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

Quinn had noticed the bottles and the smell of old booze hanging around the house. It was a bit less now, but he hated the idea of Aaron self-medicating with alcohol. The scent of weed was present, and he could make an educated guess where it had come from.


“Look, we’re different people now. The chemistry is still there. I don’t want—no, actually, I do want to fuck you, but that’s not why I’m here right now.”


“Go take a shower. I just put fresh sheets in.”


While Quinn got undressed to his underwear, Aaron handled the prosthetic, taking it off and putting it where he could easily reach it when needed.


“Use my towel, I’m not sure if I have extras.”


The whole time Quinn spent in the shower, his brain and dick had a battle going on. On one hand, he wanted to just sleep next to someone safe. He needed that person to be Aaron for reasons he didn’t want to think about.


Chapter 32