Brennan Arling McDonnell III was a spoiled, pretentious rich boy. Coddled all his life by servants and his family’s money, he hid his pain under layers of arrogance and cruelty. He could probably count on one hand how many times he’d been in the presence of either parent.
Always looking for that adrenaline rush that pushed the pain away, he finally went too far, threatening a government official. Thanks to his father’s high priced attorneys, Brennan didn’t even spend a night in jail. He walked out of the precinct with a smirk on his face, thinking he was home free.
But Brennan found out he wasn’t as free as he thought. Upon sentencing, he was given a year of probation. Probation that curtailed all of Brennan’s fun. And the outlet that allowed him to endure the lie he lived. But the worst part of it all was his probation officer.
Corydon Fitzgerald, Brennan’s probation officer, was beautiful, sexy, confident and…out. Brennan hated him instantly. The jealousy at the ease in which Cori lived his life tore at Brennan, making him lash out repeatedly. That Cori was understanding as well only fueled Brennan’s resentment. Months into his probation, Cori had managed to work his way under Brennan’s carefully constructed defenses, and into his heart.
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It had taken ten years for Corydon Fitzgerald to get over the betrayal of his ex lover. It had shattered his heart and his trust to find out John had only been stringing him along for the sex and had never really cared about him. Thanks to John, Cori would never trust another aristocratic, self-centered rich boy. They were all the same. Self serving, arrogant and heartless.
Cori could have killed his boss when he got assigned to Brennan McDonnell. Brennan could have been a clone of John personality-wise. Looks? Not so much. Brennan was absolutely gorgeous, and unfortunately, knew it. Cori hated him on sight.
But he was attracted to the pompous bastard too. An attraction Cori didn’t want. But as time went by, he began to see under the layers that shielded Brennan from the world. Here and there, pain leaked out that Brennan always quickly hid with snide remarks and inappropriate actions.
Slowly, Cori learned to understand Brennan. But was it enough? Would Brennan be able to put aside his smoke screen of haughty indifference and reveal who he really was? Would Cori be able to let go of the hurt and mistrust and make himself vulnerable to Brennan? And would either survive when Cori’s own secret came to light?
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