Lady Luck ran ahead as fast as her three stubby legs could carry her, yap-yap-yapping all the way. Thiessen grinned and squeezed Jory’s hand, which swung between them as they meandered down the path. It made his heart happy to see his little dog running with the best of them. Jory had been right about that—she didn’t let her disability slow her down one bit.

With a deep woof, Felicity spun around and bolted straight for the terrier chasing her. Lady Luck yipped and made a mad dash to get away, her ears flapping in the wind, but the husky was faster. Felicity bowled Lady over and sent her tumbling through the grass with a high-pitched yelp. Thiessen gasped, but Jory’s firm tug on his hand kept him from running to his pup’s rescue.

“She’s fine,” Jory murmured, a smile tilting up one corner of his mouth.

“What if she’s not?”

“She is. Look. There she goes again.” Sure enough, Lady Luck had regained her composure. She shook it off and strutted over to where Felicity was now rolling in something. Great. Probably something dead, which meant their car ride home would smell less than pleasant. “Damn it, Fi!” Jory howled and with a doggish grin on her face, Felicity turned tail and raced off with Lady Luck at her heels. “I don’t even wanna know what that was.”

Thiessen snickered. “Probably the rotting corpse of a bird.”

“You’re not helping my sanity levels any, Thee.” Jory huffed. “Have you ever tried to give a Siberian husky a bath? By the time I’m done fighting with her, I’m soaked, the floor is a slipping hazard and my tub is clogged with ten pounds of dog fur.”

“You could take her to the groomer?”

“Take that smelly, over-excited dog all the way to Archer’s Point so I can pay someone else to give her a bath? She’d like that too much.” But he chuckled nonetheless and Thiessen’s fingers tightened over his in a quick squeeze that left Jory smiling. He swung their arms in a half-arc between them, as if this simple touch was enough to make his worries run and hide.

Thiessen beamed at that thought. He made Jory happy. He made him smile when he was down, made him laugh whenever he had a bad day at work. In return, Jory’s goofy selfies and uplifting texts got Thiessen through his daily routine. It’d been a long time since he’d felt so free, but Jory made him happy, too.

“So when we get home, you have a gift to unwrap.” Jory’s dark eyes twinkled with mischief.

Thiessen raised a brow. “A gift? What for?”

“For our two-month anniversary, silly!”

“Oh god, you’re not one of those guys, are you?” Thiessen’s groan fast turned into a bubble of laughter. A gift? For their two-month anniversary of being together? Things between them had been so seamless, so easy. He paused, stopping in the middle of the walking path. “Wait. When are you counting our anniversary as?”

“Since the first day I kissed you.”

“Even though I freaked out?” Thiessen asked.

Jory merely shrugged. “You were scared. I pushed you too far, but still. That’s the day things changed between us, so that’s the day I’m counting as our anniversary. Unless you have a better idea?”

Thiessen went quiet for a few moments, musing over the last couple of months, but Jory was right. That was the day he realized that things were shifting. They were no longer just-friends. That was the day that he realized that he was in too deep with Jory, and that’s what had scared him.

Shaking his head, he said, “Nope. I think it’s a good day for an anniversary.”

“Good. Now what do you say we round up the dogs before they find a nasty puddle to swim in. My truck’s already screwed if Felicity smells like death, so we might as well make the most of it and grab lunch on our way? I was thinking something delightfully greasy and terrible for us.”

“A man after my own heart.” Thiessen giggled and dug around in his pocket for the baggy of dog biscuits he’d stashed away. “Lady! Here girl! Bikkies!” He stuck his fingers between his lips and let loose a shrill whistle.

A few moments later, Lady Luck came hauling ass back to him with her tail wagging so fast it was just a blur. She collided with his legs and he scooped her up. A quick sniff-test told him she hadn’t rolled in gunk, thank god. “Good girl. Such a good puppy.” She crunched her treat happily.

Felicity was nowhere to be found.

“Fifi! C’mon, girlfriend! Let’s go in the car,” Jory called.

Thiessen met his gaze and grimaced. “Uh-oh.”

