From the Ashes

Phoenix

I was the best bronc rider on the circuit, but being openly bisexual wasn't an option unless I wanted my talent overshadowed by my orientation. I thought I was the only one keeping my cards close to my chest, until our eyes met across the bonfire, and I knew he shared the same secret I did. Walker DeVille may have bested me in the ring that night, but I'd give him a ride he'd never forget.

And then he lied.

And that lie cost me everything. When Walker turns back up in my life, there's no denying that same electrifying chemistry is there, but I learned my lesson, and where the fire once burned, there's nothing left but ashes.

Walker

The first time I saw Phoenix Harding ride, I was smitten. But cowboys like me aren't supposed to feel the way I do about other men. That's the unspoken rule. The expectation. The understanding if you find yourself in my shoes. So, when Phoenix followed me into the darkness, away from the fire, I knew he knew what I was hiding.

Part of it at least.

One night with him gave me the wings I needed to soar above the guilt trying to drag me down.

But my salvation cost him everything. And when I have nowhere else to turn, years later, it's Phoenix who saves me yet again. He's adamant that I blew our only chance…that nothing remains between us.

But he's wrong.

He watched us burn, and now he'll watch as we rise from the ashes.