For Otho Newcomer, the small village of Snowmelt is a haven from his old life. If he isn’t exactly a changed man, he at least hopes to keep his distance from all those easy romances, and the inevitable heartache and disappointment that always follow. Mason Dager is an idiot. His ex has cleared out his bank account, sold his car, and got him thrown out of his apartment. And he has no one to blame but himself. But what better way to celebrate a new chapter in his life -- one that includes homelessness and the humiliation of telling his family they were right all along -- than to spend Christmas at a swanky winter resort like River Cove? It’s already paid for, after all. When a very drunk Mason makes yet another dumb decision, Otho comes to the rescue, throwing the men together during the most magical time of the year. What should be the wrong choice for both of them might be exactly what they need. They’ll just have to survive a nosy best friend, an asshole of an ex, and the scars of their pasts if they hope to find something together.

Turning Wood

“She was serious about killing me?” Mason’s face was expressionless, but there was a twinkle in his eyes.


“What? No. Did she say that?” She would have. Joslyn was the best friend he’d ever had, but sometimes she took her job of protecting him a little too seriously.


“More hissed it when you weren’t listening.”


Otho chuckled. “I meant the part about me not letting you out of my sight.”


“Really? You’d let me stay?” He blinked a little too fast and Otho wondered yet again if he’d read the situation all wrong.


The kiss was more aggressive than the previous ones and Otho made a sound of surprise.


“Sorry.” Mason ran a thumb over his lips and grinned, making Otho’s heart skip a beat. “I really, really want to stay, but—” Oh here it comes. Otho steeled himself for the rejection, “—you’re not asking out of pity, are you?”


“What? No. Why would you think that?” Otho ran his hands over Mason’s back.


Chapter 15