“Angel, get my mother and Trudy out of here,” he yelled.

  “Nooooo,” Allan cried out, thrashing about. “No one leaves.”

  Angel landed another direct hit, this one to Allan’s nose, and blood spurted out of it. “See what us fags can do?”

  Allan spit blood, saying, “You too? God, I’m surrounded…”

  Angel gathered up the two women, but told them to stay low, something that proved difficult for Trudy with her still recovering leg. He let her hold onto his shoulder, guiding her along in a low crouch. Gray smoke had begun to pour into the kitchen. He tested the swinging door that led to the dining room and felt high heat. The fire was closing in on them, the front of the house no doubt engulfed at this point and burning a deadly path toward them. The back door was the only way out.

  Alberta, younger than Trudy, made faster progress, but she began to cough.

  Trudy nearly collapsed as the smoke filtered around them.

  Angel turned back to Austin and said, “I’ll be back for you, hang in there.”

  “I’ll be fine, I’ve got this fucker to deal with,” Austin yelled back, “just save yourself. I’ve got oxygen, you don’t.”

  “Reinforcements are on their way.”

  Angel led the two women through the back door and out into the safety of the bright day, finally leaving Austin alone with his father. The end game as it should be, just the two of them.

  “Looks like your plan failed, huh, Dad?”

  “Fuck you, you little prick,” he said.

  “Guess I did inherit something from you,” he said.

  “Fucking smart-ass.”

  “This what you want to do, trade barbs while the fire gets closer. Let’s get out of here.”

  “I’m not going anywhere. My life is over.”

  Austin shook his head. “I don’t let people die on my watch.”

  Before Allan could reply, the door from the dining room burst into flames, bright orange flames licking at its corners, disintegrating it before their very eyes. Hot flames crept into the kitchen, smoke billowing around them. Allan coughed, an awful hacking sound that Austin knew meant he’d inhaled too much. How he wanted to deny him a shot of life-saving air, he wanted to watch him suffer…but he was a firefighter, and his job was to rescue people from the perils of fire, even those who didn’t deserve it.

  “Here, take this,” Austin said, pushing his breathing apparatus at his father.

  Allan hesitated, his eyes locked on Austin’s. “Why?”

  Austin shrugged. “I may not like it, but you gave me life, I’m giving you yours.”

  Glass shattered again, and flames danced all around them. Allan took the oxygen, Austin holding his breath as long as he could. He knew they had to get out the same way the others had, it was their only route at this point. Austin started toward the door but Allan hadn’t moved.

  “Come on, let’s go…”

  Allan shook his head, defiance in his dark eyes. “I came back to White Pine to finally bury the past,” he said, “and the only way to do that is to bury me.”

  With that, he dashed out of the kitchen and through the door frame that was engulfed in red hot flames. Running toward the fire. Austin screamed out, calling for him, begging him to return. But he’d vanished into the thick smoke.

  “Shit,” Austin said.

  Hooking the oxygen to his mouth, he took off into the burning house following in his father’s wake, dropping to the floor, crawling, darting around fallen beams and burning embers. It was like a repeat of the scenario at that initial fire, but unlike that time when he had only had instinct to let him know someone was trapped, this time it was truth.

  “Dad,” he screamed, his voice muffled.

  No sound came. Not a cry for help, not a scream from burning flesh.

  Had the smoke consumed him already, taken his breath from his lungs?

  Austin forged further ahead, calling his father’s name again, again, and as he did his eyes filled with tears and he tasted the salt of sorrow, of all he’d been denied as a child, all he would never experience again. He had to face the fact, Allan Walker was really gone this time. And if Austin didn’t react quickly, he’d be joining his father in his fiery death. But he couldn’t muster the strength, not now when he knew he had failed to save someone who didn’t want saving. Austin fell to the floor, just as a beam fell from the ceiling. He saw it, like a rush of fire, and at the last minute he covered his head and felt the impact as it slammed down on his body.

  His eyes swam in his head before they went blank.

  § § §

  Fire consumed him, setting his skin sizzling, beads of sweat melting out of him. In his mind he wondered would he ever feel so alive again. Nearly dying would do that, heighten your senses, and intensify your reactions.

  Austin begged for life. He cried out in pain, envelop me, take me.

  “Oh, Tucker…yes, Tucker…set me aflame.”

  Thrusting hard at him, Tucker O’Connell seemed just as desperate to feel the heat.

  Austin, lying on his back, his legs pointed to the ceiling, felt that pulsing cock raging at him, piercing his ass, owning it. The friction of his stretched, hard cock and the tightness of his hairy ass were nearly combustible. Tucker thrust, and he rammed him hard with an eager grunt, and Austin took it, again, again, wishing it could be more, feeling as though he could take the width of two cocks, each of them pumping him with life affirming seed.

  The scene was the Highway 50 Motel, two days after the fire at his house. Along with the rest of the hostages, he’d been admitted, then released from the White Pine Medical Center, a clean bill of health, the doctor said, at least physically. Rushing into burning buildings, as he had done twice now, might qualify him for psychiatric examination.

