SUMMER HEAT

Last summer. Santa Fe. One week. Walker Devlin.

Ben had had his sexuality awakened and his heart broken all in the span of one week.

Walker Devlin. The boy who had taken his innocence, seduced his body and stolen his heart.

And now Ben was back, in this beautifully intoxicating city, where he had lost his virginity and gotten his first taste of heartbreak.

Ben inhaled deeply, smelling the seductive night air as he stared out at the sultry Santa Fe skyline. A soft summer breeze blew by, lightly brushing his skin and ruffling his hair. He shivered slightly, more at the sensation than actual cold.

It was as though his body knew instinctually that it had returned to the place where Ben had first tasted desire. He was experiencing increased sensory awareness. Now that he was back in Santa Fe, he was assailed with memories and recollections.

Flashes of naked bodies, tangled sheets, and insatiable teenage boys hungry for sexual fulfillment filled his mind. Although he and Walker had both been sixteen, Walker had been far more advanced than him in the art of lovemaking.

Walker had been the one to initiate him, passionately, into the world of carnal satisfaction. During the one week they had been together, Walker had created a sexual monster in Ben and enslaved it. Making it so that after he left, Ben was unable to find satisfaction with any other boy.

It seemed perfect that they had met here. Walker was so much like the city; rich, vibrant, pulsing with a dark energy barely contained. Even his name – Walker – had a strong, masculine feel to it. Everything about Walker had been strong and masculine and sexy.

The sex between them had been exquisite. Ben could feel himself hardening slightly remembering it. Walker had been so talented in bed that Ben had been tempted to ask him where he had learned all his skills. But he could barely think, let alone speak, when he was in Walker’s arms, in Walker’s bed.

Ben let out a breath. The hardness in his pants was becoming uncomfortable. And really, there was no sense in dwelling on the past. He was only torturing himself by doing so. As much as he might want to, he couldn’t go back in time. Instead he would focus on the present. He inhaled deeply of the fragrant Santa Fe atmosphere, allowing the slightly sweet smelling air fill his lungs.

He had always loved Santa Fe. His family had been vacationing there every summer for as long as he could remember. Since he was originally from New Jersey, their vacation to Santa Fe every year was more than just a trip.

Ben adored the culturally enriched city that was full of traditional art, authentic cuisine and breathtaking landscapes. It was nothing at all like the ‘land of the malls’ he called home. Jersey was okay, but Santa Fe had a magical quality to it. There was something special about this place.

Tonight was just like the night he met Walker. He had stood on the balcony of his hotel room taking in the scenery before he went down to the dining room for dinner. He often did that because the view from his balcony was so amazing.

Tonight he wasn’t going downstairs; instead he was having his dinner brought up by room service. He had already told his parents he wouldn’t be joining them. He just wasn’t feeling up to it. Luckily, his parents had accepted his wishes and hadn’t pushed him to eat with them.

One of the reasons why he loved the annual vacation to Santa Fe was because his parents essentially left him alone while they were there. They preferred to relax and use the spa at their hotel resort, while Ben enjoyed taking to the streets of Santa Fe. Meandering through the many markets that contained souvenirs and art from local artists.

It was at one such market – while negotiating with a street vendor – that he spotted a dark haired boy browsing near by. Ben had been heatedly haggling with the vendor who was unaware that Ben had been coming to Santa Fe for many years and knew of how merchants often inflated prices to ridiculous proportions when dealing with tourists and vacationers.

He had just decided that the tiny statue that he had been attempting to buy wasn’t worth the aggravation of the stubborn vendor who refused to reduce the price to something more reasonable, when out of the corner of his eye he noticed another boy who appeared to be around his age, slowly looking at a collection of Zachanee charms.

Ben watched, transfixed, as the boy picked up one of the silver and turquoise charms. Even from a small distance, he could tell that the boy really liked the jewelry. He continued to watch as the dark haired boy gestured to the piece he was holding and spoke to the vendor of the stall. He didn’t need to hear what they were saying to know what was happening.

The vendor had obviously jacked up the price and it was apparent that the dark haired boy didn’t know how to haggle, because he just shook his head and then carefully replaced the piece and moved on. Ben continued to follow the back of the boy’s head until he disappeared into the crowd and he lost sight of him.

