by KC Burn
Table of Contents
Blurb
Dedication
Author’s Note
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Epilogue
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Copyright
Set Ablaze
By KC Burn
California firefighter Hayden Hurst is starting to realize there’s more to life than fighting fires and drinking with his buddies. He has room in his home and his life for someone special, but no one has stood out among his hookups. And while he’s out at work, admitting he’s gay is very different from showing up at social functions with a man. He’s afraid that’ll be too much for his less-than-accepting “friends.”
Broadway dancer Jez Bouchet hasn’t been mistaken for straight since he was gay-bashed at seventeen. After getting a lucrative job offer in Hollywood, he uproots his life in New York and drives to Los Angeles. His brother, who is Hayden’s best friend, arranges for him to crash at Hayden’s place.
The attraction between Hayden and Jez is unexpected but fiery, and they succumb before they’re even sure they like each other. But Jez hates Hayden’s homophobic friends, and Hayden knows Jez is too flamboyant for him to fly under the radar. Then there’s the complication of Jez’s brother.
Despite those hurdles, they fling themselves into a relationship. But Jez has secrets: a tiny spoiled dog and a determined stalker. If he doesn’t come clean, he might torch their burgeoning relationship before it has a chance to bloom.
For my hubby, who put up with a lot more than normal while I wrangled this book into shape.
Author’s Note
WHEN I wrote this, I had no idea we were going to see the type of fires in California that we did this year—this fire season has been rather terrifying. I have a huge amount of respect for what these firefighters do to keep us safe. In my story, Hayden works for the Pasadena Fire Department, and they coincidentally had an open house at one of the stations where I was able to get some specific questions answered. I’m super thankful they were willing to answer my questions, and if there are any errors or deviations from reality, they’re my errors.
Chapter 1
HAYDEN HURST toweled off, then wrapped the pristine white towel around his waist before he started shaving. He grinned at his foam-covered reflection. It had been far too long since he’d gone cruising for a hookup, and he was so damned ready to get his rocks off with another person. It was like the universe was giving him a blessing: his last shift at the firehouse had been uneventful, he’d come home and slept solidly for several hours, and he’d woken feeling rested but oh so fucking horny. Sure, it was a Tuesday evening, which wasn’t the best night to find a hookup unless he went looking via app, but more importantly, he didn’t have to be back on shift until 11:00 a.m. on Thursday. Which meant he could have a couple of drinks too.
He hummed as he scraped off stubble and shaving cream, then grabbed a smaller towel and wiped the final streaks away. Still humming, he hung both towels on a hook behind the bathroom door, then wandered naked into his bedroom.
Rummaging for the perfect pair of boxer briefs—or even a pair of skimpy Andrew Christians—that said he was ready to play, he froze when his phone rang.
No, no, no. He needed this. He needed some time where he could be himself. But he couldn’t ignore the phone. They were heading into the dangerous Santa Ana fire season, which meant he could get called back into work.
Mentally preparing to gear up, he reached for the charger on his bedside table and let out a sigh of relief as he read the caller ID.
“Hey, Miguel, what’s up?” They’d both left their small hometown in Northern California, and now Miguel was a Los Angeles firefighter while Hayden worked for a Pasadena firehouse, but their friendship dated back to kindergarten.
“You’re off tonight, aren’t you?”
Hayden’s shoulders tightened. Not work, but this didn’t bode well for his plans, and although Miguel was his best friend, he hated it when Hayden blew him off to go to a gay club. He couldn’t convince his very straight friend to be his wingman. “Sure. What’s up?”
“Let me treat you to dinner tonight. Maybe a few beers.”
The invite itself wasn’t unusual, but something in Miguel’s tone made him wary.
“Yeah, I can do that.” He could always hit a club or bar afterward. “Should I give the other guys a call, see who else is free?”
“No.”
Hayden almost took a step back at Miguel’s unexpected yet forceful response. “Uh, okay.”
