1 Chapter 1

I can’t say I ever looked forward to Valentine’s Day. I hadn’t really given it much thought at all. Not since childhood. It was not a holiday I liked. Not that I liked any.

I was kind of the Charlie Brown of the kids when I was growing up. Other kids would invite me to their parties if they were forced to or give me Valentines because the school made us give them out to every kid, but for the most part, being small, plain, and boring, I was overlooked.

So, when I came home from my morning courses at the local community college three days before Valentine’s Day, I barely glanced at the small, red, heart-shaped box of chocolates sitting on the coffee table. I figured either it was for my roommate, Gilbert Turner, or he’d bought it to give to someone himself.

Gilbert and I had become roommates along with my cousin, Stuart, when the three of us decided to get an apartment together shortly after starting college. Gilbert had been Stuart’s best friend since grade school and I had sort of just come along for the ride. But Stuart had moved in with his girlfriend recently, so it was just the two of us now.

I had a couple of hours before I had to be at work at a nearby department store, so I went straight to the kitchen to make myself a sandwich. I was bent over digging in the crisper drawer of the fridge when Gilbert spoke from the doorway.

“Hey, did you see something came for you?”

I paused as my hand closed around a head of lettuce and straightened. “For me?”

Gilbert was smiling, showing his perfect white teeth and the two dimples he had on either side of his mouth. Not that I had noticed or anything. But, hell, who was I kidding? Gilbert was gorgeous. He stood there with his perfect swimmer’s body wearing a tank top that showed off his swoon-inducing biceps, and a pair of ass-hugging jeans. His golden hair had been styled by one of those fancy salons.

“That’s what the card said,” Gilbert said. “It’s on the coffee table.”

Frowning, I closed the fridge and set the lettuce next to the loaf of bread, then walked out to the living room where I’d seen the heart-shaped box. Gilbert followed me and pointed at the attached card.

“See? It says Jesse.”

I blinked. “But nobody ever gives me stuff for Valentine’s Day.”

He shrugged. “They have now. Open it and see who it’s from.”

After opening the tiny envelope, I slid out a blood-red card covered in gold glitter with the word Sweetheartwritten on it. Inside it just said With Love.

I handed the card to Gilbert who frowned at it. “That’s it?”

“Looks like. Should I open the candy?”

“Of course.”

For a second I considered taking it into my bedroom to open it privately in case it was a joke. My freshman year in high school I had found what looked like a birthday card taped to my locker. When I’d opened the envelope it had been a letter which contained a bunch of insults. I didn’t want to be humiliated in front of Gilbert and find out the box contained dog doo or something.

But I lifted the lid of the box and found it only contained truffles.

“Oh, truffles. Can I have one?” Gilbert asked as he reached for a milk chocolate one in the middle.

“Aren’t you worried it’s poisoned?”

Gilbert had the truffle already to his lips. “Why would it be?” He shook his head and popped the chocolate into his mouth. “Oh my God.”

“Are you okay? Was it poisoned?”

“You are seriously strange, Jesse. No, it wasn’t poisoned. It’s really good.” He picked one up and held it to my lips. “Open up.”

Ah, hell, and now my dick had to pick that moment to get hard. Yeah, I had the hots for Gilbert, but though he was gay, he was totally out of my league.

I opened my mouth and he stuck the chocolate inside, and after chewing and swallowing the little piece of heaven, I nodded “Thanks. Those are really good. Wonder where they’re from.”

He turned the box over. “It says Mademoiselle Lacrosse.”

“Wow, really? I’ve heard that place is super expensive.”

Gilbert handed the box to me and smiled. “Guess you have an admirer.”

At that I rolled my eyes, and then set the box back on the coffee table. I went back into the kitchen to proceed with making my lunch. He followed me.

“What? You don’t think you could?”

“It’s not likely. Guys I know are interested in guys like you. They definitely don’t want someone who is five-three and weighs a hundred and twenty soaking wet.” No matter how much I ate or how much I tried to bulk up with muscles it was always the same old, same old.