Ben had no idea what propelled him, but he found himself heading straight for the stall the boy had just vacated. When he got there, he asked the vendor to show him which of the pieces the boy had been looking at. It was a bracelet with beautifully carved intricate designs on it. Ben could see why the other boy had been admiring it.

Before he knew what got into him, he was negotiating for a lower price with the vendor. Having already lost one customer due to his inflated prices, the vendor was more amenable than the previous one and Ben was soon able to get it down to a reasonable price. He purchased the bracelet, but even as he walked back to his hotel, he wasn’t sure why he had done it.

He kept thinking back to the boy with the dark hair. There was something about him. It was unlikely that Ben would ever see him again, and that made him unaccountably sad. Ben hadn’t been able to get a good look at his face, he had only been able to see him in profile and now he wished he had seen his eyes.

He had gone back to his hotel to shower and change for dinner. He had considered putting on the bracelet he had bought, but in the end decided against it. Instead, he had carefully put it in his suitcase and headed down to the dining room to meet his parents.

He was already seated at a table with his folks and going over his menu when suddenly the boy from the market, and an older couple who appeared to be his parents, walked in. As if sensing their arrival, Ben had looked up from the items he had been perusing and glanced towards the restaurant entrance.

He had taken one look at the mystery boy and gone hard as a rock. It was as though he had been punched in the stomach. The boy standing before him was perfect. The most attractive boy that Ben had ever laid eyes on. With dark brown hair and blue eyes the color of the Santa Fe summer sky.

Ben couldn’t drag his eyes away and had continued to stare until the boy had turned and caught him. Their eyes clashed and held and something powerful sizzled between the two of them. Their gazes remained locked across the room until a waiter arrived to usher the boy and his parents to their table.

But the eye contact was not severed for long. As soon as he was seated, the mystery boy looked up and their eyes connected again. Ben’s eyes had followed him across the room and he blushed, finally coming to his senses, realizing he was gawking like a weirdo, and looked away, burying his nose in his menu.

But soon he found himself looking towards the boy again. Every once in a while the boy would glance his way and catch Ben staring in his direction, prompting Ben to look hastily away, only to repeat the procedure again a few minutes later.

This continued all throughout dinner, and by the time they were done eating, Ben’s face had been flaming red. Deep down he had wanted to approach the other boy, but he wasn’t brave enough. He forced himself to stop looking in the hot mystery boy’s direction and focus on finishing his dessert so he could escape the dining room as soon as possible.

His parents had decided to forego dessert and had gone to dance on the dining room dance floor, leaving Ben at the table by himself. Ben concentrated on the sweet confection before him, doing his best to finish the yummy dessert so he could escape.

Just as he was finishing up he noticed Mr. Hottie get up and start coming towards him. He tried to swallow and glanced nervously towards the exit, trying to see if there was any way he could escape the confrontation that was obviously coming. What did he expect after ogling him all through dinner? The boy was obviously pissed and was coming over to find out why he had been looking at him, maybe even kick his ass.

Ben’s nervousness escalated as the other boy approached. He began to sweat and his heart rate kicked up until it felt as though his heart was going to pound its way out of his chest. The closer the mystery hottie got, the greater Ben’s urge to bolt became. But where could he go? If Mr. Hottie was eating in the dining room, chances were he was staying at the same hotel. There was no way that Ben could avoid running into him at some point or another.

He waited nervously until the boy reached his table. With each step he took, Ben became more apprehensive. Mr. Mystery Hottie did not look pleased at all. Ben swallowed and willed himself to remain seated, not to bolt. When the other boy finally reached the table, he paused in front of Ben, waiting.

“Hi,” Ben said hesitantly in a small voice.

The other boy didn’t respond immediately, but when he finally spoke all he said was, “Can I talk to you outside?”

Outside? His mind raced. Ben decided that he probably wanted to get him alone outside so that he could kick his ass. He didn’t sound particularly angry, but his tone brooked no argument. Ben wanted to refuse. Everything within him screamed that going off anywhere alone with this kid was definitely a bad idea.