“Look, I have to talk to you about something. Meet you at Messhall? Seven-ish?”
“Fine.” Messhall was about halfway between their places, and not too near where Hayden had planned to go, but better traffic was the other advantage of Tuesday night. He had time to stream another episode of Supernatural before he left. He could not seem to keep up with that show. It was like it proliferated supernaturally.
Hayden managed to squeeze in two episodes; then his Uber hit unexpected traffic, so Miguel was already seated on the patio when he arrived.
Miguel stared into the fire pit at the next table over, tapping his fingers agitatedly on his beer, and didn’t even notice Hayden until he’d sat down.
“Hey.”
Hayden nodded and grabbed a menu. Might as well order; he had plenty of time to figure out what was bugging Miguel. But he wanted to eat light. If he ate too much, he’d be too sluggish to want to hook up, and he didn’t want to miss this opportunity.
As soon as they ordered, Hayden put on his most attentive pose, but he wasn’t about to demand to know what was going on. Miguel didn’t respond well to that sort of intrusive inquiry.
Miguel let out a gusty sigh. “Dude, I need a huge favor.”
At least no one was sick or dead. “What?”
“You remember my baby brother? Jez?”
Sort of. It had been well over a decade since he’d seen Jez, who’d been a gangly kid when an eighteen-year-old Hayden moved to Los Angeles—or more specifically, his grandmother’s house in Pasadena. Jez had been six years younger than him and Miguel, and suffered from a severe case of hero worship. It had been both amusing and irritating, especially when he’d started to wonder if Jez’s attention was rooted in something else. Miguel had never mentioned if Jez was gay, but Hayden was glad he’d left Willow Ridge at eighteen, before anyone noticed anything amiss and started unsavory rumors. They’d have been true about Hayden, and he wouldn’t have wanted to tar Jez with that brush, whether he was gay or not.
Miguel never talked about Jez much, and from the awkwardness Hayden had sensed the few times he’d gone back home with Miguel, there had been a definite falling-out between Jez and the rest of his family. All Hayden knew for sure was that he was some sort of actor and he lived in New York.
“He’s moving to LA.”
“Good for him.” This was leading somewhere, and Hayden didn’t know if he’d like where this conversation ended.
“Yeah. Job offer. A good one, or so he says.” Miguel avoided making eye contact while he drained the last of his beer. “Anyway, he needs a place to crash. Until he finds an apartment. And… well… I’d have him stay with me, but….”
Hayden closed his eyes. “I suppose you could wedge an air mattress in beside your bed.” In truth, Miguel’s tiny apartment in Silver Lake didn’t have
a spare inch, and would barely hold Miguel and his set of free weights, never mind a second human. And the few times Hayden had been over there, he’d caught a whiff of mildew. He shuddered.
“Aw, man, don’t make me do that. I’m in my prime. Living like I’m in a college dorm again would suck. It would only be for a couple of months. Maybe three, tops. And he’d pay rent. Or I would.”
Hayden took a large bite of steak and chewed slowly, giving himself a few minutes to think. He rattled around the two-story Craftsman house his grandmother had willed to him, but a roommate? He swallowed, then followed up with a sip of beer. Then again, if Miguel had gotten a job with a Pasadena firehouse instead of Los Angeles, they might already be roommates.
“I swear he wouldn’t be any trouble. And your place is big enough you might never even see him. Please, I’m begging.”
Except for having to share the kitchen. But Hayden worked twenty-four-hour shifts, and he slept at odd hours. As long as Jez didn’t make a ton of noise, it might not be too bad.
“Fine. But you owe me. When is he coming?”
Miguel’s cheeks flushed a ruddy color. “Friday. Maybe Saturday.”
“Friday? This Friday? What the fuck, Miguel?”
“I know, I know.” Miguel held his hands up, palms out. “I didn’t know, okay? He called me yesterday from Philly. Pittsburgh? Something east that started with P. He called from a fucking U-Haul. On his way.”
