When they were teenagers, Quinn MacGregor and Aaron Larsen fell in love over the course of one magical summer. It ended in bloodshed and tragedy. Now, ten years later, Quinn is back in Spruce Creek, Nevada, to inherit his family’s criminal cartel. His cousin Jimmy has been making friends -- and enemies -- in dangerous places, but that doesn’t mean he’s happy to hand over leadership to Quinn. And Jimmy might not be the only one who wants Quinn out of the way for good, especially if Quinn’s secret comes out. Aaron Larsen is back in Spruce Creek to sell his former family home. Aaron lost a leg in Afghanistan, and he’s drinking too much and battling depression and PTSD. The last thing he needs is for Quinn MacGregor to drop back into his miserable life. But when Quinn is shaken by the news that he left more behind in Spruce Creek than his bad memories, he turns to Aaron like it’s old times, and Aaron doesn’t know how to say no. The events of ten years ago cast a long shadow, and in a town where they can’t trust anyone else, Quinn and Aaron just might have to learn to trust each other again.

A Desperate Man

That was why Quinn, knowing he wasn’t straight and probably not even bi, really, had been relieved when his mom told him they were leaving town. He’d felt guilty as fuck because of whythey were leaving, of course, but also relieved.


That’s why his feelings for Aaron were throwing him off. He wanted Aaron so much it hurt. Still. Even after a decade.


Quinn frowned at his mug of coffee. The bell above the diner door dinged and someone walked in. The scent of weed drifted to him, and he wrinkled his nose. He didn’t like weed much, it was easy to not have that particular craving, luckily. In a state where the stuff was legal, the scent could hit him anywhere.


The guy turned a bit as he waited for his coffee at the counter. Quinn took in the scruffy look and the oddly familiar way he carried himself.


Chapter 29