“Uh …” was all Ben managed to say, before the boy cut him off.

“Please,” he said.                                                                                                   

Now that he was up close, Ben couldn’t tell whether or not the boy was upset. His face was impassive and he gave nothing away. His clear blue eyes bored into Ben’s brown ones as he waited for Ben to comply.

Against his better judgment, Ben found himself following the other boy as they made their way out of the dining room. Ben questioned the sanity of his actions as he found himself being led to a secluded spot of the hotel gardens. Standing enveloped in the darkness, Ben felt even more vulnerable.

Suddenly the other boy stopped walking and spun around to face Ben.

“I’m … Walker,” he said, introducing himself. He seemed to hesitate over his own name.

He held out his hand.

“Ben … I’m Ben,” Ben responded clumsily, taking the proffered hand.

Something happened when their hands clasped. The moment their skin connected Ben felt a spark shoot up his arm. Their eyes met and held and something potent sizzled between the two of them. Although the night was cool in the shadows of the garden, Ben felt a heat uncurl within his belly and spread throughout his body.

After introductions had been made, the two boys stood awkwardly in silence. Ben used the darkness to try and cover the fact that he was staring. With the garden’s insufficient lighting, he couldn’t see much, but that didn’t stop him from trying to make out Walker’s features. He really was beautiful.

Ben wondered why Walker had brought him out here, and was just about to ask when Walker broke the silence.

“Why were you staring at me in the dining room?”

This was the question Ben had been waiting for, the one he had been dreading. Looking away, he contemplated what he should say? He couldn’t very well admit that Walker was the most beautiful boy he had ever laid eyes on and couldn’t help but stare. That was sure to earn him an ass kicking.

After a few moments of silence, Ben finally said, “I’m sorry.”

More silence, and then, “It’s okay. I … didn’t mind.”

The last part was admitted sheepishly, stunning Ben. Walker wasn’t angry?

He chanced a glance at his face and was instantly mesmerized by the look in Walker’s eyes. They burned bright like two brilliant blue flames with an emotion that Ben couldn’t identify. Something powerful and electric transpired between the two boys. As if by unspoken agreement, they both leaned forward until their lips touched in a gentle kiss.

The air whooshed out of Ben’s lungs at the contact. His first kiss. It was weird, surreal.

And apparently, it also caused short term memory loss, because Ben couldn’t remember anything that happened afterward. It was only later that night, as he’d lain in bed reliving the kiss and wondering if he’d ever see Walker again, that a knock had sounded at his door and when he’d answered it, he realized that Walker had asked him for his room number and he had given it to him.

That night was the beginning of something far more intense than anything Ben could have ever imagined. Something so strong that even now, a year later, he still hadn’t been able to get over the events of that week. He hadn’t been able to move on. Seven days, that’s all it had taken for him to become sexually and emotionally obsessed with Walker.

He had fallen so deeply under Walker's spell that it never even occurred to him to say no when he showed up at his door. Instead he let Walker kiss him and touch him and take his virginity, all because he wanted him so much. 

The funny thing was that it had started out as one of those, “What happens in Santa Fe, stays in Santa Fe” kind of things, but had evolved into something much more serious. He had become addicted to Walker’s body, his taste, his touch, to the point where he couldn’t get enough. Where he existed only in a state of constant craving. For Walker.

But after just one week together, it was over. Ben realized now what a fool he had been for thinking that their week together meant more to Walker than it actually did. For nurturing the idea that it had meant as much to Walker as it had to him. Now, twelve months later, Ben realized he had been too blindsided by lust to recognize what had been right in front of him.

Yet he couldn’t place all the blame on his inexperience and teenage hormones. The sex itself had been fantastic. Amazing. Earth-shattering. Each night they’d done something new, but equally exciting. Some nights the sex would be slow and sensual, while other nights they would go at it, fucking fast and furious. That week had been amazing, there was simply no other way to describe it.

After that first night, Walker continued to come to Ben’s room every night after dinner and the two of them would make love. Have sex. Fuck. There was no use in calling it anything else that would give the illusion of their “relationship” having deeper meaning than it really did. Ben had been a convenient and willing body. That was it.

