his defenses coming down. “Ryde.”


Chapter 54