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

When he parts his lips and I taste his tongue, I hear myself grunt and I can’t help gripping the nape of his hair. He presses up against me, breathing into my ear. “Just a little more,” he says, his voice shaking.


I slow down and try to catch his eye. “Are you okay? Are you sure?” I’m breathless, my heart beating through my chest. “Alistair—”


“I want to give you more,” he says, putting his mouth to my ear, sending chills down my spine. “I don’t know how much. I don’t know…”


“It’s okay. It’s okay.” I kiss him again, his lips, his neck. I feel like I’m on sacred ground. “Come here.” I gently push him back on the couch, and leaning over him, slide my hand down his chest, his quivering stomach.


We’re seventeen again. In his house. It’s hot. Summer. The sound of lawn mowers. The scent of him. Lemongrass. Soap. His breath is my breath. I melt into him. My mind is unhinged. I want to hear him say my name in pleasure.


“Wait.” Brusquely, he pushes me off and sits up. “No. No. Wait.”


Chapter 68