Scorched

Chapter 1Aaron peeled the heavy coat and helmet from his overheated body without taking his eyes from the horizon. The hot, sulfuric wind had died around noon that day, and for long, terrible hours, the wildfire danced on the line between tamable and out-of-control. Dark clouds rolled over the distant hills in the mid-afternoon, and Aaron thought he heard every single man on the frontlines utter a soft, short prayer. Let the rain come. Please, let the rain come. Aaron’s long shift had ended while the clouds still hovered miles away, mocking with the promise of salvation. A good rain would bring the blaze near Cedar City, Utah under control, after fifteen impossibly long days. They had managed to evacuate most of the city, but at last report, there had been at least three casualties. Aaron had never seen a wildfire like this, and he wouldn’t have been surprised if there were more than three. He couldn’t bring himself to go into the station. Not until he knew the path of the storm. It would be completely dispiriting if the clouds rolled by without a single drop of moisture. They didn’t just need the rain for the fire, they needed a break from the relentless August heat. Temperatures in the triple digits with overnight lows in the mid-eighties was dangerous even without a fire that covered one hundred and fifty square miles. All of the men were overheated, overextended, and utterly exhausted. The storm would be the first indication that maybe God knew they were there and He gave a f**k about whether or not they made it. Ashes drifted through the pink and orange atmosphere, like large, hot pieces of snow. Ash clung to everything, fine and gray. The endless perspiration didn’t help. The ash and sweat mingled, creating a mixture that was almost impossible to scrape off his skin. He could not imagine a more hellish place, but he never complained. None of them ever complained. It wouldn’t do any good. They inhabited that hell on Earth because they were firemen, and it was their job. Please, let it rain. Let it rain. Men streamed past him, coming and going from the rest station as the shifts changed. A few of them paused to follow Aaron’s gaze, but none of them had the time to linger. The men getting off their shifts wanted to shower, eat, and catch whatever sleep they could get. The men on their way to the blaze didn’t waste any time. There were thousands of volunteers stretched across the area, answering the call for help from all over the country. Aaron wished he could meet them all and thank them personally for sacrificing their time and energy for his home. He just hoped they wouldn’t have to sacrifice more than two weeks. The rain might not be the answer to all their prayers. Aaron knew it. If the storm brought high winds, the situation could only be made worse. Or it could just be a thunderstorm, full of dangerous lightning with none of the welcome moisture. They didn’t need the added threat of getting hit by lightning on top of the threats of flames, smoke inhalation, heat stroke, and dehydration. Even with that thought in mind, Aaron still watched the clouds anxiously. Because there was a chance, a chance, that this could be everything they needed. Aaron wiped the back of his hand across his brow, smearing the dirt and sweat. A part of him thought he would never be clean again. The smoke had infused his skin and his flesh, the heat had singed his hair, despite the protective gear he wore, and exhaustion weighed on his bones. He’d been a volunteer firefighter for three years and nothing had prepared him for this. The occasional house fire was always brought quickly under control. There had been a few wildfires, but the weather had never conspired against them. He needed the rain, if only because he didn’t know if he had anything left to give. He tilted his head back, watching the storm move closer and closer. Something cold fell directly in his eye, and he blinked quickly, swearing under his breath before he realized what had happened. A second drop fell on his ear. A third landed on his lips. A crack of thunder was his final warning before the clouds split open and water fell to the earth. Aaron couldn’t move at first. He cupped his hand, watching it fill with sweet, cool water. The temperature hadn’t dropped, but the water was still a sharp relief. Rain rolled down his arms and back and neck, and still he couldn’t move. The shouts of joy from the other men outside finally roused him, and he spun on his heel, racing toward the station, the news bursting from his throat. He shouted to the men in the mess hall, who answered with cheers of their own. He passed through the locker room without pause and ran directly into the bathroom, unmindful of the additional dampness from the showers—his clothes were already soaked through. He didn’t stop yelling his news until he noticed just who was in the shower. Several men Aaron didn’t really know, and one he knew very, very well. Xander Wescott. Icy blue eyes peered through the water running down his sculptured face. In many ways, Xander looked exactly like he had when he’d run around with Aaron’s older brother in high school. His light blond hair was still cropped short, and his lashes still looked too long to belong to a guy. The past ten years had erased the softer lines of his jaw, though, now stubbled with a day’s growth of beard, and bulked Xander out in other places. A light coating of hair dusted his heavily muscled chest. Washboard abs tapered down to powerful thighs. Turned sideways under the spray, he gave Aaron a good peek at the hard curve of his ass, too. For a second, Aaron forgot what it was he was so excited about. Shouts of “Hallelujah!” and “About f*****g time!” rang through the communal showers. Xander smiled at him as he scrubbed some of the soap off of his body. “We’re not going to have to do something stupid like make nice for the news