Carter Quinn

Henry Cooley has good friends and a good life. He’s secure in his job and his relationship. He and Tom, the love of his life, are about to celebrate their twenty-first anniversary as a couple. Their son, CJ, is in his second year at Cal Arts. Henry's only problems are his growing dissatisfaction with his job and the fact that Tom's parents still hate him, even after all these years. At least those are his only problems until the morning he wakes up to discover Tom has vanished.

A childhood of abuse has left Avery so physically and emotionally scarred he believes he shouldn't be alive. His only sanctuary has been his relationship with his older foster brother Sam. Avery finally lets Sam convince him to start therapy to help overcome his crippling anxiety, but even that can't prepare him for the upheaval caused by meeting Noah Yates. Noah is everything Avery fears. He's large and physically powerful—and undeniably capable of destroying Avery's hard-earned progress. Although Noah seems to have a tender streak when it comes to him, Avery is terrified of being victimized again. But no matter how many times he tries to push him away, Noah never goes far. Noah wants to save Avery, but can he be the catalyst Avery needs to begin the journey out of the blackness?