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  Flame

  Burning Desire Series Book 2

  J. P. Scott

  A J.P. Scott Original Publication

  Copyright 2019 J.P. Scott

  All rights reserved. Except for review purposes, the reproduction of this book in whole or in part, electronically or mechanically, constitutes a copyright violation.

  All characters depicted in this work of fiction are 18 years or older.

  Acknowledgements

  Thank you to everyone who has supported this journey. So many long-time friends and family readily support the publication of the first book in this series. They bought it and read it without any hesitation. Sorry for the eye-opening content. The outpouring of love has been humbing.

  Thank you also to the new fans and friends who discovered my book and enjoyed it. It means so much to have my words read and enjoyed. I hope I can continue to entertain you.

  Chapter One

  I took a long drag of my cigarette—the first after swearing them off just today. I was not ready to quit even though I knew they would be the death of me.

  Up the hill, a cabin sat dark and empty. Alex had paid for the summer, but had left—something to do with his books and his publisher, he claimed. But I know it had more to do with me and my stupid choices. Me and my belief that I could have my cake and eat it, too.

  Ethan talked me into it. He would seduce Cody, and I could finally have Alex to myself. Ethan said it would be the spark to reignite our relationship. If we played our cards right, it could turn into a summer where four of us romped at will as twosomes, threesomes, or foursomes.

  As a quartet, we were a dream team. Four hot guys who all seemed to love sex and did not mind if things got a little dirty.

  Ethan was the first man to ever get me beyond vanilla sex to try new things…toys, restraints, public sex, anything. That’s why I loved him—or I thought I did. At the very least, it was why we stayed together. Encounters were new and interesting. I learned more about myself every time I found a new thing that got me excited—and got me off.

  When I met Alex at the beginning of the summer, he reminded me so much of Ethan. He had the same build and hair color, sure. More importantly, he had no fear. The day he found porn I had been watching before my shower, he did not hesitate to get on his knees and take me. From that day, I wanted him and cursed everything that kept that from happening—my uncle’s health, the demands of running his business, Ethan, and then Cody. I had my back turned and Alex and Cody started dating. How I wish I could have been part of it all.

  Cody. He did not look like Ethan or Alex, but everything about him was what I looked for with another man. He had to be open to anything—and if his reputation was true, he had done just about everything despite being a decade younger. He could teach me a few things about sex.

  But Ethan and I were wrong. Alex and Cody only wanted to be together—or at least not with Ethan and me.

  The screen door opened behind me. Joe, a trick I had invited over tonight, stepped out behind me and put his arms around me. My denim shirt was unbuttoned and open. Joe had the freedom to grope. After our fuck, he fell asleep and I had thrown on the shirt and jeans as he began to snore. I meant to only step outside to get some air, but I grabbed the cigarettes and lighter out of habit…and need?

  “Hey, sexy,” Joe’s hands moved down my chest to the top of my jeans. A finger dipped below to find the head of my cock. He caressed the urethra and I pulsed with excitement. I had not planned on multiple rounds, but my body seemed to be responding. I had wanted a distraction tonight—might as well make it last.

  I reached for his hand to pause him, “We should go back inside. My guests might see us.”

  “It’s dark. And I don’t think there’s anyone around.”

  He was right. All of the cabin guests seemed to be in the for the night. The forest was dark. The only cabin with the possibility of viewing this back porch was the one Alex rented—and he was gone.

  “We still have to be quiet—sound does carry.”

  “Not sure I can control myself if you fuck me like you did before.”

  Joe began to kiss my neck, right at the base where it meets the shoulder, then worked his way up, hitting the sweet spot halfway up. I shivered as the tingle spread.

  I turned to him and met his mouth with mine for a kiss. I jammed my tongue in and he took the cue to begin sucking.

  Joe had grabbed a pair of my basketball shorts and his own t-shirt. I began to push the shorts down and reached around to grab his ass. Pics of his ass had convinced me to have him over, round and firm and so fuckable. I grabbed a cheek and felt the remnants of lube in his crack.

  I could take him here without much effort. He was willing. No one was around. And I was losing any sense of caring what people around here thought.

  I undid my jeans and pushed them down far enough that they would not be in the way—but I did not want to be completely naked. There was still the chance that a surprise visitor could walk nearby. If they both still had some clothes on, possibly in the dark the clothes might provide some camouflage.

  I pointed Joe towards the support post and angled his ass to me. My cock was hard and ready. I grinned with joy that it was behaving as good, if not better, than my college days.

  I pressed the tip up into his crack and felt the shaft slide in. He was still open from our earlier fuck and the lube, a cream great for barebacking, was still slick and plentiful.

  “Oh, fuck,” he growled.

  “Remember. Quiet,” I whispered.

  He nodded and I began to move his hips forward and back. Joe groaned with each thrust. And with each thrust the grown got louder.

