Thomas has been home with his family since his father died.  Thomas spends his days working in the family hardware store trying to make ends meet and his nights dreaming about his master, Marcus, the man he left behind in New York.  Marcus was not the only thing he left behind –Thomas stopped painting when he moved back home and his dream of being an artist has fallen by the wayside amongst the other duties Thomas is now responsible for.  When Marcus comes to his hometown with a proposition, Thomas listens to what he says but sees no visible solution.  But one thing is for certain—he still craves Marcus with every breath that he takes.

Marcus has found a way for Thomas to continue his artistic career and support his family as well.  Going to North Carolina to convince Thomas to pick a brush back up, Marcus isn’t prepared for the feelings he experiences seeing Thomas again.  Marcus knows those feelings will only cause heartache and pain.  Giving Thomas a deadline to make a decision, Marcus retreats to the home he has rented and waits.  He knows Thomas will come to him because above all else, Thomas is a sexual submissive and craves the one thing Marcus can give him – release. 

Joey W. Hill pulls no punches with Rough Canvas.  Marcus is a true dominant; masterful and bossy.  He apologizes for nothing and knows exactly what he wants.  That is the persona most people see.  Underneath it all, however, Marcus desires the fairy tale.  He wants forever but things in his past have taught him not to trust anyone but himself.  The only person he ever allowed close to him was Thomas and Thomas left him. No matter that it was for his family, he still left him.  I wanted to stay upset with Thomas for this but, there are two sides to every story and Thomas’ communication with Marcus was not the best.  Love prevails in most things and in Rough Canvas it shines.  This was truly a magnificent story for Marcus and Thomas and while I can’t give away the ending, I loved revisiting former Nature of Desire characters.  Joey W. Hill outdid herself with this one. I adored it and have reread it more than once.