In the advertising business, Harris Desmond is notorious for his bad boy attitude, but behind that arrogant front hides a sensitive soul. Weeks away from launching his first perfume for men, Erebus, Harris dreams of success and finally emerging from his painful past. Weeks before the launch party, Harris's friend suggests he contact an escort agency to hire a date for his big night. Of course, Harris has his reservations about the idea, but the last years of casual encounters and failed relationships have left him feeling lonely. He secretly longs for someone special who'd understand him and all of his faults. When the agency sends him his date, Pallas, Harris gets a lot more than he paid for. Sweet and vulnerable, Pallas cuts through Harris's heart like a clean blade. But Pallas is chasing a dream, running on empty and caught in a downward spiral. He wants to give Harris his heart, yet after years of seeing the ugly side of people, he fears there's nothing left of it to give. But Harris knows the secret of scents, and he and Pallas are the perfect accord.

Cling to Me

“Oh, Harris,” Jude sighed, resting his head back on the pillow. “Your eyes on me…Wow.” He rolled to his side and trailed a finger down Harris’s chest. “That hasn’t happened to me since the last time I was with you…On the roof.”


“You mean you haven’t come since then?”


“I couldn’t even get a hard-on.” Jude inched himself closer still. His eyes were tranquil, sea-blue and serene. “When you touch me, it doesn’t feel like hands touching me.” He frowned, as though trying to find the right words. “It feels like you, all of you, everythingin you, touching me.”


“I wanna tell you something.” Harris wasn’t scared. Wasn’t anxious. “I’ve never felt like this about anyone in my whole life.”


“Do you mean it?” Jude asked, in a small voice.


“From the moment I saw you standing outside my door, I knew you were an original. Everything in you, raw and rare.”


“Yes, even though you try so hard to guard it.”


Chapter 36