Again, Ben shook himself mentally, deciding to be fair. It wasn’t his entire fault for misunderstanding Walker’s true intentions. Walker had done many things that someone of Ben’s inexperience would have found misleading. Perhaps it hadn’t been Walker’s intention, but all of his actions had given Ben hope that they could have something more after the week was over.

Yet even now, after all the anger and hurt, the feelings of vulnerability, foolishness and being taken advantage, he still couldn’t help but remember how beautiful their time together had been. At least for him. At first, Ben hadn’t been sure how to act the next morning, but Walker had been relaxed and affectionate, causing all of Ben’s awkwardness to dissipate.

They had seen the city together. Since it was Walker’s first time in Santa Fe, Ben had delighted in showing him the sights. He had also been able to use his extensive knowledge of the city to take Walker to the lesser known attractions.

They had spent their days wandering the street, enjoying the warm weather and soaking up Santa Fe’s cultural ambiance, while spending their nights in each other’s arms, literally fucking themselves to exhaustion. After that first night, they had spent all of their time together.

They had gone to the flea market together where Ben was able to haggle with merchants on Walker’s behalf. Walker had loved it, relishing the disgruntled looks of the merchants’ faces when they realized they wouldn’t be able to swindle Ben. And Ben taught Walker how to negotiate, black market-style in order to avoid being cheated.

He had taken Walker to some of the best restaurants, the ones that weren’t known to tourists. The ones that had the best food for even better prices. Local secrets. They explored landmarks like the historic Palace of the Governors and visited museums that hosted beautiful folk art.

Walker had been curious about everything – or at least he had pretended to be – and had wanted Ben to show him everything he knew. As they had traveled around Santa Fe together, Ben noticed that everywhere they went, Walker seemed to draw attention. Everywhere they went he was watched by boys and girls alike. But the most astonishing part was that Walker didn’t seem to notice.

Back then, Ben had been equal parts proud and insecure that someone so gorgeous, so hot, was his. These feelings were compounded by the discovery that not only was Walker incredibly good looking and talented in bed, but he was also a very interesting and funny guy. They shared a lot of similar interests, like the architecture of old churches and spicy southwestern food, which Ben found surprising because he wouldn’t have expected that he and someone like Walker would have so much in common.

That only helped to make Ben fall even more hopelessly in love with the other boy. Everything had seemed so perfect; they were compatible both in and out of bed. His feelings for Walker had developed so fast and so strong partly because he felt Walker had felt the same about him. How wrong he had been.

On their last night in Santa Fe, Walker had been insatiable, turning Ben this way and that, taking him over and over again. Finally, when Ben could take no more, he had begged Walker to stop, but Walker ignored his pleas, instead flipping him over and beginning the whole process all over again.

Ben shuddered thinking about that night. Walker’s lips and hands had been everywhere, all over his body, leaving no inch of him untouched. By the time morning arrived, he had been thoroughly fucked, his entire body so deliciously sore.

He hadn’t wanted the vacation to end. He had wanted to stay, forever, with Walker in that hotel room. They had engaged in sex as only two sixteen year old boys could. With unbridled passion and enthusiasm; every kiss and every touch filled with the excitement and wonder.

No matter how hard he had tried in the past year, he couldn’t escape the memories. Memories of Walker bending him over, pushing his legs apart, entering him from behind.

When they had finally collapsed on the sheets in an exhausted heap in the early hours of the morning, they had lain in each others arms, whispering softly.

It was that night, their last night together in the magical city of Santa Fe that had cemented Ben’s certainty that his feelings were returned. Their last night together had been so beautiful that he had convinced himself that it was impossible that Walker didn’t love him as well.

When, at last, he had returned to New Jersey with his parents, he waited anxiously for days for Walker to call him. Nothing. Ben had been confused by Walker’s silence. Finally, tired of waiting, he called the number that Walker had given him. Again nothing. That number was out of service. It was only then that Ben realized the truth: he had been played for a fool.

Walker had never had any intention of calling him, of ever even seeing him again. Yet even in light of this, Ben had continued to seek ways to contact Walker, convincing himself that some sort of mistake had unintentionally been made. Maybe Walker accidentally gave him a wrong number. Then why doesn’t he call you? a voice in his head asked. Maybe he lost my number. Yeah, sure, came the voice’s sarcastic response.

