Thom Baron has been struggling with social anxiety his entire life. He's taken the medications, gone to the therapists, followed the programs, and concluded his best life is a solitary one. When he comes across a dog in obvious need at his local market, it rekindles the desire to have some company around. It may come with a dishevelled coat, a notched ear, and a refusal to respond to anything but its given name "Ugly," but it could still be a friend.<br><br>However, Thom's new fur buddy has no such need to keep to itself and immediately befriends the man Thom has secretly coveted since he moved in -- Justin, Thom's gorgeous, bright-eyed neighbour. No matter how Thom tries to evade the man, the dog keeps drawing them back into each other's lives, and it doesn't take Thom long to recognize it's simply pursuing the demands of Thom's own heart. With the dog giving him the courage to try, Thom reaches out to return the love being offered.<br><br>Until a stranger shows up insisting the dog is his and demanding its immediate return ... a loss Thom knows will take all of his efforts and newfound confidence with it.

But by the Grace of Dog

Without any conscious thought, Thom pressed his lips against Justin’s. Then they were kissing, and Thom couldn’t have cared less about the broken glasses, or the kitchen, or anything else that existed on the face of the planet. All that mattered was the taste of Justin’s lips and the way Justin slid his hand from Thom’s shoulders down Thom’s arm. Thom was sure Justin’s fingertips left a trail of electric blue fire on his skin, the kind of fire that bored into Thom’s body and intensified once it found his core. In that moment, everything that Thom had ever not wanted someone to do—touch him, look at him, be part of him—became things that he needed more than breath itself.


Chapter 28