“Nah, don’t worry. She’ll come back.” And she did…fifteen minutes later, after trudging deeper into the woods. She came trotting up to them, big as you please, with mud caking her belly and chest like she’d rolled in a puddle of muck. Jory bent down to clip her leash on and made a face. “Yep. She stinks.”

“Eau de roadkill?” Thiessen joked.

“Don’t laugh or you’ll be getting soaked right along with me.”

Thiessen cracked up laughing at the look he was given before cutting it off with an innocent smile. “I can’t think of a better way to spend our anniversary. So long as we get to shower together later.”

With a wink, he tucked Lady Luck against his chest and they hiked back to where Jory had parked almost two miles out. By the time they got in the car, Thiessen’s legs were protesting their abuse, but he smiled all the way home.

Luckily for them, the dogs were completely exhausted. Felicity didn’t fight them too much over her bath and after they’d rinsed her clean and scrubbed her dry with an old towel, they gave Lady Luck a quick bath as well. Thiessen cuddled her to his chest, wrapped in a blanket, and sniffed the back of her head. “Mmm, she smells like apples.”

“So do you,” Jory said. “I dunno what sort of product you put in your hair, but you always smell like apples, with a hint of something tropical. Maybe coconut? It’s nice. I love it when you stay over because my pillows always smell like you.”

Thiessen’s breath caught. “You like the smell of me?”

“Hell yeah I do. You smell good.” He winked. “And you taste even better. Speaking of… We didn’t get too wet, right? We can save the shower for after.”

“After? Getting a bit presumptuous, don’t you think?”

“Mmm. You haven’t opened your gift yet.” Jory’s grin was decidedly wicked. He grabbed Thiessen by the arm and dragged him down the hall to his bedroom. On the end of the bed was a neatly wrapped box in silvery paper. He flopped down on the end of the bed and handed it to Thiessen. “Happy anniversary. Hurry up and open it.”

“Oh god. Why do I have a bad feeling about this?” Thiessen tore at the paper. “It’s a sex toy, isn’t it? Jory! Oh my god.” Jory laughed and waved at the box, still mostly wrapped, and Thiessen felt himself grow hot all over. From his head to the tips of his toes—and especially his dick.

He tore the top off the box and sure enough, there was a small pink vibrator sitting in a bed of tissue paper. “Jory,” he choked out. “What the hell…” Next to the toy was a rather large bottle of lube and Thiessen’s heart took off like a bottle rocket. Oh, holy hell. “We—you—”

Jory stood and gently took the box from his hands, setting it on the bed. He caught Thiessen by the jaw and placed a gentle kiss on his stuttering lips. “Relax, Thee. I don’t expect anything, just thought it would be nice to have around. The start of a very naughty collection.” He brushed their noses together and smiled. “You know, for whenever we take the next step.”

Thiessen’s stomach did a flip. The next step. Virgin territory. Literally. “So… It’s an invitation.”

“Definitely, but there’s no pressure. Understand that.”

“I… I don’t—I haven’t…” He stumbled over the words, his face burning hot. He blew out a sharp breath. “I’ve never, uh…” Damn it. He wanted to melt into a puddle of shame, but there was nothing but understanding in Jory’s dark eyes. Thiessen dropped his head, staring down at their shoes. “Yeah.”

“You’re a virgin?”

“Yeah,” Thiessen mumbled. “I really didn’t…get a whole lot of experience before the whole gay-bashing thing, and after that. Well. I mean, I lost a limb and my boyfriend. Wasn’t really in the market for a hook-up. Last thing I needed was for some guy to think I was a freak.” He shrugged like it didn’t matter, but the pain swelled up and he felt the familiar prickle at the corners of his eyes.

“Thiessen,” Jory crooned. “Why didn’t you tell me? I wouldn’t have pushed.”

He frowned. “Maybe I needed to be pushed. I don’t have any regrets, not one. I like you a lot and I guess I was afraid you’d laugh.” He swallowed the lump in his throat. “Virgin romance novelist. I’m a goddamn trope.”

“Thiessen. Baby. Come here.” Jory spread his arms and before he could stop himself, Thiessen crashed into his chest. Jory hugged him tight, peppering the top of his head with kisses. “Don’t you think for a moment I’d judge you for that. Doesn’t matter. What matters is that we do things on your terms. I’m not gonna rush you into sex. I might be a dude, but god gave us hands for a reason.”

