Forced together by their boss to pull off a high-stakes jewelry heist, Ethan and William, two seasoned but jaded criminals, initially clash. Ethan, a meticulous planner, finds himself frustrated by William's impulsive nature, while William, a charming rogue, finds Ethan's strict rule-following stifling.
However, as they spend countless hours together, an undeniable attraction sparks between them. Beneath their criminal facades, they begin to see each other as kindred spirits, finding an unexpected refuge in each other.
What begins as a forced partnership born of necessity becomes a passionate, undeniable bond, one neither man can deny as they learn that true love can be found even in the most unlikely of places.
“I love the water, don’t you?”
“I used to,” William finished his coffee, chucking it into a nearby can.
“Used to?” Ethan blew into his drink before taking a delicate sip. When had his fussier mannerisms become more endearing than irritating?
“Long story.”
“Maybe you’ll tell me about it someday.”
Someday. Did that mean Ethan might want to continue seeing him? Absurd, because Ethan had made his dislike of him clear enough. But how Ethan looked at him now, as if seeing him for the first time, made William want to confide in him.
Strange. William had never wanted to confide in anyone before; his memories were too painful.
Yet, here was Ethan, who drew out of William a side of himself he didn’t know existed.
“My dad,” William said, choking up on those two words. “He was murdered when I was a kid. They found his body floating in the Hudson.”
Ethan didn’t so much as blink at the news, but was it William’s imagination, or did his features soften? A flash of tenderness not there before but now impossible to miss?
“He was a fuckup, too,” William added.
“You’re not a fuckup.”
William scoffed, fighting back a swell of emotions. “No, just a chip off the old block.”
“I mean it. You could plan jobs if you wanted to.”
“I’m not smart enough.”
“Bullshit,” Ethan said. “You’re plenty smart. You’re just --”
“Lazy?”
“Undisciplined. But I’m one to talk; I could plan my own jobs, too.”
“So why haven’t you?”
Ethan laughed. “You’re looking at it.”
“Hmm,” William said, closing the distance between them. He waited for Ethan to back away, but he didn’t. “Sounds like you need someone to protect you.”
“And it sounds like you need someone to motivate you.” Ethan licked his lips, and William followed the gesture, enamored. “So, maybe we can be of help to each other after all.”
An intense stare down ensued, and William saw whole lifetimes in Ethan’s eyes. Lazy mornings spent in bed exploring every inch of each other. Evenings tucked into cozy booths in little-known and out-of-the-way restaurants. Nights, holding Ethan close while he slept in his arms.
He wanted that and more, but Ethan had already taken a step away, his focus back on the water. Mesmerized, it seemed, by the pink clouds peeking through the splashes of blue sky, the cry of seagulls squawking and swooping over the slate grey water. Through Ethan’s eyes, William found beauty in the sea for the first time in ages.
“Come home with me.” William shocked himself by saying it aloud, and he wanted to snatch the words back. No, he wanted the ground to swallow him. Or an asteroid to fall out of the sky and put him out of his misery. Especially when Ethan’s expression darkened, any camaraderie they’d shared was gone in an instant.
“Excuse me?”
“Never mind, I—”
“Did you just ask me to go home with you?”
Was it possible to die from embarrassment? William’s pride was not so much wounded as decimated by a hydrogen bomb.
“You thought I’d sleep with you for the price of a bagel and a cup of fucking coffee?” A furious vein in Ethan’s forehead throbbed with each word.
“What? No, of course not.”
“Or is this some kind of joke? Did they put you up to this?”
“No. I swear.”
Ethan sighed. “I’m not sure I believe you.”
“I’m gay, too, you know, in case you haven’t noticed by now.” William held his palms out in surrender. “Or maybe I just read you wrong, that’s all.”
“That’s all?”
“That’s all.”
Ethan frowned. “You’re not lying, are you?”
