Kiwi Nathaniel Dunn is in a fighting mood, but how does a man fight Wellington’s famous fog? In the last year, Nate’s lost his longtime lover to boredom and his ten-year job to the economy. Now he’s found a golden opportunity for employment where he can even use his artistic talent, but to get the job, he has to get to Christchurch today. Heavy fog means no flight, and the ticket agent is ignoring him to fawn over a beautiful but annoying, overly polite American man.<br><br>Rusty Beaumont can deal with a canceled flight, but the pushy Kiwi at the ticket counter is making it difficult for him to stay cool. The guy rubs him all the wrong ways despite his sexy working-man look, which Rusty notices even though he’s not looking for a man to replace the fiancé who died two years ago. Yet when they’re forced to share a table at the crowded airport café, Nate reveals the kind heart behind his grumpy fa?ade. An earthquake, sex in the bush, and visits from Nate’s belligerent ex turn a day of sightseeing into a slippery slope that just might land them in love.

Sunset at Pencarrow

Nate’s mind wandered back to the flat, to the delicious brown of Rusty’s skin. He’d held up the tube of sunscreen. “You want any of this?”


“Absolutely. Thanks. Brown skin burns too.” He’d smiled as he said it. “And it hurts exactly the same.”


Nate figured he hadn’t been the first person to ask about that, and he wondered if the last guy had enjoyed watching Rusty smooth the cream over his skin, like he had. Walking with Rusty on the trail, he admitted he hadn’t been subtle about admiring shirtless Rusty’s abs—he’d tried, but subtlety had never been one of his strong points. Rusty hadn’t seemed to notice, though, and thankfully he hadn’t asked Nate for help with the hard-to-reach spots.


Nate figured he’d better stop thinking about Rusty’s physique, or he’d end up with heatstroke out there in the bush. He took a stab at small talk. “One good thing about hiking here is that you don’t have to worry about snakes.”


Chapter 20