Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 51 - Chapitre 60

Tom awoke to the sound of the shower running, only slightly discernible above the continuous whirr of the air-conditioning unit. He felt good—unbelievably relaxed and satisfied. As he was coming around from his sleep, stray thoughts nagged at him. Having been through a fewsituations where he had read more into what had happened than his sexual partner, he felt a twinge of concern as he was waking up.Had Eric really just been incredibly horny the night before? Maybe in the light of the day he would regret his behaviour, and try to rush out, their interactions becoming awkward and embarrassing back at work.Boy, I sure know how to work myself up into what might be an unnecessary lather.Tom knew he had a tendency to over-think things and to always be on the lookout for the proverbial other shoe to drop. His father had helped to contribute to this way of thinking, plus there was the fallout from his most recent relationship.Well, there’s nothing I can do to control Eric’s feelings. He

Tom had spent an enjoyable afternoon exploring the nearby range of the spiky-topped Superstition Mountains. It had been too hot for him to do much in the way of trail hiking, but he had pulled over at a couple of spots to check out the views. It wasn’t a large range—this part of Arizona was primarily flat—but it had an interesting history. He’d stopped at some viewpoint signs, and picked up a couple of brochures that told of the Dutchman’s lost gold mine, other rumoured treasure, and how the local Pima Indians had feared the mountains, which had supposedly caused the settlers to name it ‘Superstition’. He had even hit a little so-called GhostTown on his way back down the road.All in all, it had been a pleasant way to both acquaint himself with his new home, and to stave off the impatience he was feeling until he could be with Eric again. He had to watch that he didn’t think about their previous night’s encounter too much—his dick would get hard immediately. He had just finished putt

Anxiety crept around Tom’s gut like some sort of parasite he couldn’t shed. Ever since he’d spoken to Eric earlier, he’d felt that something was wrong. At first Tom had thought he might be processing the disappointment of their broken dinner date too seriously—over-thinking it and feeling scared that it was some indicator that Eric wasn’t all that interested. But he thought over the chief’s words, his manner and tone, and he really believed him. Something about Eric made Tom want to trust him in all ways—with his life, his feelings, his heart—his soul. It was almost too overwhelming, but Tom wasn’t about to turn his back on the man who could end up beingthe love of his life.But now his anxiety had morphed into concern that the problems with Charlene were just a small sneak peek that things relating to the arson fires were about to get frighteningly out of control. His heart clutched at the idea that Eric would be hurt personally by any of the odd things that had been happening in Me

By the time they arrived at the restaurant, it was almost ten-thirty, and it was fairly quiet. Since it was a weeknight, it wasn’t too bad. The weekends were almost intolerable, the noise level echoing throughout the building making it impossible to have a decent conversation. It had a wood interior with hammered iron detailing, and the ceiling was wide open and two storeys high. A balcony with upstairs tables circled three of the walls, and there was an enormous bar smack dab in the middle of the main room.On one end of the downstairs there was a small stage and dance floor where country, blues and rockabilly bands played on the weekends when the crowds got crazy.Eric had an intense yearning to hold Tom’s hand as he led him to the back where it was quieter, but he wasn’t feeling that brazen. Yet. Something had snapped inside him after the council meeting that evening, though. The realisation that the years and years of living his life carefully and conscientiously—even hiding from

Tom seemed excited, as if he’d had a sudden revelation.“Proves what?”“That it couldn’t have been you—you would be much more knowledgeable on how to cover your tracks, more capable, right?”Eric sighed. “I wish that solved things, but, unfortunately, all it does is support the DA’s case against Charlene. It was one of the things that was pointed out at her indictment.”“Oh.”“Plus,” Eric added, “even though I’m more trained at putting out and preventing fires, it doesn’t necessarily absolve me entirely either. It‘s not as if I’ve never been around an arson situation before.”“Hmmmm.” Tom looked truly crestfallen. “All right then. What about Fenton? What’s his story exactly?”“Besides being a backwards-thinking jerk, he’s part of a very wellheeled family that goes back a long ways to the roots of Mesa. He somehow feels that this excuses him from proper behaviour, and that he can get away with whatever agenda he currently is espousing.”“Okay, but what does that have to do with you?”“