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

“Alistair, I’m warning you. Don’t you even think about it.”


“Or what?” He steps back a few feet and stands on one foot, pulling his shoe off.


“No, no, no, you don’t.” I show him the fall, the rocks. “You’re not a limber little kid anymore.”


“Who says I’m not limber?” He jerks his belt off and drops his jeans. Staring boldly at me, he slips his T-shirt over his head and tosses it to the side. He stands there, glorious and defiant—my man. “Will you come after me?” He stands back on a heel and I see he’s summoning up his courage.


“Come on,” I whine. Yes, I’m scared. I’m not jumping off that damn cliff. “Baby, don’t make me.”


“Fuck it,” he says, cursing for the first time since I’ve known him, and his whole face hardens—he jumps.


Chapter 77