Love & Desire: Book One: Love & Desire, #1

By Allison Butler

London Matthews has it all. She has the perfect job. The perfect home. The perfect friends. The world is at her feet when Dr. Lucas Bai comes rushing in. Lucas is a surgeon at Shiloh Memorial, the hospital London happens to be part owner of. He also happens to be London's lovable best friend's boyfriend. Lucas and London continue their twirl around each other, but they will eventually have to stop the dance and make a choice. Will London choose her friendship with Theodore or will she let her soul have the love with Lucas she so deeply longs for? 

 

A romance novella with queer themes, steamy scenes, and characters who make you think. Join London, Lucas, and Theo as they journey through desire and explore what love really means. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Allison Butler
• Release date: Mar 24, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393667193

Book preview

Love & Desire: Book One

Love & Desire, Volume 1

Allison Butler

Published by Allison Butler, 2021.

This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

LOVE & DESIRE: BOOK ONE

First edition. March 24, 2021.

Copyright © 2021 Allison Butler.

Written by Allison Butler.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication

Love & Desire: Book One

Dedicated to all the Theos out there. You are loved. 

Secondly, dedicated to my high school best friend, Henry, who was inspiration for one of my main characters. I love you, Henry. 

Also, dedicated to my dear friends Chantal and Michel'le, who encouraged me every step of the way. 

Finally, dedicated to every person who ever made me feel like I was enough; including many teachers, professors, mentors, friends, and earthly angels. 

I don’t know...

What is there not to know? I’m telling you I’m in love with this stud of a man and your response is that you don’t know?

Theo jabbed at the little pile of ketchup with the fry he’d just been waving, without lack of attitude, in his best friend’s face.

Shoving the over-cooked potato into his mouth, Theo looked around the cafe’. The small diner just blocks from the hospital had become his and London’s go-to restaurant. Although, the family-owned business was at best, two star. They tended to serve large helpings of food that was, more times than not, over or underdone, which was complemented by the subpar service. At that very moment, this was demonstrated by Gracie, the tall, blonde waitress with massively long press-on nails, in the corner of the bar scraping the black off a piece of burnt toast with the same knife she had just used to stir an individually made cup of house-made iced tea. Yet, there was something calming about visiting their spot after a busy twelve-hour shift. The rustic decor, the large plastic floor plants, the cracked red booth seating, the aroma of maple syrup. It all made the city feel a little like home to Theo.

London looked at her friend with sympathy. He had longed for love as far back as she could remember. His parents were never great polymers of the tender care his sensitive heart deserved or desired. She took in a deep breath as she reached for her fork and stabbed the untouched salad in front of her.

I guess I’m just... concerned, T. I don’t want him to take advantage of you. I mean, come on. He won’t make you his official partner. If he liked you, don’t you think he’d commit? London said as gingerly as she could. She wanted to protect her sweet friend’s feelings, but she also didn’t want him to become even more entangled in a situation that was clearly not good for him.

Yeah, but I know he likes me. I know he cares, Theo said, pushing his messy, chocolate brown hair out of his eyes.

How do you know? Has he said that? London asked with genuine curiosity.

Well, in so many words. Theo rolled his eyes, annoyed at London’s questions.

Why couldn’t she just let it go? The point was that he liked Lucas. He loved him. In the end, Theo knew his friend had his best interest in mind, but he really just wanted her to be happy for him. She had no idea what it felt like to have lived in the prison that was his life for so long. Not just being gay and hiding it, but also not being able to be or accept who he was as a person. It took time for him to come to like, much less love, his quarks. 

Theo, as he