As heir to Donahue Incorporated, Hunter Donahue had everything -- looks, rich parents, cute boyfriend, you name it ... before he lost it in an accident that left his face scarred and his boyfriend dead. With his life shattered, he retreats from society and hides away from the rest of the world.
Until he meets Dr. Evan Saxton, a cosmetic surgeon, who looks so much like Hunter’s late boyfriend. In the past, Hunter’s always refused corrective surgery, but now he wants a reason to see Evan more closely, and one way to do that is by asking the doctor to operate on his scarred face.
Has Hunter finally found someone new? Or will the procedure open up old wounds that haven’t completely healed?
Standing in front of the mirror in his bedroom after the maid showed Evan out, Hunter pulled his mask off, revealing puckered, ugly scars lying along his face down to his jaw and chin. Fear and longing crept into his eyes.
That was close. He had been on the verge of telling Evan that he wanted him, the man who looked so very much like Kevin that it took Hunter's breath away when he first saw Evan standing there in the library. It was as if Kevin had come back to him.
Hunter gripped the edge of his dressing table tightly, his knuckles turning white. He squeezed his eyes shut as tears rolled down his cheeks. It had been awhile since he last wept over his loss. Inviting Evan over had been a mistake. He shouldn’t have done this, and it was not fair to Evan. He already missed Kevin -- no,Evan -- and he wanted him to come back. Evan, Kevin -- the images of both men became superimposed in his mind, and he couldn’t tell one from the other anymore. He was so screwed.
* * * *
The man sitting behind the wheel of a black sedan parked across from Hunter's house watched silently as Evan drove out of the gate, turning right and looking straight ahead of him.
Slouching in the passenger seat, his companion rested a stash of pictures on his protruding stomach. “That’s Evan Saxton, a famous plastic surgeon. He's going to do Donahue's face."
"Fucking finally," the man behind the wheel mumbled, fixing his shades.
“Don’t you think he looks a lot like the boy Donahue was fucking?"
The other man didn't answer but he looked thoughtful.
* * * *
When Evan arrived back at his office, he told Clarissa, his secretary, to arrange an appointment for Hunter. He entered his office, threw his keys carelessly on the table, and flicked the small lamp on, cursing under his breath. He jumped, startled, when he heard Jay's voice.
“Meeting not good, huh?”
"Dammit, Jay, don'tdo that."
Jay got up from the couch by the door, laughing. "You met him? What happened?"
"Yeah, that arrogant prick. It was like I was one of his employees or something."
“I heard he wasn’t that kind of man?” Jay frowned.
"Whatever. Anyway, he showed me pictures of his late boyfriend and you know what?”
“What?”
“He looked exactly like me.”
"That's ... weird."
"Huh. You’re telling me!"
A soft knock on the door interrupted them. It was Clarissa.
"Dr. Saxton, Mr. Donahue insisted on having the consultation at his house."
Evan glanced at Jay, who shrugged.
"When?" Evan asked.
“Tomorrow morning, sir. Ten o'clock."
Evan nodded an affirmative and Clarissa withdrew.
“You’re coming with me, Jay. I’m not seeing him alone.”
Jay chuckled. "Someone's afraid of the Big Bad Donahue!" He walked out of the room, still laughing, barely catching the book that Evan threw at him.
