After a Marine roughs him up at a gay bar, Ensign Aiden Lange has some cuts and bruises on his face that are sure to raise questions at work. At the urging of a sympathetic cop, he spends the next day hiking to Okinawaâs Hiji Falls where heâll claim he hurt himself in a fall. But at the end of the trail, heâs in for a pleasant surpriseâa gorgeous young guy in a pair of swimming trunks.
Connor didnât come up to the falls to find a man, but when the ensign with the bandaged eyebrow finds him, heâs instantly intrigued. A hike turns into dinner, and before either of them know it, theyâre inseparable. Connorâs experience with men is limited, but Aiden is gentle andâin spite of their mutual hunger for each otherâinfinitely patient.
Itâs a small world, though, and an even smaller island, and when Connorâs father catches the two of them together, heâs more than just an overprotective dadâheâs one of Aidenâs high-ranking bosses. With a few phone calls, he can derail the Naval Academy gradâs carefully planned career trajectory. The ultimatum is simpleâstay away from Connor, or kiss his dreams of advancement goodbye.
Aidenâs not so easily deterred, though, especially when it comes to someone like Connor, so the two continue seeing each other in secret. But there are only so many places to hide on a tiny island, and sooner or later, Aidenâs going to have to chooseâConnor or his career.
This 63,000 word novel was previously published.