GENRE: Gay Thriller Spicy Romance
LENGTH: 16,922 words
RATING:

Sequel to Love and Larceny

After a daring art heist reunited ex-lovers and partners in crime, Ethan and William, they find themselves living a quiet life in Phoenix, on the run from a vengeful crime boss, and working to rebuild their lives and their relationship.

William, hoping to make their love official, decides to whisk Ethan away to the sun-kissed shores of St. Barts for what he hopes will be the romantic proposal of a lifetime. However, their chance to reconnect and reaffirm their love turns into a deadly fight for survival and freedom when a mysterious stranger emerges, determined to settle the score.

Now William faces an unimaginable dilemma: to protect the man he loves and secure their future, he must make a terrible choice. One that could derail their lives forever and change everything.

Amidst an uncertain future, will this be William’s one chance to propose to the love of his life before it’s too late?

EXCERPT:
Note: may contain sexually explicit scenes of a homoerotic nature.

Ethan kicked off his shoes and poured himself a glass of wine. Not because William suggested it, but because he needed to relax and calm his racing thoughts. Still, he was far too preoccupied with William’s whereabouts.

Ethan finished two glasses while he showered and dressed for bed. He wiped down the kitchen and ran the vacuum. Finally, he gave up on trying to stay busy and settled on the sofa to wait. It was close to 11 P.M. when William returned.

It was on the tip of his tongue to ask him where he’d been even before his key hit the lock. Ethan was ready to lie into him, but stopped when William stepped in the door, carrying a bouquet of roses.

“These are for you, baby.”

Ethan took the items, eyeing them cautiously, and wondering what William had done now. Was this a peace offering? A way to soften the blow of whatever crazy scheme William planned to convince him to take part in?

“What’s this?”

“Presents.”

“I see that.” Ethan carried the flowers into the kitchen in search of a vase. “Why are you giving me presents?”

“Does there need to be a reason?”

Ethan bit his tongue as he filled the vase with water and arranged the flowers in it. It was hard to stay mad with the intoxicating scent of fresh roses filling the kitchen. Still, Ethan eyed him with suspicion as William helped himself to the rest of the left-out wine.

“Does the florist only open after dark?”

William laughed and nodded toward the card still laying on the counter unopened. “Don’t you want to see what's inside?”

“I’m not sure.”

William’s face fell. “I know I’ve given you plenty of reasons not to trust me, but this isn’t one of those times. I swear.”

Ethan sighed, and reached for the envelope, tearing it open. Two plane tickets and a brochure fell into his hand. “A vacation?”

“St. Bart’s next month. You have some time off soon, and so do I, and well, I thought you’d like to get away.”

“This was what you were doing right now?”

“This guy I work with, his wife, is a travel agent, and she got us a good price on the room, and the tickets. Trouble was, I had to meet her off hours, so her boss didn’t find out about the discount, and she’s all the way downtown, and—”

“Earlier?”

“I can’t tell you that part yet,” William said with a sheepish grin. “That’s a surprise.”

Ethan’s cheeks warmed as he recalled how silly he’d acted. He placed the card on the counter and gave William a reassuring kiss, one full of apology. “I’m sorry I gave you so much shit earlier.”

“Don’t be. It was worth it to do this for you.”

Ethan turned over the brochure in his hand. “This place looks amazing.”

“We have a suite, with a private terrace and everything.”

“Can we afford this?”

“Sure, I booked it during hurricane season when prices are good. So, as long as the weather stays clear, it’ll be perfect, and a lot less crowded.”

“I can’t believe you did this,” Ethan said. “Really, I can’t. I’m kind of stunned.”

“As long as you’re happy, stunned works, too.”

“I’m thrilled.” Ethan pressed against him, eliciting an appreciative groan as he wound his arms around William’s neck. “Let me show you how much.”