  I reached forward and cupped my left hand over his mouth. I thrust again, putting all of my weight behind it. Joe arched his back more, and I could feel his hot breath against my fingers and the vibration of his moan.

  My thrusts intensified. All of my frustrations pushing through me into Joe. This was not what I expected my life to be. Saddled with my uncle’s business, living out in the middle of nowhere. Boyfriend MIA, Alex gone, Cody angry and distant. I was alone and miserable. I was pounding rapidly. Joe’s moans and groans were barely muffled by my hand, but I kept it firmly planted.

  Our skin smacked as his ass and my hips made contact. My breathing was heavy and groans escaped as I felt my climax coming. Another desire was coming up and out of my throat as I ejaculated, “Alex…”

  Joe panted to catch his breath, and I released my grasp on his mouth.

  I pulled out and grabbed his t-shirt hem to wipe excess lube from my cock. He panted and slowly stood up, hugging the pole for support.

  “Damn, you’re good,” he said. “That was better than the last time.”

  I nodded and pulled my jeans up but left my shirt unbuttoned. I felt around in the shirt pocket for another cigarette. The pack was empty, but there were more inside.

  “Do you want a shower before you go?”

  “Go?” He asked. The idea of spending the night and continuing our play vanished from his mind. There might even be the whispers of falling in love and being together forever floating around in that head. I had learned enough about gay men over the years to nip things in the bud early. A good fuck stirred feelings faster than a romantic dance beneath the stars. “Oh, sure. Yeah. A quick rinse would be great.”

  I led him back inside and found him a fresh towel. I headed back outside before he tried to do anything to entice me into the shower. I was done with this trick.

  The silence surrounded me. Only a slight wind created any noise as it moved through the trees. I had never felt so alone as I did just then. I could ask Joe to stay, cuddle, and fuck. I knew that would only make me feel even more alone.

  After several minutes Joe stepped outside, dressed all in h
is own clothes, hair damp and loosely styled. “Thanks again. Let me know when we can meet up again.”

  “Yeah, sure.” I had not actual intention of asking him over again. There had to be others who could keep me entertained. Summer was speeding by. Tourists would start to dwindle. Hard decisions about the property and my uncle’s fortune and fate would need to be made. There did not seem to be a future for me here. Why lead someone on? Especially since my heart was not in it.

  Joe waved as he stepped off the porch and headed towards his car parked around the corner. I waited until I heard the car door slam and engine fire up and then went back inside. I took off my shirt and jeans and tossed them in the corner. I was glad Joe was gone but wished someone was there—the room felt empty. I turned off the light and crawled into bed. I wiped tears from my face as I tried to settle into sleep.

  Chapter Two

  “How are you feeling?”

  “Been better,” George said, “I miss my house.”

  “I know you do. I wish you could be here.” The daily phone call to George was a strange turn in their relationship. Before, he just had to go into George’s living room to check on him and make sure he was eating. Now they were separated by distance and had to carry a conversation.

  I also watched what I said to him. I did not want to give George hope that he could come back to the cabin. He had lived in the forest along the Mogollon Rim for years, operating the small complex of cabins for summer tourists. He rarely travelled, especially after his wife Anna died. A day spent fishing was his sole luxury.

  Last week, he went for a checkup on his heart. There was nothing conclusive, but George needed to be checked in for a couple days to run tests and be under the doctor’s observation. A few days had become several, and now I wondered if George would ever see his home again. And worse, would he make it to the end of the summer?

  “I’m taking good care of the place. All the cabins are full…and knock on wood, nothing is broken and in need of repair.” Or worse, replacement. The budget was tight and I worried about water heaters going out, pipes breaking, or aged wiring giving out and starting a cabin on fire.

  “What about Alex’s cabin?”

  “What about it?”

  “Did you rent it to someone else? He left, right?”

  The man that I wanted desperately to get out of my mind was once again the topic of conversation. He was gone, but he was very much still here.

  “I think he’s expecting to be back in a couple weeks. He’s paid up through the end of the summer.”

  George grunted. Alex had become a good friend of his over the years. Alex came up from Phoenix to write his next novel here in Lakeside Estates. The two would challenge each other to finish the Sunday crossword puzzle or talk about some book they both had read. If George was in a mood, he might complain about Alex’s dog barking too much and Alex would snap back that George was too deaf to hear anything so how would he know. They knew each other’s buttons, pushed them, and knew how far they could go to annoy the other. It was as if they had known each other since they were kids.

  This summer, things changed. Alex found some newspaper clippings George had tucked away in some old ledgers. He started poking around to figure out who the man was and why he had died. He was an old friend of George’s, and the circumstances around his death were something George nor anyone else from around here really wanted to talk about. George also disapproved of Cody, who had a history of his own in the area—a fairly scandalous one, even for such a young man.

  “I’ll let you know if there is any help needed with the business.”

  George grunted again. More and more that was his response to everything, and I did not always know if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

  “Are you still going to try to sell the cabins?”

