Kelly Brooks Montes is only nineteen years old and just starting college in New York City when tragedy strikes, and he becomes a single dad to his toddler brother. Four years later, Kelly and his baby brother, Jaylen, are doing well, though Kelly leads a double life to make ends meet. He’s a high-level administrative assistant by day and a racy go-go boy by night. Between raising his brother, dancing, and trying not to run afoul of his new boss, Kelly doesn’t have time for a boyfriend. Even if he did want a man in his life, a past trauma makes him question whether he can ever trust a man with his body or his heart. But then Kelly receives an unexpected but steamy birthday kiss from his boss, a man he was sure hated him, and he begins to wish for things he knows he shouldn’t.
Andrew Whitman knew from the moment he held Kelly’s hand that the man was special, and it both annoyed and terrified him. Kelly makes him feel a little out of control and Drew is a highly controlled man. He has to be to keep his sexuality a secret from his father, a conservative politician. And he is OK with that. He has a perfectly good, mutually beneficial, life plan with his best friend, Lex. A long time ago, he’d made his peace with the fact that he’d never find a man worth turning his life upside down for. Then he ends up with his capable and gorgeous assistant under him on top of his desk, and his life plans change. Drew can’t seem to get out of his own way when it comes to the quiet, sexy, and surprising single dad, but he can’t stop himself from falling for Kelly and his sweet baby brother. And just when it seems that Kelly has worked through his past hurts enough to let Drew into his body and his heart, manipulative family and words unspoken threaten to tear them apart. But after getting a taste of a life he never thought he could have, Drew won’t let anything tear his fledgling family apart.
***Please be aware that this book contains a flashback of and several references to sexual assault that may be triggering to some readers.***
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Kelly thinks his boss, Drew, doesn’t like him and it makes things pretty awkward at the office. Especially since Kelly has a big ol crush on him. Unfortunately, Kelly doesn’t have time to act on that attraction, or any other attraction with anyone else, because not only is he working two jobs, but he also is guardian to his little brother Jaylen, who he’s had custody of since Jaylen was a baby and their parents died in a car accident. Doesn’t matter anyway, because Drew doesn’t like him, anyways… right
Wrong. Drew is just as infatuated with Kelly as Kelly is with him, he just doesn’t know how to show it and he seems to run hot and cold with Kelly. Being his boss is just topping on the cake. However, after Kelly bluntly asks him why he doesn’t like him…. Things take a turn from there. Neither of them hold back what they’ve been hiding and it gets hot and heavy pretty fast.
However, again…. Kelly has some hang-ups, from a date gone bad in his youth and it has him running away from Andrew, just as things start getting good. It’s tough and I felt for Kelly, but my goodness, it happens so many times, I started to feel badly for Andrew. There is a lot going on in this story as these two guys get their bearings and date. Kelly has his little brother to think about his back and forth is kind of exhausting. Some of the dialogue was iffy for me. Kelly was said to be this confident, self-assured man, but he doubted himself a lot, and flat out asked Drew a couple different times, why he liked him, then proceeded to tell him all that was wrong with him, like he was trying to talk Drew out of liking him. That’s annoying to me. Like, I get that you need assurances, but don’t do that, it sounds like your fishing. Especially if you do it more than once.
Other than that, and sometimes cringy dialogue, they run into some trouble with Drews dad… they have great friends, both guys do and I love that they have the support, they’d definitely need it, since Drews dad is kind of like the worst villain in any hero movie. I’m not sure why the whole thing didn’t seem believable to me, but it seemed like something you’d see on a lifetime movie or something. The blackmail, the lies and downright hatred the father had for Drew, up and out of nowhere and the lengths he was willing to go to hurt Drew. Then, the alternate life Drew had with his bestie and how that whole thing played out. I dunno, it seemed like a drama movie and I saw it all coming and the fallout, though I couldn’t have predicted the bad A move by Drew at the end….I was pleased with that…. But the rest was just ..a lot.
Fortunately, all’s well that ends well and Drew got the little family he fought so hard for. I loved that part, you couldn’t help but love Drew. He never wavered in his love and patience and understanding and care for Kelly and Jaylen. I love that in a hot guy, especially when he’s a hot dad type. We all know how I feel about those!
Overall an entertaining and somewhat angsty read.
4 pieces of eye from me!
