A hurt/comfort M/M romance novel about truth and consequences.

Valentine Gale knew he was difficult. Too many years of not only hiding his emotions, but refusing to admit he had them. He thought his future would look a lot like his present. Then he met the new science teacher Christopher Parsons.

Kit had been trying to find a moment to talk to the language-arts teacher for months. When the guy started that conversation at the academy's year-end party, Kit was delighted. It turned out they had a lot in common. Including the way they liked to kiss.

A few months later, Val and Kit were still tiptoeing around the truth of what they'd become to each other. Then Kit disappeared from a donor event, and suddenly Val couldn't hide from it anymore.

Content alert: this novel deals with recovery from sexual assault.

Adult situations, themes, and language; 63,000 words and a happy ending.