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

He grabs my hand and tugs it down to his cock.


“No,” I say, moving my hand away. “I don’t want that.” I touch his face again. “No. Okay? No.”


His eyes have lost their hateful glow, and he seems confused. So lost. He moves back from me. I watch him, waiting.


He glances down at himself and back to me. “What?”


“No, it’s okay.” I take him by the shoulders. “We’re okay.”


“I’m naked, Ryde.” He covers himself with a hand. “What did we do?”


“No, look, it was a lot for you to see my family again, to see my house. Your old street—”


“Oh, I can’t.” He looks around, despairing. “I can’t do this anymore. No, I can’t. I don’t want to. I can’t live like this.”


My heart breaks for him. So much pain. Why does he have to endure all this? I lean my head to his. “You have no idea the progress that you’re making. Please, Alistair, please. Let me help you. Let me take you to see a doctor.”


Chapter 63