Aaron Jones quits his job as an IT tech and decides to tour the east coast of the U.S. before flying home to Britain. But hitching rides isn’t easy, especially when there’s a heat wave going on. Standing on the side of the road, thumb extended and bottle of water empty, Aaron starts to despair. Seeing a cute guy trying to hitch a ride, trucker Ben Knight picks him up before the cops do. Aaron is relieved to be out of the heat, but gratitude almost instantly heats up into something more potent when he gets a look at his rescuer -- a handsome, mature bear. Ben cannot believe anyone as incredible as Aaron could be interested in an overweight guy with too many miles on the clock. What happens when they finally reach Newark and the heat between Ben and Aaron rivals that outside?

Heat Wave: Newark

Aaron let out an involuntary shiver when, on the screen, the planchette on the Ouija board started to move on its own. Ben rubbed Aaron’s chest, which instantly calmed him. However, Aaron felt cold all over again when Micah sprinkled talcum powder in the hallway and bedroom to detect any alien footsteps.


In the still of the night, the characters heard a creaking noise that woke them. This was followed by a loud tapping which was so unexpected, near, and realistic, Aaron let out an unmanly squeal and hid behind Ben.


Through the pounding in his ears, Aaron heard the tapping again, followed by a voice asking, “Ben, you in there, man?”


The noise wasn’t from the TV. Aaron felt foolish and stupid and…


“Just a minute,” Ben called out, rubbing Aaron’s chest. Aaron was sure Ben could feel his rapidly beating heart. “It’s Seth, one of Chad’s buddies,” Ben said, his voice soft and low.


Aaron nodded his understanding and tried to calm himself. Why had he acted like such a girl?


Chapter 11