While Max's biggest fear is being touched, his greatest dream is to be loved. Can he let Jeremiah close enough to heal, or will he turn away all that he wants for the safety of what he knows?
Max Eisner suffers from haptephobia, the fear of being touched. He refuses to let that stop him from living, though every second outside his house compounds his distress. Nor does it prevent him from yearning for that one man who will crash through those barriers and make Max his in every way.
Jerimiah Sandburg has watched the handsome man walk past his office door every morning for the past three months. Every day he has the same pained look on his face, flinching whenever someone brushes against him. Jerimiah isn't sure if Max will trust him enough to work through whatever is bothering him, but he's not willing to wait another day to claim the smaller man for his own.
Will Max listen to the call of his heart, or will he shut himself off once and for all?
General Release Date: 9th May 2011
“Mr. Sandburg, I can’t do it.” Max Eisner stepped into his boss’ office, closing the door behind him.
“It’s Miah, Max. And I’m sorry, this is a mandatory team-building exercise.” Jeremiah Sandburg, one half of the partnership at Sandburg Software, leant back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. Max couldn’t help but notice the concern written on his supervisor’s handsome face. “You need to be here.”
Max tucked his hands into his pockets to keep Miah from seeing the trembling. He bit into his lip, tasting the bitterness as he drew blood. Max shook his head. “Please understand. I can’t stay. There’s...” He trailed off. I’m not humiliating myself.
Miah’s eyes narrowed and honed in on Max’s mouth. Max winced, knowing Miah wouldn’t have missed the blood. Miah continued to watch Max for what felt like an eternity before his jaw clenched and he shook his head. He turned back to his computer. “Join everyone else in the conference room. We’re due to start in ten minutes.”
Max’s stomach dropped to the floor. He backed away from Miah, determined to just walk right out of the front door. To leave his job, his new friends, and his attractive boss right here where he’d found them.
But as he put his hand on the knob of Miah’s office door, his boss rose from his chair. “I think I’ll walk with you.”
Max tried counting to ten but the closer Miah got, the harder it was to remember what came after six. The straight-cut Armani suit was tailor-made—Max would stake his next pay cheque on that. And whoever had the pleasure of measuring those inseams on Miah’s solid frame most definitely would have had put his hands in places Max only dreamt about. It should be illegal for a man to look that good in a suit. Max sucked in a deep breath as his boss passed by him.
Miah turned around just before Max could leave the office. He jammed both hands into his pockets. “Are you okay, Max? Is there something I should know about?”
Max’s body began to shake and his formerly floor-bound stomach chose that moment to take off like the flight of a hundred butterflies. Max felt the blood drain from his face and cold sweat popped out on his forehead. The trembling worsened. Max’s stomach rolled again and he shoved past Miah, bolting for the bathroom down the hall.
“Max!”
Hi all! Let's see, a little about me. I am an Army brat, which lends to my imagination…and I am a wife & mother of two energetic little boys, which gives me my sense of humour. I started writing in high school for the newspaper and have written steadily since then for my own enjoyment. I have lived a little of everywhere thanks to the travel bug I inherited from my dad, but currently am push-pinned in southeast Michigan. A typical day is a little crazy but I always work in writing time and I love chatting with friends. Feel free to visit me at my website.
Reviewed by Rainbow Book Reviews
Em Woods packs a lot of emotion into her story, especially considering its brevity. Her characters are interesting and compelling. I particularly admired Miah's growth when he showed the depth of hi...
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Reviewed by Queer Magazine Online
Em Woods packs a lot of emotion into her story...I thoroughly enjoyed it and heartily recommend it.
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