Click on image to enlarge.

Category: Erotica/Erotic Romance/Romance
Description: Fires are blazing across southern Utah, and Aaron Meyers, volunteer firefighter, knows he should be concentrating on the flames. Unfortunately, he's too distracted by former crush, and current New York City fireman, Xander Wescott. Xander returns to Utah to help battle the flames threatening his hometown. He remembers Aaron as the gangly kid who used to follow him around, and he's unprepared for just how much he wants to know the man Aaron has become. Genres: Gay / Contemporary / Series
eBook Publisher: Amber Quill Press, 2008
eBookwise Release Date: February 2009

84 Reader Ratings:

Great	Good	OK	Poor

Available eBook Formats: OEBFF Format (IMP) [148 KB]
Words: 31740
Reading time: 90-126 min.

"5 STARS!...The sex is gentle, emotional, sensuous, hot and every other word you could choose to describe the coming together of two people who find what they are looking for in the other person...The characters are fully developed and three dimensional and there is enough of a back-story that the reader can relate to in getting to know Aaron and Xander...a really enjoyable book and I have no hesitation in recommending it to fans of Jamie Craig or other readers new to the work of this terrific writing team."--Jessewave, Reviews By Jessewave

"4 STARS!...a wonderfully romantic and engaging story about boyhood friends rediscovering one another. The characters of Aaron and Xander are realistic and pull the reader in from the beginning...one of my favorites of the Calendar Boys stories that have been released so far. Wonderful characters, a touching romance, and even an adorable dog make this a recommended read!"--Emily, Rainbow Reviews

"4 NYMPHS!...Ms. Craig does a wonderful job describing the conditions under which Aaron and Xander fall in love...danger, stifling heat, hot summer winds, and day after day without a drop of rain in sight. Between the fire plotline and the well-placed pieces of back-story, both Aaron and Xander come across as well-rounded, three-dimensional characters that you can't help but like...If you're looking for an enjoyable afternoon read filled with hot, sexy men, you should definitely give this scorcher a try."--Mystical Nymph, Literary Nymphs Reviews

"5 ANGELS!...I enjoyed Jamie Craig's July installment of Calendar Boys so much I just had to read the August novella. She certainly didn't disappoint. You just have to love sexy firefighters, and Aaron and Xander are definitely two very sexy men, especially when they're together. Jamie Craig packs a lot into this story. Real life emotions arise between both men and family issues make both characters that much more endearing. Right from page one I got a real sense of what fighting a fire of that magnitude must be like, what the firefighters go through and must feel every day. I'm looking forward to September and Ms. Craig's new novella."--April, Fallen Angel Reviews

"4 BLUE RIBBONS!...SCORCHED is as hot as August is, and from the beginning of this book the sexual tension holds you and never lets you go...This is a beautifully penned story that deals with small town living and its prejudices... Jamie Craig has once again given us two men who find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but not before the long lonely journey of getting there."--Jhayboy, Romance Junkies

Aaron almost fell down. Instead of hitting the floor, he made it to the arm of the couch and sat heavily. Honey pressed her nose under his hand, seeking attention, but he barely noticed her.

"Your boyfriend? You have a boyfriend?"

His arm shifted, covering the top half of his face. "Well, I did. At the time. Not currently, which is probably good considering the kinds of thoughts I've been having all week."

Keep it together. Keep it together. He felt lightheaded and flushed. Just because he once had a boyfriend doesn't mean he'd want you. But that logic didn't seem to matter. Aaron was trembling, and not just from arousal. For the first time in his life, he knew somebody who would understand. Just saying the words aloud would relieve the weight on his shoulders.

"I ... Xander, I don't even know where to start. I mean, I had no idea. None at all. Maybe I should have. But ... what kinds of thoughts have you been having?"

"Bad ones." His nostrils flared. As Aaron watched, Xander's abs twitched. He was tense, as tense as Aaron was rubbery. "Thoughts that mean I really should've gotten laid before I left New York so I wouldn't be nearly as horny as I've been." The hand stretched out at his side rubbed over his leg, drawing attention to the thick line of his cock. The waistband bulged from the hard tip nearly poking free, and this close, Aaron could see a small wet spot where Xander had leaked. "Told you, you wouldn't want to know."

Aaron wanted to open his mouth and tell Xander everything. But years of silence had programmed him to hold his tongue, and now he wasn't sure what to say. Could he blurt I'm gay, too? He had no way of knowing that Xander's so-called bad thoughts had anything to do with him, but they were both there. Aaron's fingers felt numb. Actions would speak louder than words. One simple gesture would convey to Xander what he wanted, and would give Xander the chance to accept that or rebuff him.

One simple gesture.

Aaron ran his fingers over the back of Xander's hand, then hooked his fingers around the waistband of Xander's boxer briefs.

He froze as soon as Xander moved the arm away from his face. Icy blue eyes gazed up at him, heavy lidded but oddly soft. They almost seemed to plead with him, to beg him ... for what? He didn't know. But then Xander swallowed, and Aaron's prick jumped, and a large, warm hand covered his.

"Eddie would kill me if he knew I'd wondered what it would feel like to shoot down your throat," he murmured. "Or if I'd ever know how tight your legs could hold on while I pounded into your ass. So don't do something I can't stop just because of old times, or you're relieved about a little rain. I don't play those games."

The more Xander spoke, the more Aaron ached. "Listen, I ... I've been carrying a torch for you." The words came out of him in a rush, but he knew he needed to say something. "Maybe that's pathetic, since it's been so long since you left for New York. I don't know. I just know that I'm really, really happy to see you again. And I want you to come to bed with me."