Thiessen laughed and pressed his nose into the collar of Jory’s t-shirt. Closing his eyes, he breathed in the smooth scent of him, cologne and sweat mingling together to make the most intoxicating cocktail. “When it happens, I’m so glad it’ll be with you.”

“Me too, and I mean that in the most innocent of ways.”

Thiessen snorted. “Liar. You just like the idea of popping my cherry.”

Jory pulled back, grinning. “That too.”

“Ugh, such a man!” Thiessen smacked him on the chest.

“You love me,” Jory singsonged back. “Just admit it.”

“Never,” Thiessen said, but it was the biggest lie he’d ever told. He knew Jory was just fooling around, being his typically silly self, but the words felt so much deeper because they were true. He was falling in love with this man, who accepted him, flaws and all. He just wasn’t sure he was ready to speak them out loud quite yet.

Not yet, but soon.

Hey. I’m in your kitchen, eating your food.

Jory smirked as he sent the text. He was, indeed, in Thiessen’s kitchen enjoying a peanut butter and banana sandwich he’d tossed together. He’d forgotten to pack a lunch; he’d stayed the night last night and overslept, and he spent the morning rushing around. Now he was starving.

The minutes ticked past without a reply. Jory licked the chunky peanut butter off the knife, then stuck it in Thiessen’s fancy dishwasher. He threw his trash away and grabbed the gallon of milk from the fridge before pouring himself a glass. He drank it in three big gulps.

“Ahh. That hit the spot.”

Still no text. Jory tucked his cell back into his pocket and meandered through the mansion in search of his boyfriend. He had a good feeling he knew exactly where he was, too. From a room at the very end of the hall, he heard the familiar click-clacking of a keyboard. He peeked his head into the office to find Thiessen hunched over his laptop, his fingers furiously typing away. With the bulky headphones clamped over his ears, he probably hadn’t heard his phone.

In that moment, Thiessen looked so damn intense, completely zoned out and lost in his own head. Was he spinning words of colorful prose? Or perhaps writing another filthy sex scene? Jory grinned. Maybe he’d get lucky and Thiessen would be up for some fun when he was done writing. Touching Thiessen was an addiction all its own. He just couldn’t get enough of the man.

He left Thiessen to abuse his keyboard. He could find something to entertain himself in this great big house. Maybe he’d browse the library again. Thiessen had a treasure trove of smutty gay romances at his disposal, despite the way he got all red in the face when Jory had teased him about it. It tickled him.

He found himself sitting in front of a short but elegant bookshelf. His fingertips danced over the varying widths of book spines. He read off the titles in his head and if it sounded interesting, he picked it up and read the blurb. Though, to be honest, he was more of an ebook kind of guy. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy a paperback every now and again, but he was fond of his old Kindle. Plus, he just didn’t have the space for a huge library.

Jory paused when he came to Save Me. This was the book that Thiessen had gotten all flustered about. It was one of Jory’s favorites. Between the bittersweet emotions and the double dose of feels—not to mention the scorching kinky sex that lay between those pages—it made their happily-ever-after that much sweeter.

Except Thiessen didn’t own just one copy. There was an entire shelf of the same book. Jory pulled one at random to find the cover glossy and the pages crisp, practically brand new. The spine didn’t even have a crease. Never been read, and when he flipped to the title page, the author’s signature had been scrawled in silvery pen—and Jory was willing to bet that every single copy on this shelf was signed as well.

Signed copies. Likely for book conventions and expos…except TL Blackthorn didn’t do public signings. Outside of the “About The Author” page at the back of his books, no one knew much about the man. He preferred to keep himself anonymous. Jory gaped down at the flowing penmanship of the signature and ran his fingers over the smooth cream paper.

It was all starting to make sense.

Thiessen was TL Blackthorn. Virgin romance novelist, indeed, and if his sex scenes had anything to say about it? Damn. No wonder he could afford a house like this. A bestselling author like TL Blackthorn had to be fucking loaded. Who else could afford to spend thousands of dollars on a broken mutt scraped up out of a ravine?

