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

The light didn’t blink. He stared at it for a full minute, sure


it would blink, sure there was a message on it, there hadto


be. Refusing to believe Jamie hadn’t called, he even pushed the


Playbutton on the machine. Maybe Dave played the message


when he came in.But the machine beeped twice and that was


Back upstairs, Alex stood outside Dave’s door and debated on


waking his roommate. What time had he wandered in last night? Maybe


he came in as the phone rang and he didn’t want it to wake Alex so


he answered it. Maybe he talked to Jamie. Maybe…


Gently Alex eased the door open and peeked into the dark room.


The sheets were wrapped around bare legs that definitely didn’t


belong to Dave—they were long and curvaceous and female.


“Dave?” Alex hissed. Whoever was in Dave’s bed pulled her legs


beneath the covers with a soft moan. “Dave?”


Hidden somewhere in the tangled sheets came the grumbled reply.


Chapter 15