Showing results by author "Ashton Cade" in All Categories

Ever since I lost Gerry in the war, all of a sudden people think they can speak for him - but they're saying I should move on, forget him. That that's what he'd want. But they don't know how badly I betrayed him. How I left him when he needed me the most. It was Don't Ask, Don't Tell, and when he died, I took it to heart. When it comes to love, I'll never ask or tell again. Trouble is, now Shane is in town and the way he makes me feel, it's hard to resist wanting to shout it from the rooftops.

The Rainiers are one big happy family. That is, except for me. I keep to myself mostly. When I learned that you can't always trust the people who are supposed to take care of you, I did my best never to rely on anyone. Except for my stable full of horses. They always understand. That's why I started a therapy program for kids who have issues, like me - I know the horses can help them too. When Jason walks in to the paddock, all the parts of me I thought were dead suddenly come alive with a vengeance.

I knew I was gay forever, it seems. But my first love was the one that stuck with me all these years: Ryan Rainier. He's a big deal in the police department now, and as a man in uniform, he's every bit as gorgeous as he was in those young years. But Ryan's straight, right? So why does he keep looking at me that way, with hunger in his eyes? Am I just seeing what I want to see? And can I risk losing a lifelong friend for a shot at love?

Returning home to sleepy Umberland was supposed to be temporary - just to see my family before securing a job in the city. But when my brother's old best friend and my teen crush, Ian Barrett, is here, too, I find myself making excuses to stick around a little longer. He's still everything I've ever wanted, but this former baseball star is also a big-time player....if you know what I mean. I don't know what Ian would ever see in steady, reliable Grant Rainier.

I'm a cop on leave. I fled to Snow Lake for some R & R after what I like to call a "workplace injury". Since getting shot, I'm jumpy - I can't help but be spooked, imagining danger around every corner. There’s only one man who makes me feel like my old self - Porter Gaines, the town butcher. He makes me laugh, makes me forget my pain, my fear. But there’s something more. Deep in those dark eyes, I see more than a glimmer of desire. Porter might be the medicine I need.

As a biker, I've always loved the open road - and no man ever compared. I’ve mastered the quickie, the one-night stand, and I’m not into changing things up. Why mess with perfection? When I roll into Snow Lake to take over my uncle’s mechanic shop, the last thing I want to do is settle down. Until I lay eyes on Grayson, who is not the kind of man suited for a one-night stand.

They say it happens when you stop looking. The last thing I expected on this trip was to meet anyone, but now, Aspen is all I can think about. How his ears and neck flush when he’s embarrassed and how it highlights the dark freckles he has hiding here and there. How sexy he is, in this innocent way that makes me want to just ruin him. No matter how hard I try, I can’t turn it off. Even if he is my best friend's brother, and I know focusing on Aspen will ruin that friendship.

Ben: Despite never making a move of any kind on Adam and my absolute certainty that I'd never talk to him ever again, I’ve never let this flame go out. And now he's back here in Snow Lake. I don’t know what it is about this guy that sparks something in me - a need, a drive to be more. Whatever I have to do to make him notice me. How pathetic is that? But now that he has noticed me, I don't know if I can face losing what I've always wanted.

Simon's off-limits. Off-limits in so many ways I can’t even keep track of them all. And I think he’s oblivious to how much I want him. At least I hope he is. I’ve been trying to keep it to myself, trying not to cause any issues with my job or his internship at my clinic. It’s the kind of thing that could be a lot of trouble for us both, and not just because his dad, one of my closest friends, would have my head and lock him in a closet for safekeeping.

He’s a shining star, I’m a black hole. Complete opposites. And just like our astronomic counterparts, there’s no way Marty’s light is ever going to brighten me. Black holes don’t let any light escape. They devour it all. And that’s what will happen to Marty if he doesn’t keep his distance from me. I want to warn him, but there’s a selfish part of me that can’t do it. Like a moth, I’m drawn to Marty’s light. I know I should stay away — for his sake more than mine — but I can’t.