“A spa?""Yeah, Avalon Spa, you know the place near the mall?""Oh, right. What do you do there?"Again, the nervous glance at the floor, and the small flush of color rising up his neck. "I'm a masseur. Which I know sounds phony as hell, but I'm licensed and everything. Also, my clients are women- the only men at Avalon are the ones on staff. And while I've got nothing against women at all- I'd have no friends in high school if it weren't for women- I find them as sexually attractive as roadkill possum."Roan had to swallow back a laugh. "Don't tell them that.""Oh, God no! I'd never get any tips then.”

“Have you had unprotected gay sex?"This time he got a snort and a laugh. "I ain‘t no butt pirate."Roan felt the urge to say, " Arr matey, prepare to be boarded," but somehow managed to repress it.”

“I got over shy a really long time ago. I'm queer, I'm feline, get used to it.”

“I'm always going to be with you, you know. As long as you remember me, I will exist. Memory is a form of existence, life after death.”

“Cold case or not, the case was technically still open, never closed. These files should have been totally off limits to him. Gabe was risking his job by giving him this. “Wow, I had no idea you’d give me the keys to the kingdom. Thank you.”“If you can find anything new about this case, I will kiss you in front of the squad room. On the lips. Hell, find something actionable and I just may give you a hand job.”“Not a blow job?”“Don’t push it.”

“Men have constructed female sexuality and in so doing have annihilated the chance for sexual intelligence in women. Sexual intelligence cannot live in the shallow, predestined sexuality men have counterfeiteed for women.”

“The patter of tentative footfalls reached my ears. I flipped on my side to face the door and saw Ansel wander by. I rolled onto my back, rubbing sleep from my eyes. I'd crashed on my bed as soons as I'd gotten back from school, collapsing under the weight of the day. The floorboards squeaked as Ansel passed by my door again. I caught his nervous glance in my direction before he hurried down the hall. 'Ansel, I'm not the sun; stop orbiting and get in here,' I called.”