Hubert knows he brings shame on himself and on the Lord by being a queer -- his grandad and the pastor of his evangelical church tell him as much all the time. So when he dies in a freak accident, he's as delighted as he is surprised to waltz right through the Pearly Gates, no questions asked. He even gets a beautiful angel named Bartholomew as his very own guide to the Afterlife.<br><br>But when the angel makes brazen overtures, Hubert realizes his soul may have taken a wrong turn. Hubert beseeches Bartholomew to keep his hands to himself and help him find his rightful place in the Heaven he's always heard about. As they set out to explore his options, Bartholomew hopes Hubert will learn a thing or two along the way about the deeply personal definitions of Paradise.

Sin to Get Saved

Bartholomew stood and crossed the room. By the time he was next to Hubert, the jeans were back. If anything, lifting his butt as they did, they were more distracting, but what was Hubert gonna say, Could you please put on a muumuu? Besides, Bartholomew’s body was only part of the problem.


“What’s wrong, Hubert? I thought you’d enjoy this.”


“Enjoy? This? The thing I’m ashamed of most put on like a play with God as the audience? You’re trying to entice me.”


Bartholomew nodded. “And frankly I didn’t expect it to be this hard. Are you getting a load of these jeans?” The angel turned to admire his own ass, fluffing his feathers with pride.


“You’re nothing but a temptation.”


“Well, maybe not ‘nothing,’” Bartholomew scolded. “I can fly. I can speak every language on Earth. Last I heard I make a pretty mean ham sandwich. Being tempting isn’t my only skill.” He gave his golden curls a shake and winked. “It’s just my favorite one.”


Chapter 10