  “George, you know that has always been one of the options on the table. The cabins are more work than you can handle on a good day. I’m here to help, but staying in Arizona is not what I planned on doing long term.” And with the mess of everything with Alex and Cody, this was not a place that seemed to hold much of a future.

  “I have a meeting with a realtor to talk numbers and get a realistic picture of what it could take to find a buyer. I don’t think we will have anyone knocking down the door any time soon. It could take a while.”

  “And what about me? What do I do if it sells?”

  “Whatever you want, George. We can find you a place. You can move back East, closer to family. You could travel. Or do something crazy, like find a beach in Mexico and watch the day go by while sipping Coronas.” That sounded like fun to me. “There are options.”

  “Yes, options.”

  “Once the realtor has checked the place out and is ready to report, I’ll bring her down to you in Payson. Nothing’s going to happen without your input.” I made sure not to say “approval”. My biggest fear was that George would refuse to sell or move and I would be stuck. No one else in the family had the time and money to come out to do any of this. It was up to me to take care of everything. But even I had my limits.

  “Just get me my millions.”

  I laughed. George was a grump, but he had a pretty good sense of humor. I wanted to get George his millions, but knew that the right buyer was going to be hard to come by. Who wanted to sink a pile of cash on rural Arizona land in the hopes of barely scraping by?

  Chapter Three

  “Hi. Nancy Carter.” She reached her hand across the registration counter. “Thank you for agreeing to meet with me a bit earlier than planned.”

  “I’m happy to accommodate, Nancy. Thank you for coming to check out the place.”

  “Sure thing. It’s a shame about your uncle. He’s been a fixture here in the area for as long as I can remember.” As she spoke, Nancy’s eyes surveyed the office, taking in details like a seasoned realtor. I was sure she was not just focusing on the cosmetic but looking at the bones of the place. The surface could easily be freshened up. It was the structure underneath that was most important.

  “You are free to walk around the office and the adjacent cabin where George has always lived. I can drive you around the property to get a sense of everything that’s here. Unfortunately, we have guests checked in to all the cabins.” Then I said to myself. There was one cabin we could get into—Alex’s cabin would be empty.

  “Any chance we can get someone to let me take a peek inside? It will really help me to figure out the condition of the cabins. I like to give recommendations of what might need to be done to make the property more appealing to buyers.”

  I nodded, “There is one that we can get into. One of our regular guests is a friend of George’s. He’s actually away for a bit and his cabin is empty. It should be fine.”

  “Wonderful. The more that I can see, the better. We will set up a time when someone can come out for a more thorough inspection, but I have been in the biz long enough to spot the common things that need to be fixed. With such a large property, if you can get a jump on repairs, painting, etc., it will make this all go smoother. It’s also great to hear you have regular customers. Any data you can start compiling about things like that the better. It really helps a buyer see the potential of the business if they know there is projected income.”

  “Definitely, I’ll get on putting together some numbers.” When I first arrived, I discovered that George kept all of his records by hand in ledgers—or worse, stored in his memory. I had started converting to an online booking system. The Internet connection could be slow, and there were some bumpy moments early on while I tried to get a handle on the day to day. However, there should be enough data to provide Nancy about the potential income.

  Nancy continued to walk around the room, scribbling notes. I could not watch this. Any hint of a murmur or sigh or click of the tongue and my brain started to wonder what she was finding. I definitely found a lot when I had started looking around when I first arrived. I made a list, and once I had gotten settled into running the office, I
had tried to tackle some of the cosmetic things.

  “I’m going to step outside for a smoke.”

  “Great. I’ll come find you when I am finished here.”

  There was a slight breeze outside, and I was grateful for its touch. The office had suddenly felt stuffy and small. I lit the cigarette, took a drag, and hoped it would calm my nerves.

  Was it the best decision to sell? No one in the family seemed to want to run the place. The cabins were far from anything and everywhere. Even the idea of Arizona itself seemed like a foreign country to all of them. They had roots back East. George had escaped all of that and set out to the Wild West with Anna. They had built a life together, but it was a very different one than the world I had grown up in.

  How realistic was it that there would be a buyer for such a large property? Would the business sit for a year (even two years?) before someone wanted to buy it? Would I be stuck here until it did? If no one was around to operate the place, would it just decay and lose value? Nancy was right—repeat customers were an asset to this place. If someone like Alex could not rent here next summer, he would find an alternative and potentially be a lost customer forever.

  Could I hire someone to run the business? How much would that cost? Would there be enough income to cover the cost of the salary and all of the other bills? Could I find someone trustworthy and with the necessary skills to do all of the things that were needed to keep things running?

  There were so many decisions to make and scenarios to think through. How would I know if I was making the right decision for the business, for George, and … for me?

  “I’m ready to walk to that cabin, if you are?” Nancy stepped out to the porch. The screen door hinges squeaking.

  I felt my pocket to make sure I had the key ring with the master key to the cabins. “Right this way. It’s the cabin just up the hill.”