When State Trooper Travis Kinslow is injured right before Thanksgiving, the only positive is that for once he won't be working during the holidays. Since he has no family, Travis was absorbed into his best friend Joe's, and he considers them as good as his own. Everyone except Joe's brother Noah. Travis has been in love with the younger man for much of his life, but he's always kept his distance.<br><br>As an ER nurse, Noah is a caretaker by nature. When his brother's best friend is hurt, he's happy to help Travis while he heals. He's only ever allowed himself to think of Travis as the next best thing to an older brother, but by the light of the Christmas tree, Noah finally sees Travis's true feelings. And in that moment, everything changes.<br><br>When faced with opposition and a Christmas nothing like they imagined, will their hopes for the future be enough to carry them through?

His Needs

“How are you feeling?” he murmured softly, his gaze sliding down my side.


I hurt. I was sore and stiff, and moving was still painful. “I’m fine.”


Noah raised a brow, and the skepticism was plain to see. He wisely chose not to question it. But that could have been because he was suddenly overtaken by a huge, jaw-cracking yawn. His eyes watered, and he gave me a sheepish smile while he wiped the moisture from the corners.


“Why don’t you crash here for a while, and then we’ll head over later?”


Noah stared at me as if I’d grown a second head. It seemed like a perfectly reasonable suggestion to me. Which is why I made it in the first place. But apparently it was a bigger deal than that because he literally just stared at me. He didn’t even blink.


“You know,” he said slowly. “I think I can sell that to Mom.”


Chapter 10