Hearts of Snow Lake

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.