'Pain isn't remotely kind in that way. Pain wants its promised pound of flesh, ounce for ounce. It won't settle until you're left with nothing but a flaky shell of who you were. The burn of betrayal and the sting of rejection hurt, but nothing compares to the pain of being empty. Nothing hurts worse than not hurting at all and it makes no sense and perfect sense at the same time and I'm convinced I'm going crazy and I'm actually okay with that.'

Work hard, play hard, protect what you love at all costs... For Eamon and Rachel, friendship has always had to be good enough. A safe distance, a guarded heart, nothing more. When Eamon's brother, Tobin, takes off after a nasty breakup, Eamon needs Rachel to help find him. But the more time they spend together, the harder it is to keep the lines of friendship from blurring when they both want something more. When Tobin returns, what was supposed to be a celebratory weekend for Eamon and Rachel, somehow, turns into much more. And as scary as it is, neither one of them know how to let it go. Maybe the answer is that they shouldn't... Or maybe their destiny was decided long before they even met. ~~~ Content Warning The story you are about to read is intended for mature readers due to its sexual content and language. It may not be appropriate for all audiences. Please read at your own discretion.

The town of Salem, Louisiana is a quaint little town. No more than forty people live in it. To most, Salem doesn't even exist, in fact it's not even on the map. It's been six years and five days since a single traveler passed through. So when five strangers bus breaks down they're welcomed with open arms by some, and others not so much. They have to wait a whole month till a part for their buses engine comes in. The only good part about this is nobody knows who they are. One month in a quiet town without being famous sounds like heaven on earth for the boys.