After a Marine roughs him up at a gay bar, Ensign Aiden Lange has some cuts and bruises on his face that are sure to raise questions at work. At the urging of a sympathetic cop, he spends the next day hiking to Okinawa's Hiji Falls where he'll claim he hurt himself in a fall. But at the end of the trail, he's in for a pleasant surprise—a gorgeous young guy in a pair of swimming trunks.
Connor didn't come up to the falls to find a man, but when the ensign with the bandaged eyebrow finds him, he's instantly intrigued. A hike turns into dinner, and before either of them know it, they're inseparable. Connor's experience with men is limited, but Aiden is gentle and—in spite of their mutual hunger for each other—infinitely patient.
It's a small world, though, and an even smaller island, and when Connor's father catches the two of them together, he's more than just an overprotective dad—he's one of Aiden's high-ranking bosses. With a few phone calls, he can derail the Naval Academy grad's carefully planned career trajectory. The ultimatum is simple—stay away from Connor, or kiss his dreams of advancement goodbye.
Aiden's not so easily deterred, though, especially when it comes to someone like Connor, so the two continue seeing each other in secret. But there are only so many places to hide on a tiny island, and sooner or later, Aiden's going to have to choose—Connor or his career.
This 63,000 word novel was previously published.