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

Standing with his face turned to the sweet breeze, Harris was struck by the grandiose vision of the Eiffel tower dominating the skyline. The tower’s iron structure vaguely reminded him of the Jacques-Cartier’s pillars, and he felt a pang of pain at being so far away from home, his lab. Jude…


The morning was cool and clear. A perfect Parisian day beckoned. Watching the streets below, Harris let the quiet moment wash over him, his nerves finally unwinding. Yesterday, though his mind had still been foggy from the last days’ excesses and the red-eyed flight, he’d been swept away in a storm of meetings that had lasted well into the evening. Though everything had gone exceedingly well with Aurae’s executives, Harris’s heart was cracked like a broken mirror and his spirits were lower than they’d even been.


He was here, on the eve of success, his ambition finally paying off, so why did he feel as though he’d lost the war?


Because without Jude, fortune and success meant nothing.


Chapter 55