crews, are we?” He ducked his head under the spray without looking away. “Because I’d rather go back down to the frontline and do another double shift than face them.” Aaron licked his oddly dry lips. “I think you’ll be fine as long as you hide in here. I don’t think any of them are bold enough to hunt you down in the shower.” Xander snorted. “Not like the New York reporters then. They don’t give a f**k where you are or who you’re doing it to as long as they get their sound bite.” “I’ll keep that in mind if I ever go to New York.” Aaron finally averted his eyes from Xander’s body. The last thing he needed was to be caught staring at another man in the showers. Even if it felt like he had spent most of his life staring at Xander. “I guess I better stop standing around in my clothes like an idiot.” Most of the others had vanished in light of the excellent news. Only one other man remained, and he was already hurriedly rinsing away the lather from his body. Xander gestured toward the nearly empty space, his crooked smile back on his face. “Got plenty of water now, all for ourselves. If you hurry up and get showered, maybe we can get out of here and get a beer. We haven’t had a chance for you to catch me up on everything I’ve missed since I moved away.” Xander and Aaron had been assigned to the same shift for the past week, which meant Aaron should have been accustomed to showering, eating, and sleeping in Xander’s presence. Only he had pointedly avoided doing those very things, especially showering and sleeping anywhere near Xander. “You don’t have to wait for me, since you’re nearly done.” He could have sworn he saw Xander wink before turning his back on Aaron. “I’ll wait. Something tells me I better keep an eye out on you.” Aaron couldn’t very well argue with him. With no other choice, he turned his back to Xander and pulled the tight, wet shirt over his head. The material wanted to cling to his skin, and he had to struggle to free his arms. His pants were a different matter, the jeans heavy with water. Ultimately, he had to resort to leaning against the wall to get them off, and only when the pants reached his ankles did he realize his boots were still on. Aaron wondered if he could possibly look more ridiculous if he tried. He looked up in time to see Xander watching him, unabashed amusement lighting his face. They were alone now, the voices of the other men drifting from the locker room and below. Aaron didn’t remember the other guy leaving. “I really didn’t think I’d have to bail you out so soon,” Xander teased. Ignoring his own nudity, he knelt in front of Aaron and grasped his ankle, his strong fingers working over the soaking knots in the laces. “No wonder you guys called all of us in.” Aaron automatically put his hand on Xander’s shoulder to steady himself. “Please don’t let the fact that I’m a doofus reflect poorly on the proud Cedar City volunteer firemen.” Xander helped him ease his foot from the boot, then focused on the other set of laces. “Though I guess you already know I’m a doofus.” “You certainly followed me and Eddie around enough to prove that.” The second boot joined the first, followed by his jeans. Xander straightened and stepped back into his spray. “Though you’re not exactly a scrawny little kid anymore, are you?” “No. They wouldn’t let me sign up until I got some muscles,” Aaron said, keeping his gaze focused on the wall over Xander’s shoulder as he stepped under the adjoining showerhead. Xander probably assumed Aaron had followed the older boys around because he was just an obnoxious little brother, and that’s what little brothers did. He hoped Xander assumed that, and didn’t know the truth—Aaron had just been following Xander around. Aaron reached for a bar of soap and began smoothing it over his chest, stealing a quick glance at Xander’s form. He regretted that as soon as his groin began to tighten. “So, when was the last time you saw Eddie?” “About four years ago. He made it to New York for my birthday that year.” Xander laughed. “I think I scared him away for good after that little bash.” Aaron sought his memory, but he didn’t think Eddie ever mentioned what happened at Xander’s party. He and Eddie were never close, and they mostly just exchanged cards and emails around important holidays. “What happened?” Xander waved off the question with a vague sweep of his hand. “Just some friends who got a little out of control. Things play different in New York than they do around here. For all his talk, Eddie’s still a Cedar City boy at heart.” Aaron’s eyes slid sideways, almost of their own accord. Even soft, Xander had an impressive c**k. Aaron wanted to slide his tongue down the ridge of his hip and the seam of his thigh. As soon as that thought invaded his head, he turned his head and focused on washing the dirt from his arms and throat. “Yeah, Eddie’s always been a bit reserved.” Or a judgmental prick. “I thought he would change after he moved for school, but I guess that just made him more set in his ways.” And a bigger judgmental prick. “So why did you stick around?” Xander wasn’t nearly as careful about keeping his attention away from Aaron. His gaze swept over him more than once, which did absolutely nothing to stifle Aaron’s already raging libido. “I always thought you’d skip out of here, first chance you got.” “I got a full scholarship to Southern Utah University.” It was bizarre to stand there calmly talking to his first and greatest crush, while they were both naked and soapy, with his c**k semi-erect. “I thought it’d be easier to get my degree here so I could stick around and help Mom. I intended to leave after I graduated last spring, but…I don’t know. I guess it’s inertia.” “So all you’re missing is a good kick in the ass to get you moving.” After rubbing his hands over his body one more time, Xander reached to turn off his flow of water. “Looks like I got here just in time.”