“Without a plan?”
“I guess. But that shouldn’t change anything, right? I mean, your place is always fucking pristine.”
Maybe so, but that didn’t mean it was ready for a long-term houseguest. Lodger? Roommate?
“You gotta help me out, Hayden. Bad enough he’s driving across the fucking country all by himself. It’s like forty hours.”
That made Hayden feel better. Forty hours was a long drive, but if Jez wasn’t showing up until Friday, that meant he was at least resting regularly.
“Why didn’t you call me as soon as you heard from him?”
Miguel shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s a big thing to ask, and you were at work. I thought I’d have a better chance of you saying yes if I saw you in person.”
Hayden suppressed a grimace. “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it. Jez can stay with me. Give him my cell and tell him to let me know when he expects to show up, and we’ll figure something out with the key. I have a shift Thursday, but I’m off Friday, so that works out.”
Miguel’s shoulders slumped in obvious relief. Then he tucked into his meal like he hadn’t eaten in days. Situation normal, in other words.
After they finished eating, Miguel picked up the check. “Want to go see a movie tonight?”
“Uh.” Hayden still wanted to get laid, even though Miguel had thrown him off his stride. But a good orgasm or two would shut off the mental list-making he’d been doing all through dinner to prepare for Friday.
Miguel curled his lip. “Fuck. You weren’t going out to a club, were you?” He squinted like he was trying to avoid imagining Hayden having sex. It wasn’t like Hayden wanted to imagine Miguel in the sack either, so he didn’t know why any discussion of him meeting up with guys always felt so awkward when Miguel hadn’t ever seemed to mind he was gay.
“I had planned to, yes.” Hayden hated this bit. Coming out to Miguel had been easy. Not like when he’d done the same with his parents. But being gay around Miguel, living an open life as a gay man, hadn’t been easy. Had it been those years apart when Miguel had remained in Willow Ridge until he got a place in LA? Hayden didn’t know, but he tried to avoid talking about guys or sex with Miguel. Or any of his friends.
“C’mon. Come to a movie with me. You can go clubbing anytime.”
Sure he could, as long as he didn’t tell Miguel, who was the worst cockblocker in history. Assuming Hayden managed the miraculous and found someone special, Miguel was going to have to learn to deal with this, but until that day came, Hayden did his best not to rock the boat.
“Fine. A movie.” Then right home. Hayden now had laundry and cleaning to do, closets and cupboards to rearrange, and keys to duplicate. Miguel clapped him on the shoulder and led them out to his truck. At least Hayden could make Miguel drive him home instead of Ubering.
“WHEW. WHAT a fucking shift.” Jordan slapped Hayden’s back a trifle too hard, making him cough.
“Sorry, man, got a lungful of that smoke.” A white lie. The wind had shifted and Hayden hadn’t been prepared, still distracted by the prospect of the roommate due to arrive about an hour after his shift ended, and nearly ended up with a faceful of toxic smoke. That one moment of inattention had acted like a slap, getting him back in the game. But it sounded better than telling Jordan he’d smacked the breath out of him. Putting up with the resultant ribbing wasn’t worth it.
Nevertheless, he was exhausted. Their shift had been hopping, mostly with medical emergencies. At least there hadn’t been any wildfires in the area, but the last call out had been to a bad house fire, and it had been a battle to keep it from spreading.
“You need medical?” Jordan asked, concerned. “You should have said something on scene.”
“No, no. I’m fine.” Jordan surprised him sometimes. A lot of guys on their crew didn’t like him, and in many ways Hayden could sympathize. Jordan had a lot of rough edges that seemed to get rougher over time, but he’d been Hayden’s first friend in Pasadena. He hadn’t been disgusted or angry about working with a gay man, and if his jokes skated the edge of politically correct, well, Hayden turned a blind eye. Ear? Anyway, they worked together well, and between them they’d developed a small group of guys who hung out regularly.