In those first weeks following his return from Santa Fe, Ben must have written Walker more than a hundred emails, each had gone unanswered. He hadn’t given up, instead he had tried harder. He googled Walker on the web, trying to find out any information on him that he could. He had searched tirelessly for months, but in the end he found nothing. It was as though Walker Devlin didn’t really exist.

That was when reality finally set in. Walker Devlin probably didn’t really exist. There was a distinct possibility he had lied about his last name just so Ben wouldn’t be able to find him after he left Santa Fe. It was with that knowledge that Ben forced himself to stop looking, to give up.

But that didn’t stop him from yearning for Walker, from dreaming about him every night. He lost interest in everything, including food. As a result he lost weight. He became quiet and withdrawn. Because Ben had been so consumed with his quest to find Walker, his friends and family had become worried about him. For a while his parents had even entertained the notion of canceling their annual vacation, but Ben wouldn’t let them.

Now here he was, a year later, back in the place that had started it all. He admitted to himself that he had been a fool to think that he could come back here and remain unaffected. Everything in Santa Fe reminded him of Walker and the time that they had spent here together.

How foolish he had been. He had almost gone mad when he hadn’t been able to find Walker, tormented by thoughts that maybe something terrible had happened to him, like he had been kidnapped by the mob and killed.

After the numbness wore off, then came the pain. A pain so sharp and unrelenting that Ben thought he would die of it. Only recently had he stopped hurting enough to consider healing. To consider moving on and finally forgetting about his stolen week with Walker Devlin.

Just then there was a knock on the door, snapping him out of his reverie. Thinking it must be the room service he ordered, Ben didn’t turn around from the balcony. Instead, he absently called for them to come in. He hadn’t felt up to eating in the elaborate hotel dining room tonight and preferred the quiet of his own.

Behind him, he heard the door open and shut softly. And then came silence. Assuming that the waiter was waiting for a tip, he called out that there was money on the nightstand. He wanted the guy to hurry up and leave. He really wasn’t up to company tonight.

He wasn’t even all that sure that he had an appetite for food. All he wanted to do was crawl into bed, but that would defeat the purpose of coming back to Santa Fe. He was supposed to be moving on. If all he was going to do was mope around his hotel room, he might as well have remained in New Jersey.

When he still didn’t hear the guy move, he sighed, wondering if he wanted more money. He had left a pretty big tip and he wasn’t in the mood to deal with a greedy service attendant. And that was when it dawned on him, he hadn’t heard any of the sounds associated with room service. He didn’t hear the wheels of a food cart or the clink of cutlery.

Suddenly, he got the feeling he was being watched. The hair on the back of his neck rose and his skin pricked. Steeling his spine, he slowly turned around and came face to face with the last person he had ever expected to see again. Walker. His heart did a little somersault before his head came into play …

Seeing Walker again caused all the feelings he had experienced over the last year to rush through him at once. It also caused all the feelings he’d tried to suppress to surge to the surface. Emotions were clamoring inside of him while his brain froze, unable to comprehend that Walker was standing right in front of him in his hotel room.

Hundreds of questions floated around in his mind, but he didn’t know where to begin. What was Walker doing there? How had he found out Ben was in town? These were the logical questions, the ones any normal person would start by asking. But all Ben wanted to know was where Walker had been. Why he’d never gotten in touch with him. Why he’d disappeared.

He should be demanding answers, but he wasn’t. Instead he stood there, drinking Walker in with his eyes. At seventeen, he was even more devastatingly attractive than he had been at sixteen. He was still tall and muscular, his face still beautiful. He looked healthy and unharmed, invalidating Ben’s theory that he might have been in a horrible accident or had developed a deadly disease and that was what had kept him from him.

No, he looked exactly as he had before, except for his eyes. When Ben looked into his eyes, he knew that something was different. Something had changed, and it was almost like he held pain in those clear blue depths. Eyes that had once only conveyed Walker’s fun-loving and carefree nature, now appeared wary and guarded, as though he carried a burden.

Still dealing with his shock and surprise, all Ben managed to get out was, “Why?”

