The desert sun was dry, my skin thirsty, my craving for the hot mesquite air. The shore was alive with boys whose bodies spoke of sun-drenched days and steamy nights. Big and strong, wearing nothing but that irascible grin, they gave me a look of want: my desire an answer to a passionate longing. Each touch revealed an intimacy that burned with desire – and soon lost in it, I realised that Palm Springs was heaven.