GENRE: Gay Thriller Erotic Romance
LENGTH: 23,815 words
RATING:

Michael Carmac is a small-town cop on the verge of a breakdown. After a split-second decision leaves an innocent child dead, Michael's reality unravels. Suffering from PTSD, he finds comfort in a bottle while struggling to find forgiveness.

Fellow officer Bertram Angel offers Michael support, and what starts as friendship turns into something deeper. Can the two men find love, forgiveness, and acceptance while moving forward and healing wounds that don't always show?

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

Michael leaned towards Angel, the cold pie plate the only thing between them. Michael's heart was pounding and he could feel Angel's breath soft on his face.

"No, it's like right by your mouth, on the right," Michael said.

Somewhere a night bird called out and the only reply was the incessant symphony coming from the bugs in the trees, but Michael didn't hear anything except his own tormented thoughts clashing against his physical desires. Sweat had begun to run down his back and he shivered as he felt his spine twitch with excitement.

"Did I get it?" Angel asked, making another swipe at his face.

Michael leaned in, his hands shaking, the pie plate feeling slippery in his other hand. "Here," he said as he pressed a shaking finger against Angel's cheek. "Right here," the last word was more a pant as he wiped the offending chocolate from Angel's face.

Michael thought he saw something in Angel's eyes when he touched him but he wasn't sure. Although he wanted Angel more than words, he was terrified that what he thought he saw wasn't real.

"Mikey," Angel breathed, coming closer. He put a hand on Michael's arm and pulled him close. "Do it, whatever you're thinking, do it."

"I can't," Michael whispered.

Angel leaned so close that their lips were just about touching. "I'll make it easy on you." Angel ran his tongue over Michael's lips. "Just do it."

Michael felt the world beginning to slide sideways, and somewhere he heard the sound of something breaking.

Was this real?

His mind screamed for him to stop, to pull away, but Angel's smell, his breath so close was making it hard to move, to breathe, to think. Before he could answer his raging thoughts, he found himself kissing Angel.