Head Games — May Raymond

Sam Lester has endured years of abuse. First, his uncle, his guardian after his parents died, treated him badly, and then his boyfriend, Chris, enjoyed using his fists instead of his mouth to communicate. Seeing no end in sight to the way his life was moving, Sam was at the end of his tether. No home, no family, no one to care if he were gone. Max Turner decides, on the spur of the moment, to walk over the hill at Hengistbury Head rather than around the road. On finding Sam, cold and on the point of hypothermia, he persuades the man to walk with him to his holiday beach hut, his weekend retreat. Attraction on both sides is clear from the start, and, with Max's encouragement, Sam finally accepts help in dealing with his past and moving on. Sam moves in with Max, and they settle down together. However, Chris hasn't quite finished with Sam.