  Austin Walker wasn’t crazy, he was a man devoted to his life and to his family and to his lover above him, to concepts such as honor and bravery and truth no matter how difficult. Characteristics that had previously won him praise from the fire chief, all while dooming his drive to succeed. Upon release at the hospital, he’d been relieved of his duties at the White Pine Fire Department. He took too many chances, risking both himself and others, as he had Trent Rodgers, who had rushed the burning house as well to rescue him, and worst of all, he disobeyed direct orders from his superior officer. Again.

  Chief Devon O’Connell fired him with regret.

  But another O’Connell continued to feed the fire.

  “Tucker…fuck me so hard…don’t stop,” Austin begged, staring at his lover as his body slammed into him. He reached up and dug his hands into Tucker’s chest, feeling the brown hair that coated it. The rough fur brought him comfort and fueled his desires. Rubbing his cock against Tucker’s belly, the hair delicious against his sensitive shaft, he felt a rush, the tingling beginnings of orgasm. When he felt his cock burst, that’s when Austin Walker truly knew he was still alive, the climax rocking his body, his throat raw from his cries, the burnished gold hair of his chest wet with his come, yet somehow hot.

  “Oh, oh, oh…” he said with each spurt that shot out of him.

  Tucker just continued to slam at him, eager to explode as well. He let go of Austin’s legs and they curled around his ass, pulling him in tight. His knees digging into the mattress, he thrust hard, harder, grunting wildly while sweat poured down his face, matting his chest. With fingers scraping at Tucker’s back, Austin took another hard thrust, another still, and at last Tucker blew his load, his voice like thunder as it rattled off the thin walls of the motel. Austin felt each rush of milky come as it spurted inside him, wishing it could escape the tip of the condom, flood him with its heat.

  At last Tucker pulled out and fell back against the mattress.

  Austin’s body was tingling from sex, from desire, from the passion this man brought out in him.

  “Uh, wow,” he said, smiling broadly while staring at the ceiling.

  “Yeah, wow.”

  “At least one of the O’Connell’s still likes me.”

  “Austin, you left my father little choice,” he said.

  “I know, and you know, if I was faced with the same challenge again…”

  “You wouldn’t change a thing.”

  “I saved my mother’s life,” he said, “To me, that’s all that counts.”

  “You tried to save your father’s, too.”

  Austin continued to stare at the ceiling, imagining it suddenly on fire, remembering that day like he always would. The fact he’d never heard the man scream for his life. He blinked and the images were gone, just as his father was. “He was beyond saving, Tucker. Even before the fire. Even before he came back to White Pine. Damaged goods, and he would have only brought my mother and me down if we’d let him get any closer. My instincts told me right.”

  “Destroying his past, all while trying to rebuild his life,” Tucker said, “it’s a shame.”

  “Makes you appreciate the here and now,” Austin said. “Like being fucked royally.”

  “Oh, you liked that, did you?”

  “I also know you’re gonna fuck me again.”

  “Oh, is that your famous instinct talking again?”

  “No, your cock is sticking up,” Austin said, laughing playfully.

  Tucker took him in his arms, holding him tight. Austin brushed at his chest, relishing how rough the brown mat felt, springy and sexy. He kissed it, smelled his musky scent, and a sudden wave of desire hit him.

  “I also have a feeling this won’t be the last motel we have sex in,” Austin said.

  “Life on the road, it’s kind of where you live. A different town, a different room.”

  “The same sexy man at your side,” Austin said.

  “I can’t believe we’re doing it,” Tucker said, “I mean, I never thought Tuck would tour again, and without Tumble.”

  “You have a new partner now,” Austin said with a kiss. “Back on the open road, just like Trent and Angel did last year. It’s funny, you know, since Ellis Van Pelt came for his visit I had this sense he’d awaken in you the desire to leave White Pine and resume your singing career. Who would have thought it would be my idea.”

  “Yeah, but you can’t sing.”

  “True, but I can howl.”

  “Oh, that sounds hot. Let’s try that out.”

  That’s when the hairy-chested Tucker O’Connell climbed atop the studly Austin Walker and slid inside him, Austin feeling Tucker’s thick, hungry cock penetrate him again, and how right it felt, igniting the flame inside his heart once more. Fire destroyed, with its secret flames that flared up out of nowhere. But in the heat of the moment, as a fire raged inside your body, it reminded you that with heat could come warmth and it brought comfort, and it told you that once the smoke cleared you could survive anything so long as you indulged in life’s one burning truth: Love was the one thing that could never be doused.

  Epilogue

  FIREFIGHTERS MARRY IN LOVELY OUTDOOR CEREMONY; WPFD REVOLVING DOOR CONTINUES

  by Kent Crandall

  White Pine, NY. Hope springs eternal here in the village of White Pine, and the residents of our fair mountain town saw no better proof than when Trent Rodgers and Angel Montero exchanged vows on a moonlit night last Saturday night. Officiating was Fire Chief Devon O’Connell, Rodgers’ superior and close friend of the family.

  “No matter who it is who decides to commit their lives and their hearts to another, let no man stand in judgment,” O’Connell offered up during his speech before proclaiming Trent and Angel husband and husband. “Love is nothing to be taken lightly, it is deep, it is personal, and there is no better feeling in the world.”

