Deepan vowed never to come back to Seattle after surviving the hell that was high school. Being a gay Muslim doesn't go down well with anyone. But the temptation of a better paid job in his hometown was too great, and now Deepan finds he's either brought a stalker with him or the stalker is already here. And things are escalating. When his only salvation lies in his former crush, Deepan finds his lust hasn't gone away. In fact, with time, it's only grown more intense.<br><br>Karl had a high-flying career as a baseball star until injury forced him out. Now he's a cop, and going back to school isn't what he has in mind when he's called to a scene where a former classmate has been murdered in the middle of their high school reunion.<br><br>It isn't until he learns Deepan might be at the center of the case that Karl discovers what he really wants out of life. And who.

Resurfaced

“Have you ever been in love, Detective?” Paige asked.


“And what would you do if that person was hurt?”


“Wouldn’t you do anything to make sure they never got hurt again?”


“Is that what you do for Deepan? Make sure he never got hurt again?”


“We became roommates six months ago. I fell in love with him within the week. He would open up to me, tell me everything. He told me stories about his past. A lot.”


Deepan winced. Karl reached out and touched his back. Deepan started, but he didn’t move away.


“You knew that Deepan was gay, didn’t you?”


“I knew. But I felt that if he could realize I was the one for him, the one who would be his forever, he wouldn’t need anyone else. I was willing to do whatever it took to have him.”


This was incredibly cold. And incredibly misguided. Karl didn’t know how to react to that.


Chapter 33