Danny Brigson makes a serious mistake when he sleeps with Marty, an old boyfriend at an ill-advised reunion. He tries to cover it up, but Marty tells all, and the love of Danny's life, Jake, throws him out.
Over the next year, Danny tries to sort his life out, determined to stop relying on drugs and drink to get him through. Can he even dare to hope that one day Jake might give him the chance to put things right?
All the way home, my mind was racing, going through what might happen
with Jake, over and over again. By the time I arrived, I was even more desperate
for a smoke, but I had to put the urge firmly to one side—Jake would be able to
tell if I was spaced, and he hated that kind of stuff. It was part of the
reason I loved him.
It took me a while to open the front door—I couldn’t seem to get the key
in the right place. Sometimes it warped slightly in cold weather, but if you
jiggled it around in the lock, it could come free easily enough. Jake must have
heard me, but when I finally made it into the hall, he was nowhere in sight.
Still, I could hear movement from the kitchen and the sound of the kettle
boiling. Around me, the decorations he’d already put up for the holidays
glittered like an accusation. My throat suddenly felt dry, and I blinked.
I think I knew then my stupid game was over.
Every step I took toward the kitchen felt as if my feet were weighed
down with rock. I was sweating and couldn’t catch my breath. In the kitchen,
Jake was facing away from me, leaning on the marble-effect work surface. The
kettle clicked off. He didn’t turn round. His mobile phone was lying on the
floor, as if he’d flung it away in frustration. Or anger. Or something else. I
looked at the way his hair curled against the smooth skin of his neck and knew
how much I wanted to touch him. And then I spoke.
“Jake?”
He made a sudden movement with his right hand, and I shut up. It looked
like an order. I wanted to say I was sorry, but I didn’t dare speak. Instead, I
edged into the room and stood in the corner so he could turn and see me if he
wanted to. The cupboard carved its shape into my back. I waited.
When Jake spoke, it was quickly and almost a whisper, so I had to lean
forward in order to hear him at all. He still wouldn’t face me. “People said you’d be trouble when I met
you,” he said ...
Can Danny and Jake ever find their happy ending? Find out more at Amber Allure Press!
Anne Brooke
A Seasonal Reunion
Gay Reads UK
The Gathandrian Fantasy Trilogy (gay-themed)
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