Holy shit.

“Jory? What are you—” Thiessen came to a halt in the center of the room and when Jory turned to him, signed book still in hand, a deer-in-the-headlights expression flooded his face. “Shit.”

“Holy hell, Thee. Don’t you think this is something you tell a guy?” Jory clambered to his feet, painfully aware of the way Thiessen was shutting down. The man straightened, his spine going rigid. His hands clenched into fists before he crossed both arms over his chest. He set his jaw then quickly looked away.

Hell. Was he ashamed? “Thiessen. Look at me.”

“You can’t tell anyone,” Thiessen snapped, his eyes flaring with anger—and fear. Jory’s stomach clenched. “No one knows. No one can find out. Can you imagine the witch hunt if someone in town realized what I wrote? This whole place is a damn gossip mill. There’s a reason I didn’t tell you.”

Jory drew up short, stung by the acid in Thiessen’s voice. “You didn’t trust me.”

Immediately, Thiessen’s face crumpled. “N-No! That’s not… It isn’t like that. You would’ve found out eventually, but I-I wasn’t ready for you to know yet.”

Jory breathed in deeply before letting it back out again. Calm down. It wouldn’t do either of them any good if he let his frustration take control of such a delicate situation. Instead, he dropped his voice to a hush of sound. “Hey.” He sidled closer until he was near enough to touch. He brushed his knuckles beneath the sharp line of Thiessen’s jaw, drawing his wary gaze back up. “You think I’d judge you for that?”

Thiessen closed his eyes on a sigh. “Maybe.”

“Thee. C’mon. It’s me,” he said softly. “You can trust me. I thought you did.”

“I do, but—”

“No one is going to find out, not from me, but damn it, Thiessen. Why would I judge you? I’m in awe. You’re talented as fuck. Do you have any idea how many people adore your books? Why would you be ashamed of something so amazing? You think I could write a book? Hell, I couldn’t write my way out of a paper bag. English was hell for me.”

“I never wanted that part of my life to blur into this part, you know? I couldn’t stand the idea of people looking at me—recognizing me—on the street as that guy who writes dirty smut books, so Peri and I agreed that I’d never go public. I don’t want fame. I don’t want recognition. I just want to write. I never wanted to publish to begin with. It’s not about the money for me. It’s about the story.” He shrugged. “That’s all.”

Jory tilted his head. “So were you going to tell me?”

“Yes, I swear.”

“When?”

Thiessen blushed. “When I finished your story. Our story. Rescue Me. I was gonna surprise you with a nice dinner and a printed copy of the book, make it memorable. And, as usual, I fucked it up. I trust you, Jory. I do. Please don’t doubt that. You’re quite possibly the best thing that’s ever happened to me, but…”

“You freaked out a bit,” Jory finished for him.

Thiessen’s cheeks turned pink. “Yeah. Sorry.”

“Stop being sorry. You have nothing to apologize for. I shouldn’t have snooped. It wasn’t any of my business, but damn.” He whistled low and shook his head, rubbing his thumb over the thick spine of the paperback. “Can I buy this? I mean—I own it, but I kind of want your signature on my bookshelf.”

“Take it. It’s yours,” Thiessen replied with a small smile. “My gift to you…and if you’d like, I’ll sign your personal collection as well.”

“Uh. Ebooks, remember?”

“Then I know what to get you for Christmas, huh?” His laugh was velvet-soft and Jory’s chest squeezed. Thiessen was already thinking about spending the holidays together? How lucky was he? He wasn’t aware he’d been staring until Thiessen gave him a weird look. “What?”

“Nothing. You’re amazing, is all.”

“Pfft. Okay then.”

“You are,” Jory reaffirmed. “And I’m so thankful you’re in my life. I mean it, Thee. I’m glad you gave me a chance.”

Thiessen’s gaze dipped down the front of him in such a way that sent warmth tingling to the tips of his fingers. He saw the way Thiessen’s Adam’s apple bobbed before he shook his head. “Me too,” he said, his voice tight and barely above a whisper. He closed the small distance between them and threw both arms around Jory’s neck. “Me too.”