He didn’t need to elaborate; Walker knew what he was asking. 

Instead of responding, he began moving towards Ben. At his approach, Ben took a retreating step backward and bumped into the railing of the balcony, preventing him from moving any further away. He could do nothing but watch as Walker advanced on him, watch as a look of intent, of purpose, entered his eyes.

He knew, even before it happened, that Walker was going to kiss him. He could have struggled, fought harder, demanded to be let go, but he did none of those things. The moment Walker’s lips touched his, he was a goner. Their lips connected, Walker licked his tongue into Ben’s mouth, tasting him.

God, it felt so good, so right, to kiss Walker again. He melted into his embrace. It was like coming home. Immediately all the emotions rioting inside him quieted and he was calm. But it didn’t last. Walker grasped the sides of his head, lifted his mouth and whispered, “Ben.”

That word snapped him out of the drugged effect Walker’s kiss had produced and suddenly Ben realized what he was doing. After disappearing and missing for a year, Walker had returned and without any explanations Ben had willingly gone into his arms. Like a desperate, needy fool.

It was last year all over again. Like that fateful night when Walker had given Ben his first real kiss and branded him for life. Ben knew he was weak when it came to matters concerning Walker Devlin, but even he was appalled at his easy capitulation. Did pride mean nothing to him? Apparently not.

“No,” Ben said, placing the palms of his hands on Walker’s solid chest and giving him an ineffectual push.

Walker’s forehead wrinkled into a frown at the refusal. Ben had gone a whole year with nothing but the memory of Walker’s taste, the feel of his hands on his body. He’d loved everything that Walker had done to him, he’d never said no to anything Walker wanted. No wonder he was surprised.

But instead of releasing him like Ben wanted, Walker kissed him again. Ben struggled to resist the kiss, but was lost moments later when Walker bit down on his lower lip lightly, making him shiver. His body was bombarded with a host of feelings, feelings of arousal, desire, hunger and lust. There was no denying that, regardless of all the other emotions he felt towards Walker, like anger and hurt, he was still attracted to him. And he still wanted him.

Ben pulled his mouth away and twisted his face to the side. He had to stop, now, before he got carried away. Before he lost the ability to think and succumbed to the needs of his body. He wanted answers.

“What are you doing here, Walker?” 

“I needed to see you,” he responded slowly.

“Why? So you can fuck me a few times and then disappear for another year?”

“I never meant to hurt you.” And then as if in an afterthought, “Something happened.”

Ben was sure he had a pretty good understanding of exactly what happened. Walker had gotten some vacation ass and that had been it. He’d had a good time fucking Ben – using Ben – and had given him false contact information to make sure he could never get in touch with him again. Or until he decided he wanted to have a repeat of last summer. Maybe he was back again visiting with his parents and decided to have a little fun.

He was just about to tell him to get out, when Walker said, “Please. Just let me explain.”

There was something about the way he said it. Even though Ben knew he was probably just going to feed him some bullshit about how he accidentally lost his number and must have made a mistake while writing down his own phone number … and email address … and last name. Against his better judgment, he decided to hear him out.

At the very least he would derive some amusement from whatever story he concocted. He leaned back against the railing, crossing his arms over his chest and effected a look of mild curiosity. He was pretending to be more nonchalant than he actually felt while he waited for Walker to begin.

“I … Walker Devlin isn’t my real name,” he began slowly.

Strangely enough, this confession came as some surprise to Ben. Although he’d suspected that Walker had made the name up, hearing him confirm his suspicions was unexpectedly painful. Seemingly unaware of Ben’s turmoil, Walker continued.

“A year and a half ago, my dad saw something. Something he wasn’t supposed to see. It got him into a lot of trouble.”

For a moment Ben was still. Had his father seen them together and discovered that Walker was gay? Had he been sent away and forbidden to communicate with Ben, because of it? It was all starting to come together, but something he’d said didn’t quite make sense.

“You mean it got you into a lot of trouble,” Ben corrected.

“No,” Walker countered, “it got him into a lot of trouble.” Then, looking Ben right in the eye, he said, “He witnessed a murder.”