“Good, good. Coming to the pub after shift?”
“I don’t know.”
“We fucking deserve it after this shift. Vic will be there. Kevin’s going too, right?” Jordan raised his voice, bringing Kevin into the conversation.
“Yeah, definitely.” Kevin continued on into the locker room. Hayden needed to get in there too. Shower the stink of smoke out of his hair.
“See? And that loser Miguel would be there too, if it weren’t for him getting stuck on a different crew from Vic.”
Vic had befriended Miguel on the job, and several years ago, the four of them had formed the core of their group. A few months ago, though, Miguel had been switched to the C crew at his station, and now he had fewer days off in common with Vic. Secretly, Hayden suspected Miguel had been pleased by the change, considering Vic’s increased bitterness after his second failed marriage.
“It sounds good.”
“Then don’t be a pansy, and come out with us.”
Hayden rolled his eyes and glanced around, but no one appeared to have overheard. Hayden knew Jordan didn’t mean anything by it, but he had to be more careful at work.
“So are you coming?”
“Yes, yes.” Only because he’d worry less about his new roommate if he had something else to do while he waited for Jez to arrive. And he was starving. Getting off shift at 11:00 a.m. always meant he ate a huge lunch.
Jordan smiled at him and pounded his back again before retreating into the kitchen. Hayden sighed and headed for the showers.
HAYDEN SIGNALED the server for his check and pulled out his wallet in preparation. He’d already stayed too long, and if Jez had pushed it, Hayden might be late getting home.
“C’mon, buddy, stick around for another one or two.” Jordan, a bit sloppy from the beers he’d downed at a rate of almost three to Hayden’s one, slapped him on the back. At this rate, he’d have a hand-shaped bruise over his scapula.
“Sorry, man.”
“Getting old there?” Vic chimed in. “We all know you’re not obeying a little woman, like Kevin.”
Kevin, who was usually the first to leave to go home to his wife, gave the table of firefighters the finger, and the others erupted in laughter. Hayden shrugged, quashing any niggles of discomfort. He was out at work, and it was mostly okay, even if his buddies ac
ted like overgrown frat boys. Maybe it would be more of an issue if he couldn’t pass for straight, but sure as shit he wasn’t going to chastise them for words that didn’t matter.
All of his friends were firefighters or cops, and he was the only gay one. Although they accepted him, things might be different if he managed to find a boyfriend, when they’d have to face the fact that Hayden might like it up the ass. Good thing Hayden had given up on that pipe dream. The occasional mocking insult didn’t bother him all that much.
The check arrived with another beer, and Hayden glared at the table, all of whom looked guilty but unrepentant.
“Seriously, guys, I gotta go.” He slipped a couple of bills under the damp receipt paper. “I’ll be in no shape to drive. Did you forget I’m meeting my new roommate today?”
Kevin, the only other guy not the worse for drink, spoke up. “I forgot. Miguel’s brother, right?”
Hayden nodded.
Vic gave an exaggerated leer. “That’s right. The Broadway actor. Think he leans Hayden’s way? Or do we need to warn him he’s about to shack up with our resident butt pirate?”
Hayden forced a strained smile. “I don’t think there’s anything to worry about.” Not that Hayden had ever asked, but he’d assumed Miguel would have mentioned if the kid was also gay when he’d begged Hayden to let Jez room with him.
“Oh ho. Maybe you will be pussy-whipped. Or dick-whipped. All those theater actors are queer as three-dollar bills.”
The server, a lovely woman trying to break into acting, who’d been flirting with Vic since they’d arrived, scowled and slammed down the beer she’d been about to set in front of him.
Vic’s eyes rounded as he stared up at her. “What?”
She didn’t reply, but the ice in her demeanor could have frosted all their beer mugs. If Vic thought he was getting lucky tonight, he was soon going to find out otherwise.
“You don’t need to worry about Jez. Or me. Nothing’s going to change. This is only temporary until Jez finds his own place.”