A Door to the Heart

By Thomas Grant Bruso

As Josh Tully returns home from running errands, he stumbles across a handsome man leaving his apartment complex. Distracted by the charming new stranger, Josh spills his groceries across the front stoop. As the new neighbor helps Josh pick up his belongings, a sudden surge of electricity sparks between the two young men.

When Eddie returns to Josh’s apartment with a fresh gallon of milk, a chance meeting turns into mutual attraction. But a severe case of pneumonia lands Josh in the hospital and Eddie stays at his side, and their budding friendship deepens.

Eddie is not the nesting type, and he does not stay in one place for long. But as days turn to weeks, something in Josh’s laid-back persona draws Eddie to the small Minnesota town of Gordonville and through the door of Josh’s heart.

Will Eddie decide to stay this time ... and for how long?

• Language: English
• Publisher: JMS Books LLC
• Release date: Oct 4, 2015
• ISBN: 9781611528374

Thomas Grant Bruso

Thomas Grant Bruso graduated from SUNY Plattsburgh in 2004 with a Bachelor’s in theatre performance and English writing. He knew at an early age he wanted to be a writer. He has been a voracious reader of genre fiction since he was a kid. His literary inspirations are Dean Koontz, Karin Fossum, Jeffery Deaver, Joyce Carol Oates, and John Connolly. He loves animals, book-reading, writing fiction, and prefers Sudoku to crossword puzzles. He writes book reviews for his hometown newspaper, The Press Republican. He lives in Plattsburgh with his husband, Paul, and their miniature pincher diva, Riley. For more information, please visit facebook.com/thomasgrantbruso.

Book preview

A Door to the Heart

By Thomas Grant Bruso

Published by JMS Books LLC at Smashwords

Visit jms-books.com for more information.

Copyright 2015 Thomas Grant Bruso

ISBN 9781611528374

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Cover Design: Written Ink Designs | written-ink.com

Image(s) used under a Standard Royalty-Free License.

All rights reserved.

WARNING: This book is not transferable. It is for your own personal use. If it is sold, shared, or given away, it is an infringement of the copyright of this work and violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

No portion of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, or by any means, without permission in writing from the publisher, with the exception of brief excerpts used for the purposes of review.

This book is for ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY. It may contain sexually explicit scenes and graphic language which might be considered offensive by some readers. Please store your files where they cannot be accessed by minors.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are solely the product of the author’s imagination and/or are used fictitiously, though reference may be made to actual historical events or existing locations. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Published in the United States of America.

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For Paul.

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A Door to the Heart

By Thomas Grant Bruso

Josh Tully stands at the edge of Red Maple Lake, one of his favorite peaceful places to pause and adjust the grocery bags cutting into his wrists. He inhales and feels a winter cold settling deep in his chest. He wheezes and gazes out at the frozen landscape of late-December, dazzling in its soft, soothing stillness.

Suddenly, the placid moment is interrupted by the sound of an approaching vehicle speeding along Main Street. Josh whirls around as a Gordonville taxi zips by too close to the shoulder, its tires kicking up chips of snow and ice and slush into his face.

Frustrated, Josh wants to yell an obscenity at the driver. Instead he heaves a deep sigh, sucks in a breath of crisp winter air, and wipes the slush from his glasses. He tucks his specs back over the crook of his ears, takes another breath, and looks both ways before heading across the street to his residence.

As he reaches the top of the landing and the wraparound porch adorned with multicolored twinkling Christmas lights, he is in luck. As if an angel is watching over him, he notices someone coming out of the front door.

A new face Josh has not seen in this quaint, sleepy town. Beyond the stranger’s pierced nose, five o’clock shadow, and ten dollar haircut, Josh also notes the man’s charming smile and stunning baby blues.

Openmouthed, Josh stares as the twenty-something boy-next-door tugs the baseball hat in place on top of his coffee-colored curls. The man’s left earlobe is stretched with a rubber plug.

Juggling a leashed German shepherd in one hand and a graffiti-scarred skateboard in the other, the young man uses the tip of his left boot to kick the door open for Josh.

Startled, Josh loses his grip on the grocery bags, spilling most of their contents across the front stoop. Josh watches as the man releases the skateboard and bends down to lend a friendly hand.

A few Granny Smith apples spin and roll down the steps, and a gallon of organic milk gushes open across the porch. Damn it. As Josh reaches in front of him to pick up broken pieces of crushed chocolate chip cookies, a pint of vanilla ice cream and an assorted box of holiday truffles, the two guys butt heads, and the new tenant’s face is in Josh’s with his striking gaze and appealing smile, pulling Josh into his boyish charm.

Heart racing, palms sweat-slick, Josh is distracted by the outline of the guy’s lean, sinewy swimmer’s build beneath his tight-fitting turtleneck and torn jeans.

Josh reaches down and scoops up a hand-sized bottle of banana lube from behind the heels of the guy’s muddy boots. Embarrassed, Josh jams the item into the deep pockets of his winter coat. He feels his hands shaking through the leather lining.

Sorry, the guy says. The large dog at his side is yanking on the leash.

Josh shakes his head, as if ashamed. No, it’s my fault. I wasn’t paying attention. He pushes his glasses back into place along the ridge of his bony nose. Heat creeps into Josh’s face and neck.

The guy grins. He grips Josh’s apples as though he is going to use them as weights, and Josh glimpses the veiny cords of muscle in the man’s arms as he hands the fruit to him.

Thanks, Josh says, shyly, standing and shoving the apples back into the bag. The empty carton of milk lies at his feet.

The stranger says, I’m heading into town. I wouldn’t mind picking up another gallon of milk for you.

Josh crouches and grabs a few other perishables by his foot and tosses them into his bags. Um, sure. Thanks. Here— He reaches into his pocket for his wallet.

The man waves a hand at him, tugging the dog leash with the other. "We can catch