Ben couldn’t have been any more surprised if Walker had said he was really a woman, but before he had a chance to demand that he elaborate, Walker continued.

“The man who committed the murder was very powerful … and very dangerous. When he found out what my dad had seen, he put a contract out on my family – one million dollars – and we were placed in witness protection.”

Suddenly, Ben felt lightheaded. This was all too much. So Walker really was on the run from the mob.

“But a year ago there was a breach in security and our information was leaked. Turns out when his initial bounty didn’t produce any results, he doubled the bounty to two million dollars. We were immediately given new identities and moved to a new location. Santa Fe.”

Ben’s eyes widened. So, he hadn’t been on vacation with his folks, they had just changed location and that was why they’d been staying at the hotel. All the time he’d spent searching for Walker and he’d been right where he left him all along.

“I wanted to tell you, Ben. I did. But I couldn’t. I already broke the rules by telling you what my real first name was.”

He made a frustrated sound, and roughly shoved his fingers into his hair.

“When you’re in witness protection, you have to leave your entire life behind and start anew. You have to cut off all your friends and family and leave your home. You have to change your name and lie about your past, and move somewhere completely new where you don’t know anybody. And most importantly, you aren’t supposed to get close to anyone once you’re in the program because it could jeopardize your safety.”

He looked at Ben pleadingly, begging wordlessly for him to understand.

“After you told me that vacationing in Santa Fe was an annual family tradition, I knew, or at least hoped, that you would come back, but at the same time I was scared shitless. I didn’t want you to get hurt; I … I don’t know what I would do if something happened to you. 

Ben really had no idea what to say. He obviously couldn’t be mad at Walker anymore when he had such a legitimate reason for what he’d done. In fact, he had no choice but to forgive him, but to what end? They obviously couldn’t have a relationship while he was in witness protection.

Knowing that there was a contract out on Walker’s life made Ben’s blood run cold.

“So what are we going to do?” he asked, already knowing the answering and hating the fact that things had to be this way.

“Well … I was hoping, maybe, this,” he said, moving forward and leaning down, his intent clear.

As much as Ben loved his kisses, now was absolutely not the time.

“But … what about the program? You just said you weren’t allowed to get close to anyone.”

“Yeah, but my parents and I aren’t in the program anymore,” Walker dropped that bombshell with a grin.

“What!” Ben exclaimed. “You left the program? Are you insane? Someone is willing to pay two million dollars to have you killed, and you’re not under protection?”

“Calm down,” Walker said. “I’m sorry, I should have explained that better. We’re no longer under witness protection because there’s no need. Four days ago, at 2:54 a.m. Giovanni Briatore, the man who was trying to kill us, died of a cerebral aneurism in his sleep. The contract is over.”

It took a moment for his words to sink in.

“So, it’s over?” Ben asked, “You’re safe now?”

“Yeah,” Walker responded in a low whisper, making his voice sound even sexier. He leaned in again, pinning Ben against the railing, and brought his hands up to rest of on the horizontal bar, effectively caging him in.

Walker’s lips and tongue found the side of Ben’s neck, found the pulse that was racing wildly. Ben let out a jerky breath at the contact. He felt Walker bite him, but it didn’t hurt, then he ran his tongue over the spot as if to soothe it. Ben tilted his neck to give him better access.

He was just starting to get carried away, when Walker stopped and pulled back.

“What …? Why did you stop?” Ben asked.

“Hi,” Walker said instead of answering. “I’m Walker. Walker Ridgeway.”

And then it dawned on him what Walker was doing; re-introducing himself and using his real name. He broke out in a smile.

Just then a knock sounded on the door, quickly followed by, “Room service.”

They separated long enough for Ben to answer the door and tip the waiter. Once they were alone, they resumed kissing. After their year-long separation, they wasted little time getting naked and climbing into bed.

The lovemaking was passionate, extreme, almost overwhelming in its intensity. And when they were finished, they shared the food that Ben had ordered, eating naked in bed.

That night they talked. In the darkness, between the sheets, they spoke in muted tones, punctuated by constant kisses and caresses. They made love over and over until they were finally exhausted. And as they lay in each other’s arms drifting to sleep, Ben knew that this was the beginning of something magical.