On a whim, Alex signs up to volunteer with an outreach program at a local youth shelter. When Father Nate calls him and asks him to work with Jamie as a big brother, Alex envisions a little kid he'll pal around with. What he doesn't expect is Jamie Owens, an 18 year old boy with a bad attitude who's only two years younger than Alex himself.<br><br>Jamie's hot. Very hot, and nervy, and precocious, and damn sexy, to boot. Even if he is eighteen, Alex feels guilty lusting after the kid. Alex sees himself as a mentor to Jamie, someone to look up to, someone to prove being a gay man doesn't mean casual sex in crowded clubs. He tries to keep his distance, both physically and emotionally, but Alex is sending some very mixed signals, and Jamie is getting pretty frustrated. As their friendship grows, Jamie becomes a part of Alex's life in a way neither expects.

Conflict of Interest

Jamie’s not that bad,Alex thought, surprised at the


involuntary smile that spread across his face when he thought of


the way the street lamps had washed Jamie’s chest with a warm


light. He’d wanted to call the shelter when he got home, just to


talk to him again, say he was sorry one more time. He still didn’t


know why Jamie had suddenly stormed off like that…


Unless he doesn’t think I’m coming back.


Alex frowned at that. Maybe I wasn’t going to, not at first, but


I can’t let him down. Even if he didn’t make me feel the way he


does, I couldn’t just walk out of his life, not now.


In the end, he hadn’t called Jamie because he didn’t want to


pester the poor kid. He’d call that evening, when he got off from


work, right? Eight o’clock, that’s what he’d said, but once he got


home, time seemed to drag. At quarter ‘til, he figured it was close


For one heart-stopping moment he couldn’t find Father Taylor’s


letter, but it had fallen between the table and his bed. After


Chapter 14