Welcome to Hurricane Bay, Florida, where the act of arson isn’t uncommon. When a popular gay bar, the Flaming Flamingo, burns to the ground with bartender Rudy inside, fear rocks the Gulf-side community. Bar owner Peter Rotunda wants to learn who destroyed his business and committed murder. Soon after the incident, Rotunda hires adorable and sexy private investigator Axle Dupree to take the case.<br><br>Axle is a fresh private eye with exemplary charm. Not only can he woo the pants off his boyfriend Casey, but also just about every other guy in town. Soon a list of alleged suspects builds: wealthy Laura Monigal, who has a history of arson; mysterious faux-cowboy Clifton Monigal; a Daisy Dukes-wearing circus performer; and a “fluff” romance writer.<br><br>As June unfolds, conversations are sharp, road trips into the Everglades become overwhelming, and spying is necessary. But after applying heat to the suspects, Axle learns who the murderer is ... and so much more about his community.

Heat

We hit it off quite well with three dates, which then turned into eight dates. On the ninth date, we slept together at his bungalow on Hurricane Road, which overlooked the Gulf and a private beach. I’ve stayed at Bungalow Sixteen ever since, enjoying the professional interior designer, his pad, food, chiseled body, and continued to learn him as the boyfriend he was labeled.


We definitely considered ourselves lovers, but a vow of becoming hitched felt long off. Casey still had to prove to me that he wouldn’t stray and share his handsome five-eleven frame and one hundred and seventy pounds with another man. Being a high-rolling flirter, mastering the task of wooing men with his dripping charm, I kept a close eye on him, surveyed a future with the man, and had yet to declare him as the knight in shining armor of my dreams. Nor had I axed him from the list, always aware of promising opportunities.


Chapter 3