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

Father Nate called him back as he turned onto 17th,


but there was nothing else he could tell him. “You know how kids


can be,” he said. “They like me but I’m still a priest. I’m older


than they are and they’re not going to tell me the places they hang


out at, even if they do think I’m pretty cool.”


“My roommate suggested 17th,” Alex said, slowing as he


scanned the already crowded sidewalks. Young kids lingered


everywhere, dressed in leather and chains and tight jeans, tattoos


and piercings and punked hair… God, please don’t let him be


here,Alex prayed. “I’m there now.”


“That’s a tough street,” Father Nate replied. “You be


“I’ll be fine,” Alex assured him.


He rolled the window up halfway and turned down the radio,


trying to study the streets without making eye contact with any of


the kids. A few glared at him as he passed, thumbing their


cigarettes his way, but the majority just ignored him. Even though


Chapter 36