  With the aid of crutches, Trudy Rodgers walked her handsome son, Trent down the aisle, while the dashingly exotic Angel, clad in a matching black tux, waited at the makeshift altar positioned in the gazebo in Memorial Park. In the shadow of the celebration was the Paddy Rodgers Memorial Bridge, a fitting scene for the Rodgers groom. “Dad might not have understood what was in my heart, but he’d be proud of my devotion, and my dedication,” Trent said as he touched the ring on his finger.

  Best man for Trent was Austin Walker, with Tucker O’Connell serving the same duties for Angel. The firefighters of both White Pine and Honor Hills stood at the sides in their dress blues, a rare symbol of solidarity between the two rival forces. “Neither man served under me, but I know a professional firefighter when I see one,” spoke Joey Silva of HHFD, who earlier this year was named interim chief at White Pine. Silva has been known to date his fellow fighters, among them Austin Walker and Nick Lynch, the latter of whom left town recently.

  Mr. Silva was accompanied to the wedding by a handsome young man who remained unidentified. “Mind your own business,” the bearded, burly Mr. Silva stated when pressed. They were seen leaving together, hand in hand.

  Lynch is not the only fireman to leave White Pine. Austin Walker has announced his resignation following the tragic events of the fire at his home. “Tucker and I need a break from the pressures of family, of the job. What Trent and Angel did last year, finding themselves while on the open road, that’s what we seek. Tucker’s always had that taste of wanderlust, and truth be told, I’d follow him anywhere. I’ve never been anywhere but White Pine.”

  To fill his spot on the roster, Chief O’Connell has tapped Montero, who spent a few months with the force last year, and joins his husband, Trent, as full-time members of White Pine’s bravest. Until they join the force, Trent and Angel will honeymoon at the Rodgers’ family camp in the northern hills above White Pine.

  In related news, the calendar featuring the firefighters from White Pine and Honor Hills will be off press and available in three weeks, and from the sneak peek offered by the Gazette recently, it is certain to generate lots of interest. Ellis Van Pelt, the celebrated photographer, offered up this hint: in addition to the twelve months, there will be a centerfold featuring three of the hottest men out of uniform.

  This reporter can only speculate, but his money is on Trent Rodgers, Austin Walker, and Joey Silva making the cut.

  A final tease from Van Pelt stated that his trip to White Pine was beyond fruitful, as he found the subjects of his next gallery showing, which he says will premiere in New York this coming fall. He offered up no further details, and told this reporter “to keep your shirt on.” Unlike the hunky men of the White Pine Fire Department.

  About the Author

  ADAM CARPENTER is the best-selling author of several titles of gay mystery, intrigue, romance, and erotica.

  His current series features gay P.I. Jimmy McSwain: HIDDEN IDENTITY, CRIME WAVE, STAGE FRIGHT. GUARDIAN ANGEL and the forthcoming FOREVER HAUNT, available in print and eBook. The first two titles are currently also available in audio.

  In 2017, he will publish the sexy new trilogy, The Hatcher Chronicles, an intriguing blend of mystery and romance.

  He is also the author of the “Edenwood” trilogy, EDEN’S PAST, EDEN’S PRESENT, and EDEN’S FUTURE, available in audio. His “European Flings” series includes the prequel short story, “Passport to a Fling,” then FRENCH MEN, ITALIAN GUYS, ENGLISH LADS and AMERICAN HUNKS, available in print and eBook.

  His “Wonderland” trilogy includes DESPERATE HUSBANDS, DESPERATE LOVERS, and DESPERATE ENEMIES, co-written with Curtis C. Comer and Jeff Wilcox.

  His “White Pine” firefighter series includes SECRET FLAMES, HEAT OF THE MOMENT, A RAGING FIRE, and BURNING TRUTH, now in development for audio, print and eBook editions forthcoming from MLR Press.

  Other novels include stand-alones DUDE RANCH, SUMMER’S CHOICE, ISLAND DESIRES, and THAT PASSIONATE SEASON. His short fiction has been collected in the anthology, NOCTURNAL DELIGHTS, available in eBook from MLR Press.

  Visit him at www.adamcarpenterbooks.com.

  MLR Press

  Featuring a roll call of some of the best writers of gay erotica and mysteries today!

  Join us. Sample our stories. We have something for everyone. From lust-filled, stolen moments to long, lazy afternoons of lovemaking to intriguing mysteries and fantasies, we have the adventures you're looking for wrapped up in solid plots with heroes you can love with a passion. Maybe even hate with a passion, but passion will be a part of it. Our authors are skilled wordsmiths who weave tales of mayhem, lust and romance that will set your heart pounding and your temperature rising. Intriguing, erotic, sometimes explicit, but always enticing novels filled with action, suspense and sultry goodness.

  You know you want to. Go ahead. Read us. Reading IS man's second favorite activity to do in bed.

  Check out titles, both available and forthcoming, at

  www.mlrpress.com

 

 

  Adam Carpenter, Burning Truth

 

 

  Thank you for reading books on GrayCity.Net
Share this book with friends