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Scott and Derek’s epic passion continues into sophomore year with new challenges to face and overcome. There is one problem: How can you fight an adversary you can’t see?
Derek has always helped others, often placing himself in risky situation. Scott has lived with instability his entire life, moving from place to place, never able to set roots. Surviving the obstacles set in place by Scott’s unloving father and overcoming the threat of an unstable fellow student their freshman year, they start their second year of college believing they’ve overcome all the barriers blocking their future happiness.
All that changes when a troubled student, Tim, enters their lives. Derek can’t help by reach out to the drug-abusing freshman. Scott can’t suppress the paralyzing fear of losing Derek, the one stable thing in his life. As they compromise their own internal needs in an effort to support each other, resentment builds and guilt festers.
Is this new obstacle, the demons that live deep inside each other them, the one that might tear them apart?
Excerpt:
Chapter One
“Geez, I can’t believe how quickly the scenery changes.” Derek Thompson stared out the car window watching cityscapes give way to rural towns. Farms dotted the horizon every few miles, separated by vast expanses of lush green fields. Scott, Derek’s boyfriend since senior year in high school, drove them to an undisclosed destination, the only clue he’d provided was they were camping for a few days. In the distance, Derek could make out the purple haze of mountain ranges lining the horizon.
“Yup. It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Scott kept his attention focused on the road. Even with the trip underway, he wasn’t giving up any information regarding his surprise.
Derek huffed. A few minutes later, they passed the sign for Mount Washington so he had a pretty good idea of their destination.
“You decide what you’re going to major in yet?” Scott drummed his fingers on the steering wheel in time with the beat of Adam Levine’s Payphone playing on the radio.
Derek rolled his eyes. “Really? You’re asking me about my major?”
Scott spared him a fleeting glance, a slight flush coloring his cheeks.
Derek sighed. “Okay. You’re the one who orchestrated this covert mission, so I’ll play along. I think I’m going to major in sociology. But you already knew that after I took the course last year.”
“Right. Sociology.” Scott took several large gulps from his water bottle. His Adam’s apple bouncing up and down with each swallow, drawing Derek’s attention to Scott’s neck and strong jawline. A few stray drops leaked onto his chin and he wiped them away.
Derek squashed the desire to ask Scott what had him so squirmy. Whatever he’d planned sure had him tied up in knots. Instead he continued to admire the landscape as it sped by.
A warm hand on his thigh brought Derek back to the interior of the car. “Listen, I know I’m being weird, but I don’t get to plan things like this very often. I’m just nervous.”
“What could you possibly be nervous about?” Derek placed his hand over Scott’s. “You’re not worried about us. Are you?”
“God no.” The response was definitive, eliminating relationship concerns. They’d certainly had enough of those during freshman year at Boston University. With coming out and dealing with Tyrell, an unstable classmate who’d fixated on Derek, they’d had enough stress to fill all four years of college. “Hey, look. We’re nearly there.”
Derek stared at the road just in time to see the sign indicating Mount Washington camping grounds were thirty miles away.
Derek leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. He’d simply have to wait until Scott let him in on whatever he’d concocted for the two of them.
Thirty minutes later, they pulled into the main entrance and parked their car in the lot. They took twenty minutes to gather all the gear from the car and arrange it properly into their hiking backpacks, then plodded toward the mountain trails.
Scott took the lead once they began their climb. His muscles strained as he leaned on branches to lift himself up steep inclines. That view was enough to distract Derek from wondering about the big secret. At least for a few seconds at a time. “We’re gonna hike for about three hours ‘til we get to the spot I’ve picked out for us, ok?”
Derek readjusted his backpack so it rested more securely on his hips. “When have you been here before?”
“I came out here for a weekend during our Senior year. I didn’t get the chance to mountain hike when I lived in Iowa.”
Made sense, although Derek wondered why he was just learning something new about Scott. He was about to ask further, but the bulging muscle of Scott’s jaw had Derek holding his tongue. There’d be time for questions later.
Once they crossed a particularly thick area of trees, the path took on a sharp incline. Derek gripped his side, attempting to ward off a cramp. “Hey, can we take a break for a minute? I’m not used to hauling weight uphill.”
Scott sidled next to Derek and caressed his cheek, curving his fingers around Derek’s neck and tugging him in for a brief kiss. “We can stop as many times as you like. But we should try to make the campsite before the sun sets. The final stretch can be dangerous if you aren’t able to see the ground clearly.”
Over the next hour, Derek directed their progress, starting and stopping several times. “What the hell did you pack in this thing? Rocks?” At least the well-worn path served as a clear guide on where to walk, but whenever there was a fork, he had to fall back and follow Scott’s lead.
Eventually, the woods around them became thicker with trees once again, wide, well-trodden trails, giving way to thin paths, disappearing behind overgrown shrubs. Roots wove through the ground, giving credence to Scott’s earlier warning. Derek saw how the hike could become dangerous at night.
Scott only allowed them a few minutes to rest after their fourth break. “We need to find a camping spot before anything else.”
“What was wrong with the last two sites we passed?” Derek wiped his brow, grimacing at the sweat-streaked dirt along his forearm.
“They weren’t private enough.” Scott cast a sideling glance at Derek, a hint of his crooked grin making his meaning perfectly clear. ”But I know exactly where I want us to spend the night.” He rubbed Derek’s back. “C’mon. Let’s get moving.”
“You’re the boss.” Derek followed Scott’s lead, huffing to keep up, the seam of his pants suddenly a bit tighter in the groin. After climbing a particularly difficult stretch, the ground leveled off a bit, giving his straining muscles a break.
“We’re getting close. Stop and close your eyes.” Scott tilted his head up and inhaled deeply. Derek followed suit, drawing in a deep breath through his nose. The rich scent of the earth mixed with the freshness of the leaves and bushes surrounding them.
“Can you smell it? The clean air. Can you hear the stream?”
Derek stretched his senses to spread throughout the area. The crisp air carried the summer’s heat. Birds chirped, different tones and songs playing music around them. And, after each sound registered, becoming less immediate and new, he heard the rush of water flowing freely. The scenery was beautiful, even without seeing it
When he opened his eyes, his world exploded with even greater beauty. Brilliant blue filled his vision as Scott stood before him. “You don’t even know how amazing you look standing here in the middle of all this.” He wrapped an arm around Derek’s waist, drawing him close, an awkward task with the backpacks getting in the way.
Derek’s heart raced, whether from exertion or Scott’s touch he had no idea, but the thrum pulsed hard enough for Derek to feel each beat. A hint of Scott’s musky scent surrounded him, driving a rush of electricity over his skin.
Scott sealed their lips together in a kiss mixed with both tenderness and urgency, the soft cushion of lips a stark contrast to Scott’s firm grip on Derek’s ass. Several seconds later, Derek found himself dazed, staring into eyes shimmering with life. “I love you so damn much it hurts.”