"Give it a try. Let yourself be happy. Believe you deserve it." "A summer adventure is just what I need." Eddie Damron needs a break from the stress of nursing school and everyday life. When an opportunity arises to work for a kayak tour company on a picturesque island in the Pacific Northwest, he jumps in with both feet. Cheerful, optimistic, and determined to have fun, he's startled when one of his new coworkers rebuffs his efforts at friendship. What's Mike's problem? "Sometimes even this place doesn't feel far enough away from my past." Mike Hewitt ran away to Corona Island eight years ago, fleeing his wreck of a marriage and the old life that still haunts him. The distance he keeps between himself and everyone else is necessary. Why can't people see that? What does he have to do to get the bright-eyed, bushy-tailed new blond kid to leave him alone? Doesn't he know Mike's straight? "Don't you ever get tired of pushing everyone away?" Eddie can't stop thinking about Mike. Mike grudgingly admits that Eddie can be good company, at times. But when they're forced to work side by side on the open ocean, will it destroy the budding attraction Eddie feels? Will Mike push him away for good? Or will their whole be greater than the sum of their parts? Both men came to Corona Island seeking something specific: adventure, escape, a new life. They never thought they'd find it with each other. Stronger With You is a steamy, standalone gay romance novel with a HEA and no cliffhangers.